| Former player JC Tretter, a former NFLPA president who was involved with the selection of the disastrous Lloyd Howell as executive director, is leaving the union. Kalyn Kahler of ESPN.com: NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter is resigning from his position and has withdrawn himself from consideration for the NFLPA’s interim executive director position. “Over the last couple days, it has gotten very, very hard for my family. And that’s something I can’t deal with,” Tretter told CBS Sports on Sunday. “So, the short bullet points are: I have no interest in being [executive director]. I have no interest in being considered. I’ve let the executive committee know that. I’m also going to leave the NFLPA in the coming days because I don’t have anything left to give the organization.” Tretter, 34, had been in the role since October 2024. He was the player president from 2020 to 2024 and reportedly was a candidate to serve as the interim executive director after Lloyd Howell’s resignation last Thursday night. Several former NFL players reacted to Tretter’s candidacy with public criticism on social media. “We’ve gotta be the dumbest Union in all of sports,” former linebacker Will Compton posted on X early Sunday. “Ya — let’s vote for the guy who was in charge of hiring Lloyd Howell. Lets vote for the guy who swept a lot of s— under the rug when NFL owners were colluding to not give out guaranteed contracts. The NFLPA is constantly outmatched and it’s truly our own doing.” “They would be wise to remove Tretter as well,” former player and NFLPA executive committee member Ben Watson posted Saturday. Tretter was the NFLPA’s player president in 2023 when Howell was elected as the union’s executive director. Tretter presided over a vote that changed the NFLPA’s constitution to make the search and election process more confidential. He led the 16-month search process that resulted in Howell, whose leadership had come under question in recent weeks after reports from the “Pablo Torre Finds Out” podcast and ESPN over matters that included a controversial confidentiality agreement with the NFL and Howell’s strip club expenses. In 2022, the NFLPA sued the owners, alleging that they were colluding to prevent guaranteed contracts. In 2023, the NFL sued the union over Tretter’s comments that suggested that running backs who were unhappy with their contracts could fake injuries — a violation of the collective bargaining agreement. Both grievances were decided this year, and both decisions were not shared publicly by either the NFL or the NFLPA. ESPN reported that the NFLPA and the NFL had a confidentiality agreement for the collusion grievance that hid the information within the 61-page decision. In an interview with CBS Sports, Tretter denied having access to the collusion grievance or being involved in the agreement struck by the union and the league to keep those findings confidential to a select group of executives. The NFLPA’s board of player representatives will meet Sunday night to discuss candidates for interim director, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN. NFLPA chief player officer Don Davis, executive director of the NFLPA trust Zamir Cobb and NFLPA associate general counsel Ned Ehrlich are among the candidates who will be discussed. The board of representatives also will discuss the selection process for the next executive director, including whether the executive committee or the interim director will lead that task. Mike Florio on the void caused by the departure of Tretter: The NFL Players Association currently has no executive director. The plan was, as of Sunday, to appoint a new one by Tuesday, when training camps will open throughout the entire league — and when players will have other things to worry about. It’s unclear whether that plan has changed since late Sunday afternoon, given the abrupt resignation of NFLPA chief strategy officer JC Tretter. Even if Tretter hadn’t been named the interim executive director, his presence could have helped other potential candidates right the ship, including (for instance) NFL Players Inc. president Matt Curtin. (There’s talk that, following Tretter’s resignation, Curtin withdrew his name from consideration.) At this point, it’s unclear who the viable candidates are. As of Saturday, the reported leaders were Tretter and NFLPA chief player officer Don Davis. As more news trickles out regarding the tenure of Lloyd Howell, and the process that resulted in his hiring, there’s a persuasive argument to be made that the union should appoint someone with no ties to Howell, direct or indirect. And if that takes some time, so be it. Take a timeout. Expand the search. Consider external candidates. There’s no reason to rush this. Meanwhile, it’s still not clear who’s in charge. NFLPA president Jaylen Reeves-Maybin continues to say nothing publicly. The executive committee’s only communication in recent weeks to the rank and file came from its wagon-circling message defending Howell, days before he chose to walk away. It’s obvious that things are currently messy for the union. Someone needs to stand up and show leadership. And, in this specific moment, the best form of leadership may entail persuading the powers that be to press pause, broaden the lens, and pick the right person who can and will get things under control. |
