The Daily Briefing Tuesday, August 3, 2021

This from Adam Schefter:

@AdamSchefter

A big QB birthday today: Jets’ QB Zach Wilson turns 22. Tom Brady also turns 44, as many are aware, but that makes him exactly double the age of Wilson while looking practically the same age as him.

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

We would think that this Tuesday event resulted in some profanity from Coach Joe Judge.

@RVacchianoSNY

A full-team brawl at Giants camp with QB Daniel Jones somehow at the bottom of the pile. … Joe Judge is absolutely livid. He’s got the players lined up now to run.

PHILADELPHIA

The Eagles top pick, Heisman Trophy-winning WR DeVONTA SMITH, has a sprained MCL.  Tim McManus of ESPN.com:

Eagles rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith is expected to miss two to three weeks with a sprained MCL, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Monday.

Smith underwent an MRI on Sunday that revealed the knee injury.

The Eagles are not expressing much concern about Smith, who is listed as week to week on the team’s injury report, painting his absence from practice as precautionary.

The injury occurred during practice Saturday night, when Smith lunged toward the ground to try to haul in a low pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts. Smith walked with a slight limp after being helped off the ground by some teammates and was an observer for the rest of the practice.

Smith, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner out of Alabama, was selected 10th overall by the Eagles in April’s draft. He is expected to be their lead receiver.

Jalen Reagor, the projected No. 2 wideout, has had a slow start to camp. He failed the team’s conditioning test and was limited at the start of camp with a lower body strain. Reagor, who also has been dealing with the recent death of a close family friend, returned to team drills Saturday.

Travis Fulgham is a top candidate to step in with the first team alongside Reagor and Greg Ward in Smith’s absence.

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

S J.T. IBE, an expendable rookie free agent, got himself cut after a dirty hit in practice.  Chase Goodbread of NFL.com:

After a frightening moment in the Carolina Panthers’ practice Tuesday when wide receiver Keith Kirkwood took a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety J.T. Ibe, coach Matt Rhule described Ibe’s blow as “unacceptable.”

So unacceptable, in fact, that Ibe, an undrafted rookie free agent who played collegiately at South Carolina, was waived after practice.

Kirkwood was attempting to catch a high pass, leaping just before Ibe knocked him to the ground. The good news: Kirkwood was moving his arms and legs as he was taken off the field in a cart and loaded into an ambulance.

“(Kirkwood) had movement in his legs. Didn’t have any pain in his neck. A lot of that obviously is precautionary,” Rhule said. “We’ll wait to see after he’s looked at, what exactly it is. That was just the early signs.”

Kirkwood, a Panthers reserve trying to reach his fourth year in the NFL, played in just one game for Carolina last season.

TAMPA BAY

Kevin Patra of NFL.com with a birthday tribute to 44-year-old QB TOM BRADY:

Happy Bird-Day, Tom Brady!

The G.O.A.T. turns 44 today, an age when most football players have been in a rocking chair for a decade, not leading teams to Super Bowl championships.

In honor of the anniversary of TB12 entering this mortal coil, Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said he planned to give the quarterback the day off.

“It’s amazing the fire that burns in him to do this,” Arians said Monday, via Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times. “We’ll throw him a bone and give him a day off.”

Does Brady, who threw a fit last week during a poor practice — punting a ball and slamming his helmet on the field in frustration — even want a day off?

(Update: Yes, he will take the day off. Brady showed up to Bucs practice in his orange No. 12 jersey, but is not participating in team drills, per Greg Auman of The Athletic.)

As Brady turns the Big 4-4, let’s take a gander at just how much of an outlier the Pliability King’s pro football career has been.

Only four players in NFL history have attempted a pass at age 44 or older. Most recent: 44-year-old Vinny Testaverde: 13-28, 84 pass yards, 1 INT in Week 14, 2007 (12/9/07); Testaverde’s Panthers lost 37-6 at Jacksonville.

