AROUND THE NFL
Daily Briefing
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NFC EAST
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DALLAS
QB DAK PRESCOTT shone in his return to action Thursday night. Josh Alper ofProFootballTalk.com:
There was nothing but confidence from the Cowboys when it came to how quarterback Dak Prescott would do in his return from last season’s fractured ankle and this summer’s shoulder trouble, but those outside of the organization needed a little more convincing.
Prescott provided it on Thursday night. Prescott looked right at home while completing 42-of-58 passes for 403 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in Tampa. He also ran four times for 13 yards, shook off a cut to his left hand, and led a scoring drive that put the Cowboys up 29-28 with 1:24 left to play in the game.
The Bucs would drive for a game-winning field goal, which left the Cowboys lamenting missed kicks and other moments where the offense couldn’t convert. Prescott’s outing wasn’t anything to lament, however, and he said he “enjoyed every moment” of his long-awaited return to action.
“I don’t feel like I say things just to say them, so that’s just a credit to all the work I put in,” Prescott said, via Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “I think when you invest that much work in rehab and prehab and just everything that has gone into the last 11 months for me to get on the field, I mean, I’m not surprised about the way that I went out there and fought. Ran the ball a couple times and did all the things that I’d normally do 11 months ago. No, I feel like I’m a better player than I was when I left the field [last year] and I told y’all that was the expectations I had for myself, and I’ll continue to try to get better game in and game out.”
There aren’t moral victories in the NFL, but Thursday night’s game was about as close as one could get for Prescott and the Cowboys. They’ll try to make the effort add up to an actual victory against the Chargers next week.
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WASHINGTON
The Baltimore Business Journal on how the hunt for a Red nickname may be close to an end:
A new name may finally be coming for the Washington Football Team.
Tanya Snyder, who is currently running the NFL franchise while husband Dan Snyder takes a voluntary break from day-to-day duties, confirmed to ESPN reporter Adam Schefter this week the organization had eight potential new names on its shortlist.
Snyder confirmed the names under consideration are: the Red Hogs, Defenders, Armada, Presidents, Brigade, Commanders, Red Wolves and the team’s current “placeholder” name, the Washington Football Team. It’s a list that was also reported this week by NBC Sports Washington.
There was some confusion after the report, however, as Schefter later tweeted that a WFT spokesperson told him that those eight names were not the finalists, but rather eight names that the organization chose to highlight in a brand video.
Snyder told Schefter on his podcast the list is actually down to three but would not reveal the names still under consideration. The team said it plans to use a new name in 2022.
It was announced in July that Dan Snyder was taking a step back from daily duties to “concentrate on a new stadium plan and other matters.” That move came as the NFL handed the franchise a $10 million fine following its investigation into the franchise’s reported toxic workplace culture that it said included “bullying and intimidation” with numerous female employees relaying experiences of “sexual harassment and a general lack of respect in the workplace.”
Tanya Snyder was named co-CEO of the franchise in late June, just before the NFL released its investigation report.
Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post didn’t like Snyder’s interview:
This was an opportunity for Tanya Snyder. An open mic. A popular, powerful and accommodating host. A new role heading into a new season.
“This is not my comfort zone, and I know I need to change this,” Snyder, the co-CEO of the Washington Football Team, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter during a podcast released this week.
For a Snyder, speaking publicly represents change, and that’s a good thing because fans like to know the people who run the franchises in which they invest their time and money are accountable. But if there was any doubt that Tanya Snyder shares some of her husband’s faults, cast it aside. She stepped out of her comfort zone. And she thought only of herself.
“Words for me to describe this year is very difficult,” Snyder told Schefter. “It’s been one of the most difficult years in mine, Dan and I know my family’s lives.”
So much change has come to the Washington Football Team over the past 20 months, welcome and necessary and hopeful change. There is a new coach, a new name, a new president, a new radio voice, a new ownership structure. On and on.
There’s also a new co-CEO, an announcement that came days before the NFL essentially told owner Daniel Snyder to go sit facing the corner for a few months. Dan Snyder had overseen an organization that allowed years of misogynistic, demeaning behavior by club executives that made it at best uncomfortable and at worst frightening to work for the franchise.
NFL fines Washington Football Team $10 million; Tanya Snyder to run operations for now
This was supposed to be meaningful change, and here was Tanya Snyder’s chance to articulate how she was effecting such meaningful change.