| NFC EAST |
| WASHINGTONHave we at least reached the point that we can say that Washington’s football team used to be the Redskins? As opposed to obliquely referring to the word like it is so horrific it can’t be typed? Just asking… This with the news that President Donald Trump wants it to be the future name of the team. ESPN uses Redskins here: — President Donald Trump is threatening to hold up a new stadium deal for Washington’s NFL team if it does not restore its old name of the Redskins, which is considered offensive to Native Americans. Trump also said Sunday that he wants Cleveland’s baseball team to revert to its former name, the Indians, saying there was a “big clamoring for this” as well. The Washington Commanders and Cleveland Guardians have had their current names since their respective seasons in 2022, and both have said that they don’t plan to change them back. Trump said that the Commanders would be “much more valuable” if they restored their old name. “I may put a restriction on them that if they don’t change the name back to the original ‘Washington Redskins,’ and get rid of the ridiculous moniker, ‘Washington Commanders,’ I won’t make a deal for them to build a Stadium in Washington,” Trump said on his social media site. His latest interest in changing the names reflects his broader effort to roll back changes that followed a national debate on cultural sensitivity and racial justice. Washington announced it would drop its former name and logo in 2020 during a broader reckoning with systemic racism and police brutality. The Commanders and the District of Columbia government announced a deal earlier this year to build a new home for the football team at the site of the old RFK Stadium, the place the franchise called home for more than three decades. Trump’s ability to hold up the deal remains to be seen. President Joe Biden signed a bill in January that transferred the land from the federal government to the District of Columbia. The provision was part of a short-term spending bill passed by Congress in December. Though D.C. residents elect a mayor, a city council and commissioners to run day-to-day operations, Congress maintains control of the city’s budget. In a statement provided to ESPN’s John Keim, D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson played down any potential ability by Trump to force a change. “I am focused on getting the best deal for District taxpayers and getting the deal across the finish line,” Mendelson said in the statement. “I have heard from no — zero — District residents, complaining about the name change or saying this is an issue in connection with the stadium.” On Sunday, Mendelson told The Washington Post he “didn’t know what the restriction would be” that Trump could place on the deal between the team and the city. Josh Harris, whose group bought the Commanders from former owner Dan Snyder in 2023, said earlier this year that the name was here to stay. Not long after taking over, Harris quieted speculation about going back to the former name, saying that would not happen. The team did not immediately respond to a request for comment after Trump’s social media posts Sunday. The Washington team started in Boston as the Redskins in 1933 before moving to the nation’s capital four years later. Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti indicated before Sunday’s game against the Athletics that there weren’t any plans to revisit the name change. “We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago, but obviously, it’s a decision we made. We’ve got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that’s in front of us,” he said. Cleveland announced in December 2020 that it would drop its Indians nickname. It announced the switch to Guardians in July 2021. In 2018, the team phased out “Chief Wahoo” as its primary logo. The name changes had their share of supporters and critics as part of the national discussions about logos and names considered racist. Trump posted Sunday afternoon that “The Owner of the Cleveland Baseball Team, Matt Dolan, who is very political, has lost three Elections in a row because of that ridiculous name change. What he doesn’t understand is that if he changed the name back to the Cleveland Indians, he might actually win an Election. Indians are being treated very unfairly. MAKE INDIANS GREAT AGAIN (MIGA)!” Matt Dolan, the son of late owner Larry Dolan, no longer has a role with the Guardians. He ran the team’s charity endeavors until 2016. Matt Dolan was a candidate in the Ohio U.S. Senate elections in 2022 and 2024, but lost. Washington and Cleveland share another thing in common: David Blitzer is a member of Harris’ ownership group with the Commanders and holds a minority stake in the Guardians. |
