NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

Could QB JUSTIN FIELDS lead the NFL in rushing in 2023?  Dan Graziano ofESPN.com:

Don’t be surprised if … quarterback Justin Fields keeps running.

What I’m hearing: I asked a Bears official if the team wanted Fields to run less this season to avoid putting himself in harm’s way. The response was, “Well, we want him to get hit less,” which indicates it might not be as simple as running him less. In watching the 55 sacks that Fields took in 2022, it seemed like a lot of them were the result of indecisiveness in the pocket, which is understandable for a young QB and should be something that gets better this year.

The acquisition of DJ Moore has been a major improvement for the receiver room, and that upgrade plus another offseason of work should help this passing game evolve. But Fields isn’t just a good runner — he’s a historically special runner at the QB position, picking up 1,143 yards on the ground last year. Look for the Bears and Fields to keep finding creative ways to use his running ability as an asset that keeps drives alive and occasionally leads to a really big scoring play.

MINNESOTA

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com on what is anticipated for rookie WR JORDAN ADDISON.

Don’t be surprised if … Jordan Addison leads all rookie wide receivers in catches.

What I’m hearing: The Vikings’ offense will still center around Justin Jefferson, because how could it not? But they drafted Addison in the first round for a reason, and he has been nothing short of awesome all summer. He offers an upgrade over what Minnesota got from a 32-year-old Adam Thielen last season, and he can help diversify the passing game and take it to another level in the second year under coach Kevin O’Connell. I wouldn’t be surprising to see Addison push the 80-catch mark in his rookie season, and I think he could do that without cutting into Jefferson’s production very much at all.

– – –

Alec Lewis of The Athletic purports to do a deep dive into S HARRISON SMITH, although the subject of golf appears for just a few paragraphs late in the story:

Harrison Smith is entering his 12th season as a safety for the Minnesota Vikings. The man affectionately known as “Hitman” is a six-time Pro Bowler, a first-team All-Pro honoree and a sure-fire selection for the Vikings’ Ring of Honor.

That level of success aside, he is, as one of his teammates said recently, “mysterious.” Through conversations with a number of his former teammates and coaches — as well as the man himself — I learned even more about him.

He is a deep thinker who has flown planes. He is a furniture builder who loves cheese and cares about the mobility of his ankles. He is a laughably chill dude who cares about others. Ahead of Smith’s 12th season, here are 12 vignettes from those who know him best:

1.

Let’s start with how he picked his groomsmen.

In 2020, Smith and his then-fiancée, Madison, had planned a small wedding in Asheville, N.C. The night before the ceremony, as his close friends were readying for the rehearsal dinner, Smith invited some of them to his room.

Charles Petrone, his longtime trainer and friend, entered and spotted former Vikings Anthony Barr and Andrew Sendejo, Smith’s brothers and others. They were laughing.

“What the hell is going on?” Petrone asked.

“Maddie just told me I needed more groomsmen,” Smith responded.

In Sendejo’s retelling, Smith never mentioned that he needed any groomsmen at all. Then, at the final hour, he realized they were needed because, well, it was a wedding. So, he pulled some of his buddies in to let them know.

“Thank God I brought a proper black tuxedo,” Sendejo said. “Or, like, I wouldn’t have been in the wedding.”

Smith was not stressed over it at all. “‘Just, like, line up, and we’ll figure it out,’” Sendejo remembered him saying. “It was hilarious.”

He and Petrone also thought it was classic Smith in the sense that he is often completely unaffected by stressful situations. The pressure cooker of a game day, Smith said, has helped him handle day-to-day goings-on without worry. He’s even getting better at dealing with the tension inherent in his job.

“It’s not like I’m at war,” Smith said. “I’m playing football. When you really pull yourself out of it, like, how high-stress is it?”

2.

For a while, George Iloka did not understand what Smith was doing to be so disruptive on the field.

It was the mid-2010s, and Iloka was a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals. Their defensive system was set up by former defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who had gone on to become the Vikings’ head coach. So, as the Bengals scouted opposing offenses, often attempting to distill how those offenses would attack their defense, Iloka watched a lot of tape on Smith.

One example: Both teams used a blitz package on third down where they’d try to send two blitzers at a running back. Smith thrived in these situations, and Iloka couldn’t figure out why.

Iloka was cut by the Bengals in 2018 but signed, soon after, with the Vikings. He now got to watch Smith up close.

“You can try to coach timing, little disguises, anticipation, the ability to get skinny and slip blockers,” Iloka said. “But he was real good at being able to do all of those things.”

A common refrain from defensive backs is: “Man, I wish I had that DB’s easy interception opportunities.” Iloka, though, learned that Smith created those chances.

He cited a game against the New Orleans Saints, where the Vikings called a Cover-4 look against a three-by-one formation. Smith lined up on the side of the single receiver as the backside safety. His responsibility was to match up with the slot receiver if he ran a vertical route. Smith disguised his role, holding his spot on the backside. Then, at the last moment, he darted in for the interception.

“You can’t coach that,” Iloka said. “You can tell a guy to hold his spot, but everyone is going to hold it a little bit differently. It’s all feel. And he’s able to make the play.”

Iloka has noted how some safeties get pigeonholed. Earl Thomas, for example, is considered “a ball hawk.” Jamal Adams, meanwhile, is regarded as a “pass-rushing weapon.” Iloka laughs when he listens to analysts try to peg Smith.

“I don’t think you can put a label on him,” Iloka said. “Because whatever is asked of him, he does it at a high level. You put him at man coverage against a tight end, and he’s not known as a lockdown safety. But you can’t look back and say, ‘He was exposed against tight ends.’ Any time he was asked to do that or anything else, he did a damn good job. That’s the best way I can describe him as a football player.”

3.

Smith rarely overreacts. To a good play or a bad one.

And that’s why a 2016 game against the Houston Texans is seared into Sendejo’s mind.

Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler hurled a pass to the flat. The ball wobbled, and Smith darted forward. Positioned perfectly to intercept the ball and return it for a touchdown, the ball skipped off his hands.

“He dropped it,” Sendejo said. “Wide open.”

As the football cliche goes, you have to move on to the next play. In this instance, though, Smith did not. Two plays later, Sendejo could tell his safety counterpart was still fuming, so he hollered at him.

“Bro!” Sendejo said, “Chill out.”

Smith shot him a look.

“Shut the f— up,” he said.

Sendejo let him be.

4.

Right about now, you might be thinking: That’s the “Hitman” I expected. The stone-faced, cold-blooded, bone-crushing safety.

“Outside of the building,” teammate Josh Metellus said, “he has this, like, Tom Cruise-going-on-a-mission kind of perception.”

Another teammate, Cam Bynum, called him a “Paul Walker swaggy dude.”

“He’s a mysterious guy,” Bynum said.

And, well, here’s the thing: The mystery is not a byproduct of some curated image. It’s just that he doesn’t care in the slightest about altering the way he is perceived.

Which is why teammates laugh. Because, stone-faced and imposing as he may appear, Smith is often self-deprecating and empathetic.