“It’s hard,” she said. “I get a lump in my throat. It’s a cross between a — I don’t know — crime show and a nightmare movie. But I’m here to tell you today: I know we are doing everything possible — and I think where we’ve ended up and where we’re heading, I couldn’t be more excited. So for that, I think it’s a blessing.”
I know, I know. Hold on.
Schefter pushed on why Snyder got a lump in her throat when talking about the past year. A layup. Has to be because of what the poor women who worked for her husband’s company endured, right?
Um, well …
“I just think it’s the pain from our family, from my children,” Snyder said. “And just a lot of the tough times that we’ve gone through. And just, as you know, the media. It is what it is. Everybody’s going to say whatever.”
We’re not saying “whatever.” We’re saying that your organization was found to foster reprehensible behavior and that behavior had a real and lasting impact on many of the people who worked there.
There are a lot of ways Snyder, in her first substantive interview since taking her new position, could have skipped over the specifics of the changes she’s supposedly implementing and not made news. The owners of sports franchises — or other companies, for that matter — often speak in platitudes and broad strokes when discussing the operation of their businesses. No big deal.
The jarring thing here, though, is how quickly Snyder cast herself as the victim. Sorry, did I say “jarring?” I meant “infuriating.”
Sure, it can’t be easy to be Tanya Snyder. Her husband has owned the team he rooted for as a child for more than two decades, and he is largely reviled by the fan base for which he wants to win a championship. The team has one playoff victory this century. People say awful things about him on a daily basis.
But put the complaints in a box, shut the lid and broaden the mind. The pain Tanya Snyder and her family experienced came about because of the environment her husband oversaw. This didn’t happen to their family. It happened to the women who worked for Dan Snyder and his underlings. At least some acknowledgment of that, some expression of regret, would show them a modicum of respect. There was none when they worked there. There is none now.
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NFC SOUTH
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NEW ORLEANS
The Saints have traded for CB BRADLEY ROBY of the Texans. This from ESPN.com:
The New Orleans Saints completed their trade for cornerback Bradley Roby on Thursday, sending a 2022 third-round draft pick and a 2023 conditional sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans.
To facilitate the trade, the Texans converted $7.6 million of Roby’s base salary into a signing bonus, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates. Roby’s base salary for 2021 is now $1,862,645, which fits into the Saints’ salary-cap space.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Thursday he feels like the Saints “just added another piece to the puzzle.”
“You can never have enough good cornerbacks, which are hard to find in our league,” Allen said. “I like his size, speed, length, athleticism, he’s really smart. And I think he’s gonna fit in much like Jackrabbit did [when the Saints acquired cornerback Janoris Jenkins in a late-season trade in 2019].”
Allen also said that he likes the fact that Roby comes from a “really good pedigree” and that the Saints have had a lot of success with defensive backs from Ohio State in the past — including current cornerback Marshon Lattimore, current safety Malcolm Jenkins and former defensive backs like Vonn Bell and Eli Apple.
Roby was a first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos in 2014. He spent the past two years in Houston and has started 49 career games with 10 interceptions.
Roby, 29, is entering the second year of a three-year, $31.5 million extension that he signed with the Texans last year. He will miss the first game of the season, however, as part of a six-game suspension that began in 2020 for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.
The Saints have identified cornerback as a “must-fill” position ever since they released former starter Jenkins in March as part of a massive salary-cap purge and then lost one potential starting contender, Patrick Robinson, to a surprise retirement early in training camp. They even attempted to trade up nearly 20 spots in the NFL draft to land top prospects Jaycee Horn or Pat Surtain II.
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TAMPA BAY
Patrik Walker of CBSSports.com on why the Buccaneers won the opener:
Why the Buccaneers won
Tom Brady.
I mean, I could stop there, but I’ll dive in a bit deeper. Brady threw two interceptions, but he didn’t care. The Buccaneers highly regarded defense let the Cowboys romp over them for 29 points (which might’ve been a 40 burger if not for missed opportunities) and 451 total yards of offense, but Brady didn’t care. Prescott outplayed him in every category, but Brady didn’t care. The Buccaneers couldn’t get their running game going, but Brady didn’t care. By now, you’re sensing a very real theme here: Brady didn’t care. All Brady cared about was having the ball in his hands with the game on the line, and he got his wish. Credit Prescott for leading the Cowboys to the brink of a massive upset over the Buccaneers, and despite Dallas’ final drive being pushed back by a couple of holding penalties, putting his team in position for Greg Zuerlein to try and delete his missed boot swings with a potential game-winning field goal that he’d go on to make.