| AFC WEST |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSWR MIKE WILLIAMS has retired after eight seasons. Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com on what the Chargers can do moving forward: A week into the Los Angeles Chargers’ training camp, an unexpected hole has quickly become a coaching staff and front office focal point. It’s a void that measures 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, was previously inhabited by veteran wideout Mike Williams, and now needs a sizable presence to step into an opportunity. That was the primary takeaway after visiting Chargers camp Saturday, just days after Williams abruptly retired on the first day of practice and pushed the franchise to start mulling limited options. It’s a roster concern that exacerbates an early — but somewhat typical — camp theme for many teams: The defense is ahead of the offense; the installation process is just now getting traction; and conversations are intensifying behind closed doors about roster questions that will need to be answered from inside the current depth chart or supplemented with an outside addition. For the Chargers, nothing represents that reality more than the starting “X” receiver spot, which not only lost Williams’ prototypical size and strength at the position, but also his baked-in chemistry with quarterback Justin Herbert, whom Williams played with from 2020 to 2023. All of that drove Los Angeles to reunite with Williams in free agency last March, bringing some important depth and options to the position alongside rising young star Ladd McConkey. Unfortunately, with Williams battling lingering health issues from the spring, the reliable free-agent signing ended up being the least reliable development in the first week of camp. “Nothing’s shocking to me — I was definitely disappointed, though,” Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman said of Williams’ retirement. “I really enjoyed my time with Mike. I’ve watched him throughout the years, obviously coming out of the draft and watched him flourish here over the years. … I don’t know that it changes things a lot. You know, you lose a Mike Williams, that is what it is. It’s not easily replaceable. But we like where everybody is going. We like the guys we have. We’ve just got to work to keep getting better. I like the trajectory we’re on.” So what now? Well, a few things are in play. First and foremost, the Chargers have the option on the table of adding one of the free-agent wideouts who are currently waiting for the right opportunity to open. Among them are former Chargers star Keenan Allen, who makes the most sense given that he’s still productive and has also played with Herbert, as well as veterans Amari Cooper and Gabe Davis. All would be expected to be bargain price options at this stage. Potential free-agent WR 🎯2024 – 2025 seasonPlayer Yds Y/G Tgt Rec TDKeenan Allen 744 49.6 121 70 7Gabe Davis 239 23.9 42 20 2Amari Cooper 547 39.1 85 44 4 Even with the veteran options on the table, the Chargers seem intent on getting a good look at other players who could step in and potentially replace Williams in the aggregate. Third-year receiver Quentin Johnston faces a referendum of sorts this season, despite growing in production during his first two seasons with the Chargers. Coming off a rough performance in a playoff loss to the Houston Texans, Johnston is going to have to showcase more consistency and reliability across the course of the season if he’s going to develop into the bona fide No. 2 next to McConkey. He’ll also now have to contend with a pair of rookies who are already stalking opportunities to take a bite out of the snaps opened up by Williams’ departure: second-round pick Tre Harris, who has already flashed some of the big-play ability he showcased at Ole Miss, and fifth-round pick KeAndre Lambert-Smith, whose top-tier speed and early groove with Herbert already has the coaching staff and front office excited. Barring a free-agent signing or trade, one or more of that trio is going to get a slew of snaps to help fill the gap left by Williams’ departure. The only question now is who steps up from Day 1 to the next to earn the trust of Roman and head coach Jim Harbaugh. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIThe Bengals try to dodge blame for their inability to sign EDGE SHEMAR STEWART, but Mike Florio won’t let them: The Bengals have failed to get first-round edge rusher Shemar Stewart under contract. And, of course, they believe that’s not their fault. But it is. They opted to suddenly change their contract language regarding the voiding of guarantees. And it wasn’t a 2025 change; they used the old language in the new contracts signed by receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Then, when they drafted Stewart, it was time to change the language. The Bengals made this unilateral change without any corresponding concession. Instead, they’ve adopted a clear and firm take-it-or-leave-it vibe. Owner Mike Brown addressed the situation in a pre-training camp session with reporters on Monday. “A very peculiar thing,” Brown said, via Charlie Goldsmith of Fox19. “It’s not about money. It’s about the guarantee in the case of if he were to do something contrary to the discipline