NFC NORTH

DETROIT

They may have swagger, but the 2024 Detroit Lions are still working hard says Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:

The last time I visited Lions training camp was 2021, the first year that coach Dan Campbell and GM Brad Holmes were in Detroit. Things were… different back then. The Lions had gone 5-11 in 2020, the final year of the Matt Patricia era, and had traded longtime franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff and a boatload of draft picks. The Rams would go on to win that season’s Super Bowl, while the Lions did not win a game until December.

What Campbell and Holmes were preaching at the time was patience. They were building something, basically from scratch, and it would take time. Three years later, the Lions team that’s preparing for this season is one of the very best in the NFL — a team that had a 17-point halftime lead on the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco and was literally a bounce or two away from the Super Bowl.

“The only thing I’ve seen change is that there might be more confidence and swagger than there’s ever been here,” offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told me. “There’s an expectation level of, ‘Hey, our standard is really high,’ and if we’re not meeting it, everyone’s really pissed off about it.”

Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are both back in their roles after generating head-coach interest elsewhere last offseason. That continuity is huge for a team looking to cash in on the promise of last season.

“Trust is a big thing in this game,” second-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs told me. “So it was a great thing that Ben came back. He knows the offense very well and he knows how to put us in positions to succeed.”

Still, there are some differences on this year’s roster. For one thing, the Lions have what Glenn described to me as “a whole new defense” in the secondary. They acquired veteran cornerback Carlton Davis III from Tampa Bay in a trade and drafted corners Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. in the first and second rounds. The plan is to start Davis and Arnold, with Rakestraw as the top backup. The nickel spot is a competition between veteran Emmanuel Moseley, free agent signee Amik Robertson, fourth-year man Ifeatu Melifonwu and perhaps 2023 second-round pick Brian Branch, though it sounds like Branch is slated to play more safety this season alongside Kerby Joseph.

The secondary was a point of weakness for the 2023 Lions, so the overhaul isn’t a shock. Davis, who was part of the Buccaneers’ 2020 Super Bowl champion team, was a big part of the plan.

“He’s a veteran presence, he’s won a Super Bowl, he’s won a lot of games,” Glenn said. “He’s able to teach those younger guys exactly what it takes to be a winner.”

Arnold, the rookie first-rounder, has quickly established a reputation as a trash-talker in practice, but in a way that suggests he can back it up.

“He’s a corner corner,” said Glenn, a former cornerback for whom that qualifies as high praise. “And when I say that, the temperament, the mentality, the want-to, the will, all of that just reeks ‘corner’ out of that man.”

On offense, the Lions did not make any major additions at wide receiver to go with Amon-Ra St. Brown, and that’s because they have high hopes for 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams. The former Alabama star was rehabbing a torn ACL for almost his entire rookie year and then began last season with a gambling suspension that kept him off the field and away from the facility for the first four weeks.

“He needs to be a guy that does, and not a guy that just watches and listens,” Johnson said of Williams. “So it’s not that that time was a waste, but we’re seeing much bigger gains now that we can finally get him out there full-speed. This has been the first offseason where we as a staff have been able to sit down and really plan on him being a major component of the offense.”

And what would Williams bring if they can make that happen?

“It’s rare linear speed, but also he’s got quickness, he’s got run-after-catch ability, and his hands have improved significantly since when he first got here,” Johnson said. “Maybe earlier on I’d have been a little more concerned about throws inside the hashes or inside the numbers with him, but it’s gotten to the point where you don’t bat an eye giving him those types of throws now, where he’s coming back and meeting the football in the air. So he’s really grown, and it’s been fun to watch him flourish.”

Culture-wise, everything’s in place now in Detroit. The Lions entered last season believing they could contend for a Super Bowl. They enter this season knowing they can.

“You look at the guys who got paid, our highest-paid players are also our hardest workers,” Johnson said. “St. Brown’s still catching his 200 balls a day after practice. Penei Sewell is always working. It’s constant work for those guys. They know no other way. So it’s been the transition from 2021, where we’re 0-12 and whatnot and just trying to get our first win and our hunger for that first win, it really hasn’t changed even though, now, we’re looking for a different goal. So I don’t see much of a difference from last year’s approach to where we are now. These guys are hungry.”

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

Rookie QB JAYDEN DANIELS is one starting QB who will play in the first preseason game.  Michael Baca of NFL.com:

The No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 draft is set to see his first NFL action this week.

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will play in Washington’s preseason opener this Saturday versus the New York Jets, head coach Dan Quinn told reporters Sunday.

“I think we’ve probably said it all along there’s been a whole process,” Quinn said Sunday. “Like, it’s not been a secret at all but a process of how we’re going to go get guys ready. So, the games are important, to go and play and get ready — not just with Jayden, but with everybody.”

Quinn’s reveal wasn’t much of a surprise, though he didn’t say whether Daniels would start the game or how long he’s expected to play.

The 23-year-old has been sharing starting reps throughout training camp with veteran Marcus Mariota, and their preseason performances might very well be the determining factor in who wins the starting job, based on what Quinn said to begin training camp on July 23.

Daniels told reporters later in the day that he’s “excited” to play in the preseason opener in order to see where things stand.

“Going out there will be a different challenge, for not just me but for the whole team, going against somebody you’re not familiar with,” he said. “(We’ll) see where the cards fall knowing that we can go out there and we can make mistakes. We try to execute at a high level, but that’s kind of what this time is for, to go out there and see what we can do and what we can’t do. Trial and error, and move forward.”

Daniels has seemingly been ready to start from the jump and comes in with plenty of playing experience having started 55 games in five college seasons (12,750 passing yards, 89 touchdowns). He burst onto the scene during his final college season, winning the Heisman Trophy and showing tremendous capability as a dual-threat quarterback, which led Washington to select the LSU product at No. 2 overall.

Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, didn’t play in last Thursday’s Hall of Fame game, but that wasn’t a shocker considering the Bears were scheduled with one more preseason games compared to 30 other squads.

Gauging how the entire Washington offense is comprehending a new scheme might compel Quinn to play other featured players on offense as competing signal-callers take the helm, however, as the Commanders hope to have finally landed a franchise QB, we certainly know who will be getting all the attention.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

Jeremy Fowler and Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com with a long, long look at how it came to be that QBs KIRK COUSINS and MICHAEL PENIX, Jr. are on the same team:

As members of the Atlanta Falcons organization arrived at the team facility for Day 1 of the 2024 NFL draft April 25, a few things had become clear to one team source who was present in the draft room that night.

The coaching staff, beginning with first-year leader Raheem Morris, had fallen in love with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. That was evident from the way coaches presented Penix in personnel meetings — a quarterback with maturity, football instincts and arm strength.

Some members of the scouting staff, which Morris inherited when he was hired Jan. 25, didn’t share that same level of love for Penix — but they did like him. Those scouts liked UCLA pass rusher Laiatu Latu “a lot” as a potential option with the No. 8 overall pick, according to the source.

The Falcons’ personnel department had scouted quarterbacks with heightened urgency in recent years, a product of the team’s instability at the position since Matt Ryan’s departure in early 2022. That didn’t necessarily change when the team signed free agent Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in March. But like most NFL observers, Atlanta’s scouts believed the Cousins move mitigated the need to address quarterback early in the draft.

