Testing, testing, testing.  If testing is not up to Mike Florio’s standards, he wants to call the whole thing off:

As the NFL and NFL Players Association try to hammer out an agreement on the protocols for training camp, the preseason (if there is one), and the regular season, testing continues to be the one factor that will most dramatically impact the execution of the final plan.

It needs to be readily available. It needs to be reliable. It needs to be fast. For now, there’s no guarantee that all three boxes will be checked.

The powers-that-be have believed for months that, by August or September, rapid-result testing based on saliva or a finger prick will be available. Last week, the the director of the National Institutes of Health expressed optimism that a test producing results in less than an hour will be available before football season begins.

“We want to see Americans have a chance to have some normal experiences of enjoying life,” Dr. Francis Collins told a Senate subcommittee regarding the availability of testing in time for the first kicking of a football. “I do believe this should be possible.”

Currently, that’s not the case — as evidenced by the delayed test results for the Washington Nationals.

The NFLPA wants daily testing at the outset of training camp, with frequency re-evaluated based on the rate of false negatives. The union also wants to move as quickly as possible from the mid-nasal swab to a saliva-based test.

Ideally, all players, coaches, and other key personnel will be tested on a daily basis. It’s critical to keep out of the facility, the locker room, the practice field, and/or the stadium anyone who may have the virus. Even with daily testing, false negatives have been an issue in other settings; a false negative could light the fuse on an outbreak for an NFL team.

Daily?  Up the nose?

NFC NORTH

GREEN BAY

Packers CEO Mark Murphy sounds ominous, as he reacts to the increase in positive tests (from an increase in tests) and not the decline in serious cases.  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Packers don’t have a traditional owner. CEO Mark Murphy is the closest they have to one. And with not many owners talking publicly about the challenges confronting the NFL in a pandemic, anything any of them say (even one who isn’t really an owner but close enough) is significant.

Here’s what Murphy said about the current situation in a monthly online column posted Saturday: “With training camps set to start in less than a month and with COVID-19 showing no signs of slowing down, the Packers will have to make several difficult decisions in the coming weeks. Since the pandemic arrived earlier this year, NFL teams have had the benefit of time. Unlike professional basketball, hockey and baseball teams who were either in the middle of their seasons or about to start, we were in the beginning of our offseason. NFL teams were able to handle free agency, the draft and their entire offseason programs virtually. We’ve made decisions along the way, but the major ones we’ve been able to put off until we have more information. With so much uncertainty, it has made sense that we have not made decisions until we absolutely have to. As we near the start of training camp, though (rookies will start practice on July 21 and veterans on the 28th), time is no longer on our side.”

He’s right about that. Time isn’t on the NFL’s side. Agreements need to be struck with the union, and decisions need to be made about the contours of training camp, the preseason (if there is one), and the regular season.

With July 4 now in the rear-view mirror, it’s expected that the process will accelerate dramatically this week. It has to, or it will be impossible for rookies to start practicing on July 21, or for the rest of the team to be ready to go on the 28th.

MINNESOTA

Adam Rank of NFL.com looks at the 2020 Vikings:

The Super Bowl window for the Vikings is still open. For now. Minnesota remains one of the most talented teams in the NFC, but a trip to the title game has eluded the franchise for quite some time now. Forty-three seasons, to be exact. Are the Vikings closer to the ultimate goal now than, say, they were when they reached the 2017 NFC Championship Game? That is something we are going to need to take a look at. The Vikings are talented. There is no denying that. But are they better than they were?

– – –

But I guess that’s the rub here. It’s cool to good every year. But have the Vikings ever been great with Zimmer at the helm? Is there any chance that this year’s team is going to be great? Again, I think Zimmer is a really good football coach. But this seems like a huge year for him and GM Rick Spielman.

Quarterback: Kirk Cousins. Vikings fans can be so spoiled. Or at least some of you on Twitter can be that way. The team extended Cousins’ contract this offseason (as it should have) and some of you got big mad. Those folks are like the kid on that old MTV show, My Super Sweet 16, who had a meltdown because her parents got her a Lexus. And that kid wasn’t mad that she got a Lexus. She was mad that they gave it to her on the wrong day. Yes, that’s actually a thing that happened on that show. Hey, look: I’m as embarrassed as you that I still remember that.