levels of the league. I don’t think that’s going to happen ever. That’s what’s holding it up. It’s never happened as long as I can remember. His agent wants it to be if he acted in a terrible fashion — this is all hypothetical — something that rises to the level of going to prison, we’d be on the line for the guarantee.” No, his agent wants the same deal that everyone else got before the Bengals suddenly decided to change the language for Stewart, with nothing in return. The very term that Brown now opposes was standard Bengals practice, for years. And now, for whatever reason, they want to make a change. With no flexibility. No compromise. Shut up and play. If the Bengals start 0-2 or 1-3 or whatever (again), hopefully the customers won’t blindly line up behind the laundry. They’re stuck on an obscure term addressing a situation that, as Brown admitted, has never happened for as long as he can remember. It doesn’t take a long memory to remember that the Bengals have a storied history of making bad business decisions. |
| AFC SOUTH |
| INDIANAPOLISColts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon with some comments on QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Two years after the Colts chose quarterback Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick in the draft, he has fallen far short of expectations: His career completion percentage is just 50.6 percent, and he has 11 touchdown passes to go with 13 interceptions. But Colts owner Carlie Irsay-Gordon isn’t giving up on Richardson yet. Irsay-Gordon believes the 23-year-old Richardson can still play well enough to justify the Colts’ lofty expectations for him before the draft. “Where he is in his career and in his deal as a rookie, we still have time,” Irsay-Gordon told Colts.com. “He still has time to prove it.” But before Richardson can prove it on the field, he has to prove it in training camp by beating out Daniel Jones in the Colts’ quarterback competition. Irsay-Gordon believes Richardson will grow from that competition. “Bring a sense of urgency. And nothing brings a sense of urgency more than competition,” Irsay-Gordon said. If Richardson follows a strong training camp with strong play in the regular season, he can still make the Colts look smart for their big investment in his raw talent. But if Richardson loses the camp competition to Jones, that would mean he has just about run out of time to prove it. |
| TENNESSEEQB WILL LEVIS exits stage right as QB CAM WARD is now the unquestioned number one. Turron Davenport of ESPN.com: — Titans quarterback Will Levis has elected to have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, the team announced Monday. Levis, who first suffered the AC joint injury while diving for a first down against the Miami Dolphins on Sept. 30, will have the surgery performed on July 29. He will not be with the team when they report to Saint Thomas Sports Park for training camp on Tuesday. “We support his decision to focus on his long-term health,” the Titans said in a statement. “He approached the offseason with professionalism and showed clear growth as a leader. We remain confident in his full recovery.” Levis, hoping that rest and rehab would allow the shoulder to recover, experienced discomfort during minicamp, a source told ESPN, and then started seeking additional medical opinions before deciding to have surgery. Cameron Ward, the first overall pick in the 2025 draft, will take the first-team reps for the Titans in training camp and likely be backed up by Brandon Allen, a veteran free agent addition who spent three seasons with Titans coach Brian Callahan when the two were with the Cincinnati Bengals. After suffering the injury last season, Levis returned after the bye week to start against the Indianapolis Colts but was ineffective and missed the next three games. He finished the season with a disappointing 2-10 record as a starter, throwing for 2,091 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Levis checked into OTAs ready to compete with Ward for the starting job and didn’t appear to have any issues with the shoulder during OTAs while taking alternate first-team reps with Ward. Callahan’s rotation during minicamp saw Ward starting off and giving way to Levis for a few reps before returning to the huddle. Allen and Tim Boyle took over after Ward and Levis. Levis spent the offseason training with personal quarterback coach Jordan Palmer. The shoulder injury didn’t appear to be an issue and Levis said he felt good after “relearning his stroke” while focusing on improving footwork with Palmer in California. Meanwhile, two Titans starters will be on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list when they start training camp. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed is still recovering from a quad injury that landed him on injured reserve last season. Sneed gave an injury update from his youth football camp last month saying he is “healthy as I’ve been” and ready to play after missing the final 12 games of 2024 with the injury. Last year’s starting center Lloyd Cushenberry III, who suffered a torn Achilles in Week 9, will also be unavailable at the beginning of camp. Cushenberry did some side work during OTAs and minicamp but is still working his way back to the field. The veteran center has remained optimistic about his return for the season opener, which is against his former team, the Denver Broncos. The Titans expect 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks to be good to go for camp. Burks tore an ACL during practice last October. He took part in only the individual periods of practice during OTAs and minicamp. Burks is entering his fourth season, which is a contract year after the Titans declined to pick up his fifth-year option. |