“[The Falcons] were one of the last teams I thought would take a quarterback in the first round,” an NFC executive said. “They just gave Cousins $100 million in guarantees.”

Instead, a pass rusher such as Latu could fill a gap for a team seeking to graduate from a rebuilding phase to contention. NFL scouts generally saw the Falcons as a team already constructed to score points on offense, with gaps to fill on defense.

Whatever the realities, an unusual air of suspense hung over Flowery Branch. Typically, scouts have an idea at this stage of the draft process — or at least a short list of possibilities — for who the first-round pick might be. That wasn’t the case for all of Atlanta’s scouts — even those who were aware of the affection for Penix.

As the team submitted the pick that made Penix a Falcon, those who did know what would happen — general manager Terry Fontenot, Morris and owner Arthur Blank — seemed to celebrate the hardest. Others were processing the shock.

“I don’t think anybody in the personnel department knew what was coming,” a team source said. “The feeling was like, ‘All right, OK, here we go.’ There wasn’t the normal eruption in the room that you usually would have with a more predictable pick.”

A front office source told ESPN that the notion the Penix pick was a surprise “is simply not the case,” and that many people knew going into the day of Atlanta’s intention to draft him.

One who did not: Cousins, whose camp was stunned the team had drafted a first-round quarterback.

“That never came up as even a remote possibility” in Atlanta’s talks with Cousins before the draft, a source with direct knowledge of the veteran’s free agency process said.

Three-and-a-half months later, the biggest question of draft night — why the Falcons selected their quarterback of the future in Penix when they’d already committed sizable dollars and their near future to Cousins — now gives way to the next scene in this drama. How will Penix’s presence impact Cousins, and vice versa? When will the inevitable Penix era arrive? And how does Morris plan to handle the situation with the eyes of the NFL world — including those inside the locker room he inherited — fixed upon him?

To arrive at those answers requires an understanding of how the Falcons got here, and why the prevailing logic, which said the team couldn’t possibly carry a high-priced free agent and a first-round phenom at the same position, failed to hold.

“That’s the importance of the position,” Morris said. “Let’s just be flat-out honest. It’s high value, high importance. You can win without it, but it’s tough. It’s hard. It’s hard living.”

FIVE WEEKS BEFORE the Falcons selected Penix, there had been a different quarterback celebration. The team had secured a top-15 passer for the first time since Ryan was at his peak, a period roughly coinciding with the team’s last postseason appearance in 2017. Cousins, fresh off signing a four-year, $180 million deal with Atlanta, was in town and on brand, with a power red tie to balance out a gray suit, ready for the news conference camera flickers.

“As we talked to Atlanta, it felt like this was a place where, if I play at the level I expect to play, I can retire a Falcon,” the 35-year-old Cousins said at his introductory news conference. “And that was something that really excited me, and that’s certainly the goal.”

Rarely do Pro Bowl quarterbacks become available in free agency. Cousins has parlayed that reality into a sea of guaranteed money.

Cousins entered this offseason with career earnings of $231 million, largely guaranteed, numbers typically reserved for surefire Hall of Fame passers. He navigates rare space first occupied when he was a young player — not quite good enough to get a mega-extension from Washington, but much better than the alternatives for desperate teams in free agency, like when the New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings bid for his services in 2018. Instead of taking long-term deals, Cousins decided early to bet on himself with a series of shorter-term contracts — two franchise tags with Washington, followed by three-, two- and one-year deals with Minnesota totaling $185 million, mostly, if not all, guaranteed.

Few players have benefited more at the negotiating table.

But by the end of Cousins’ sixth year in Minnesota, when his season ended prematurely with a torn right Achilles, both sides had hit a point of stagnation. The Vikings had won a respectable 53 games during Cousins’ tenure but never broke through as a major contender. That, coupled with a salary cap crunch, prompted Minnesota to think younger at the position. The Vikings were still willing to sign Cousins but not at the price point of Atlanta’s offer — $90 million guaranteed at signing, locking him into at least two seasons, along with a $10 million roster bonus that guarantees by the fifth day of the 2025 league year.

Cousins knew he had a good situation in Minnesota, and to leave required a sizable commitment from Atlanta. A deal that would solidify him as the starter beyond the 2024 season was important to him, sources close to him say.

Helping Cousins’ leverage was Atlanta’s full-court press to sign him. The Falcons had the likes of Baker Mayfield or Justin Fields as alternatives, but Cousins was the priority entering the legal tampering period March 11. (The NFL later found that the Falcons were premature in their pursuit, docking them a draft pick after an investigation into their signings of Cousins, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Charlie Woerner.)

Morris had his own history with Cousins to lean on, as the two worked in Washington together from 2012 to 2014, when Morris was the defensive backs coach there. Morris had admired Cousins since that time and valued his decision-making, accuracy and character. Morris is big on getting good people in the building, and Cousins fit that bill. A deal was struck.

While in town for his introductory news conference, Cousins visited with Morris and others inside the Falcons facility. In casual meetings that proved informative, Atlanta stressed that it had addressed its three big needs in three days — quarterback, “X” receiver (Mooney) and “Y” tight end (Woerner).

Now it was time to fix the defense, a source with knowledge of the meeting said of the overall message that followed.

The group also discussed the overall health of the quarterback room and how to improve it. The source said the prevailing sense coming out of the trip was that Atlanta might take a developmental quarterback on Day 2 or 3 of the draft, but not a first-rounder.

Atlanta pursued Cousins, after all, to help it win a division open for the taking.

On draft night, the script had flipped. Cousins was set to enjoy a peaceful night in the Atlanta suburbs when he received a call from Flowery Branch. On the other line was his new offensive coordinator, Zac Robinson. The Falcons were prepping the move that would shock the NFL draft, and Robinson was giving his new quarterback a heads-up.

Cousins — who had just returned from a Falcons draft party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that evening — was surprised, but he is also a 12-year veteran who understands that teams do what they believe is best, those close to him say.

As a former fourth-round pick who replaced first-round star Robert Griffin III in Washington, he understands teams will seek to improve however necessary. That’s why he has fought for contracts with high guarantees all of these years — and why he’s protected for at least the next two seasons, whether Penix plays or not.

On draft night, he took the professional approach, texting Penix congratulations.

The Falcons did some level of damage control after the pick as well. On Day 2, a high-ranking Falcons official called Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, to explain the thinking that the team needed two quarterbacks.

Cousins got the desire for a long-term strategy at the position. But the Falcons’ post-draft reality begged a key question: Would he have signed in Atlanta had he known that it would seriously consider taking a quarterback at No. 8?

That’s something Cousins either doesn’t want to answer or simply can’t. Asked a variation of that in an offseason news conference, Cousins responded, “I don’t really deal with hypotheticals.”

While a source close to Cousins said he did not feel misled by Atlanta, which had to do significant draft legwork on prospects over the five weeks between free agency and the draft, an alternative would have garnered more consideration: a one-year deal back to Minnesota, which could have proceeded with its own draft plan at quarterback, J.J. McCarthy in the first round, while staying competitive with Cousins as the likely signal-caller for one more year.