“Harry is a Grade-A person,” Metellus said. “Anything that can brighten up your mood, he’s going to try to do.”

5.

Chuck Martin, now the head coach at Miami (Ohio), first met Smith in 2010. Martin had been hired to coach defensive backs at Notre Dame, and here was this linebacker/safety type — Smith — who oozed potential.

The coach and player developed a bond to the point that, late in Smith’s college career, Martin asked him to coach his son’s flag football team. Martin’s son, Max, has special needs. Smith often went out of his way to speak and spend time with Max. Even after the Vikings drafted Smith in the first round, he kept in touch with Martin’s family.

Then one Tuesday night in 2012, during Smith’s rookie season, a cardboard box appeared on Martin’s doorstep. The sender: Smith.

Martin hauled the box inside and sliced it open. Inside was a note: “Hey, I thought Max would like this.”

Beneath the note was a football — the ball Smith had caught for his first NFL interception.

6.

In 2021, the Vikings drafted Bynum. He was, at the time, the team’s only rookie defensive back, meaning he was on the hook for all of the rookie traditions.

Veterans tasked him with buying food for defensive install sessions. The smorgasbord was not cheap.

“I’d buy snacks and spend, like, $500,” Bynum said.

Bynum was also responsible for securing Chick-fil-A meals prior to games. His rookie contract helped him foot the bill. But each time he showed up with the food, he’d also check his phone and find a text message from Smith.

“Let me know if you need money,” Smith wrote.

“He’d offer to pay for it every time,” Bynum said, “and he did it without making a spotlight on it.”

The defensive backs would also plan dinners. Again, Bynum typically expected to foot the bill. Often, though, no check would come.

The rookie wondered what happened. Did he get lucky? Did the Vikings have a deal with the restaurant?

He later came to find out that Smith had paid for the dinners himself.

7.

Some NFL players stress over their diet.

Then there’s Smith.

“That motherf—– eats a lot of cheese,” Sendejo said.

Before practice, Sendejo would spot Smith walking around with a plate. Atop the plate were five slices of cheese and a sprinkling of lettuce.

“That’s it,” Sendejo said.

Sendejo said Smith would even order a pizza and just eat the cheese off of it.

“That guy can eat s— gas-station food and just respond,” Sendejo said.

8.

Here’s where we have to talk about Smith’s workouts.

“He does his own stuff,” Metellus said. “You don’t even ask questions.”

Team strength and conditioning staffers develop lifts and performance training for most players. Not Smith. Swole as he may be, he does not often pump iron. Instead, he can often be found lying on the ground, rolling around with cables hooking his feet to a machine.

“It’s really abstract,” Bynum said, “but it makes sense.”

Few people understand Smith’s approach better than Petrone, a bearded man who owns a wooden gym in the middle of the woods in Knoxville, Tenn. The two met when Smith was in eighth grade. They’ve worked together ever since. When Smith was at Notre Dame, he’d spend his spring break wherever Petrone was stationed, and they trained together. Ahead of the 2012 combine, Smith lived at Petrone’s house.

The two are a good fit for each other. They both prefer privacy and are spontaneous in the way they operate. During the offseason, Smith will feel an urge to train at random times. He’ll dial up Petrone at 9 p.m. on a Friday: “Where are you?”

“I’m at the house,” Petrone will say.

“Want to go in for a session?” Smith will ask.

He already knows the answer.

The sessions differ depending on the day and how Smith feels. Sometimes, he’ll focus solely on ankle mobility or range of movement in his shoulder by rolling on the ground in specific positions or contorting his arm with a PVC pipe.

“He’s so intuitive with his body,” Petrone said. “He’s more tuned in to his body than any other athlete I’ve worked with.”

9.

Petrone’s nickname for Smith is not “Hitman” but “The Matrix.”

“Because he bends like Gumby,” Petrone said. “He’s always dodging bullets.”

Interestingly, Petrone got Smith to try boxing as a high schooler. Petrone’s father had sparred during his time in the Marines, and Petrone thought Smith would like the competition. Smith participated in Golden Gloves competitions and boxed full rounds. Petrone sometimes would have Smith box without being able to throw a punch.

Smith would weave, feign and adjust so that he didn’t take one on the chin.

“And his body moved like the Matrix,” Petrone said.

Petrone thinks the “Hitman” nickname is a misnomer. He said Smith is constantly calculating how to collide with the ball carrier in the most efficient and least painful way for his body.

And no, this is not because Smith studies or watches more tape than any other defender. Smith, himself, said the amount of tape he watches changes from week to week depending on the opponent or how he feels.

“I always use the example of Sean Payton,” Smith said. “I feel like every time I’ve played him and I’ve studied hard, it’s not good. It’s just like, ‘I don’t know why I studied (his tendencies) because he’ll do anything.’ And then there are times when you study and are like, ‘OK, there are things here that I can lean toward thinking.’”

Robert Blanton, a teammate of Smith’s at Notre Dame and with the Vikings, attributes Smith’s reactivity, his on-a-dime anticipation, to an innate sense. A quality that lives in the genes but can be chiseled and refined through experience.

“I don’t know if you want to say it’s God-given,” Blanton said, “but you can see it through his personality. He’s easy-going. And then when he plays, I think his game is poetic. He’s still calm and easy. His movements aren’t sporadic. His movements aren’t crazy. He’s under control. He sees it, (and) he goes. He’s decisive in his movements. I think that’s just who he is.”

10.

Last week, Bynum and Smith were talking about their offseasons. Smith explained that he had bought a massive plot of land about 45 minutes from Knoxville and was working on it. Renting bulldozers. Digging trenches. Laying the wiring.

“Dang,” Bynum said. “You don’t hire people to do that?”

“No!” Smith said. “That’s the most fun thing I do in the offseason. Rent a bulldozer, do what we have to do.”

Smith also fixes bicycles. He builds furniture. And, yes, years ago, he earned his pilot’s license. And he put it to use, sometimes even flying from his home in Knoxville to Minnesota.

“He’s really just good at everything he does,” Bynum said.

In high school, Smith told Petrone he wanted to run track. Petrone suggested he try the decathlon.

“You want me to do 10 events?” Smith asked.

“Yeah,” Petrone said, “why not?”

Smith proceeded to win the state championship.

“That’s Harrison,” Petrone said.

This offseason, Smith, a native of Augusta, Ga., played at Augusta National Golf Club and broke 80.

Because of course he did.

11.

Remember Chuck Martin? The Miami (Ohio) coach? In 2022, he had a defensive back, Mike Brown, who signed with the Vikings. Once it became official, Martin called Smith and told him. Smith vowed to take Brown under his wing.

Months later, Martin called Brown. They discussed his standing on the roster, how the NFL was different from college and the like. Martin then asked Brown about Smith.

“He’s, like, the most unbelievable person,” Brown responded.

“Why do you say that?” Martin asked.

Brown proceeded to tell him that nearly every day during training camp, Smith would be sitting in special teams meetings at 7:30 a.m. Brown initially thought Smith would have a role on special teams. It later became clear that, no, the six-time Pro Bowl safety was not going to be on the kick return team.