| AFC EAST |
| NEW ENGLANDThere is a thought that the Patriots will break out. Their schedule is favorable, and most think they made a huge upgrade at head coach. Karen Guregian of YahooSports.com: One of Mike Vrabel’s stated goals for the Patriots with respect to the upcoming season sounds simple enough. “We just want to be good enough to take advantage of bad football,” Vrabel said during his introductory press conference in January. “That’s where we’re going to start.” Given what’s played out the past few seasons, with bad football being more the norm for the Patriots, it’s a good place to start. It just might be the easiest mission to accomplish. Even Vrabel isn’t convinced this group, which starts training camp Wednesday, will ultimately be up to the stated task. “What I’ve tried to tell all the players is right now I don’t know if we’re good enough to take advantage of bad football. I’m unsure,” he went on. “Like we’re undefeated right now, but if we can just work towards taking advantage of bad football and being good enough to, when somebody makes a mistake, capitalizing on it and not being the ones that make the mistakes, and focusing on the little things and the details and helping them do their job better, that’s a great place to start.” This used to be part of Bill Belichick’s playbook. The team’s former coach didn’t want the Patriots to beat themselves, but rather, have the other teams fall prey to their own miscues. Belichick largely coached the bad football out of his teams, and watched other teams self-destruct. That sure sounds a lot like Vrabel’s plan, and if he’s able to push the 2025 Patriots to that point, and accomplish that mission, the new coach should enjoy a pretty successful season, especially given a favorable schedule. The mantra of taking advantage of bad football should play well against the Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, Giants, Saints, Falcons, etc. If the Patriots hold serve against the teams they should beat on the schedule, that will go a long way toward getting out of their four-win rut, and being a fringe playoff team. To this point, the players seem to have bought into the Vrabel way. They’ve appreciated his hands-on approach, and embraced the coaching not only from Vrabel, but his staff. Is it even fair to think Vrabel will be able to get this group good enough to feast on bad teams? Absolutely. As the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Vrabel was able to do more with less. He was able to push players and challenge them to greater heights. He was able to make them take advantage of bad football on the opposing side. Moreover, it didn’t take long for many of those players to believe with him on the sidelines, they had an edge. Former Patriot Logan Ryan, who played for Vrabel in Tennessee, explained what that meant. “I was blown away by how smart he was as a coach, as a strategist, an in-game strategist,” Ryan told MassLive earlier in the year. “He really gave us an advantage not only schematically defensively, but just using strategy at the end and knowing exactly what to do situationally. “He knows what he’s doing,” Ryan went on. “He knows how to win games and he’ll do what it takes to win games.” Vrabel, who won three Super Bowls as a player for the Patriots, went 54-45 over six seasons as the Titans head coach from 2018-23 and led Tennessee to the AFC Championship Game in 2019. He did all of that without the benefit of a quarterback who had the promise and pedigree of Drake Maye. Harold Landry, who was signed by the Patriots in free agency, also played for Vrabel. He pretty much echoed Ryan’s remarks. “I feel like one of the main jobs for a head coach is to make sure your team’s prepared situationally,” Landry said. “And all I know is, as long as I played for Vrabes, there was never a situation I wasn’t prepared for. Like, I don’t care what the score was in the fourth quarter. I don’t know. We just always had a feeling that we was going to pull this out. Didn’t matter what the score was going into the fourth and we just always found a way to win. It’s crazy. We just found a way to win. And that was just kind of the mentality. We just didn’t think we could lose, to be honest, no matter what was going on in the game.” After the Titans let him go, Vrabel spent last season with the Cleveland Browns as a consultant, but was involved and engaged with all aspects of the program. It wasn’t much of a secret where club owner Robert Kraft