But hey, Brady didn’t care about that, either. The 48-yard kick gave the Cowboys a 29-28 edge with only 1:24 remaining in regulation, and Brady took it from there. Helped by what will go down as a controversial non-call (see below) that helped set the Buccaneers up for their own potential game-winning field goal that actually did materialize as just that, Succop took the field and showed Zuerlein that it’s not about how many field goals you make in a game, it’s about how many you don’t miss. Succop had only one field goal attempt the entire game, and he made it. Because like Brady, having seen Zuerlein finally get some mojo back with less than two minutes remaining, Succop didn’t care.
Snap. Hold. Kick. Good.
And just like that, the Bucs escape talk of a possible Super Bowl hangover — which is all they care about.
The Cowboys passed for a lot of yards after CB SEAN MURPHY-BUNTING left the game but at least his injury does not appear to be season ending. Curtis Crabtree ofProFootballTalk.com:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting exited Thursday night’s season opener against the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter and was immediately ruled out with an elbow injury.
After the game, head coach Bruce Arians told reporters that Murphy-Bunting had sustained a dislocated elbow when his arm was sandwiched between Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb and Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
Per Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com, Arians said that he thinks Bunting is “going to be all right.” However, it will likely be at least some time before Murphy-Bunting will make it back on the field.
Cowboys defensive tackle sustained a dislocated elbow last year in mid-August. Though he played briefly early in the season, it took until mid-October before he was able to get back to contributing for Dallas.
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NFC WEST
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SEATTLE
Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports on some financial dealings with S QUANDRE DIGGS:
Much like they did with left tackle Duane Brown earlier this week, the Seattle Seahawks have tweaked free safety Quandre Diggs’ contract as a compromise in the absence of a new deal.
Diggs had been seeking an extension as he enters the final year of his current contract, which was scheduled to pay him $5.95 million in base salary with another $100,000 available in per-game roster bonuses. A source told ESPN’s Field Yates that the team converted the $100,000 into base salary and converted $5.05 million of base salary into a signing bonus while adding a void year in 2022 for cap purposes.
As was the case with Brown, the adjustment doesn’t add any new money to Diggs’ deal. But it pays the bulk of his 2021 compensation up front and essentially guarantees $100,000 that he would have had to stay healthy in order to earn.
The adjustment to Diggs’ contract also clears around $2.5 million in 2021 cap space by deferring that amount into 2022. The Seahawks pushed another $3.5 million into next year with Brown’s adjustment and now have roughly $11.6 million in cap space, according to OverTheCap.com.
Both Diggs and Brown are scheduled to become free agents after this season.
Diggs, 28, made his first Pro Bowl last season after setting a career high with five interceptions. He returned to practice Monday after sitting out for two weeks while he finalized an undisclosed personal financial matter that was reportedly an insurance policy.
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AFC WEST
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LAS VEGAS
Like they have mandated for their home fans, the Raiders are fully vaccinated per the beat writer of the Las Vegas Examiner:
@VinnyBonsignore
FYI: Per source the @Raiders are now 100 percent vaccinated.
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AFC NORTH
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BALTIMORE
Was this the worst game week practice ever? Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:
The Baltimore Ravens’ horrid run of injuries continued Thursday when cornerback Marcus Peters and running back Gus Edwards both suffered season-ending torn ACLs in practice, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Peters went down with a knee injury first and Edwards was injured a few plays later, according to a source. Ravens coach John Harbaugh then called an end to practice, the source added.
With its season opener four days away, Baltimore wasn’t practicing in full pads Thursday.
Edwards becomes the third Ravens running back to suffer a season-ending injury in a span of 12 days. J.K. Dobbins tore the ACL in his left knee in the preseason finale Aug. 28, and Justice Hill hurt an Achilles tendon Sept. 2.
Ty’Son Williams, a practice player from a year ago who doesn’t have an NFL carry, becomes the Ravens’ lead back. The other two running backs on the roster — Trenton Cannon and Le’Veon Bell (practice squad) — started practicing with the Ravens only on Wednesday.
Last week, Harbaugh praised the development of Williams, who joined Baltimore as an undrafted rookie out of BYU last year.
