Daily Briefing

AROUND THE NFL Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com with a quick overview of free agency so far:   Free agency moved faster than ever in the NFL this year, but there are still plenty of good players available.   In our Free Agent Top 100, 39 players remain available as of Thursday morning.   Most…

AROUND THE NFL We have coverage of the big trade that sent WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr. in both NEW YORK GIANTS and CLEVELAND.  Here is an overview from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:   Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says the Giants played things significantly better than the Steelers:   The Steelers got a third-round pick and…

AROUND THE NFL After a flurry of activity, 15 of the top 25 free agents (and 10 of the top 12), according to ProFootballTalk.com, are tagged or signed:   The following are PFT’s top 100 free agents for the start of the 2019 league year. The rankings include prospective unrestricted and restricted free agents, as…

AROUND THE NFL Peter King on the state of replay reform, with an interesting analogy from Saints coach Sean Payton:   I don’t think any change in the replay system, in the wake of the non-interference call in the NFC title game, could get the required 24 votes to change the system today. But that…

AROUND THE NFL The coaches subcommittee of the Competition Committee wants an all-powerful eye in the sky.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:   The Competition Committee has made plenty of headlines this week regarding whether and to what extent the replay review process will, or won’t, change in the aftermath of last month’s NFC championship game.…

AROUND THE NFL QB JOHNNY MANZIEL is a man without a country, if that country is Canada.  The CFL orders him cut by the Montreal Allouettes.   The Montreal Alouettes released quarterback Johnny Manziel on Wednesday, saying he “contravened the agreement which made him eligible to play” in the Canadian Football League.   The CFL…

AROUND THE NFL Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com says no consensus has emerged on the Competition Committee about how to change replay to avoid horrible calls such as the one that denied the Saints a trip to the Super Bowl.   Early discussions among NFL competition committee members suggest the league is unlikely to make significant…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   GREEN BAY Last year, WR JORDY NELSON was allowed to walk.  This year, the Packers will part ways with WR RANDALL COBB.  Zach Kruse of PackersWire.com:   The end is likely near for the working relationship between receiver Randall Cobb and the Green Bay Packers.          Mike Silver of…

AROUND THE NFL Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com on how compensatory picks sometimes work in the opposite direction of how they were intended:   The original idea behind compensatory picks was to help maintain parity in the NFL: The league has never wanted wealthy teams in big markets to be able to buy up all…

AROUND THE NFL Would Adam Silver be a better NFL commissioner than Roger Goodell?  Peter King on the whispers:   I think, regarding the whispers of some influencers in the NFL feeling out Adam Silver for his interest in the NFL commissioner’s job before Roger Goodell signed long-term in late 2017, as reported by ESPN:…

AROUND THE NFL NFC NORTH   DETROIT Kevin Patra of NFL.com on new OC Darrell Bevell:   The Detroit Lions parted ways with Jim Bob Cooter in favor of veteran play-caller Darrell Bevell as the team’s new offensive coordinator this offseason. Bevell is still figuring out what Detroit’s new offense will look like in 2019…

AROUND THE NFL Thoughts from Peter King on the AAF and its rules:   I think I can’t make any major conclusions on the quality of the AAF product after one weekend, because I just saw snippets. (I’ll watch more in the coming weeks.) But some of the rules I like a lot. No kickoffs…