was headed following the dismissal of Jerod Mayo after one season. Kraft gave the baton to Vrabel, believing he could resurrect the team, and once again make the Patriots great again. “In the interview process, Mike showed us that he had a very deep understanding of our current team,” Kraft said during Vrabel’s introductory press conference, “and most importantly, he had a clear and focused strategy of how to get us back to the championship way that is not only so important to all of us, but also something that I think our fan base really deserves and expects.” Vrabel, who was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2023, smartly signed several players who understood the culture he was trying to build. He brought in players who also get what makes him tick as a head coach. “I want to galvanize our football team. I want to galvanize this building. I want to galvanize our fans,” Vrabel said after being hired. “The most important thing are the players . . . I want to provide a program that provides their ownership but also their accountability of each other and one that they’ll be proud to be a part of and that they’re going to fight for.” With training camp on tap, he’s already gotten that ball rolling. We’ll see soon enough if he makes this Patriots team good enough to take advantage of bad football. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| FANTASY STARSMichael Salfino of The Athletic has four new names that most are saying should go in the first round of your Fantasy Draft. Are they worthy? Out with the old; in with the new. Entering the 2025 fantasy football season, there’s a 33% turnover in the players being selected as first-round picks. Do the newcomers deserve the faith of fantasy managers, and are the demoted now bargains? According to NFFC’s ADP as of July 17, Malik Nabers (No. 7 overall by ADP, WR4), Ashton Jeanty (9, RB4), Puka Nacua (10, WR6) and Brian Thomas (12, WR7) are now being valued in the first round. The players they’re replacing? A.J. Brown (18, WR10), Jonathan Taylor (21, RB9), Garrett Wilson (26, WR12) and Breece Hall (34, RB13). The newcomersWith the NFFC’s valuation of the newly anointed projected first-round picks above, I’m using my positional rankings in this section. I don’t mess with overall rankings because of the vast differences between Flex 9 and Flex 10 formats, but I grade all these players — except Nacua — as worthy of their new first-round ADP in three-WR and Flex leagues. Malik Nabers (NYG, WR5)He’s hamstrung because of his quarterback situation, but that didn’t crush his value last year. Nabers was top-10 in targets in the red zone and inside the 10-yard line, where he ranked third (in percentage). He was the 10th fastest player in max speed, just a whisker above Marvin Harrison (I’m surprised he didn’t trounce Harrison). However, he won just three of 17 tight targets, a win rate that was 74th among WRs. His yards after catch were negative relative to expected. Nabers can fairly be called a volume player, but I think the targets are earned. Overall, I’m slightly below market on Nabers. Ashton Jeanty (LV, RB4)Jeanty’s status as a top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft matters. This century, 11 of 17 running backs selected in the top 10 had over 200 PPR points as rookies (65%), seven of 17 had over 246 points (41%) and just four of 17 were flat-out busts (24%). His team probably has the 22nd-ranked offense as a floor and the upside of an average offense. Quarterback Geno Smith is at least average and drives my projected range for the offense. Las Vegas’ offensive line is generally young and has some upside, but it doesn’t enter the season highly regarded. However, we know less about offensive lines in football in the summer than we do about any other position group. Jeanty opened as one of the long shots to lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns at 50-1 odds, and most major sportsbooks have him at 28-1 now; his rushing-yards-leader prop is 18-1 on FanDuel. Fantasy is way more bullish on him than the oddsmakers. I can see Jeanty making his way to all the magazine covers in 2026 and being valued as the top overall pick. Puka Nacua (LAR, WR8)Nacua ran 239 routes with Cooper Kupp. When he did, Nacua was targeted at a rate of 38% vs. Kupp’s 24%. Davante Adams is better than Kupp, so maybe that’s 33% to 29% now, which means I expect a 13% decline in usage for Nacua. His 17-game pace last year was 128 receptions, 1,624 yards and five touchdowns. Even if you adjust for the missed games, his red zone and inside-the-10 target rates are bad for a true alpha. He doesn’t have the speed to score from deep — 70th in max radar speed behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and, yikes, Adam Thielen. Nacua was also one of the lowest-targeted WRs in the red zone at just 16%. Expect Adams to dominate that area of the field. Brian Thomas (JAX, WR7)Thomas did very little with Trevor Lawrence. In basically eight games with Lawrence, Thomas had a 33-580-5 line, which offered great value (the best value, basically, according to me) based on where he was drafted in 