Players age 44+ to attempt a pass in NFL history:

CAR Vinny Testaverde, 2007, 91 pass attempts, 4 TDs, 5 INTs, 62.1 passer rating

HOF Warren Moon, 2000 (KC), 31 pass attempts, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 38.4 passer rating

ATL Steve DeBerg, 1998, 59 pass attempts, 3TDs, 1 INT, 80.4 passer rating

HOF George Blanda, 1971-75 (OAK), 80 passes, 6 TDs, 7 INTs, 57.0 passer rating

Brady should break all those stats this season with the defending champs.

QBs age 44 or older are a combined 1-4 as starters all-time. The lone win: CAR Vinny Testaverde in Week 13, 2007 versus San Francisco. Testaverde was 1-2 in 2007 with Panthers after his 44th birthday. Moon was 0-1 in 2000 with Chiefs (lost Week 13 at Chargers). DeBerg was 0-1 in 1998 with Falcons (lost Week 8 at Jets). Blanda is an odd case because while he threw some passes at age 44-plus, he was a full-time kicker at that stage with the Raiders — Daryle Lamonica and Ken Stabler were the starting QBs.

Brady isn’t just an outlier in football. His accolades are transcendent for most major team sports.

Brady will be the 7th non-kicker in NFL history to play multiple games in a season age 44 or older. Among the four major sports, only the NBA (2) has had fewer players age 44+ play multiple games since 1920. The MLB has the most such players (49), but 19 occurrences happened between 1920-1960 (38.8 percent). The NHL has had eight such players.

Last year en route to his seventh Lombardi Trophy, Brady already set a bevy of age-related records at 43:

Oldest player to play in/win Super Bowl.

Super Bowl LV MVP: Oldest MVP in Championship Game/Series in the four major North American sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL)

Oldest QB to start a playoff game (since at least 1950)

Oldest player to throw a TD pass in a playoff game

Oldest player with 40+ passing TDs in a season

In case you were curious what some other Hall of Fame QBs were doing at age 44, here is a brief list:

Brett Favre, retired at 41, declined interest from the Rams in 2013 for an NFL return at 44.

Peyton Manning, retired at 39, teamed with Tiger Woods and beat Brady/Phil Mickelson in golf at 44.

John Elway, retired at 38, co-owner of Arena Football League’s Colorado Crush at 44.

Dan Marino, retired at 38, NFL analyst for CBS at 44.

Troy Aikman, retired at 34, color commentator for Super Bowl XLV on FOX at 44.

So, yeah, Brady is plowing new ground each year that he stiff-arms Father Time into the dust. We’ll be back here again next year as TB12 gears up for his age-45 season. The biggest question is whether it’ll be coming off an eighth Super Bowl win or not.

– – –

Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com has the Buccaneers at #2:

For the first 54 years of the Super Bowl era, the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two teams was Peyton Manning.

Manning’s second Super Bowl was a gift from the football gods, who denied him in his first three Denver Broncos seasons when he was historically great at times but didn’t win it all. In 2015 Manning was a shell of himself and a phenomenal defense carried the team to a title.

Manning was an unusual winning Super Bowl quarterback in that he was a big name but played poorly most of the season. Before last season, there was no instance of a quarterback being the driving force on championship teams with two different franchises. Then Tom Brady went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A lot of people have Brady fatigue and simply don’t like him, but what he did last season is unbelievable. At age 43 — no quarterback had previously experienced the slightest success at that age — he switched teams during the strangest offseason ever, and despite no preseason with new teammates he threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns on a Super Bowl champion. Tampa Bay was just the seventh wild-card team to win a Super Bowl.

Regardless of what you think about Brady (you have probably tensed up with anger by now if you’re not from New England or Tampa), what he did with the Bucs is one of the greatest stories in sports history. There are many reasons Brady should have failed, and instead he took a Tampa Bay franchise that has been mostly awful through its history and led it to a Super Bowl. That story probably doesn’t get enough attention because we’re used to Brady winning.

What Brady and the Bucs did one time was hard enough. Even with every starter returning for another run, it’ll be a huge challenge to get back to the Super Bowl.