So, Brown, who had listened to players vying for roster spots regularly complain about having to attend the meeting, asked Smith: “Why do you come to these meetings?”

“I always get a good pulse for how the team is going to be,” Smith said.

Brown relayed this to Martin. “Coach, you always told me he was different,” Brown said. “I always thought that just meant good. But he was different.”

12.

Last January, before the Vikings’ playoff game against the Giants, I asked Smith what he loved most about his job. We were sitting on a couch inside the locker room in the heart of winter. He looked over at the flames of a fireplace and thought silently.

Seconds later, he nodded. He had thought it through.

“The collective of what it takes,” he said simply.

He paused again. I thought that might be it. That Harrison Smith, a man of few words, would leave it there. But he didn’t.

“People always say, ‘Football is like chess,’” Smith said. “It’s kind of like that. I get that. But in football, the pieces have, like, free will. There’s a human aspect to it, and that makes it interesting.”

Seven months later, I think that defines who Smith is. He knows what he’s supposed to be doing both on the field and off it. He knows the rules, the expectations, the guidelines.

But those rules don’t confine him. They don’t prevent him from doing what he feels is right, what he feels like doing, what interests him in the moment, opinions and perceptions be damned.

Harrison Smith’s father is a plastic surgeon.  We find that interesting.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

The Athletic is in the process of comparing two teams they deem to have similar surface current status.  Here Jon Machota, David Lombardi and Matt Barrows compare and contrast the COWBOYS and the 49ERS.

It’s always interesting when the Cowboys and 49ers are in the mix. The longtime rivals have met nine times in the playoffs, including the past two seasons, and six times in the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers have won those past two postseason battles on their way to the NFC title game — a round they’ve reached three times in the past four seasons. The Cowboys haven’t played for an NFC championship since their last Super Bowl-winning season in 1995.

The rivalry added another layer last week when the 49ers traded Trey Lance — the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft — to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. Lance was merely going to be San Francisco’s No. 3 quarterback and that’s also where he’ll start on Dallas’ depth chart. He’s not expected to play much of a role on this year’s team, but could he make an impact in the future?

Both of these teams are poised for another playoff run and maybe they’ll meet for a third straight postseason, just like they did when they played each other in three straight NFC Championship games from 1992 to ’94. The winners of each of those games went on to win the Super Bowl, but neither team has hoisted a Lombardi Trophy since those mid-90s dynasty teams.

Can one of these teams, with a dominant defense and a proficient offense, end that drought? And which team is better set up to sustain its success for the next three seasons? Here’s a closer look at their trajectories:

Quarterback

Cowboys

Turnovers were never an issue for Dak Prescott before last season. The front office deserves some blame for not adequately replacing Pro Bowl WR Amari Cooper last season. But they traded for veteran WR Brandin Cooks in March and that should be an immediate upgrade to the position. With head coach Mike McCarthy now calling offensive plays, the Cowboys fully expect Prescott to bounce back. For Dallas to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in 28 years, he must be better than he was a year ago.

Now that Aaron Rodgers is no longer in Green Bay, Prescott is the NFL’s longest-tenured QB. He has two career playoff wins in his seven seasons. With a loaded roster on both sides of the ball, this might be Prescott’s best opportunity to make a deep playoff run. Cooper Rush is the backup and recently added Lance is No. 3. But the QB position in Dallas runs through Prescott this year and most likely well into the future.

49ers

The 49ers enjoyed very good quarterback play in 2022 from Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy, but both ended the season hurt. Garoppolo is now gone and Purdy is healthy again as the starter, with Sam Darnold the No. 2. Maintaining health seems to be the main question for the 49ers here.

Healthy 49ers quarterbacks have been notably efficient working with coach Kyle Shanahan. Garoppolo finished ranked No. 1 in Football Outsiders’ defense-adjusted value over average (DVOA) last season and Purdy’s DVOA clip would’ve ranked No. 5 among qualifying quarterbacks. The 49ers have built an efficient offensive machine. They count on their quarterback to be a distributor — Purdy called himself a “point guard” last season — and the attack hums when that position executes. The 49ers have many reasons to believe that Purdy can keep the line moving in 2023. Beyond that, they liked how well Darnold avoided giveaways over training camp.

Non-QB talent

Cowboys

This is arguably the Cowboys’ best roster since their loaded teams of the 1990s. The 2007 team, which had 13 Pro Bowlers, is the only other one in contention since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were still playing. This year’s Cowboys team could end up with double-digit Pro Bowlers after having eight make it a year ago. The biggest question is the depth on the offensive line. There are quality offensive skill players around Prescott, like CeeDee Lamb, Cooks, Michael Gallup and Tony Pollard. The starting offensive line should be a strength as long as they can stay healthy.

Defensively, they have a chance to be the NFL’s best. Everything starts with Micah Parsons, the favorite to win NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The edge rushing rotation should be as good as any in the league. The secondary is Dallas’ best in a long time, with quality depth at cornerback and safety. Maybe most important is that the defense has Dan Quinn calling the shots for a third consecutive season.

49ers

George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey have gone over 1,000 receiving yards previously and, based on how he was used in training camp, McCaffrey has a shot at being the NFL’s first two-time 1,000/1,000-yard gainer. That’s why the 49ers don’t necessarily need an All-Pro at quarterback but someone who throws quickly and allows targets to gain yards after the catch, something Purdy does well.

Defensively, the team has 2022 Pro Bowlers at every level: Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and safety Talanoa Hufanga. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, a free-agent addition, seems to have a good shot at that honor this season. So does cornerback Charvarius Ward, who was excellent during stretches a year ago and who may get to show off his man-coverage skills more often this season.

Key decision-makers

Cowboys

For as much as Jerry Jones is criticized for being one of the NFL’s worst general managers, the Cowboys have a strong group of decision-makers. Jones gets the final say, but executive vice president Stephen Jones, vice president of player personnel Will McClay and McCarthy have put together an excellent roster over the last few years that should be one of the NFC’s best for years to come. The Cowboys haven’t been significantly involved in free agency in a decade. They’ve built the majority of the roster through the draft, where they have been one of the NFL’s best.

McCarthy probably doesn’t get enough credit as head coach. He is coming off leading the franchise to consecutive double-digit win seasons for the first time since 1996. It’s also been impressive how he has led the team in games when they haven’t had their franchise QB. The Cowboys have gone 5-1 with Rush starting over the last two seasons.

49ers

The 49ers haven’t had a first-round pick the last two years … and maybe that’s a good thing. They’ve had several whiffs, including Solomon Thomas, Reuben Foster and their most spectacular miss of all, Lance. Meanwhile, the team’s top pick in 2020, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, has made little impact and likely will leave in free agency in March.

Shanahan and general manager John Lynch, however, have been able to mask those mistakes later in the draft. Starters like Kittle, Purdy, Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw and Deommodore Lenoir were taken in the fifth round or later. They’ve also orchestrated high-impact trades including for Garoppolo, Williams and McCaffrey. San Francisco has been a place where established veterans like Williams and McCaffrey have wanted to play.