As he spoke to Robinson on draft night, it was too late for Cousins to consider that possibility.

Cousins was asked in May on “The Jim Rome Show” why he signed with the Falcons, and he again said he was intrigued by the idea of being able to retire with the team. This time, though, there was an addendum. Cousins said he felt that way “at the time.”

On the “Pure Athlete” podcast in June, Cousins described the Falcons taking a quarterback as coming “out of nowhere.”

“I was reminded again, Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 — I’m going to trust the Lord and he’ll lead,” Cousins said. “And it doesn’t mean that it’s going to go necessarily the way I and my flesh want to go, but I’m going to trust him and let him lead. He hasn’t failed me yet.”

THE FALCONS ALREADY planned to improve the quarterback position when they first interviewed Morris for the head-coaching job in January, per front office sources. While Morris conveyed in interviews his belief that Atlanta could improve the position via free agency and the draft, the Falcons were already in selling mode at quarterback. Privately, Morris had acknowledged the Atlanta job was open largely because the quarterback situation was poor. That was no secret. Everyone in the Falcons building knew the position had to be addressed, and that Cousins was high on the wish list.

“[The Falcons] made clear they would do what’s necessary,” a source involved in Morris’ hiring process said. That plan included trading last year’s starter, Desmond Ridder, to Arizona for wide receiver Rondale Moore.

Leading up to March, Morris had done advance scouting on the quarterbacks in the draft because he wanted an answer to this question: “What if we don’t get Kirk?” By the time the Falcons actually signed Cousins, the team knew “exactly how we liked the quarterbacks [in the draft] and how they fit us,” Morris said.

But Morris understood that the difference between stacking quarterbacks in a draft room and actually taking one at No. 8 overall is significant. He said the Falcons’ comprehensive evaluation at the position did not come with a predetermined outcome.

“We kind of jumped the draft a little early … without having any expectations of what could happen or how it lined up,” Morris said.

Morris’ scouting report on Penix, coincidentally, dated back years. Morris said his father, Kenny Vaughn, scouts high school players in the Tampa, Florida, area and had long known about Penix, a former Tampa Bay Tech star. While Morris won’t go as far as comparing Penix to Matthew Stafford, with whom he worked with the Rams, he makes clear he believes Penix will be “in the upper half of the National Football League just as a thrower” very early in his career.

“Certainly [Penix] has some ability in his arm of some of those top-level guys,” Falcons OC Robinson said. “He still has a long way to go in terms of playing up to those kinds of guys’ level. But he certainly has those traits in terms of what he has in his arm, his instincts and overall vision.”

With those initial beliefs about Penix in hand, Atlanta requested workouts with several of the top quarterbacks. The Penix workout April 5 was noteworthy for the attention the team paid to it: Top brass and at least five assistant coaches packed into a private jet, landed in Seattle, watched Penix throw for two hours, then left.

Heavy Seattle rain presented challenges. One observer said Penix can “spin the life out of the ball” and throws an ideal deep ball but “also missed throws a top-10 pick shouldn’t miss” in the intermediate range, 20 yards and under. Morris, who helped run the workout — even playing linebacker at one point — assured Penix on bad plays, telling him that everybody misses throws.

“They [the Falcons’ staff] wanted it to be a good workout,” the observer said.

More than what it saw on the field, the team said Penix’s makeup came out throughout the process.

“Watching him work out, seeing him with his guys, watching the guy compete and bring Washington to [the title game were selling points],” Morris said. “Seeing the guys who came and worked out for him [in his Atlanta workout] and who he knew he would call. Just how he communicated to us on the phone, the simple things, ‘What it’s going to be, what do you need us to do?’ He asked us what we wanted, no question. Great dude all the way around. Fit our ethos. Fits everything we’re about.”

But there was still the presence of Cousins to consider, and how Penix could fit into the team’s direction. In talking with several sources, these themes emerged as to why Atlanta decided to shock the draft with the Penix pick.

Atlanta considered multiple scenarios in Round 1, including the selection of Latu, whom the Falcons tried to trade back into the first round to select after the Penix pick.

The Falcons expected to be good, meaning they wouldn’t have additional chances in the immediate future to select in the top 10, where the top quarterbacks tend to be available.

The next few quarterback classes are considered weaker, believed in some league circles to be a factor in explaining why six QBs went in the top 12 selections of this year’s draft. One team source countered this possibility by pointing out that franchises don’t always plan that far ahead and saying that might not have been a major factor for Atlanta.

The Green Bay Packers model — drafting top quarterbacks while accomplished starters still have productive years left — was a factor for some inside the building.

Atlanta might be able to get a “badass” pass rusher in the back half of the first round next year, a league source with knowledge of the Falcons’ process said. Morris was perceived as having done more with less for the Rams’ young defense in 2023 and could look to follow a similar model in 2024, a team source noted.

Cousins’ recovery from a torn Achilles heightens the urgency for a succession plan. While he’s trending upward in his recovery, he turns 36 later this month and must overcome serious injury.

Also, significantly, Blank was receptive to the idea of taking a passer high. One source with knowledge of the Falcons’ offseason quarterback planning believed Blank was a key factor in the decision. A separate team source countered that notion, saying Morris and Fontenot simply kept Blank abreast of the plans and that the owner trusts his football people.

Blank said at a news conference last week, in his first comments about the draft, that he was made aware the team would take Penix as the pick got closer and was in favor of it because of the need for a succession plan at quarterback. Blank noted Cousins’ age. The owner, who had quarterback stability over two decades with Michael Vick and Ryan and saw firsthand the team’s failings without that consistency, said he’s “very sensitive” about not having a franchise quarterback to replace Cousins. He compared quarterback limbo to “being in a spin cycle of a washing machine and not being able to get out.”

One AFC executive told ESPN in the days leading up to the draft that he believed the Falcons were very high on Penix, that the connection was “something to watch out for.”

But other scouts and executives wondered whether that was typical subterfuge or a possible leverage play by Atlanta for trade purposes, inflating Penix’s value. Las Vegas and Seattle were among the teams linked to Penix, perhaps even more strongly than Atlanta. Whenever the Penix decision was actually made, the Falcons have since made it clear they were prepared for all scenarios.

“You don’t know who you’re going to get in the draft. You can’t predict that,” Morris said when asked why the team invested heavy capital in Cousins if it was contemplating drafting a quarterback high. Morris also spoke to the idea that Atlanta could have traded down and still drafted Penix.

“That’s easy to say, ‘Hey, we want Penix, we’re going to wait for Penix.’ … There are people sitting around waiting for all these guys. All these guys are great candidates. They all went in the top 12 picks.”

To be sure, Penix was not the reach many draft observers immediately perceived him to be. In the weeks leading up to the draft, multiple sources predicted he would go in the top half of the first round. “The mock drafters were off on him,” an AFC scout said.

THERE IS NO quarterback competition in Atlanta this season. Morris said during OTAs that the onus is on Penix to learn from Cousins. The veteran has taken all of the first-team reps early in training camp, though he said Morris told him he will not play at all in preseason games as he continues to recover from the torn right Achilles that ended his 2023 early.