“He jumped out right away last year in practices,” Harbaugh said then. “He just got better and better. So, what he is now is what he’s worked hard to become, and now he goes from here. We’ll see what he does. I think he’s going to do really well.”
The Ravens are also signing free-agent running back Devonta Freeman to their practice squad, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told Schefter on Thursday. It is expected that Freeman will be promoted to the active roster.
The only player remaining from last year’s backfield for the Ravens is Pro Bowl fullback Patrick Ricard, who had minus-1 yard rushing last season.
The Ravens have had the NFL’s most dominant ground attack, leading the league in rushing the past two seasons. Baltimore was the only team to call designed runs over 50% of the time, but injuries have taken a toll on what was considered a deep backfield.
Dobbins and Edwards totaled 1,528 yards rushing last season, which accounted for 81% of the output by Baltimore running backs. Edwards signed a three-year, $12.38 million deal in June that included $8 million in guaranteed money.
The loss of Peters, 28, would represent the most significant injury to the defense this year. The Ravens have depth at cornerback, but it will be difficult to replace Peters’ playmaking ability. His 31 interceptions lead the NFL since he entered the league in 2015.
Since Peters was traded to Baltimore in Week 9 of 2019, the Ravens have allowed the fewest yards per pass attempt (6.1) and tied for the second-fewest touchdown passes allowed (31), according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
A few hours before Thursday’s practice, Peters told reporters how playing with the Ravens brought back his joy for the game.
“It just felt good here,” Peters said. “All the guys just were young and upbeat but were willing and determined to work hard to win a Super Bowl here. … I’ve been appreciating coming to work. I just like being in Baltimore.”
Anthony Averett, a fourth-round pick in 2018, would be a candidate to replace Peters and start opposite Marlon Humphrey.
Last year, it was the 49ers who were crippled early and never recovered.
Can RB LATAVIUS MURRAY stem the bleeding? Kevin Patra of NFL.com:
The Baltimore Ravens continue to stockpile running back options following their string of injuries at the position.
The Ravens are expected to add Latavius Murray to the mix, signing the veteran to the active roster, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday morning.
Josina Anderson first reported the news.
The 31-year-old Murray spent the last two years in New Orleans and was recently released after he wouldn’t take a pay cut. The running back rushed for 656 yards and four touchdowns on 146 carries in 2020 as the primary backup to Alvin Kamara.
Murray still has juice left and can be a pass-catching target. Joining the Ravens following his release makes sense. In Baltimore, he has an opportunity to earn a lot of playing time in a run-heavy system.
The signing continues the Ravens’ “throw-everything-we-can-find-at-the-wall-until-something-sticks” approach to filling the running back hole caused by a series of injuries.
J.K. Dobbins (ACL), Gus Edwards (ACL) and Justice Hill (Achilles) all went down with injuries before the start of the season. That was basically the Ravens’ depth chart at the position. Undrafted second-year back Ty’Son Williams — who the club is high on — could see a major role unless one of the veterans added recently proves a better option.
In addition to Murray, the Ravens have recently added fourth-year back Trenton Cannon to the active roster and signed veterans Le’Veon Bell and Devonta Freeman to the practice squad.
Now commences the battle to see who will win snaps alongside Lamar Jackson. It’ll be as interesting a post-training camp battle we’ve seen in recent memory.
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PITTSBURGH
And it is done!. EDGE T.J. WATT is the highest-paid defender in football. If it was up to Watt’s agents, he would still be holding out. Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:
After a contract negotiation that lasted throughout training camp and into the first week of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers and outside linebacker T.J. Watt broke from their traditions to come to terms on a megadeal on Thursday.
Watt, 26, agreed to a four-year, $112 million extension, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The agreement includes $80 million in full guarantees, a source told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Watt overruled his agents, who believed they could get more money on Thursday, marching into the office of Steelers president Art Rooney II and telling him they had a deal, according to Schefter. Watt then excused himself and announced he had to go work out, Schefter reports.
“This is a guy who was more than deserving of this contract,” Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward told ESPN on Thursday afternoon. “It’s great to know his future is here in Pittsburgh.”
The average annual value of $28 million per season makes Watt the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player. Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa’s five-year, $135 million extension signed in 2020 has a $27 million average and $102 million guaranteed.