The Shanahan-Lynch tree also must be noted. Since they started working together in 2017, three of Lynch’s lieutenants — Martin Mayhew, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Ran Carthon — have been hired as general managers. Former Shanahan assistants in heading coaching roles: Robert Saleh, Mike McDaniel and DeMeco Ryans. The zone-blocking system Shanahan runs was unique in 2017. Seven seasons later, it’s a lot more common, which speaks to how he’s held by his peers.

Resources/paths to improve

Cowboys

The Cowboys have done the most damage in the draft when they’ve had a top-20 pick. For a franchise built around a “draft-and-develop” strategy, those years have been huge. They’re hoping to have consistent double-digit win seasons like McCarthy did in Green Bay. Now, that would mean a lot of first-round picks outside of the top 20, but that’s where signing their own comes in. Not being a major player in free agency, they must re-sign the most important franchise pieces. They’ve taken care of Prescott in the past and plan to do so again soon. They recently signed Trevon Diggs to an extension and are expected to do the same with Parsons and Lamb. The key here is paying the right players. They had a bad 16-day stretch before the start of the 2019 season when they gave significant contract extensions to Jaylon Smith, La’el Collins and Ezekiel Elliott. All three are no longer on the roster. It will also be important to continue finding affordable free agents that can play notable roles.

49ers

Purdy has three seasons left on his very affordable rookie deal. Still, the 49ers are in a tight cap situation, especially when projecting ahead to 2024. With Bosa’s expected megadeal not yet on the books, the 49ers already have over $270 million in 2024 liabilities. The 49ers have maximized the efficiency of less valuable capital with mid- to late-round picks and big trades for Williams and McCaffrey, but the need to pay so many of their own players has and will force them to be creative.

The 49ers credit the cohesion that they’ve built between their coaching staff and personnel department for their late-round draft success and if they continue adhering to it, they should be able to sustain a strong roster by finding and developing affordable talent at the margins. The goal is a self-perpetuating cycle of compensatory draft pick generation, and that’s a cost-effective way to keep a team good.

Other considerations

Cowboys

At times, the Cowboys have been a little too conservative when it comes to making a move that could potentially put the roster over the top. That wasn’t the case this offseason. During a six-day period in March, Dallas traded a fifth-round pick for Stephon Gilmore and fifth- and sixth-round picks for Cooks. The Cowboys insisted this was nothing out of the ordinary, that they were just improving their roster when opportunities presented themselves. But it was more aggressive than normal. Cooks and Gilmore have exceeded expectations since they have arrived, on the field and in the locker room. Perhaps their impact could slightly change Dallas’ approach going forward. That type of aggressive roster building has proved to make a difference the last three years for the teams that have reached the Super Bowl from the NFC, the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 2021 Los Angeles Rams and the 2022 Philadelphia Eagles.

49ers

Can the 49ers field enough offensive line depth to make themselves truly perennial contenders? That ability will be tested this year, as the departures of right tackle Mike McGlinchey and sixth man Daniel Brunskill in free agency are set to test the 49ers’ developmental abilities up front. Replenishing the line will likely turn into an annual challenge for the 49ers, but it’s a necessary one to conquer because title bids are marathons. The 49ers played 20 games in each of the past two seasons, and both of those campaigns required depth pieces to start by the end of the run. For all the star power the 49ers have surrounding Purdy, it’s important to never forget how important the margins are to success. And for the 49ers, the most concerning margin lies with what’s beyond their starting five up front. If the 49ers establish a consistent restocking formula for the front, they should remain in the mix for the foreseeable future. This 2023 season will tell us a lot about their long-term prospects.

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

The Class of 2022 was not supposed to be very good for QBs, but DESMOND RIDDER in Atlanta and SAM HOWELL in Washington are started despite not being deemed worthy of first round selection.  Not so good for QB MATT CORRAL though, a misfire by the Matt Rhule regime.  But he could end up on Carolina’s practice squad.  Joe Luff ofSI.com:

Former Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral’s time in North Carolina was short, as he was waived by the Carolina Panthers just one day after the cuts that determined their 53-man squad. The last player to be released, Corral believed himself to have made the squad and expressed excitement to get started.

Corral is eligible to be brought back to the Panthers’ practice squad if he clears waivers and isn’t picked up by another team.

Speculation is that Panthers staff saw Corral as more of a development player than an immediate impact ready to win games, resulting from missing his entire rookie season due to foot surgery.

For now, Corral is waiting it out to see if he will join the active roster of another NFL team, or return to the practice squad in Carolina.

In an interview with ESPN, Panthers coach Frank Reich he talks about Corral’s strengths and the possibility of his return.

“I would love to have Matt back,” Reich said. “He’s got a really strong arm, He’s worked as hard as anyone in the building. He spent a lot of time in this building… So happy with the progress he’s made, and now he’s had a lot of snaps in the preseason and he’s done a good job.”

– – –

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com says WR JONATHAN MINGO is a name to know.

Don’t be surprised if … wide receiver Jonathan Mingo is Bryce Young’s favorite target.

What I’m hearing: One of the reasons the Panthers drafted Mingo, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound receiver out of Ole Miss, with the 39th pick in April’s draft was because they believed he’d be a good fit with the quarterback they took with the first selection. Mingo is behind veterans DJ Chark and Adam Thielen on the depth chart at wide receiver, but there’s opportunity for him to pass them early in the season if Young looks his way enough. In the Panthers’ mind, Young and Mingo can grow together in their roles and form a strong connection for years to come.

Mingo caught 51 passes for 861 yards and five TDs in his final college season.

NEW ORLEANS

Dan Graziano thinks the Saints will win a lot of games in 2023 (kind of like Minnesota did last year?):

Don’t be surprised if … the Saints are in the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

What I’m hearing: Please don’t get this twisted. I do not believe the Saints will be the best team in the NFC. I do not think they’re in that conversation with the Eagles, 49ers, Cowboys, Seahawks and others. But they do play in the NFC South, and their schedule is — on paper, at least — cream-cheese soft.

The Saints play four games against teams whose current projected starting quarterbacks are rookies (Texans, Colts and Panthers twice). They play three games against teams whose current projected starting quarterbacks are first-year starters (Packers and Falcons twice). The rest of their schedule includes just three quarterbacks who finished last season in the top 15 in Total QBR (Giants, Lions and Bears). They play seven games against teams that finished in the bottom seven last year in defensive efficiency and only two (Buccaneers and Patriots) that finished in the top 12.

The Saints believe they’ve upgraded at quarterback with Derek Carr and that their defense is still among the league’s best. If they’re right, they should be able to pile up more wins than an offseason assessment of their overall roster might predict. And with the Eagles playing in a division with two other 2022 playoff teams, and the Niners likely getting challenged by the Seahawks in the NFC West, the Saints could sneak in as the conference’s top seed when all is said and done.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com sees more players for the Cardinals to dump:

Don’t be surprised if … there are more trades to come for Arizona.