Anyway, to be honest, I like to poke fun at Cousins because: 1) I’m a jerk. 2) I root for the Bears, so it’s what I’m supposed to do. But he’s a good quarterback. He finished last season with 3,603 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and just six picks while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. And for those of you knocking him for not winning big games, let me point out again that he went on the road in the playoffs to beat the Saints, a team many had picked to go to the Super Bowl.

Heck, even Zimmer seemed to be getting into the disrespecting Cousins business a little bit last year when the QB attempted just 10 passes in the season opener against the Falcons. TEN total passes in one game! This became somewhat of a trend, as he didn’t attempt more than 30 passes in a win until he completed 24 of his 34 attempts for 338 yards and four touchdowns in a Week 7 victory over the Lions.

Let me bottom-line this for you: Cousins is a really good quarterback. Is he peak Aaron Rodgers? No. But who is? You have nothing to be upset about, Vikings fans. And if you want to give me that Lexus, then I will happily take it from you. (BTW, I’m still shook by that whole thing.)

Projected 2020 MVP: Dalvin Cook, running back. With all due respect to Cousins, Cook projects to be the most important piece of Minnesota’s offense this season. He’s one of the best in the game when healthy. The problem is he’s missed 19 games due to injury over his first three seasons. He did play in a career-high 14 games last year and became the first Vikings running back to top 1,000 rushing yards since Adrian Peterson in 2015. And to go a step further, the Vikings had a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver in the same season for the first time since 2002. It is not lost on me that Minnesota got back to the playoffs during Cook’s breakout season.

So, the most important thing you need to realize here is the Vikings have to run the ball. Cousins led the NFL with a 129.1 passer rating and 14 touchdowns on play-action passes last season. And that’s what makes Cook’s consideration of a holdout concerning. As many have pointed out, his leverage to get the contract he seeks from Minnesota is very limited by rules in the new collective bargaining agreement, but if Cook isn’t around and the Vikings aren’t able to establish the run to set up play-action for Cousins, it would have a huge impact on this team.

Projected 2020 breakout star: Ifeadi Odenigbo, defensive end. Minnesota has been a great defensive team over the years. Last season was no exception. The Vikings tied for fifth in sacks in 2019, but with some significant turnover on the defense this offseason (more on that in a moment), the team will be counting on Odenigbo to make a bigger contribution in 2020. The good news is Odenigbo showed major promise last season, recording seven sacks and 13 QB hits. The former seventh-round pick is ready to make that next step (we’ll also have more on this later).

AND don’t sleep on: Irv Smith Jr., tight end. Smith had 36 receptions last season, the most by a rookie tight end in club history. Just wanted to throw that out to you in case you’re looking for some production at the position in fantasy football. Let’s move on.

A new face to know: Justin Jefferson, wide receiver. The Vikings used one of their two first-round picks in April on Jefferson, who is going to be counted on to replace one of the better receivers in the game, Stefon Diggs. I really like Jefferson and feel he landed in the best possible position of all of the rookie receivers, at least in terms of ability to make an immediate impact. I also think Jefferson is the most pro-ready of the rookie receivers, having played for an LSU team loaded with NFL talent under passing-game coordinator Joe Brady (who was hired to be the Panthers’ offensive coordinator this offseason). The only drawback is that Jefferson might be taking a step down going from first overall selection Joe Burrow to Cousins. OK, stop it. I’m kidding. But Jefferson is a good route runner. He’s awesome on contested catches. How awesome? Well, he recorded a contested catch rate of 92.3, according to PFF, while no other draft-eligible pass-catcher with at least 10 contested targets had a rate higher than 73.3. I have Jefferson leading all rookies in receiving, so you’re going to be good here.

Will the Vikings be able to …

Continue their success with so many new faces? One of the drawbacks of having a great quarterback is that you inevitably have to pay him a lot of money. Which means that you have to skimp in some other places. Like if you know you’re going to have Portillo’s for dinner — and you’re for sure going to have a cake shake — then maybe you opt for the salad at lunch. The Vikings were put in that spot this year; because of salary cap restrictions, they no longer have Stefon Diggs, Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Andrew Sendejo and some other key pieces. Diggs had been wanting to be traded for some time, so it’s not a huge surprise. Though I will certainly miss his subtle trolling of the Vikings on his Twitter account. One wild card in this mix is Everson Griffen, who is still a free agent, though recent rumors had him potentially linked to Cleveland. All in all, that’s a lot of quality pieces the Vikings are going to have to scramble to replace. But then again, Portillo’s is so good, you’re going to find a way to make it work.