Brady, who miraculously went from a sixth-round pick to six Super Bowl wins with the New England Patriots and the greatest resume ever for an NFL player, should be washed up by now. For at least the last five years, my preview for the Patriots or for the 2020 Bucs included skepticism about Brady. There will be more this year, even if fading Brady has been foolish. Only five quarterbacks in NFL history had even appeared in a game at age 43 or older. We’re down to three if we slide the bar to age 44: Vinny Testaverde, Steve DeBerg and George Blanda. Testaverde started six games at age 44 (with a 65.8 passer rating), DeBerg started one and Blanda didn’t start any. We’ve seen quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Manning play well late in their careers, and still hit the finish line well before age 43. Brady won a fifth Super Bowl MVP at age 43.

Brady is shrewd, and it’s not entirely a coincidence that he won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. He had to have known the potential of the Bucs. Chris Godwin and Mike Evans are perhaps the best 1-2 combo of receivers in the NFL. The defense had a fierce front seven and was magnificent down the stretch, most notably in the Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The coaching staff was a perfect mix, and somehow offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles didn’t land head-coaching jobs so they’ll be back.

Brady knew he was stepping into a very good situation. It took a while to click but the Bucs went 8-0 after the bye week, including the playoffs. And then, somehow, the Bucs managed to retain all 22 starters. That has never happened before in the salary-cap era, which started in 1994.

There are challenges. The Super Bowl hangover is real. Brady is at an age in which it can all fall apart fast. Complacency could set in. Injuries, which the Buccaneers avoided at a startling rate last season, will be a bigger part of this season. It was a team that despite a great finish, was languishing at 7-5 last season and didn’t even win its own division.

But Brady and the Bucs pulled off the impossible once. It’s hard to say they can’t do it again.

OFFSEASON REPORT

One of the stories of the NFL offseason was the Buccaneers somehow keeping all of their starters. Maybe players like Antonio Brown, Ndamukong Suh, Rob Gronkowski and Leonard Fournette weren’t going to have a big market, but getting them back on one-year deals speaks to the culture of the Buccaneers. This team wants to chase another title. Other than running back Giovani Bernard, the Buccaneers added nobody of note in free agency. A lot of the money was spent on Chris Godwin’s franchise tag. They didn’t lose any key pieces either, obviously. Pass rusher Joe Tryon was the last pick of the first round, and quarterback Kyle Trask was an interesting second-round pick. But there aren’t many opportunities for anyone new to break into this lineup.

Grade: B

QUARTERBACK REPORT

Every year, this spot includes a look through history at quarterbacks the same age as Tom Brady. The list keeps getting shorter. Here are the career numbers for every quarterback age 44 or older through NFL history, via Stathead:

Vinny Testaverde: 94-of-172, 952 yards, 5 TD, 6 INT

Steve DeBerg: 30-of-59, 369 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT

George Blanda: 39-of-80, 494 yards, 6 TD, 7 INT

That should put Brady’s accomplishments last season into perspective. He threw 40 touchdowns and won Super Bowl MVP at an age in which almost every quarterback through more than 100 years of NFL football has already retired. He did so with a torn MCL last season. The draft pick of Kyle Trask is a reminder that Brady won’t play forever, but it’s useless to predict when Brady will fall apart. He was supposed to hit the wall years ago. What he’s doing is beyond unprecedented in the NFL.

ODDS BREAKDOWN

Tampa Bay’s win total at BetMGM is 12, and that’s a lot. The Buccaneers were 11-5 last season, after all. I don’t want to take the under though. While it’s a lot more juice than I like to lay, maybe the Bucs to win the NFC South at -190 odds is the best bet with this team. It’s hard to see anyone else taking the division.

FANTASY TAKE

From Yahoo’s Scott Pianowski: “The Buccaneers brought the band back together — all starters returning — and that’s mostly good news for Tom Brady. The sunny side of things is that the Buccaneers might have the deepest skill talent in the league; there could be crowding issues for those receivers and tight ends, but Brady will enjoy throwing to the man with the easiest matchup. On the downside, Tampa’s outstanding defense will limit Brady’s shootout potential — we’re a long way removed from the carnival of the 2019 Buccaneers, when Jameis Winston had his 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

“Brady is a long shot to be a Top 5 fantasy quarterback; he doesn’t have rushing chops for that, and the Buccaneers won’t need him to lead the league in attempts. But last year’s QB8 finish, that’s an attainable goal. Age is just a number for the NFL’s most accomplished quarterback.”