2024. And I refuse to believe Mac Jones is better for Thomas than Lawrence. With Jones, Thomas’ prorated numbers for a full season were 97-1,263-9, but will Lawrence be able to sufficiently feed a first-round WR? You have to ask whether you think Lawrence, the supposed generational QB prospect, is as talented as Baker Mayfield. Under new head coach Liam Coen, we’ll likely see something akin to last year’s Mayfield-Buccaneers offense from Jacksonville. According to the radar, Thomas was the fastest WR in the league last year. He was also top-20 in generating yards over expected per catch. Travis Hunter playing alongside him makes his situation better, not worse; the Jaguars’ passing tree will be very narrow. Gone, but not forgottenGiven their fall from first-round status, how do we now value the banished? A.J. Brown (PHI, WR11)Brown’s environment is a shame. Due to the Eagles’ reliance on the run, he would have needed a monstrous 30% target rate to reach just 134 total targets in 17 games last year (he actually got less than 25% in his 2024 starts). It’s the size of the pie that’s the problem. Will the Eagles’ defense and running game efficiency regress? Sure. But they’ll still be extremely strong in both areas. Here’s the bottom line on Brown: Put him on the Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase on the Eagles, and Brown would be the WR1 and Chase the WR9. You can’t let Brown fall too far because there is a (maybe 30%) chance the Eagles will throw much more in 2025. Brown was third in YAC per catch over expected for WRs, and the two receivers above him had far fewer catches. He’s a great player. Jonathan Taylor (IND, RB6)I have to start by saying how much the nerds hate Taylor, who ProFootballFocus rated the second-worst among qualifying RBs in the NFL last year. I’m ignoring these largely subjective assessments, but they must be noted. Taylor’s great year in our game was under the radar unless you played him or against him in the fantasy postseason. Most of the fantasy community had checked out by then. He averaged over 100 rushing yards per game for the season. He also averaged about a TD per game on a team that was 17th in scoring (surprisingly high, at least to me). Can he be more productive as a receiver? Taylor only averaged 2.2 targets per game with Joe Flacco. With Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley averaged 3.9 targets per game. I would expect similar numbers out of Taylor with Jones. With Anthony Richardson, Taylor averaged 1.1 targets per game. If Richardson gets the nod, the projection is about 25 targets per 17 games vs. an expected 65 targets per 17 games with Jones – a huge swing in value. Garrett Wilson (NYJ, WR16)Wilson has franchise WR money (now) and ability. He’s very fast — Jameson Williams’ top speed on the radar was 21.03 mph and Wilson’s was 21.01. He wins 38% of contested catches, well over average. He’s positive in expected YAC. Last year, after Davante Adams arrived, Wilson was used too often on clear-out routes; for the year, he had the fourth-highest rate of nine routes, according to TruMedia, at 25.5%. What a waste. He was 14th in the lowest rate of combined in or out routes, which is even more of a disservice, given his skill set and quick feet. Now he’s the only show in town, so the Jets’ expected passing volume shouldn’t hurt him. New York will have a different offense in 2025 (Detroit’s, but with Wilson cast as St. Brown). In 2023, DJ Moore finished with a 96-1,364-8 line, and 72-1,109-8 came when Justin Fields was under center. When they played college ball together, Wilson and Fields combined for 1,155 yards and 11 TDs during Wilson’s first and second years. However, Fields has been a terrible passing quarterback who loses so many dropbacks to sacks and scrambles, although both rates have declined in the past two years. Still, many of Fields’ previous issues will likely continue. Breece Hall (NYJ, RB15)See the article I wrote to kick off this draft season. To that, I’ll add that Hall broke a tackle once every 30 carries (40th among qualifiers). You can push back and say Hall was third with 80% of team rushing attempts inside the 5-yard line last year, but this is a new staff, and Hall is below average in converting short-yardage and goal-line runs. The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt anticipates Braelon Allen could serve as the Jets’ David Montgomery with Hall their Jahmyr Gibbs (though probably not with the 2024 near 50/50 goal-line split). |