Count on Mike Hughes to step up at cornerback? Minnesota’s defense has been the reliable backbone of the team for years, the Marshall Eriksen of the team. You know: The low-key best part of How I Met Your Mother. (And if you thought you were getting through this without a HIMYM reference, you were mistaken.) The Vikings are great at safety with Harrison Smith and Anthony Harris (whose breakout season was successfully predicted in last year’s State of the Vikings). The biggest question is at the cornerback position. The Vikings invested a first-round pick in Hughes, who is a gifted player, but injuries have slowed his development at the position. Hughes did play 14 games last season, but he was on the field for less than 50 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He was a frequent target of opposing offenses when on the field, and Dak Prescott really took advantage of him in that Week 10 game the Vikings eventually won, but still. Hughes will be joined by first-round pick Jeff Gladney out of TCU. I was a little surprised to see Gladney go in the first round. He is very talented and has a lot of great quickness, but looks a little undersized on film. He could be a great player once he fills out a little bit, but the NFC North has some of the best receivers in the game, including Allen Robinson, Davante Adams and Kenny Golladay. Zimmer’s defense is also very difficult to pick up. This might be one of the most pressing issues for the Vikings this season.

Find some success in pass blocking? The Vikings’ offensive line was statistically good last year, at least in terms of keeping the QB upright. Minnesota allowed just 28 sacks (fifth-fewest), down from 40 in 2018. That said, PFF only ranked this O-line 19th at the end of the regular season, noting that Cousins faced a lot of pressure down the stretch. (And the 49ers had six sacks against the Vikings in the Divisional Round.) In fact, the Vikings’ line would’ve ranked even lower than 19th if not for the unit’s strong running blocking, which Football Outsiders backs up. The Vikings were also in the mix for former Redskins lineman Trent Williams this offseason, but instead had to settle for Ezra Cleveland, a talented prospect selected in the second round of April’s draft. The hope for the Vikings here is that Year 2 in Gary Kubiak’s scheme will be a little easier for the team.

For 2020 to be a successful season, the Vikings MUST:

Make the playoffs. Again, I feel like that’s the minimum. Especially when I check my Twitter mentions. And again, I don’t feel like this should be the end for Zimmer if the Vikings don’t make the playoffs. Especially with a youngish team. But it’s a lot easier to sell the fans on the future coming off a postseason appearance (or even better, a win).

In closing

The Minnesota Vikings are in an interesting position. They are obviously in the top half of NFL teams. But are not in the top tier. They are good enough to make the playoffs. Even go on the road and beat the Saints. But they clearly looked out of their element against the 49ers. It was like the 2001 Royal Rumble, considered by some to be the best of all time. The final four of that match was The Rock, Stone Cold, Kane and … Billy Gunn. Did anybody in their right mind think Billy Gunn was going to win the Rumble? Absolutely not. The NFC playoffs felt that way last year. The Vikes could certainly make a run at the NFC North. But do they look Super?

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

DL LEONARD WILLIAMS expects someone to pay him a huge amount of money.  And Matt Johnson of Sportnaut.com thinks he might get it from Giants GM Dave Gettleman despite a middling resume:

The New York Giants paid a high price to acquire defensive lineman Leonard Williams during the 2019 NFL season. If the organization wants to keep him beyond this year, they’ll have to pay an even higher cost to meet his asking price.

New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman placed the franchise tag on Leonard Williams early this offseason to ensure he wouldn’t hit free agency. While the move keeps Williams in New York for the 2020 season, discussions on a contract extension aren’t going well.

According to SportsNet New York’s Ralph Vacchiano, Williams is seeking between $18-20 million per year on his contract extension. It’s a price the Giants aren’t willing to come near and both sides aren’t close on a deal.

Williams, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, made the Pro Bowl in 2016 with the New York Jets. However, the 6-foot-5 defensive lineman hasn’t lived up to that honor since. Over the past three seasons, Williams has recorded 7.5 total sacks in 47 games.