What I’m hearing: The Cardinals had a fascinating Aug. 24, when they traded former first-round linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons to the Giants and offensive lineman Josh Jones to the Texans, and acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs from the Browns. This is a brand-new front office and a brand-new coaching staff, and they’re all thinking about 2024 and beyond. Arizona already has two first-round picks as a result of a draft-day trade with Houston, and it isn’t going to shy away from amassing draft capital as it spins into a massive rebuilding project.

Safety Budda Baker already requested a trade this offseason. Would anyone be surprised if the Cardinals ended up giving him what he wanted sometime between now and the trade deadline? They can trade wide receiver Marquise Brown without any dead money hit at all, too. Could a team with a banged-up running back room be interested in James Conner? And what on earth is QB Kyler Murray’s future in Arizona whenever he’s able to come back from his season-ending knee injury?

I don’t think there’s much, if anything, that’s off the table if it can help the Cardinals add to their draft pick stash.

SAN FRANCISCO

If you are a Niners fan and missed it scrolling down, go back up to DALLAS for an interesting comparison of the 49ers and the Cowboys

– – –

The 49ers are taking no chances, keeping QB BRANDON ALLEN on the 53-man roster.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

There have indeed been many “weird situations” with the 49ers’ quarterback position in recent years, from decisions made and not made to injuries suffered to trades not accomplished to a recent trade that happened with grease-through-a-goose alacrity.

Another unresolved “weird situation” relates to the suspicion in some circles that Trey Lance, the player in whom the 49ers invested three first-round picks and a third-round pick, had fallen not to third string before being dealt to the Cowboys but to fourth, behind Brandon Allen.

The fact that the 49ers kept Allen on the 53-man roster bolsters the notion that Lance was QB4, behind the former Bengals backup. On Wednesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the decision to keep Allen on the 53-man roster, with the implication being that Allen might have been claimed on waivers.

“We had pretty good knowledge that we think he would’ve got claimed,” Shanahan said. “If there was a third quarterback out there you could put on your practice squad you felt as good with, then it wouldn’t be an issue. But when he’s going to get claimed and how he feel about him, it was important to keep him.”

The “weird situation” about that response comes from the fact that Allen would not have been subject to waivers, and thus couldn’t have been “claimed.” He’s a vested veteran. He has six years of accrued service. The 49ers could have released him from the 53-man roster and re-signed him to the practice squad without exposing him to waivers.

It could be a matter of semantics, obviously. If Allen had been released, he would have had the right to sign elsewhere. But that’s something Shanahan, G.M. John Lynch, and/or Allen could have worked out in advance. And maybe the truth is that Allen would have made a beeline back to the Bengals, or perhaps elsewhere, if he’d been freed by the 49ers.

Or maybe the simple truth is that Shanahan wasn’t really thinking about possibly slipping Allen through to the practice squad at all. Maybe the 49ers have viewed him throughout the offseason and training camp as a potentially key piece of the roster, especially since the 49ers need to have three quarterbacks in the event that (as happened last year) the “weird situation” is that two or more quarterbacks suffer serious injuries.

So here are the possible explanations for the answer given on Wednesday, regarding Allen. Shanahan misspoke or he didn’t realize Allen isn’t subject to waivers or Shanahan simply wanted to change the subject on his affinity for Allen before someone asked him the to-date-unasked question of whether Allen and not Lance had won the third-string quarterback job for 2023.

The first one is possible, the second is unlikely, and the third counts as a conspiracy theory that has a chance of being dead-on balls accurate.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

PK BRETT MAHER, out in Denver, is to be signed by the Rams.  Nick Shook ofNFL.com:

Brett Maher’s unemployment lasted less than one day.

The Los Angeles Rams are finalizing contract details with the veteran kicker, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday.

Maher’s last year in football — and his career as a whole — has been filled with a number of highs and lows. The 33-year-old who began his career by spending five years bouncing among NFL practice squads and Canadian Football League teams finally found steady NFL employment beginning in 2018, but that foundation started to show cracks in 2022. Maher suddenly struggled to convert even the simplest of kicks, missing 4 of 5 extra-point attempts in Dallas’ wild-card win over Tampa Bay, and had his first point-after attempt — which appeared on track to miss wide left — blocked in the Cowboys’ Divisional Round loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Maher didn’t re-sign with Dallas in the offseason, instead heading to Denver. The Broncos released him after acquiring former Saints kicker Wil Lutz on Tuesday, leaving Maher without a job with a little over a week left before the start of the 2023 season.

Los Angeles needed a kicker after releasing rookie Tanner Brown as part of league-wide roster trimming down to 53 players on Tuesday. Maher was available, giving the Rams an immediate option. We’ll see if he can regain the consistency that saw him convert 29 of 32 field goal attempts in 2022.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

Chiefs GM Brett Veach offers hope that EDGE CHRIS JONES will end his holdout by the time the Lions come calling next Thursday night.  Adam Teicher of ESPN.com:

– Chris Jones’ contract holdout continues, but Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said Wednesday there is still a chance Jones could play in the Sept. 7 season opener against the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium.

“We’re certainly hopeful of that,” Veach said. “We’re looking forward to next Thursday and hopefully he’s in the lineup and he’s ready to go.”

Jones has one season remaining on the four-year contract he signed with the Chiefs in 2020 but has been absent from all of this season’s practices in an effort to get a new deal.

Veach said communication between the Chiefs and Jones has picked up in recent days, though he wouldn’t say whether he thought the sides were making progress toward a new contract.

“We’re going to continue to press on,” Veach said. “We’re just going to keep working on this thing.”

Veach also said wide receiver Kadarius Toney and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed would not be placed on the injured reserve list, moves that would keep them out for at least the first four games. He indicated both could play against the Lions.

“They have a good chance to be where they need to be Week 1,” Veach said.

Toney had surgery after tearing his meniscus as the Chiefs were starting their opening practice of training camp. Sneed, the only Chiefs cornerback with more than one year of NFL experience, hasn’t practiced since early in camp because of soreness in his knee.

LAS VEGAS

Could the Raiders dump WR DAVANTE ADAMS at the deadline?  Dan Graziano ofESPN.com:

Don’t be surprised if … you start to hear wide receiver Davante Adams’ name thrown around as the trade deadline gets closer in October.

What I’m hearing: I’m not saying they’ll trade him. I don’t know if they’d even consider it. But the Raiders are likely going to be terrible this season, and Adams went there to play with a quarterback who got benched before Adams’ first season with the team ended and is now in New Orleans. If he doesn’t believe he fits in the Jimmy Garoppolo-led offense, and if the Raiders’ season gets off to a bad start, Adams could absolutely start making noise about wanting out. And coach Josh McDaniels has never been shy about trading away players he doesn’t believe fit his program.