Watt’s deal also outpaces that of Chicago Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who was previously the highest-paid player at the position with a six-year, $141 million contract signed in 2018. Mack’s deal averages $23.5 million average annually and has $90 million guaranteed.
“I could cry,” cornerback Joe Haden tweeted, reacting to the Watt news. “U deserve every penny!! I got to Pittsburgh your rookie year and you have done nothing but display professionalism and play at the highest level in the league!!”
With the Steelers’ self-imposed contract deadline of the season opener nearing, negotiations pushed into Week 1 as the two sides worked to find common ground on the contract’s guarantees.
The Steelers usually guarantee only the signing bonus, but not much else. Throughout the life of the contract, though, the Steelers will typically restructure and give more guaranteed money and security later, rather than up front.
Watt’s case, though, shattered that mold.
Previously, the most guaranteed money given out on a contract by the Steelers was Ben Roethlisberger’s current $67.5 million guaranteed, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Watt’s teammates made a public push for the edge rusher to get a megadeal throughout the week. Both Roethlisberger and Heyward advocated for Watt to get whatever amount he wanted.
“He’s arguably the best football player in the game right now, not just on defense, just in general,” Roethlisberger said Wednesday. “I’ve been through negotiations here with contracts. One of the reasons I took less money was for guys like him to get paid, and he needs to get paid.
“He deserves every penny that he wants and asks for. T.J. Watt is that guy that should get whatever he wants.”
Watt isn’t the first member of his family to make record-setting money. Older brother J.J. Watt, now with the Arizona Cardinals, signed a six-year, $100 million extension with the Houston Texans in 2014. J.J.’s $51.8 million guaranteed and $16.6 million average were both records for an NFL defensive player at the time.
Watt finished second to the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald in Defensive Player of the Year voting after his 15-sack campaign in 2020. He also added an interception and two forced fumbles to go with 53 total tackles.
Watt has racked up double-digit sacks in each season beginning in 2018, subsequently recording 13, 14.5 and 15 sacks. His two forced fumbles in 2020 were his fewest since recording just one his rookie season. He had six in 2018 and eight — along with four fumble recoveries — in 2019. He finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting to New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Arizona linebacker Chandler Jones in 2019.
“T.J. is visiting from another planet, to be quite honest with you,” coach Mike Tomlin said during the 2020 season. “He has freakishly unique talent coupled with freakishly unique work habits and mindset, and it produces what you guys witness every week, which in my opinion is Defensive Player of the Year quality.”
The Steelers parted ways with fellow outside linebacker Bud Dupree in free agency, signaling that they were moving forward with Watt as the cornerstone of the defense and planned to sign him to a monster deal. This year, he’ll anchor the left side of the pass rush and be part of a rotation that includes former Chargers outside linebacker Melvin Ingram and second-year edge rusher Alex Highsmith.
The Steelers dealt with a tight cap in 2020 and 2021 in part because of Roethlisberger’s contract, but they restructured his deal and released longtime right guard David DeCastro before camp, freeing up space to sign veteran free agents and ink Watt to a megadeal.
After this season, though, the Steelers are projected to be in a much different cap situation with Roethlisberger’s contract voiding after the season. That gave them the space to sign Watt to his deal.
Worth Top Dollar
T.J. Watt’s average annual salary is now the highest in the NFL for a defensive player and his guaranteed money puts him in the ballpark of his peers.
SACKS SINCE ’18 GUARANTEED $
Aaron Donald 46.5 $86.9M
T.J. Watt 42.5 $80M
Myles Garrett 35.5 $100M
— ESPN Stats & Information research
Though he attended every practice, Watt didn’t fully participate in training camp while the two sides negotiated the blockbuster payday. Instead, Watt worked individually with strength and conditioning coaches on the sideline at Heinz Field during team periods.
“Everybody knows T.J.,” defensive coordinator Keith Butler said on Aug. 7. “Everybody knows that he’s a good teammate. He wants to be out there. He really wants to be out there, but some things you’ve got to just do. This is a business. We all love to think it’s a game, but when it’s all said and done, it’s a business.”
After holding-in for the preseason, Watt rejoined the team periods at practice on Wednesday. He greeted his teammates on the field with celebratory fist bumps before their first snap.
“T.J.’s a professional,” said inside linebacker Joe Schobert, who played with Watt at Wisconsin. “I trained with him in the offseason back in Waukesha [Wisconsin]. He takes the job extremely seriously. … Put him in parking lot, wherever. He’s going to be ready to play a football game.”