Even more concerning for the Giants, he registered just 0.5 sack and two tackles for loss across 15 games during the 2019 season.

Williams’ rumored asking price would make him the third-highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL, per Spotrac. Given he hasn’t ever played to that ability, or remotely close, it’s understandable why the Giants wouldn’t meet his demands.

Given this team bid against itself to land Williams at the trade deadline, it still wouldn’t be a surprise if Gettleman overpaid Williams.

WASHINGTON

Apparently, Daniel Snyder’s partners have been trying to find someone to buy their shares of Washington’s NFL team.  Mike Florio got things started:

Many believed that Washington’s name would change only after Daniel Snyder sells the team. Now, some are wondering whether Washington’s name change will be a precursor to Snyder selling.

The recent story from the Washington Post regarding Snyder’s absence from the organization and reliance not on employees of the team but a small circle of friends speaks not to dysfunction but to disengagement. It’s reasonable to wonder whether that disengagement could lead, eventually, to divestiture.

It’s also reasonable to wonder whether Snyder’s partners would like to see a change at the top. Robert Rothman, Dwight Schar, and Fred Smith reportedly hold 35 percent of the team. On Thursday, Smith took a public shot at Snyder, a move which by all appearances sparked the kicking-and-screaming decision by Snyder to relent from his all-caps-never stance on a new name.

If Smith is willing to take that kind of extreme step publicly against Snyder, it’s reasonable to wonder what he, Rothman, and/or Schar may be doing privately — not just to spark a name change but perhaps to grease the skids for Snyder to be gone.

Most fans of the team would welcome this development if it were to occur, since the 21 years of Snyder’s rule have seen a franchise that once won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks over a nine-year span become an also-ran, a non-contender, a bottom feeder that only periodically gets close enough to the surface to begin to see light.

Then Florio heard this:

Smith’s dissatisfaction with the name and other issues already had brought Smith to a point where he, along with fellow minority owner Dwight Schar, had actively been trying to sell their pieces of the team. However, both have to date been unable to find a buyer.

These dynamics make it even more reasonable to wonder whether, behind the scenes, Smith, Schar, and/or minority owner Robert Rothman are hoping that, ultimately, Snyder decides to sell his controlling interest in the franchise. If he does, it may be easier for Smith and Schar to find buyers. Or maybe they’ll decide that they prefer to stick around if someone else (like, say, Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos) takes over the team.

And then this:

Earlier today, we reported that Fred Smith and Dwight Schar have been trying to sell their interest in the franchise. The Washington Post reports that Robert Rothman wants out, too.

Per the Post, the there minority partners want out “in large part because they are ‘not happy being a partner’” with Snyder.

The Post says that the trio, who purchased their equity in 2003, owns roughly 40 percent of the team. Past reports have suggested that Schar and Rothman own 15 percent each, and that Smith has five percent. The team declined comment to the Post.

Per the Post, the owners have hired an investment banking firm to conduct the search for buyers. It’s our understanding that, as to Smith and Schar, efforts to find a buyer have been ongoing but unsuccessful.

Coach Ron Rivera is an active participant in the search for a new name for the team, and he hints that alternative Native-American names are on the table.  Ryan Gaydos of Fox News:

Washington Redskins coach Ron Rivera would like to see the franchise change its team name sooner rather than later, and as quickly as before the 2020 season kicks off.

Rivera told The Washington Post in an interview Saturday the change could come by September.

“If we get it done in time for the season, it would be awesome,” he told the newspaper.

Rivera, who took over as head coach earlier in the year, told The Washington Post that talks with team owner Daniel Snyder have occurred for more than a month. He said Snyder spoke to NFL officials more than two weeks ago about the possibility of changing the name.

As for what the new name could be, Rivera said there were two names he really likes. He didn’t mention what those names were but mentioned it was important for them to be respectful of Native American culture and traditions.

“It was hard to fathom that it was in any way a racist thing, to be honest with you,” he told The Post. “Now, putting it in perspective, there’s been a change.”

Exactly who will speak for Native Americans as to what is respectful is unclear.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

The times are achanging in the Falcons personnel department.  Tweets from Lindsay Jones on the hires:

News: The @AtlantaFalcons have hired two women to work in the personnel department under GM Thomas Dimitroff. Kjahna O and Shelly Harvey are full-time employees, and will each complete a rotation in scouting assistant and scouting coordinator roles. |

Harvey and O join Hannah Burnett (@Giants) and Kathleen Wood (@Browns) as women starting new full-time scouting jobs in the NFL in 2020.