It’s far more likely Adams gets traded in the offseason, but October isn’t out of the realm of possibility. He turns 31 in December and has $16.89 million in guaranteed salary on the books for 2024, so it wouldn’t necessarily be easy. But if he continues to perform like he has, there should be interested teams. Just last season, he broke 1,500 receiving yards for a second consecutive year and caught 14 touchdowns.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Here’s a name for your Fantasy draft from Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:

Don’t be surprised if … wide receiver Zay Flowers is the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

What I’m hearing: Flowers’ ability to create separation is really standing out in training camp. Other than tight end Mark Andrews, there’s no one in the Ravens’ receiving corps who has a ton of experience with quarterback Lamar Jackson, so there’s nothing stopping the rookie from becoming his second-favorite target. Once upon a time when I was covering the Giants, I remember Eli Manning telling us a rookie receiver named Odell Beckham Jr. was doing a great job of getting open in practice. Beckham went on to set rookie records. If you’re open, you’re the QB’s best friend, and Flowers can get open.

If Jackson clicks in the new offense right away, Flowers — who went for more than 1,000 yards and caught 12 touchdowns at Boston College last season — could put up massive numbers.

CINCINNATI

Still without a new contract, QB JOE BURROW is back on the practice field.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Joe Burrow returned to practice on Wednesday, a week and a half ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 1 contest against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 10.

Burrow was seen walking to practice with helmet and shoulder pads on Wednesday afternoon. It’s unclear at this point how much he’ll participate in today’s session.

Burrow has been sidelined with a calf strain since July 27, with head coach Zac Taylor playing coy with the timeline for the star quarterback’s return.

Beyond a preseason on-field workout ahead of the Bengals’ preseason opener, which included light jogging and throwing, we haven’t seen Burrow on the field in more than a month.

Despite Taylor’s mum responses when asked about Burrow’s progress, the Bengals have been optimistic the quarterback would be ready to take the field Week 1. Getting him back to practice this week keeps that path on course.

More from Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

When Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a calf injury in training camp, his close friend and teammate Ja’Marr Chase said he thought Burrow should take his time and heal up, even if it means missing the start of the regular season. Burrow returned to practice on Wednesday, so it looks like missing the start of the season won’t be necessary.

Chase still says that Burrow getting healthy and staying healthy is the Bengals’ top priority, but he says that from what he could tell on the practice field, Burrow is ready to play.

“He looked good. I didn’t see hobbling, I didn’t see much. He doesn’t look like he’s having any problems,” Chase said. “When Joe’s out there, it’s a little more dialed in. He’s stayed positive about the whole situation. It’s all about the health and how he feels. That’s the most important thing this year. We want to get him back, make sure he’s healthy, 100 percent healthy.”

From all indications, Burrow will be on the field when the Bengals start the season in Cleveland on September 10.

PITTSBURGH

There seems to be a changing of the guard at running back in Pittsburgh.  Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:

Don’t be surprised if … Jaylen Warren is the lead running back by the end of the season.

What I’m hearing: Yes, Najee Harris was the team’s first-round pick in 2021. Yes, he has been a productive and reliable No. 1 back in his first two years, even as the offense overall struggled. And yes, he was coming off a foot injury at the start of last season, which helps explain why his production didn’t live up to his rookie year. So Harris is still firmly in the Steelers’ plans and opens the season as their top back.

But Warren’s performance in practice and games has demanded a larger role for him than what the Steelers had planned a year ago. He has shown the ability to spell Harris whenever asked, and he has actually looked more explosive in some areas. Unless Harris looks more like the 2021 version of himself than the 2022 version, Warren’s opportunity could increase dramatically as the year goes on. Warren, a 2022 undrafted free agent, took 77 carries for 379 yards last season.

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

Poor GM Chris Ballard.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Colts G.M. Chris Ballard is in a delicate spot, and he knows it.

Regardless of whatever he would do to resolve the impasse with running back Jonathan Taylor, Ballard’s hands are tied by the fact that, in the end, owner Jim Irsay is calling the shots.

That’s been the general sense from the moment Irsay began to stir things up with Taylor. It started with Irsay’s combative tweet regarding the running back market and the general efforts to improve it for the men who play the position. The situation quickly devolved into a mess that included Taylor and Irsay meeting on his bus, Taylor’s trade demand promptly coming to light after that meeting, Irsay then insisting Taylor would not be traded!, and someone (Irsay, presumably) telling multiple reporters that the Colts would possibly switch Taylor’s designation from Physically Unable to Perform (which results in his salary being paid) to Non-Football Injury (which would have permitted the Colts to stiff him).

Ballard, through it all, has remained largely quiet and entirely honorable, keeping with the league-wide reputation he has spent a career earning.

If there was any doubt Irsay is running the show on Taylor, that doubt was erased on Wednesday, when Ballard was pressed by reporters on the simple question of why the Colts won’t extend Taylor’s contract now.

Via Zak Keefer of TheAthletic.com, Ballard kept saying, “You pay great players.” That prompted James Boyd of TheAthletic.com to ask Ballard a simple question: “Then why not pay him?”

Said Ballard, “We won four games last year. We won four games.”

Obviously, the number of wins in a season that included a bizarre Matt Ryan benching (supposedly for the rest of the year) followed by the firing of Frank Reich followed by the hiring of a woefully inexperienced and overmatched interim coach does nothing to diminish Taylor’s greatness. But Ballard was in a box, so he cited the won-loss record in lieu of resorting to candor.

The candid response would have been this: We’re not paying Taylor because the guy who writes the checks doesn’t want to.

That’s how the Colts have handled great running backs for more than 20 years. They traded 1994 first-rounder Marshall Faulk in lieu of signing him to a second contract. They replaced Faulk by drafting Edgerrin James in round one. They allowed James to finish his rookie contract, tagged him once, and then let him leave via free agency. (They replaced James by drafting Joseph Addai in round one.)

With Taylor, Irsay wants to let Taylor finish out his rookie deal, tag him once or twice, and then draft his replacement after he leaves. That’s the plan, based on the power vested in Irsay by the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Taylor is trying to short-circuit that plan. While he arguably should have held out, the Colts (or at least Irsay) seem to believe he’s holding in, relying on a surgically-repaired ankle as the reason for not playing until he gets a contract that Irsay won’t give him.

But Ballard can’t say that. He had to say something else. Instead of saying something like “well, Taylor wasn’t all that great last year,” Ballard pointed to the lack of greatness on the part of the team.

Again, Ballard is the one who could — if allowed to — resolve this mess properly. But Irsay, by all appearances, wants to take full advantage of the terms of the CBA, to pay Taylor one year at a time, and to move on without ever giving him the contract he has earned.

That’s the heart of the problem. And their only way out of it at this point is to trade him, either before the October 31 deadline or after tagging him in 2024.

The better path would be for Irsay to let Ballard take over, to let him mend fences with Taylor, and to let Ballard give Taylor the contract that Irsay refuses to provide.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

We thought RB JAMES COOK went kind of early in last night’s Fantasy draft, but we hadn’t read this from Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:

Don’t be surprised if … running back James Cook becomes a star in this offense.