| FANTASY QB TIERSAdam Rank of NFL.com puts the QBs in Tiers – from a Fantasy Football perspective: With training camps getting underway, I’m going through the four cornerstones of fantasy football — quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end — and providing tiered rankings for each position heading into the 2025 NFL season. It’s an easy and efficient way to organize draft thoughts. Savvy? Let’s take a look at today’s subject matter: QBs. Tier 1 1 Josh Allen Buffalo Bills2 Lamar Jackson Baltimore Ravens3 Jalen Hurts Philadelphia Eagles4 Joe Burrow Cincinnati Bengals * Josh Allen is an easy selection for me as the top quarterback on this list. The reigning league MVP is the only player in NFL history to have 25-plus passing touchdowns, 10-plus rushing touchdowns and fewer than 10 interceptions in a season. * The rushing floor is so inviting for Lamar Jackson here — with at least 700 rush yards in each of his last six seasons — but he’s criminally underrated as a passer. With 41 pass TDs and four INTs in 2024, he became the first player in NFL history with at least 40 pass TDs and fewer than five picks in a season. * Every year, I believe the Eagles will shy away from the Brotherly Shove. They might use it even more this year out of spite after the proposal to ban the play did not pass this offseason — which is great for Jalen Hurts, who’s put up double-digit rushing touchdowns in four straight seasons, including 14 in 2024. * Last season’s league leader in pass attempts (652), completions (460), pass yards (4,918) and pass TDs (43), Joe Burrow had seven games with at least 24 fantasy points. The Bengals retained the quarterback’s best weapons in the passing attack, and he might have to throw Cincinnati back into games again this year — that defense didn’t improve much on paper. Tier 2 5 Jayden Daniels Washington Commanders6 Bo Nix Denver Broncos7 Patrick Mahomes Kansas City Chiefs8 Baker Mayfield Tampa Bay Buccaneers * Jayden Daniels had three games with more than 30 fantasy points last season. Determined to help their quarterback build on his 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign, the Commanders added more weapons (Deebo Samuel) and protection (Laremy Tunsil) for him in 2025. * Bo Nix was so consistent as a rookie, notching nine games with at least 19 fantasy points. I’d think about letting others in your league take the quarterbacks ranked above Nix on this list, and then consider landing a great value for Denver’s second-year passer. * Patrick Mahomes is still a great quarterback despite having one of the worst statistical performances of his career in 2024. By the way, the Chiefs still won 15 games and made the Super Bowl. If Mahomes falls far enough, I’m in. *Don’t overlook Baker Mayfield, who had 12 top-10 finishes last season and averaged more than 28 points per game in the fantasy playoffs. Tier 3 9 Justin Fields New York Jets10 Kyler Murray Arizona Cardinals11 Caleb Williams Chicago Bears12 Justin Herbert Los Angeles Chargers13 Brock Purdy San Francisco 49ers14 Drake Maye New England Patriots15 Trevor Lawrence Jacksonville Jaguars16 Dak Prescott Dallas Cowboys * I’m buying into Justin Fields reaching his full potential with the Jets this year. The veteran QB has the pieces around him to succeed, and Fields’ play is likely to make OC Tanner Engstrand a highly sought-after coaching candidate. * Believe it or not, Kyler Murray struggled a lot when he was forcing the ball to Marvin Harrison Jr. last year. Everything out of Arizona indicates that won’t be a problem this season. * Yes, I’m trying to temper my own personal expectations for Caleb Williams this year. But it’s hard not to be totally confident. * I mean, I appreciate the Chargers drafted another wide receiver (second-rounder Tre Harris) for Justin Herbert, but come on. The dude needs more to work with in the pass game. * Brock Purdy is good, people. Let them sleep. * Drake Maye had at least 17 fantasy points in six of his last 12 starts last year. Curious to see what happens with Mike Vrabel as his head coach, a retooled offensive line and more talent at the skill positions. * This might be it for Trevor Lawrence for me. I want to believe. Liam Coen seems like a perfect coach for him. I just have to see it.* I’m not going to be shocked if Dak Prescott ends up among the top five fantasy QBs this season after an injury-marred 2024 campaign. He has a new play-caller in head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and CeeDee Lamb has a new running mate in George Pickens. Tier 4 17 Jordan Love Green Bay Packers18 Jared Goff Detroit Lions19 C.J. Stroud Houston Texans20 J.J. McCarthy Minnesota Vikings21 Matthew Stafford Los Angeles Rams22 Bryce Young Carolina Panthers23 Tua Tagovailoa Miami Dolphins24 Geno Smith Las Vegas Raiders25 Sam Darnold Seattle Seahawks26 Cam Ward Miami · Tennessee Titans27 Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta Falcons28 Aaron Rodgers Pittsburgh Steelers * When you look at this tier, you understand why you could absolutely wait on a quarterback in your drafts and still be good this year — especially when it comes to the top of this grouping, where Jordan Love (16th among QBs in fantasy points last season), Jared Goff (sixth) and C.J. Stroud (17th) reside.* One player I plan to have on my roster for sure this season is J.J. McCarthy. To me, the floor for the 2024 No. 10 overall pick in his debut campaign as a starter is what Brock Purdy put up last season (17.79 fantasy points per game and ranking of 13th in total points). The ceiling is what Bo Nix accomplished last year (18.66 fantasy points per game, ranking seventh in total points). * I’m also very interested in Cam Ward. Miami fans keep telling me he’s better than Jayden Daniels. |