From the time @ConnieScouts was the lone female scout in the NFL, to decades with none, to all of these hires in 2020, this is clearly an area where the league is making tangible progress.

That might be the real name, not an initial, for O, who appears to be Asian-American.  She is from Orlando (two more O’s) and was a collegiate swimmer.

More details on their backgrounds:

Harvey joined the Falcons after spending the past year as a recruiting coordinator at Tulane University. She also served as a football recruiting intern at the University of Houston in 2018 and at LSU in 2017.

O served as a football personnel and recruiting graduate assistant at the University of South Carolina, where she also received her Master of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

Ronnie Lott sees a lot of Bill Walsh in Kyle Shanahan.  Patrik Walker of CBSSports.com:

Bill Walsh is an NFL legend, and for good reason. As the creator of what’s dubbed as the West Coast Offense, Walsh turned the San Francisco 49ers into a powerhouse in the 1980s, leading them to three Super Bowl wins and the highest point per game average (24.4) of any offense during that decade. His legacy has spawned a coaching tree that continues to dominate in the league today, with different variations of his offensive principles on full display.

That said, being compared to Walsh is a massive compliment, in and of itself, but when it’s Ronnie Lott doing the comparing — it carries that much more weight.

Lott, a Pro Football Hall of Famer himself who was drafted by Walsh, sees a lot of the legendary 49ers coach in the current one, Kyle Shanahan. The organization enjoyed a special 2019 season that saw them reach Super Bowl LIV and nearly deliver the franchise’s sixth Lombardi, if not for a fourth-quarter surge by eventual Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, but the message had already been sent. In only his third season with the club, Shanahan had already joined with general manager John Lynch to create a contender and, in a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Lott explained why it didn’t take long.

“To me, they’re there,” he said, via NFL.com. “They’re there on the offense and the reason I think that they’re there on the offense is that, and I’ve said this is, Kyle is our version of Bill Walsh. I think he’s one of the most innovative guys in pro football when it comes to offense.”

Having fallen just short of the ultimate goal last season, the 49ers have seemingly reloaded and are expected to make another run at the title in 2020, and Lott believes they’re on the verge of taking the next step — particularly after the team awarded Shanahan a new deal this offseason.

“I like where they’re at,” Lott said. “I like what they’re doing. I love the way that they built it from the guys up front and now they’re trying to hopefully be able to get the secondary even better. They got the ingredients.”

He does, however, foresee some obvious challenges.

“The question is that you’re in a division that you’ve got some talent,” Lott noted. “… You’re in a division where there were certain teams you’ve got to beat. Right now they’re in a division where there’s talent, there’s a lot of talent. You’ve got the Rams who went to the Super Bowl.

“You got Seattle — that’s a very talented team — and you got the Cardinals who are literally saying, ‘We’re coming after you guys.’ That’s where you gotta look at them and say they’re competing and they’ve got to compete every week. But I gotta believe they’re right there. They’re right there because of what we saw last year.”

If Shanahan can even remotely live up to Lott’s comparison of him to Walsh, the 49ers will be more than fine, and for a long time to come.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

A nice gesture by Chiefs DE FRANK CLARK in the wake of a heinous crime in Kansas City.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark is paying for the funeral for a 4-year-old boy who was shot and killed in Kansas City this week.

The boy, LeGend Taliferro, was killed while he slept when someone fired shots into his apartment. No arrests have been made.

LeGend’s mother, Charron Powell, confirmed that Clark is covering the cost of her son’s funeral. Clark posted on social media about his despair at learning of LeGend’s death.

“RIP young LeGend Taliferro. Crazy In the midst of a movement we still manage to do foolish things. He was killed as he slept in his home due to gun violence. His mother, Charron Powell needs us. Let his name be heard,” Clark wrote.

Powell has thanked Clark and others in the Kansas City community for their support.

“This is hard, and the support y’all have been giving me has helped me along the way,” Powell said, via FOX 4 in Kansas City. “We appreciate everything.”