What I’m hearing: The Bills were 20th in rushing attempts last season (430), but they were second in yards per rush (5.2). And you’re saying, “Yeah, but that’s because of Josh Allen.” But the Bills’ running backs were actually tied for first in yards per rush last year at 4.9 yards per carry, and Cook averaged 5.7.

Second-year offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey knows he needs to tweak the approach. And even if they don’t run more, Cook is a really good pass-catcher and can contribute there. He has drawn rave reviews throughout training camp. Cook was the 63rd pick in the 2022 draft, well ahead of Rachaad White and Dameon Pierce — two players I know you’re more fired up about drafting in fantasy than you are about Cook. But the last time the Bills rook a running back that high was C.J. Spiller in 2010, and before that, it was Marshawn Lynch in 2007. Buffalo has all kinds of incentive to get Cook the ball and let him showcase his big-play ability.

MIAMI

No wonder RB JONATHAN TAYLOR is not a Dolphin.  Doric Sam of Bleacher Report:

The Miami Dolphins were reportedly among the teams pursuing a trade for Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor, but they were not interested in meeting Indianapolis’ demands for one of their best players.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Colts “made wild requests from Miami,” including for star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle “and more.”

The Colts held on to Taylor following their self-imposed cutoff of finding a trade for him by the roster cutdown deadline Tuesday. He will miss at least the first four games of the season while he’s on the physically unable to perform list.

In addition to the Dolphins, the Green Bay Packers also had “legitimate interest” in trading for the speedster, ESPN’s Stephen Holder reported Wednesday. However, neither team managed to put together “what [Indianapolis] deemed an acceptable offer for Taylor.”

It’s understandable that the Dolphins balked at the idea of including Waddle in any potential deal. The 24-year-old started his NFL career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, setting the record for most receptions by a rookie with 104 catches in 2021. Last season, he ranked seventh in the NFL with 1,356 yards while also adding 75 receptions and eight touchdowns. He also led the league with an average of 18.1 yards per catch.

Along with Tyreek Hill, Waddle is a part of arguably the most dangerous receiver duo in the NFL. The two of them formed one of just two pairs of teammates to rank in the top 10 in receiving yards last year, along with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Holder noted that “there is still trade interest in Taylor and the All-Pro would still welcome a trade,” so perhaps the Dolphins will be able to put together a package to land the 2021 rushing champion prior to this season’s Oct. 31 trade deadline. However, it’s clear that Waddle won’t be included in the team’s offer.

NEW ENGLAND

Will the Patriots really go into Week 1 gameday with just one QB on the technically “active” roster? Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com after both cut QBs go to the practice squad.

Bill Belichick is playing poker, and the rest of us are playing 52 pick-up.

He made a wager that no one would claim quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham on waivers. No one did. Both are back on the practice squad. And Belichick can now stick with one quarterback on the active roster, while elevating one or the other of the backuops to serve as the game-day No. 2.

Belichick has done it before, carrying no kicker on the roster and elevating one of two from the practice squad to do the job.

By rule, Zappe and Cunningham can each be relegated three times before they must be added to the active roster. Belichick could extend the competition for No. 2 by six weeks, eventually deciding between one or the other as the permanent backup to starter Mac Jones.

Along the way, another opportunity could come along for the Patriots. Regardless, this approach gives Belichick maximum flexibility — and it shows he guessed right. No one claimed either quarterback, allowing Belichick to keep one quarterback on the active roster through the first three to six weeks of the regular season.

Now, technically, others team could reach out and sign Zappe and/or Cunningham off the practice squad after Week 1 injuries – but perhaps Belichick has a hand shake deal that they would give him the option of elevating one of them if another team reached out with an active roster offer.

THIS AND THAT

UNDER THE RADAR ROOKIES

Will Buccaneers WR TREY PALMER make the list of 10 “Under The Radar” rookies from Chris Trapasso of CBSSports.com?

Let’s highlight the rookies, who went either undrafted or were selected on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, you’ll want to keep tabs on throughout the season. They’ll make an impact.

Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Broncos

McLaughlin could be the next Pierre Thomas. Remember him, an undrafted runner out of Illinois who snuck his way onto Sean Payton’s Saints roster way back in 2007 who ultimately became a reliable checkdown, screen, and swing-pass option for the Super Bowl-winning Saints.

McLaughlin isn’t nearly as sizable as Thomas was — he is more explosive. After a dazzling career at FCS powerhouse Youngstown State with a bulky career yards-per-carry average of 6.4 across more than 530 attempts with 30 scores and countless highlight-reel jukes and hurdles in space, McLaughlin was a nifty, twitched-up stud this preseason for the Broncos with 113 yards on 21 rushes with three ground-game touchdowns and 33 extra yards on seven catches. Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine are built like traditional feature and No. 2 backs. McLaughlin can be the third-down lightning bug when needed, and you better believe Payton — one of the early adopters of the running back-by-committee approach — will creatively use him in 2023.

Ivan Pace Jr., LB, Vikings

Pace was the talk of Vikings camp, and his ultra-aggressive style at inside linebacker translated to splash plays in the preseason. On just 46 snaps, the former Miami of Ohio and Cincinnati star made eight tackles and had a pressure of the opposing quarterback. The thing with Pace is, he’s short. Not small. Just short with limited length. There aren’t many off-ball linebackers who stand less than 5-foot-11 in today’s NFL.

On film, Pace plays like he’s 6-foot-3. And at 231 pounds, he has plenty of mass to deal with enormous blockers climbing to the second level. He attacks those blocks with authority and sheds like he has 34-inch arms. He’s a deft mover in coverage as well. It felt like Pace locked up a roster spot after the second preseason outing, an extreme rarity for a rookie undrafted free agent. And new defensive coordinator Brian Flores — who was hyper-aggressive calling the shots in Miami — must be enamored with Pace’s blitzing capabilities. At Cincinnati in 2022, Pace generated 55 pressures on 180 pass-rush snaps (almost all as a blitzer), which equates to a gargantuan pressure-creation rate of 30.5%.

Kaevon Merriweather, S, Buccaneers

Merriweather had a middling combine. He still had no business going undrafted. Zero. While he wasn’t a high-volume stat-sheet filler at Iowa, he was efficient and rarely out of position. Merriweather had seven interceptions in his final two seasons in Iowa City and at 6-foot and 205 pounds with nearly 32 inch arms, he entered the league with serious NFL safety size.

In the preseason, Merriweather played 84 snaps, registered eight tackles while only missing one, moved the quarterback off his spot twice, recovered a fumble, and had a pass breakup. That’s the type of player he was at Iowa. When he had an opportunity, he was around the football. The Buccaneers have budding star Antoine Winfield Jr. at one safety spot. Newcomer Ryan Neal is penciled in as the other safety starter. But now Tampa Bay has three heady, instinctive back-line defenders given the emergence of Merriweather this summer.

Ronnie Bell, WR, 49ers

Bell is a classic, “what if?” case in the NFL Draft. What if he didn’t tear a knee ligament in Michigan’s season opener back in 2021? Where would he have been selected in the 2022 draft? Instead, Bell rehabbed for a year and came back with the same urgent-play style that lends itself to tremendous yards-after-the-catch skill, which is likely the reason Kyle Shanahan gravitated toward Bell on Day 3 in April.