Speaking to the media this week prior to Watt finalizing his extension, Tomlin and Butler each expressed optimism that Watt would play in Sunday’s season opener.
With the deal now completed, Watt will almost certainly make his debut as the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player alongside the rest of his team against the Buffalo Bills.
This from Allison Kohler of YahooSports.com:
Now that T.J. Watt is set to become the NFL’s highest-paid defender, there are some people he owes money to — at least, according to big brother J.J. Watt.
Moments after ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers had brokered a deal worth north of $112 million, J.J. posted to Twitter: “Should I send those outstanding IOUs to your accountant or do you want to just Venmo me?”
Watt didn’t practice during training camp or play this preseason while negotiating to extend his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, with this minor administrative business out of the way, Watt can go back to harassing quarterbacks starting Sunday with Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com crunches the numbers:
The deal also made a different kind of history. The Steelers made a major change to the way the Steelers do things. They don’t fully guarantee contracts beyond the first year. More accurately, they didn’t. They are fully guaranteeing THREE years of the Watt deal.
PFT has obtained the full details regarding the Watt deal. Here they are, per a source with knowledge of them.
1. Signing Bonus: $35.0 million.
2. 2021 Base Salary: $1.0 million, fully guaranteed.
3. 2022 Base Salary: $24.0 million, fully guaranteed.
4. 2023 Base Salary: $20.0 million, fully guaranteed.
5. 2024 Base Salary: $21.05 million.
6. 2025 Base Salary: $21.05 million.
The deal averages $28 million per year in new money, $1 million more than the previous high-water mark set by Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa. It also becomes the largest full guarantee for a defensive player in NFL history, at $80 million. (Bosa has a full guarantee of $78 million and an effective guarantee of $102 million.)
This year, Watt was due to make $10.1 million. He’ll now make $36 million. (Bosa got $43 million in the first year.)
Watt will make $60 million over the first two years; Bosa gets $56.75 million, and Bears linebacker Khalil Mack got $56.5 million. Browns defensive end Myles Garrett receives $43.546 million in the first two years of his contract.
Through three years, Watt will get $80 million. Bosa will receive $78 million, Mack gets $73.7 million, and Garrett will earn $62.546 million.
Bosa’s cash flows surpasses the Watt deal in years on the back end; $102 million versus $101.05 million through four and $124 million versus $122.1 million through five.
Also, Watt signed only a four-year extension. He’s under contract one fewer year than Bosa and Garrett, and two fewer years than Mack. The full duration of the deal (five years) means he’ll possibly get another crack at another major deal by the time he turns 30.
Bottom line? Watt got what he deserved, and he got the Steelers to abandon one of their longstanding rules of contract negotiation. It will be interesting to see whether it’s an aberration or a trend.
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THIS AND THAT
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TOP 10 RUSHERS FOR 2021
As projected by Maurice Jones-Drew of NFL.com:
When you think about how much Christian McCaffrey and Derrick Henry have spoiled us (and their fantasy football owners) with their historic efforts over the last two years, the running backs of the 2021 NFL season have a lot to live up to.
In 2019, the Panthers back become just the third player in NFL history to register 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a season. In 2020, Henry became the eighth player all time to rush for at least 2,000 in a season. Who will steal the show this fall?
To kick off this year’s RB Index, I’ve decided to simply project the top 10 rushing leaders for 2021. Remember, the league added a 17th regular-season game to the schedule, so we could be in for jaw-dropping production on the ground, especially with this year’s crop of backs.
Note: Following Week 1’s slate, I will begin my weekly ranking of my top 15 running backs. I know you want them now, but you’ve already patiently waited all offseason. So what’s one more week?
1 Derrick Henry
Tennessee Titans · RB
More history is on the line for Henry this fall, as he can become the first player to lead the league in rushing yards in three straight seasons since Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith (1991-93). If I’m being honest, I will actually be kinda shocked if he isn’t the rushing champion come January. The cherry on top? He could become the first player with 2,000 rushing yards in multiple seasons. (17 games!) I’m here for it.
2 Dalvin Cook
Minnesota Vikings · RB
I have to put Cook higher than everyone but Henry because Cook touches the ball more than any other back. In 2020, he averaged 25.4 offensive touches (most in the NFL), 111.2 rushing yards (second) and 137.0 scrimmage yards (most) per game. First-year OC Klint Kubiak would be wise to copy dad’s blueprint and lean heavily on the two-time Pro Bowler; even then, Minnesota might struggle to go toe to toe with the NFC’s best.