LAS VEGAS

We pick up the season previews by Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com with the Raiders at #23:

The state of Nevada might have paid $750 million in taxes toward a new Las Vegas Raiders stadium that it can’t visit for at least a year.

Of course, this isn’t how the Raiders’ 2020 was supposed to go. After a long goodbye to Oakland, the Raiders were going to spend the offseason making connections in a market that seemed like the most unlikeliest match for the NFL even a few years ago. Las Vegas went wild over the NHL’s Golden Knights, and presumably an NFL team was going to get exponentially more support.

All that public money for a stadium, and a lack of a better option for the Raiders, led the NFL to give up its longstanding distaste for Las Vegas. Once the door was busted down, the NFL gave up its outdated notions about Sin City. It awarded the NFL draft and later a Pro Bowl to Las Vegas. A Super Bowl presumably is on the way. Roomba jokes aside, the Raiders’ new Allegiant Stadium looks great. We were supposed to get a summer of excitement and cross promotion, like Jon Gruden whooping it up with new Raiders fans at a craps table.

“It’s exciting, man. We’re really excited,” Gruden said after last season ended, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We are excited to know where we are going to be playing and excited to have a city that is excited about having us.”

Then the world changed.

Coronavirus shut everything down, including the Las Vegas Strip. The NFL had to change its plans to hold the draft in Las Vegas. Raiders players were spotted at a local park in Vegas having informal workouts because they weren’t allowed at their new headquarters in nearby Henderson. Not only was it practically impossible to do a normal promotion around Nevada, there’s a possibility of the Raiders opening their nearly $2 billion stadium and not having a single fan in attendance all season. And who knows if 2021 will be much different.

No other relocation — not the Houston Oilers moving to Memphis or the Chargers going to Los Angeles when it didn’t want them or the Mayflower trucks moving the Colts out of Baltimore in the middle of the night — is as bizarre as the Raiders moving to a new city during a public health crisis.

This season will be unusual for everyone, but weirdest of all for the Raiders. We have no way of knowing how it all will affect the Raiders on the field, and they’re somewhat of a mystery with or without the relocation drama.

The Raiders signed 14 free agents from other teams. They muddied their quarterback situation by signing Marcus Mariota, a favorite of general manager Mike Mayock before the 2015 draft. They had five top-100 draft picks, including a pair of first-round selections. Amid the craziness of this offseason, the Raiders will also have a lot of roster turnover.

The Raiders were an odd team in 2019. They went through a lifetime worth of drama with Antonio Brown. They started slow, rebounded to get to 6-4, then lost five of their last six, including two 31-point losses and a 21-point defeat. When the Raiders were bad they were really bad, which is how a 7-9 team could have a minus-106 point differential. By the Pythagorean expectation, a team being outscored by that much should have finished 5-11.

What comes next? There are a lot of new faces but no clear star. The Raiders drafted a lot of players, but Henry Ruggs III being the first receiver off the board was a shock — most analysts liked Jerry Jeudy and CeeDee Lamb better — and Ohio State cornerback Damon Arnette was considered by just about everyone to be a reach at No. 19 overall.

Gruden’s second Raiders adventure has been filled with ups and downs … with more downs. A move to Las Vegas was supposed to be the start of a new and exciting era. Instead it has been an unexpected mess. Hopefully that’s not a sign of things to come.

OFFSEASON GRADE

The Raiders were busy. The big addition was linebacker Cory Littleton, who got more than $35 million over three years. That’s a lot for an off-the-ball linebacker. Littleton is a good player and he stabilizes a longtime problem area for the Raiders.

It’s hard to get excited about any of these main additions: defensive end Carl Nassib, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, safety Jeff Heath, defensive tackle Maliek Collins, tight end Jason Witten. But they help depth.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota’s play fell off a cliff with the Tennessee Titans. He’ll be watched closely because everyone has been predicting the Raiders will dump Derek Carr for a few years. The draft was fine, especially if Henry Ruggs III, Lynn Bowden Jr. and Bryan Edwards transform Las Vegas’ skill positions, but there were some questionable picks. In short, a lot of players were added but it feels like there could have been more impact.