Cousins has been impressive with those practice reps. He went 29-for-32 passing over his first two days in camp and used all his playmakers, finding eight different receivers for completions on his first real practice of the summer. Penix has looked good leading the second team, with several eye-popping plays showing off his arm, albeit with less consistency than Cousins.

Off the field, Cousins and Penix share a suite in the training camp dorms, along with tight end Kyle Pitts and fellow quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Penix said last week that he hadn’t gotten any real one-on-one time yet with Cousins, but was constantly with him in the quarterback room and the suite. Pitts said the two even go to bed at the same time, earlier than almost everyone else at about 9:30 p.m.

“He’s so smart,” Penix said of Cousins. “Just continue to learn from him and continue to just watch what he [does] day-in and day-out, how he carries himself and how he leads the offense.”

Morris said it wasn’t his call to have Cousins and Penix together and that Brandon Ruth, the Falcons’ senior director of operations, was in charge of room assignments. But the coach is certainly not opposed to having them together.

“It’d be good to have anybody on the team with Kirk,” Morris said. “I mean, you’re talking about the ultimate pro. But when you’re talking about your quarterback, your heir apparent, for sure [Penix is] certainly going to get a lot of stuff off of him.”

The Falcons are Cousins’ team in 2024, barring injury, but the question is how long will that hold?

One veteran league scout noted that it’s hard to believe Penix would sit for the two years that align with Cousins’ contract guarantees. Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love sat for two seasons behind Aaron Rodgers before becoming the starter, but Rodgers was a 16-year veteran of the team when it drafted Love at age 21. Cousins has been in Atlanta for five months. Penix is 24.

“Ideally, you’d like for [Penix to be the backup longer],” the scout said. “I don’t think that will happen. With a few exceptions, that’s just not the trend in the NFL.”

Falcons quarterback coach T.J. Yates is among those who insist they have seen “toxic” situations before in the league and this is not one of them.

“These guys are professionals,” Yates said. “And they understand the situation, like outside this building, outside these walls, people can paint whatever picture they want, but it’s not like that at all.”

The rest of the league will be watching how the Falcons’ transition strategy works out, as well.

“When do you transition to another quarterback? When he can’t win,” Morris said. “You never want to put a number of years on him, you just know what the contracts say. You know Kirk’s guaranteed two years, whatever it is, $90-plus million with the extra stuff that’s guaranteed in the third. Penix has a five-year contract [including his fifth-year option].

“All of those years don’t matter to us. It was about making sure we had a long-term quarterback in place so you never have to go through quarterback purgatory for, hopefully, as long as I’m here.”

NEW ORLEANS

The Saints hope they have struck gold with EDGE CHASE YOUNG, once the second overall pick in the draft.  Jeremy Fowler of EPSN.com:

Signing edge rusher Chase Young to a one-year, $13 million deal might end up being one of the best value moves of free agency. Young’s enormous skill set has impressed the Saints in camp. They have kept him on a pitch count coming off offseason neck surgery but will let him go full bore soon.

Young was considered a top-10 edge rusher after his rookie year in 2020, destined for a big-money deal. Injury problems and a lack of focus in Washington affected his bottom line. The Saints might be getting him at the right time.

“He’s disruptive — he’s big, he’s physical, he’s fast, he’s motivated,” coach Dennis Allen told me. “You feel disruption when he’s on the field. Now, he may not make every play and he may not work the fundamentals and technique exactly how we want it yet. But he’s causing disruption. And he’s having production that may not show up on the stat sheet every time. And the thing I’ve been most impressed about, he’s come in here, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, working hard.”

Young’s career crossroad is emblematic of a defensive line full of questions. Can Young live up to his billing? Can Cameron Jordan still do it at a high level? Can former first-rounder Payton Turner pan out? Will Bryan Bresee meet his potential? If the answer to at least three of those questions is yes, the Saints will be a problem up front, especially with Carl Granderson coming off an 8.5-sack season. Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders will also make plays.

“If all of those pieces come together, we have a chance to be pretty good,” Allen said. As Jordan put it, Turner “looks like he’s finally turned it on” after years of injury issues and is “hungry as hell,” while Bresee is a “dog.”

– – –

And this about TE DALLIN HOLKER from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Saints tight end Dallin Holker is in an unusual position for an undrafted rookie in training camp: Working with the starters.

Holker, who wasn’t drafted despite a strong season at Colorado State last year, is getting time with the first-string offense while tight end Juwan Johnson recovers from offseason foot surgery, and Holker has looked good on the practice field, according to Luke Johnson of NoLa.com.

“He’s got football awareness and football intelligence,” head coach Dennis Allen said of Holker. “That allows him to find soft spots in zones and things of that nature. He’s really good when the picture changes. For a young guy, to be advanced in that way from a football intelligence standpoint, is pretty impressive.”

Holker said he’s trying to do everything asked of him as a blocker and receiver to earn a roster spot.

“I just come out here and try to practice as hard as I can to be able to make a spot on this team and help us win,” Holker said.

Johnson’s injury left the Saints without much depth at tight end, so the emergence of Holker in training camp could be a major boost to the offense in New Orleans.

Holker, from Lehi, Utah near Provo, was at BYU in 2018 and 2021 (LDS mission in ’19-20).  Not productive as a receiver there, he transferred to Colorado State last season where he caught 64 passes for 764 yards and 6 TDs.  His wife, Taye Raymond transferred with him and is on the Colorado State track team.

NFC WEST

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com says the Rams are dealing with a healthy WR COOPER KUPP:

Cooper Kupp is all the way back. That was the sentiment from multiple people with the team as Kupp sprung free several times for big gains in Thursday’s practice.

“He’s on an absolute mission,” a source close to Kupp told me. “He was deeply affected about not being out there for parts of last year.”

Three years ago, I noticed that Matthew Stafford couldn’t stop throwing to Kupp, who turned every target into yardage. This time around felt similar. With the Rams’ offensive line depleted on this day, Stafford wasted no time getting Kupp the ball, including multiple times in the red zone. While missing 13 games over the past two seasons due to ankle and hamstring injuries can have a residual effect physically — and it did last season — people with the Rams believe he looks fresh.

Coach Sean McVay will likely monitor snaps for Kupp, who turned 31 in June. But that’s more normal maintenance than a reaction to injury. The former Triple Crown winner could be getting his spot in the receiver pantheon back sooner rather than later, because the offense clearly runs through him.

But not a healthy WR PUKA NACUA.

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is considered week-to-week after sustaining a knee injury Sunday, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

One source, however, described Nacua’s injury as “not serious.”

Nacua left the Rams’ joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday after getting up slowly during a team drill.

After the practice, coach Sean McVay said he wasn’t sure what happened to Nacua, who in 2023 set rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486).

The Rams are off Monday and will return to practice Tuesday.

It’s the latest injury in training camp for the Rams, who are dealing with injuries to three-fifths of their starting offensive line. Right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle) and left guard Jonah Jackson (shoulder) are both considered week-to-week, and left tackle Alaric Jackson is dealing with an ankle injury.

In addition, cornerback Darious Williams has a hamstring strain, an injury McVay said the team will take “a week at a time.”

And, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com has this report injuries in the O-Line:

Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein has an ankle injury and is week-to-week to return, coach Sean McVay said Saturday.

Havenstein left practice Thursday with the injury. It is not season-ending, McVay said Saturday. Los Angeles is already without left guard Jonah Jackson, who is week-to-week with a left shoulder injury, and left tackle Alaric Jackson, who is dealing with an ankle injury.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

WR DAVANTE ADAMS professes happiness despite not knowing who his number one QB might be:

The Las Vegas Raiders have one of the most interesting position battles unfolding at training camp.

Quarterbacks Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are competing for the starting role in Las Vegas, and wide receiver Davante Adams believes there are some positives and negatives while the question of who will be under center to start the 2024 season is up in the air.

“There’s pros and cons [to no timeline], but at the end of the day, we get enough reps with both guys and we are all communicating,” Adams said this week, via ESPN. “We have really open conversations, and we all get reps with all the quarterbacks … and I’m definitely watching at all times, seeing everything and learning how the ball comes out with Gardner versus Aidan. I got my antennas up for everything.”

O’Connell’s 2023 performance was certainly impressive after the Raiders fired head coach Josh McDaniels midseason and benched Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of the fourth-round pick out of Purdue. The rookie QB completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 2,218 yards, accrued a 12-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a passer rating of 83.9 in 11 games played. The Raiders had a 5-5 record with O’Connell at the helm.

With the Raiders hiring Antonio Pierce as their full-time head coach, Las Vegas added a veteran to the QB room by signing Minshew to a two-year, $25 million deal in free agency. In 2023, Minshew provided a spark for the Colts when he took over for QB Anthony Richardson after the rookie suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Minshew completed the season with a 7-6 record as the starter in Indianapolis, completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 3,305 yards for 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while earning his first Pro Bowl appearance.

It remains to be seen how Las Vegas’ QB battle will play out, and it will likely be decided during the preseason. Whoever wins the job, they’ll have one of the top receivers in the league at their disposal.

Adams recorded his fourth consecutive 1,000-plus yard season with two different quarterbacks in 2023. This offseason, NFL fans got a treat with Netflix’s Receiver series, where Adams openly discussed his frustrations throughout last season.

With the Raiders entering a new season, Adams is excited to begin the Pierce era with “a fresh slate.”

“You saw raw emotion [on Netflix] and that was just a genuine look at what we were going through, and it wasn’t always the brightest point, but there was a lot of good moments too,” Adams said. “Obviously, it’s a television show, at the end of the day, so there’s going to be certain narratives and things like that. Not that it was not accurate, because it was very accurate, the way that I felt, the way that the team felt and kind of the place we were in as a unit.

“But I’m in a really good place right now. I’m really happy to be out here with the guys.”

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI

PUP no longer for T TRENT BROWN.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Bengals are set to get tackle Trent Brown on the field for the first time this summer.

Brown passed his physical on Sunday and the Bengals will take him off of the non-injury list as a result. Brown went on the list when camp opened last month.

The Bengals signed Brown as a free agent this offseason. He spent the last three seasons with the Patriots and also spent the 2018 season in New England before joining the Raiders for a couple of years.

Brown is expected to be the right tackle in Cincinnati with Orlando Brown Jr. on the left side. The Bengals also have first-round pick Amarius Mims on hand this season.

PITTSBURGH

The feeling is growing that QB JASON FIELDS has a huge lead in talent – arm and running – that will be hard for QB RUSSELL WILSON to overcome.  Here’s OC Arthur Smith per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said last week that Justin Fields has taken advantage of the increase in opportunities that have come his way with Russell Wilson hampered by a calf injury and that continued to be the case at the team’s scrimmage last Friday night.

Wilson appears to be on the road to a full return to action in the near future, but Fields’s time as the No. 1 quarterback has provided a chance for the Steelers to see how Fields is picking up offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme. Smith said that Fields is “really operating the offense” and expanded on the threat he can provide to opposing defenses because of his varied skill set.

“He’s a dangerous football player with the ball in his hands,” Smith said, via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “It allows you to get creative. Maybe you change up a little bit of a defensive game plan for him. Certainly he adds a different element.”

There’s been no sign that Fields’ extended run with the first team this summer has led the Steelers to continue a change in the plan for Wilson to be the starter this fall, but it certainly sounds like the former Bear is putting his best foot forward on that front. Even if there’s no change, the good buzz would also linger in the background come the regular season if Wilson struggles because the prospect of turning to the player Smith describes will have its appeal if the offense is struggling to catch fire.

AFC SOUTH

JACKSONVILLE

New DC Ryan Nielsen is being praised for the simplicity of his defense by former number one oveall pick EDGE TRAYVON WALKER.  John Oehser of Jaguars.com:

These are exciting, good days for Travon Walker.

He’s experienced. He’s confident. Another reason the third-year defensive end is smiling as Jaguars 2024 Training Camp continues is he likes a lot about what’s happening around him.

“I feel like I can just play ball now,” he said.

Walker, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, spoke to the media Friday following Day 8 Jaguars ’24 camp at the Miller Electric Center – and added that a major reason he feels freer is the new defensive scheme being implemented by first-year defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen.

It’s an attacking, aggressive, four-down-lineman system that Walker said fits his skill set “great.”

“We’re playing straightforward, and I feel like with me playing with my hand in the dirt, I feel a lot more explosive,” he said.

Walker indeed is expected to play a streamlined role under Nielsen. He and fellow edge defender Josh Allen, who combined for a league-high 27.5 sacks last season, are listed as defensive ends this season after being listed at outside linebacker the past two seasons.

Whereas Allen and Walker often dropped into coverage in former coordinator Mike Caldwell’s 3-4 defense, the duo is expected to line up mostly on the line of scrimmage – and rush the quarterback in passing situations – in Nielsen’s four-lineman scheme.

“It’s been great working with Ryan,” Walker said. “He’s one of those guys that always gives the ‘why’ on why we’re doing something, so that helps make it a little bit easier on us. Just going ahead and believing in him, and obviously he has the tape to back it up with other players as well.”

Walker was asked Friday if he missed dropping into coverage.

“No, not at all,” he said with a smile. “But the more you can do, the more, the better. Whatever my team needs.”

Walker early in ’24 camp has continued working on being a complete, balanced pass rusher with a focus on inside rushing.

“Evaluating myself, just knowing how I rushed throughout my first two years, I really didn’t take a lot of my inside rushes,” he said. “I’m just trying to balance out from my inside to my power to my edge rushes. I’m definitely happy, but obviously it’s still room for improvement.”

Walker, after registering 3.5 sacks as a rookie, registered 10 last season and improved statistically as the season continued. He registered 7.5 sacks in the last eight games of the season, including five in the last four games.

“I want to do what helps my team win game and obviously being consistent is No. 1 thing,” Walker said. “The end of last season, it just kind of helped me play a lot more freely. Now going into my Year 3, it’s about me putting all the pieces together from my Year 1 and Year 2. Now I feel like I’m able to just go out there and play ball without as much thinking.”

TENNESSEE

S QANDRE DIGGS is a Titan per Adam Schefter:

Veteran free agent safety Quandre Diggs and the Tennessee Titans reached agreement on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday.