3 Ezekiel Elliott
Dallas Cowboys · RB
The Cowboys’ offense screams pass, given the weapons at Dak Prescott’s disposal, but this unit must get back to running the ball. I mean, it’s no coincidence that the Cowboys made the playoffs in both seasons in which Zeke was the rushing champion (2016, 2018), and if the Cowboys are intentional about getting the ball into his hands, he’s got a real shot at reclaiming the crown from King Henry.
4 Nick Chubb
Cleveland Browns · RB
Chubb is an absolute force behind one of the best lines in the NFL. Despite missing four games last season, he rushed for over 1,000 yards, including 12 runs of 20-plus yards (second-most in NFL), and averaged 88.9 yards per game and 5.6 yards per carry. That said, I can’t put Chubb in my top three because he’s splitting carries with Kareem Hunt. The quality of his touches are as good as it gets, but the quantity of them drops him to fourth.
5 Jonathan Taylor
Indianapolis Colts · RB
The banged-up state of the Colts’ offense suggests a slow start for that unit, but that’s not such a bad thing for the second-year running back. After struggling to string together good performances early in 2020, Taylor went on a tear in Weeks 11-17, averaging 123.5 rushing yards per game and 6.2 yards per carry with seven rushing TDs in that span. Taylor’s figured it out and now offers the Colts a consistent run game, one that should again land him among the top rushers.
6 Christian McCaffrey
Carolina Panthers · RB
Look for McCaffrey to hit the ground running after missing 13 games in 2020 with ankle and shoulder injuries. As mentioned in the intro, the last time he was healthy for a full season, we witnessed something special. Another special performance could be just around the corner as the Panthers’ offense adjusts to having a different starting QB for the fourth straight season.
7 Najee Harris
Pittsburgh Steelers · RB
The Steelers watched their offense sputter down the stretch last season without an efficient run game. Don’t expect that to be the case with a bulldozer in the backfield like Harris, who forced 71 missed tackles on rushes and gained 821 rushing yards after contact in 2020 (both second-most in the FBS). A dominant defense and an aging quarterback is a recipe for Harris to get 300-plus carries in his first pro season.
8 Alvin Kamara
New Orleans Saints · RB
The Saints’ offense will be almost unrecognizable when it takes the field Sunday, with Jameis Winston under center and without three of the team’s top four reception leaders from last season in Emmanuel Sanders (now with Bills), Jared Cook (Chargers) and Michael Thomas (PUP list). That said, we have every reason to believe Sean Payton will lean on his best player and run the heck out of the ball to move the chains while attempting to limit the damage from a historically turnover-prone Winston. Kamara should log 1,000 rushing yards in a season for the first time in his career — and then some.
9 Saquon Barkley
New York Giants · RB
The Giants aren’t rushing Barkley back from the ACL injury he suffered in Week 2 of last season. In fact, they are still limiting him in practice just days before the season opener, which indicates the Pro Bowler will start slow. I’m OK with that. You shouldn’t rush the recovery process to ensure Barkley feels 100 percent and ready to rock whenever he takes the field. Even if he ends up with fewer touches (or games) than other backs around the league, Barkley’s career scrimmage yards per game figure (114.9) suggests he’ll make up for it in a hurry.
10 David Montgomery
Chicago Bears · RB
Montgomery’s biggest issue early in 2020 was the lack of opportunities. He went bananas over the final six games — averaging 99.7 rushing yards per game and scoring eight times (seven rushing) — a stint in which he averaged nearly five carries more per game than in his first nine games of the year. Montgomery has proven he can handle the load. Just give him the ball.
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DB PREDICTIONS
Here are some DB expectations for 2021.
We think the Buccaneers will have a very good record – like 15-2 – and repeat as Super Bowl champs.
Their surprise opponent in the Super Bowl will be the Los Angeles Chargers (we are banking on the returns of Bosa and James and that Brandon Staley and staff will be an upgrade).
Teams that will be better than you think include the Patriots, Titans, Vikings, and Cardinals.
Teams that will disappoint include the Rams, Seahawks and Bills.
The Eagles will get the first draft pick as the Texans and Lions are a tad better than expected (like maybe 5-12).
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