Then with plenty of opportunity to showcase himself in the preseason, Bell rocked for San Francisco — 11 touchdowns for 185 yards and a collection of ricochets off tacklers in space to accumulate extra yardage. Of course, the 49ers are loaded at the skill positions. Yet it’s vital as a legitimate Super Bowl contender to have capable depth at those positions. Bell demonstrated he can be a weapon on short, underneath throws in which the 49ers coaching staff hopes YAC will be accentuated.

JL Skinner, S, Broncos

Skinner went in the sixth round almost purely due to medical concerns. He had, at worst, late Day 2 talent and production at Boise State. Heck, before the 2022 season, Skinner had serious first-round buzz after a 92-tackle, seven tackle-for-loss, two-interception, three pass-breakup junior season for the Broncos.

At 6-foot-4 and 209 pounds, Skinner is not only an intimidating presence at safety but possesses the size teams are looking for today to match the proliferation of super-talented, pass-catch specialists at tight end across the league. While not someone who was dominant in the preseason, Skinner proved on 84 snaps he belongs. He had five tackles and only allowed one catch on three targets in his coverage area. The Broncos have plenty of new faces on defense, and Skinner can be a specific matchup type strong safety/linebacker hybrid for Vance Joseph’s defense.

Keaton Mitchell, RB, Ravens

Just like Gus Edwards in 2018, the Ravens uncovered another undrafted free agent gem at running back in Mitchell. At East Carolina, the tiny runner was seemingly impossible to corral on the first attempt, and importantly at his size, tested like an NFL-caliber back with 4.37 speed and a 38-inch vertical. Lesser competition be damned — in college, Mitchell averaged 6.5 yards per tote, including a ridiculous 7.2 in his final season for the Pirates.

Of course he has J.K. Dobbins and Edwards in front of him on the roster, two thick, highly capable runners. However, both have dealt with injuries early in their careers, and Mitchell has fresh, 21-year-old legs. In the preseason, he averaged 6 yards per carry on seven attempts and had a long run called back on a holding penalty. By November, Mitchell will be the hot name to add on waiver wires in fantasy leagues all over the country.

Antoine Green, WR, Lions

Green is the outside wideout the Lions need on their offense given the loss of D.J. Chark and the suspension of 2022 first-round pick Jameson Williams. At a shade under 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Green has prototypical X receiver frame and flashed his boundary receiver skill along with serious breakaway speed this preseason. He had a 70-yard touchdown which came on a deep in-breaking route in which he caught in stride, flipped on the afterburners and was gone. I actually had a higher grade on him than fellow North Carolina wideout Josh Downs, who went four rounds earlier.

Green too was a pesky YAC option who consistently absorbed contact like a much more compact receiver through his Tar Heels career. For as fun as the Detroit offense should be, the receiver group is relatively thin, which should provide Green with ample opportunity as a seventh-round rookie to prove he should’ve been picked much higher in April.

Jason Brownlee, Xavier Gipson, WR, Jets

Take your pick here. While vastly different in size, at least one of these pass catchers will make a difference for the Jets in 2023. Yes there’s Garrett Wilson, Randall Cobb, Allen Lazard and Mecole Hardman. I’m not sure if any of those beyond Wilson are high-volume, incredibly consistent options for Aaron Rodgers.

There’ll be room for others to contribute to New York’s aerial attack in 2023. Gipson is a dynamic, speedy return-man type who can run away from defenders underneath and down the field. I’ve described Brownlee like this since the pre-draft process — he is who we all thought/wished Laquon Treadwell was in the 2016 NFL Draft. He’s long and spindly, and attacks the football in the air like an All-NBA rebounder. Both flashed in camp and the preseason with a collective total of 19 catches for 199 yards.

Eli Ricks, CB, Eagles

Possibly the headliner of my currently only existing in my head No Business Going Undrafted Team, Ricks enjoyed a stellar start to his college career at LSU before transferring to Alabama and defending four passes in nine games for the Crimson Tide.

The former five-star recruit was lockdown in the preseason after a noteworthy camp — on 102 snaps, he had five tackles, a pick six, and four other pass breakups. The appeal with Ricks beyond his natural mirroring capabilities, he possesses that built-in-a-lab look at outside corner — 6-foot-2 and 188 pounds with nearly 33-inch arms.

Philadelphia boosts two rock-solid veteran cornerbacks in Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Ricks will pop in as a rookie on occasion to remind everyone he’s the future at one of those spots. 

So, no Palmer for Trapasso.

Lost in the shuffle at LSU, Palmer went to Nebraska last year and set records.  He had two nifty TD catches in preseason, plus another amazing non-scoring grab and seems set to start the season as Tampa Bay’s number three receiver.

Adam Silvon of Pewter Report further acquaints you:

Throughout training camp and the preseason, Bucs rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer has made plenty of big plays.

From torching Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner in joint practice to hauling in two touchdowns in the preseason, Palmer appears to be the best candidate to be the team’s No. 3 WR to start the season after Russell Gage suffered a season-ending injury.

As a sixth-round pick, Palmer was an unheralded addition to the roster. There are no guarantees draft selections make the roster in that round, as outside linebacker Jose Ramirez was just one of the many recent roster casualties. Not only has Trey Palmer made the roster, but he is well on his way to having a productive rookie campaign.

While Palmer only had one year of production after spending much of his time at LSU, arguably the best “WRU” along with Ohio State, he transferred to Nebraska and was able to put together a 1,000-yard college season.

The Bucs set out this offseason to get younger and faster this season during roster construction, and it is clear they did so in the wide receiver room with their selection of Palmer and by also adding UDFA Rakim Jarrett, who ran a 4.44 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and made the 53-man roster.

Trey Palmer Really Stood Out In the Preseason

Through the Bucs’ preseason slate, Trey Palmer impressed each game, whether by making a touchdown grab or using his acrobatic skills to make a catch. Overall, Palmer finished the preseason with seven receptions, 91 yards, and two touchdowns.

Bucs Wr Trey Palmer – Photo By: Cliff Welch P/R

Bucs WR Trey Palmer – Photo By: Cliff Welch/PR

In the preseason opener against the Steelers, he made a toe-tap touchdown catch on a lob from quarterback Baker Mayfield in the end zone and followed that up by tipping the ball to himself to secure a touchdown grab on a 33-yard pass from quarterback Kyle Trask against the Jets.

In the preseason finale against the Ravens, Palmer was held out of the endzone, but he made quite the catch to set up a touchdown on the next play.

If Palmer can continue to make plays like this every week, it will go a long way in cementing himself as the third receiver behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. After playing mostly in the slot at Nebraska last year, he appears to be a great fit for the Bucs’ offense there as well. With Godwin playing more outside, offensive coordinator Dave Canales should have plenty of opportunities to game plan Palmer some quick touches and let his speed do the rest.