GRADE: C

QUARTERBACK REPORT

Derek Carr is unlikely to change. He is an accurate, risk-averse short passer who is probably better than he gets credit for, but is also overpaid and will never carry a team beyond its talent level. A franchise can win with a quarterback like Carr if it builds a good team around him, and the Raiders haven’t done that. He posted a career-best 108 passer rating last season without much around him (and after planning on throwing to Antonio Brown all offseason), though he got there through a lot of short, safe passes. You won’t get very far in any conversation about Carr before someone says he needs to be replaced, and that’s why the Mariota signing is notable. Mariota has not been a better quarterback than Carr the past few years, but the constant impatience for the Raiders to dump Carr will be loud the moment he struggles this season. Mariota might not be the answer, but Carr critics will immediately call for a change the moment Carr has a bad game. The Raiders invited that controversy with the signing.

ODDS BREAKDOWN

The over/under win total for the Raiders is 7.5 at BetMGM, and there are a few reasons to like the under. The Raiders’ 7-9 record last season probably was fortunate, given their overall strength and what advanced stats say. “Distractions” is perhaps the most overused term in the NFL, but it might apply to the Raiders. Everyone in the organization is moving to a new home and doing so at a time of unprecedented uncertainty. It’s possible the Raiders will be playing in a brand new stadium that will be empty. Oakland fans supported the team right up until the end, and Las Vegas might not have the chance for a while. There are just too many questions about the Raiders to project an improvement on last year’s record.

BURNING QUESTION

Will the 2019 draft class be a springboard to better days?

Few teams last season got more from their rookie class than the Raiders. Josh Jacobs was an outstanding running back, Trayvon Mullen had a good year starting at cornerback, defensive end Maxx Crosby had 10 sacks, tight end Foster Moreau caught five touchdown passes and slot receiver Hunter Renfrow had 49 catches for 605 yards. Very good.

The Raiders had two other first-round picks who can still make a big impact. Safety Johnathan Abram suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener. And defensive end Clelin Ferrell, the third overall pick, wasn’t great but had his moments. Raiders coach Jon Gruden admits the coaching staff asked Ferrell to do too much early on by shuffling him around the line, and Ferrell dealt with a stomach illness that caused him to lose 15 pounds.

“I had never missed a game due to an illness, but that was terrible,” Ferrell said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “I was going to try to play through it. I thought rest would do it, but it really sat me down. That was tough because it didn’t just affect me for that game. It stuck with me for upcoming games because I lost so much weight. It was a test and a learning experience for sure.”

If Ferrell and Abram establish themselves as above-average starters or better, this draft class could be a fantastic one.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

The Raiders’ offense wasn’t bad last season. Maybe an exciting deep threat like Henry Ruggs III can help take Derek Carr to another level (no matter how much you’ve dumped on Carr, let’s also acknowledge his supporting casts have mostly been awful). If 2019 first-round pick Clelin Ferrell’s development catches up to 2019 fourth-round pick and breakout player Maxx Crosby, the Raiders will have a nice defensive foundation. They added depth on that side this offseason and Cory Littleton solves a big hole at linebacker. There have been other positive additions: slot receiver Hunter Renfrow, cornerback Trayvon Mullen, tight end Darren Waller among them. A step up to wild-card contention is within the realm of possibilities.

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

Be grateful: This is the first mention that Jon Gruden has eight years left on his $100 million contract. The Raiders looked better in his second year, but a step back in his third year would be concerning. If Derek Carr fails, Marcus Mariota will get a shot. If Mariota fails too, then the Raiders will be in search of a new quarterback and that can be a long and arduous process. The Raiders are putting together a lot of interesting pieces, but it doesn’t matter much if they have doubts at coach and quarterback.

THE CRYSTAL BALL SAYS…

The Raiders could regress this season. Relocation is a tough challenge to overcome in normal years, and this is not a normal year. The Raiders play in a tough division, and they could finish in last place of the AFC West. They’d be one of the better last-place teams in the NFL, but that would be of little consolation.

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

A nice Fourth of July weekend for RB JAMES CONNER.  Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:

It’s not quite Christmas in July, but James Conner still played Santa Claus for his mom, Kelly Bibbs.

The Steelers running back surprised Bibbs with a new house, posting a video of the unveiling to Instagram late Saturday afternoon.

Conner pulled off the surprise with the help of his brothers, who slipped out of sight until Bibbs entered the house.