STAT TO REMEMBER

Tampa Bay had one of the most remarkable seasons ever when it comes to injury luck. The Buccaneers lost 25.6 games to injury (which doesn’t count COVID-19 issues) in Football Outsiders’ adjusted games lost metric. Every other team lost at least 41. Teams lost an average of 70.8 games to injury according to Football Outsiders’ numbers. The Bucs were close to one-third of that number. Injury luck is not sustainable, and the Buccaneers would have to hit the lottery to have another season with so few games lost.

BURNING QUESTION

Can the Buccaneers manage expectations?

Bruce Arians was swearing about his team’s practice after camp started. Tom Brady is already yelling and slamming his helmet. The Buccaneers are trying to move past last season’s Super Bowl, which isn’t easy.

“That’s the thing about the whole building. Nobody is worried about last year,” linebacker Devin White said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. “Yeah, obviously we got the same team back and we know what that team did. But we’re working on building it with each other again and being better than last year.”

“It’s a new year. Coach did an amazing job setting the tone,” defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh said. “The focus is on what the task is in front of us. Everything that happened last year is water under the bridge.”

It’s hard to tell a team that dominated Super Bowl LV and has everyone back that they’re starting at Square 1. Last season wasn’t easy for them. The Buccaneers were 7-5 at one point. They lost 38-3 to the New Orleans Saints. They didn’t win the NFC South. They had a tough time putting away a Washington Football Team that was starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke in the wild-card round. It was a harder road than we remember last season, and it’ll be a tough challenge for Arians and his staff to get everyone refocused.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

The Buccaneers team we saw in the last eight games was mostly dominant. The Super Bowl win, when they obliterated a fantastic Kansas City offense, was impressive. It can’t be too surprising that we got a champion that started slowly and came together late in a weird 2020 season. Continuity should help this season. Tampa Bay also has much less of a challenge in the NFC South with New Orleans retooling. The Buccaneers have talent at every key area, and even if Tom Brady loses a bit, the defense has enough to pull off a 2015 Broncos routine. It would be a major shock if this team doesn’t win a division title, and of course another Super Bowl championship is a realistic goal.

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

It’s fair to view the Buccaneers as a team that was only OK for much of last season, then got hot at the right time (thanks in part to an unbelievable run of injury luck) and won a title. And that’s OK. Championships don’t come with asterisks and nobody would deny the Bucs were deserving champs. But assuming the Buccaneers just pick up where they left off is a little dangerous. Not to mention that, theoretically anyway, one of these years Tom Brady is finally not going to be Tom Brady anymore. Even a bad Bucs season is probably double-digit wins and a division title. But when some are already passing the long offseason wondering if the Buccaneers can go 17-0, it’ll be a hard bar to cross for the 2021 Bucs.

THE CRYSTAL BALL SAYS…

Tampa Bay won its last eight games, grabbed the Lombardi Trophy and brought everyone back. I debated a long time between the Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot. They’re mostly interchangeable but I settled on Kansas City at No. 1 because I give a nod to their multi-year excellence, I don’t think the Buccaneers’ injury luck can possibly repeat and over the entirety of last season, Kansas City was probably the better team. The Buccaneers were much better in the Super Bowl, however. The Buccaneers are a fun story, because in this era of parity and free agency we never see a champion come back intact. Tampa Bay could win another Super Bowl and it wouldn’t surprise anyone. I just think there are a few challenges that will keep them from pulling it off.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Veteran DT COREY PETERS is now a Cardinal.  Bob McManaman in the ArizonaRepublic:

The Cardinals re-signed veteran defensive tackle Corey Peters to a one-year contract on Monday after he worked out for the team earlier in the day prior to the start of training camp practice at State Farm Stadium.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the team apparently is pleased with Peters’ rehab efforts after suffering a torn patellar tendon in his left knee last November.