The move reunites Diggs with former Seattle Seahawks teammate Jamal Adams in Tennessee. Adams said at the start of Titans training camp that he and Diggs talked every day over the summer break and hoped to be teammates again.

Diggs will immediately compete with fourth-year veteran Elijah Molden to start next to Amani Hooker.

The top half of Tennessee’s safety rotation also includes Adams and second-year defensive back Matthew Jackson, who has three interceptions so far in camp.

The Seahawks released Diggs on March 5, freeing up $11 million in salary cap space.

Diggs, 31, was acquired by the Seahawks in a 2019 trade with the Detroit Lions. He was selected to three straight Pro Bowls (2020 to 2022) with the Seahawks and had 18 interceptions in his time with the team.

He posted a career-best 95 tackles last season and had 324 in 72 games with Seattle.

A sixth-round pick by the Lions in 2015, Diggs has 580 tackles, 24 interceptions, 56 passes defended and 5 forced fumbles in his career.

AFC EAST

NEW YORK JETS

We doubt if we will see him in a preseason game, so the Jets are thrilled with what they saw when QB AARON RODGERS took part in a scrimmage over the weekend.  Rich Cimini of ESPN.com:

After nine practices in training camp, including a 90-minute, intrasquad scrimmage Saturday in sweltering conditions, New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers has made people forget that he’s coming back from a major injury.

“He looks like he never missed any time,” coach Robert Saleh said after the scrimmage.

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Torn Achilles? What torn Achilles?

The 40-year-old Rodgers, nearly 11 months removed from surgery, hasn’t missed a single rep in camp. The scrimmage provided the heaviest workload of the summer, as the Rodgers-led offense ran 42 plays over four possessions, including a two-minute drill at the end of the session.

He played primarily from the pocket, but there were a couple of plays in which he was flushed and threw on the move. He showed no ill effects from his Achilles injury that occurred on the fourth snap of the 2023 season.

“He’s an impressive dude,” Saleh said. “He’s a Hall of Famer for a reason.”

Rodgers underwent surgery last Sept. 13 and made it back to practice late in the season — he was the scout-team quarterback — which he says provided a foundation for this season. By the spring, he was cleared to practice with no restrictions.

At the start of camp, Rodgers said he was 95 percent back to his pre-injury form, saying the last 5 percent would come over the course of a full training camp. On Saturday, he orchestrated 11- and 17-play drives, both of which resulted in a field goal. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 210 yards, including three drops and one clock play.

Facing the first-team defense, Rodgers’ first drive was derailed at the 8-yard line when center Joe Tippmann air-mailed a shotgun snap over his head for a loss of 22 yards. They were moving well again on the second drive, but rookie running back Isaiah Davis lost a fumble at the opponents’ 25.

Saleh was impressed by the offense’s ability to sustain drives, saying Rodgers was “so methodical down the field.” The downside: The starting offense failed to score a touchdown over four possessions, having to settle for three fields goal. The last one, a 30-yarder by Austin Seibert, was the “game winner.” It was set up by a 20-yard, back-shoulder pass to wide receiver Allen Lazard.

The Jets are counting on Rodgers to galvanize what they believe is a championship-caliber roster. They were lost without Rodgers last season, as the offense produced a league-low 18 touchdowns. On Saturday, the only touchdown was a 23-yard pass from Tyrod Taylor to wide receiver Jason Brownlee.

They open the preseason next Saturday against the Washington Commanders, whom they face Thursday in a joint practice in Florham Park. The question of whether Rodgers plays in the preseason figures to linger.

Saleh has said his “instinct” is to keep Rodgers on the sideline for all three games. Rodgers was surprised Saleh made that comment in a news conference, claiming they hadn’t discussed it yet. “News to me,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers, who played two series last preseason (in the third game), said he’s open to whatever Saleh decides.

On the injury front, nickel back Michael Carter II (ankle) is expected to miss one or two weeks, according to Saleh. He was injured this week.

THIS AND THAT

THOUGHTS ON THE TOP 100

Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com has some gripes about the trends he sees in the NFL’s Top 100 list for 2024:

Here are the top five things the voters got wrong with this year’s Top 100 ranking:

1) Wide receivers take over.

For the first time in the 13 years of this countdown, a wide receiver took the top spot. While Tyreek Hill’s victory is remarkable — and a win for a position whose practitioners often feel slighted — it comes at a time when receivers in general are more highly valued (dare I say overvalued) than ever before. The recent boom in quarterback contracts and the salary cap has been quickly followed by a surge in the average annual values that receivers are earning — Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Mike Evans (WRs ranked No. 3 through 6 on the Top 100) each received new deals this offseason, with Jefferson earning a position-high $35 million per year. The top two wideouts on the list, Hill and CeeDee Lamb, have each publicly expressed a desire for a new deal; Lamb appears to be so confident in the market that he’s holding out of Cowboys camp and risking fines, while Hill is seeking a pay raise after inking a $30 million AAV extension just 28 months ago. The wideouts are cashing in at the negotiating table, in the world of streaming and on this list. Not only is this the first year a WR topped the chart, but 20 receivers cracked the group (Hill to Terry McLaurin at No. 97), tied for the most ever. Again: One-fifth of the top 100 players in the league, as understood and voted on by the players, are wide receivers. Not the top 100 athletes. Players.

All this feels like an overcorrection by the voters, a result of them internalizing the biases of general managers and agents toward assets that directly aid the most vital position in American sports (quarterback), and of marketers and fan bases toward the league’s flashiest personalities on and off the field.

Hill being crowned No. 1 in this year, of all years, feels especially apt. The heartland-based team he departed via trade in 2022 is coming off its second straight Super Bowl title, and the quarterback he left is coming off a second straight Super Bowl MVP. Hill is getting close to setting receiving records in South Florida as he and the Dolphins struggle to get out of the Wild Card Round. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes, already a sure-fire Hall of Famer and the top-ranked player from 2023, drops three spots to No. 4 after leading a rag-tag WR corps featuring Rashee Rice, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson to a come-from-behind win in the Super Bowl. Who’s the real winner here?

2) Tailbacks and tight ends take a tumble.

The flip side of 20 WRs being named to the Top 100 ranking is that their ascension comes at the expense, as it has in the real-life player market, of running backs and tight ends. This year, just five running backs made the ranking: CMC deservedly paced the position at No. 3, Derrick Henry dropped 24 spots to No. 49, Raheem Mostert and Kyren Williams debuted at Nos. 60 and 78, respectively, and Saquon Barkley came in last at No. 86. (Aaron Jones and Bijan Robinson just missed the cut.) Never before had there been fewer than eight tailbacks on the countdown. The tight ends listed are the usual suspects: Travis Kelce (No. 9), George Kittle (No. 14) and rookie phenom Sam LaPorta (No. 80), with T.J. Hockenson a near-miss. This is the second straight year that just three TEs made the ranking, a slight that I hope is addressed at the next Tight End U convocation.