When she went inside, she saw Conner standing in the empty house. A gold balloon display reading, ‘Welcome Home’ hung at the end of a hallway. Bibbs was overwhelmed with tears and stepped outside. When she went back inside, Conner and his brothers shouted, ‘Welcome home!’

This isn’t Conner’s first big gift of the summer. A month ago, the Erie, Pennsylvania, native surprised his dad with a new truck.

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

If you are allowed to attend a Patriots game, the Krafts will generously allow you to park for free.  Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

The New England Patriots are offering free parking for home games during the 2020 season, the club announced in a letter to its season-ticket members on Monday.

“In order to show our appreciation for your commitment to the Patriots during this unique season — and in acknowledgment that it will be different than any other season we have ever experienced together — we want to share that we will provide free parking in all Gillette Stadium lots this year,” the letter read. “From both a safety and convenience standpoint, we hope this will simplify one aspect of your game-day experience in 2020 and serve to express our gratitude for your support.”

There are thousands of parking spots around the Patriots’ home stadium, which produce significant revenue for owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft. The exchange of cash to enter the lots, and the potential safety hazards with the coronavirus, sparked the decision to offer free parking.

The club also announced that all ticketing, and entry to the stadium, will be digital.

The Patriots continue to offer season-ticket members at an elevated risk of COVID-19 infection the chance to skip the 2020 season and still hold on to their seats for the next year.

THIS AND THAT

KAEP

With prospective employers eying him, Colin Kaepernick sent out a Fourth of July message that indicated HIS protest is indeed about the Flag and goes far beyond isolated incidents of police violence against Blacks.  Brandon Choe of Deadline.com:

Former 49ers NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick spoke out against the mistreatment of Black people on America’s birthday. Earlier this afternoon Kaepernick posted a striking montage documenting the violent history against Blacks on his Twitter page. In the video acts of police brutality, photographs of slavery and lynching are juxtaposed against fireworks and the first words of the preamble to the Constitution: “We The People.”

Earlier this week it was announced Colin Kaepernick would team up with Ava DuVernay for a limited series on Netflix focusing on Kaepernick’s earlier years and experiences in California. The series will shed light on the development of young black man destined to become a NFL quarterback and civil rights advocate.

@Kaepernick7

Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of “independence”, while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all. ✊🏾

He apparently wants any team that signs him to know, that if he signs it will be on his societal terms.

And why would he have to play?  Disney is awarding him more money on the heels of the Netflix deal to tell stories that conform to his worldview.  The AP:

Colin Kaepernick will be featured in an exclusive docuseries produced by ESPN Films as part of a first-look deal with The Walt Disney Co.

The deal between Kaepernick’s production arm, Ra Vision Media, and Disney was announced Monday. The partnership will focus on telling scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social injustice and the quest for equity. It also will provide a platform to showcase the work of minority directors and producers.

“I am excited to announce this historic partnership with Disney across all of its platforms to elevate Black and Brown directors, creators, storytellers, and producers, and to inspire the youth with compelling and authentic perspectives,” Kaepernick said in a statement. “I look forward to sharing the docuseries on my life story, in addition to many other culturally impactful projects we are developing.”

Despite being exiled from the NFL since the 2016 season, when he took a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial inequality, Kaepernick still wants to play.

– – –

Kaepernick, who became the face of a Nike campaign in 2018, will work closely with The Undefeated, which is expanding its portfolio across Disney, to develop stories from the perspective of Black and brown communities.

His deal with The Walt Disney Co. will extend across all Disney platforms, including Walt Disney Television, ESPN, Hulu, Pixar and The Undefeated.

“During this unprecedented time, The Walt Disney Company remains committed to creating diverse and inclusive content that resonates and matters,” said Bob Iger, Disney’s executive chairman. “Colin’s experience gives him a unique perspective on the intersection of sports, culture and race, which will undoubtedly create compelling stories that will educate, enlighten and entertain, and we look forward to working with him on this important collaboration.”

The docuseries chronicling Kaepernick’s journey and his last five years is the first project in development.

“Developing exceptional storytelling told through a wide array of voices is at the core of who we are at ESPN,” ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said. “Colin has had a singular path as both an athlete and an activist, and, as the nation continues to confront racism and social injustice, it feels particularly relevant to hear Colin’s voice on his evolution and motivations.”