I’ll lay off the voting players here: It’s hard for them to show RBs and TEs respect when the decision-makers don’t, as reflected in wage trends. But are you saying there was no room for Jones, Robinson or Hockenson in the place of, say, Trevor Lawrence or Eagles WR2 DeVonta Smith? Where’s Evan Engram, who was fourth in the league in receptions in 2023? Or James Conner, who, despite being on a losing team, averaged the third-most rushing yards per game and earned his first 1,000-yard season at 28 years old, an age when some want to put RBs out to pasture?

3) For QBs, timing is everything.

Sixteen quarterbacks made the ’24 Top 100 list, and there are a number of petty debates I could get into regarding the position that I’m going to leave to lesser programming. (Is Jalen Hurts really one spot better than Dak Prescott? How is Tua Tagovailoa ranked higher than one-time AFC champion Joe Burrow? Seriously, Matthew Stafford over Jared Goff?) Instead, I’d prefer to fixate on the QB bookends.

Lamar Jackson (No. 2) is the deserving reigning regular-season MVP; his leap back into the top 10 is well-earned and a great story. But Patrick Mahomes (No. 4) is a three-time Super Bowl MVP and reigning champion twice over. His Chiefs went on the road twice, beating Jackson’s Ravens in Baltimore in the process, to reach the big game, and then he led a number of scoring drives while trailing to seize the Lombardi from San Francisco — again. There is little denying that Mahomes is the QB of his, and perhaps any, generation. He has reached the level — perfect season or not, A-level talent at receiver or not — where he should be considered the league’s top QB or MVP every year until he retires or diminishes, whatever comes first; he’s in the LeBron stratosphere. Lamar’s status as the league’s top signal-caller, meanwhile, is as seasonally fickle as his daily availability for practice. Mahomes is scheme- and talent-immune from an off year, and therefore should have been considered by the players as the top QB, if not the top player, in the league again. (That the players typically vote for this ranking before the postseason, when Mahomes does his best work, is not my problem.)

Farther down, Aaron Rodgers’ placement at No. 92 calls into question whether this list should reflect performance from the year prior or, like a new contract, be speculative of performance yet to come. Rodgers lasted just four offensive snaps in 2023 before tearing his Achilles, and while the four-time MVP assuredly remains one of the NFL’s most talented passers, even at 40, he wasn’t proving it last season. Rodgers is being honored for his longevity and expected return. Meanwhile, in the “last 10 out” that the NFL released, Joe Flacco was shown to have been voted the 107th best player of 2024. The current backup to unranked Colts QB Anthony Richardson, Flacco is being rewarded for his performance in 2023, when he earned Comeback Player of the Year honors after playing six total games last season and leading the Browns to a blowout loss in the Wild Card Round. If the voting for this ranking was held in February, would Flacco have even sniffed an appearance? Unlikely. But his inclusion in the discussion, and Rodgers’ drop to No. 92, indicates that the players continue to suffer simultaneously from recency bias and a misunderstanding of what the criteria for this exercise are, if there are any …

4) Condescending to corners.

Sticking with positional issues, what happened to players’ respect for cornerbacks? As love for receivers surged, disaffection with CBs took over. Just five were named to the 2024 list, the fewest since the countdown’s very first edition in 2011. The order of the lucky few — Jalen Ramsey (No. 25), DaRon Bland (No. 31), Sauce Gardner (No. 38), Patrick Surtain II (No. 52), Riq Woolen (No. 91) — can certainly be quibbled with. (It’s hard to lead the league in picks when QBs don’t throw your way.) But the issue at hand is more the dearth of corners considered elite enough for the Top 100. Where’s the recognition for Derek Stingley Jr., whose five picks paced the Texans to a playoff run, or Charvarius Ward, who led the league with 23 passes defensed? (Not that we need another 49er on this list; nine is more than enough.) Why is Jaylon Johnson, Pro Football Focus’ top-rated corner in 2023, nowhere to be found on the players’ list? Trent McDuffie was damn near responsible for Kansas City’s Super Bowl win but couldn’t sniff the Top 100. As receivers reap the benefits of a pass-drunk league, CBs continue to not get the calls — on the field or from their own teammates.

5) From zeroes to heroes.

My fifth point is typically reserved for the fallen and forgotten, and this year will prove no different.

Only one team doesn’t boast a single 2023 player on this ranking — New England — and pooh-poohing the Patriots doesn’t help #GrowTheGame. (Brian Burns’ offseason trade to the Giants leaves the Panthers with no current players on the list, but he earned his No. 55 ranking in Carolina.) The players could’ve absolutely shown some love in the ranking for the likes of Patriots pass rusher Matt Judon, a four-time Pro Bowler and No. 33 in 2023 who, like No. 92 Aaron Rodgers, missed most of the ’23 campaign due to injury.

Same goes for DJ Moore — a wide receiver, I know — whose 1,364 receiving yards (good for sixth in the NFL and fourth-most in Bears history) weren’t enough to bounce Terry McLaurin’s 1,002. Chicago got on the board with Montez Sweat at No. 82, but he was a midseason acquisition; Moore was a gale force in the Windy City from the get-go in 2023. The Bears WR’s absence is an inane omission, but forget the Top 100 — Chicago affirmed his worth when it handed him a $110 million extension.

Position-wise, let’s show some love to centers, please. For the first time since the dark days of 2018, no center was voted onto the ranking. Creed Humphrey and Frank Ragnow just don’t have the pop (or proximity to pop stars) that the retired Jason Kelce did, I guess. Elsewhere, my calls for more fullback and special teams representation continue to go unheeded, and while I’m not surprised, I am disappointed.

HALL OF FAME 2025

Adam Rank of NFL.com says that QB ELI MANNING is a lock, a lock, to be a first-year Hall of Fame enshrinee.  The Db didn’t say that, Adam Rank did.

Also, hard to believe Luke Kuechly is already eligible.

With the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 now officially enshrined in Canton, Ohio, I’m looking ahead to who could be receiving a bronze bust when the Class of 2025 is inducted a year from now. Marshawn Lynch will be eligible for the first time. He was a great player, of course, winning a Super Bowl with the Seahawks and making five Pro Bowls, but I would like to see him get in because the acceptance speech would be legendary. Unfortunately, I believe Hall of Fame voters are going to make him wait at least another year. There might be some voters who still harbor a grudge over his prickly demeanor with the press. He’s going to get in at some point. I just don’t see it happening in 2025. I’d love to be wrong.

Here are my predictions for the Class of 2025. This is not a list of the players that I believe should get in, but my prediction of who will get in.

THE LOCK

Eli Manning, QB

New York Giants, 2004-2019

I know there will be those who don’t believe Eli should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His regular-season production looks mild compared with some of his contemporaries at the position. But he’s one of six players in NFL history to be named Super Bowl MVP twice — three of those players are in the Hall of Fame (Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Bart Starr), one is not yet eligible (Tom Brady) and one is still playing (Patrick Mahomes). I mean, Manning earned those honors against the league’s greatest dynasty. There is no debate here.

TWO MORE FIRST-BALLOT PICKS

Luke Kuechly, LB

Carolina Panthers, 2012-2019

I really do believe Kuechly will get in next year because he has a résumé that runs similar to Brian Urlacher, a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018. Like Urlacher, Kuechly won Defensive Rookie of the Year (2012), Defensive Player of the Year (2013) and he earned five first-team All-Pro nods (one more than Urlacher). The only holdup up could be his relatively short career (eight seasons). Remember, Patrick Willis — who also played for eight seasons — didn’t get in until 2024, his fifth year of eligibility.

Terrell Suggs, OLB

Baltimore Ravens, 2003-2018; Arizona Cardinals, 2019; Kansas City Chiefs, 2019

The case is a bit more difficult for Suggs. He — like Luke Kuechly — won Defensive Rookie of the Year (2003) and Defensive Player of the Year (2011). However, the 2011 season was the only time he was a first-team All-Pro. He was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, which should help him with the voters. I would imagine he’ll join Eli and Luke as first-ballot inductees in the Class of 2025.

THE WIDE RECEIVER

I would really love to see Steve Smith Sr. get the nod in 2025. Heading into his fourth year of eligibility, he played for the Panthers and Ravens during his 16 seasons, so with Luke Kuechly and Terrell Suggs potentially joining him, voting Smith in could set up Carolina vs. Baltimore in next year’s Hall of Fame Game. And I’m not pulling for Smith just because he’s my NFL Network colleague. The late Chris Wesseling wrote an incredible piece on the case for Steve to get into the Hall of Fame.

A receiver needs to go in. I’d vote for Steve, but my gut says it will be:

Torry Holt, WR

St. Louis Rams, 1999-2008; Jacksonville Jaguars, 2009

I’ve long been predicting that Holt will get the Hall of Fame nod. I’ll continue to be shocked if he’s left out again in 2025. He’s been a finalist for five consecutive years. Steve Smith Sr. was a semifinalist for the Class of 2024, but he did not advance to the finalist round. I’d put both players in the Hall, but I believe only one receiver will get the call next year.

THE OFFENSIVE LINEMAN

Willie Anderson, OT

Cincinnati Bengals, 1996-2007; Baltimore Ravens, 2008

Anderson was a three-time first-team All-Pro (2004-2006). He was also selected to the Cincinnati Bengals Ring of Honor in 2022. He’s been a Hall of Fame finalist for three consecutive years. It’s time to bring it home for one of the most dominant linemen of his era.

BONUS NOTE: I would love to mention one very deserving senior candidate. It’s wild to me that Roger Craig isn’t in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He would be if fantasy football had been a thing in the 1980s. Craig had 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in 1985. The dude had 92 receptions as a running back that season. He was well ahead of his time.

Last year’s finalists.  Bold were enshrined:

Eric Allen

Jared Allen (4)

Willie Anderson (3)

Jahri Evans

Dwight Freeney (2)

Antonio Gates

Rodney Harrison

Devin Hester (3)

Torry Holt (5)

Andre Johnson (3)

Julius Peppers

Fred Taylor

Reggie Wayne (5)

Patrick Willis (3)

Darren Woodson (2)

We would differ a bit from Rank’s five –

Jared Allen, Gates, Holt, Kuechly – and, Eli or Woodson.

2024 DRAFT

After scanning the camps, Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com tells us who is on track to be the top rookie at 10 different positions:

t’s one thing to forecast Rookie of the Year candidates. It’s another to forecast the top rookie at every major position. Which is exactly what we’re doing now that 2024 NFL training camps are well underway.

Every year, of course, overlooked rookies emerge to steal the spotlight. Think Puka Nacua, who entered as a fifth-round draft pick in 2023, only to take over as one of the top possession receivers in the NFL.

As we stand, though, here are 10 first-year players we’re pegging for standout rookie seasons:

QB: Caleb Williams (Bears)

Top 2023 performer: C.J. Stroud (Texans)

Expecting any of this year’s rookie signal-callers to match, let alone approach, Stroud’s production is kind of unfair, considering how big a hand he had in Houston’s quick ascent. Williams has the gunslinging arm to make an instant splash, however, and perhaps more importantly, a well-stocked supporting cast featuring proven weapons like D’Andre Swift, D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen.

RB: Jonathon Brooks (Panthers)

Top 2023 performer: Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions)

It’s very possible that Blake Corum will benefit from the Los Angeles Rams’ superior offensive setup to maximize carries alongside Kyren Williams, but Brooks arguably has the quicker path to a true No. 1 role in Carolina, where new coach Dave Canales is bent on taking the load off quarterback Bryce Young.

WR: Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals)

Top 2023 performer: Puka Nacua (Rams)

Is it a boring pick, considering Harrison was the top wideout drafted? Maybe. And yet Cardinals fans won’t be bored if the Ohio State product finally gives Kyler Murray a bona fide No. 1. Harrison shouldn’t struggle for targets as the most gifted weapon in the clubhouse, and Murray looked improved late in 2023.

TE: Brock Bowers (Raiders)

Top 2023 performer: Sam LaPorta (Lions)

Another easy choice considering the perceived gap between Bowers and his fellow tight ends in the 2024 rookie class, but the uncertain quarterback situation also works indirectly in his favor: Whether it’s Aidan O’Connell or Gardner Minshew under center, Bowers figures to draw lots of looks as a safety valve.

OL: Joe Alt (Chargers)

Top 2023 performer: Darnell Wright (Bears)

As the top-drafted tackle of his class, Alt already has a high bar to clear. He’s also in a favorable spot, debuting under a coach in Jim Harbaugh who likes to set the tone on the ground and in the trenches. It helps he’s got pros like Rashawn Slater and Bradley Bozeman as teammates up front.

DL: Jer’Zhan Newton (Commanders)

Top 2023 performer: Jalen Carter (Eagles)

Byron Murphy II has reason for high hopes under new Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, a defensive whiz, but Newton has an even more suitable setup working alongside veteran studs like Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, as well as under the defensively geared Dan Quinn.

EDGE: Chop Robinson (Dolphins)

Top 2023 performer: Will Anderson Jr. (Texans)

Dallas Turner was the top choice of this class, and Brian Flores’ oversight should help with the Minnesota Vikings, but Robinson could have even more opportunities out of the gate with both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips coming off injury. His elite burst should come in handy against teams playing catch-up.

LB: Payton Wilson (Steelers)

Top 2023 performer: Ivan Pace Jr. (Vikings)

Don’t sleep on Junior Colson in Los Angeles, where the ex-Michigan leader will stay with Jim Harbaugh. Wilson, however, feels like he was born and bred to be a Steeler, entering the NFL with more than enough instincts and physicality to offset a concerning injury history. Alongside Patrick Queen, he could shine.

CB: Terrion Arnold (Lions)

Top 2023 performer: Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks)

Quinyon Mitchell technically went ahead of Arnold in the draft, but he’s currently slated for slot duties with the Philadelphia Eagles, whereas Arnold profiles as a Day 1 perimeter starter in Detroit. The balance of youth (i.e. Brian Branch, Ennis Rakestraw Jr.) and experience (i.e. Carlton Davis) around him should help.

S: Javon Bullard (Packers)

Top 2023 performer: Brian Branch (Lions)

Bullard may not be a seamless projection at a specific spot in the secondary, as his NFL Media scouting report suggests, but his versatility and well-regarded instincts should be a major complement to the rangy Xavier McKinney, who now headlines Green Bay’s defensive backfield.