“He looked good. He looked really good. Moved around well and I think he’s in good shape and looked healthy,” coach Kliff Kingsbury said shortly after Peters’ workout in front of management and the defensive coaching staff. “… It was good to see him. I know everybody was excited to have him around today.”

Peters, 33, spent the past five seasons with the Cardinals, totaling 146 tackles (47 for loss) with 38 quarterback hits, eight sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and a safety in 67 games (66 starts). He injured his knee during a Week 10 victory over the Bills last year and has been rehabbing his way back as an unrestricted free agent.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

This on QB MATTHEW STAFFORD:

@RapSheet

#Rams QB Matthew Stafford has a swollen thumb after hitting it on a helmet in practice, but X-Rays were negative, source said. He’ll likely miss a few days, but nothing major.

AFC WEST

DENVER

The Broncos are happy with their first round rookie CB PATRICK SURTAIN.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

The Denver Broncos bypassed drafting a first-round quarterback in 2021. Instead, they plucked Alabama corner Patrick Surtain II, who the club believes will be a lock-down defender in Vic Fangio’s system.

Thus far, the reviews from Broncos training camp have been overwhelmingly positive. Surtain has caught on so quickly that Denver has put more on the rookie’s plate, working him in multiple DB spots. Fangio noted Monday that it’s unusual for a first-year player to be such a quick study.

“It’s rare. It’s rare that you would ask a rookie to do that, No. 1, and it’s rare that he’s been able to handle it and do it,” Fangio said, via the team’s official transcript. “Now, he’s not perfected any of them yet, by any means, but we think he can, and it’s not too big for him.”

It’s not just the coach. Teammates have also glowed about the rookie’s transition.

“He’s handled it like a pro,” said linebacker Bradley Chubb. “He’s been here. You’ve seen the guys say he’s picking up things like he’s a vet. I see nothing different. He’s carrying himself with a confidence and a swag. That’s what you love to see in a rookie, especially a DB. That position gets challenged a lot, whether it’s deep balls or guarding the best athletes in the world. He’s been doing a really good job with it and we’re excited to see him when the season comes.”

Fangio noted that Surtain’s ability to cross-train at multiple secondary spots should open up the ability for the Broncos to be more flexible in 2021, including more six-DB sets. The coach noted that he probably would’ve doubled his six-DB usage last season if it weren’t for injuries. With Surtain’s intelligence and physical attributes added to a remade secondary that on paper looks to be among the best in the NFL, the Broncos’ back end should be dangerous.

“I’m just taking it day-by-day, learning every position just in case the team needs me in certain spots,” Surtain said of camp thus far. “I’m just picking up on the playbook and translating it on to the field. …

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

The Colts continue to put their worst foot forward.  The Athletic:

“Can’t make this up,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said.

Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson has a foot injury similar to newly acquired quarterback Carson Wentz’s and will undergo surgery today. Both players could be out for up to 12 weeks.

Wentz’s injury was “best case scenario” as no further damage was discovered after surgery. The Colts are expected to contend in the AFC South but have to weather the storm with two major injuries to start 2021.

QB CARSON WENTZ having surgery on his foot with a 5-to-12 week recovery prognosis.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Colts quarterback Carson Wentz is undergoing foot surgery this afternoon in Indianapolis, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. Dr. David Porter, an orthopedic foot specialist who works with the Colts, will operate on Wentz.

Colts coach Frank Reich said Monday that Wentz injured his foot the second day of camp, but the injury is an old one. Wentz had an undiagnosed broken foot in high school.

The bone fragment was dislodged on a rollout, so Wentz will require surgery to repair the fifth metatarsal in his left foot.

“Knowing Carson, I’m optimistic,” Reich said, via George Bremer of CNHI Sports Indiana. “Knowing that this is the type of injury you don’t have to be pain free to play with – I know Carson’s level of toughness. I know he can play with pain. With this injury, listening to the doctors, you have to get to an acceptable level of pain, and then you can start playing.”

Reich gave a 5- to 12-week timeline for Wentz’s return.

“That’s a big range, and there’s no way to know where you’re going to fall in that continuum until you get into the rehab process,” Reich said. “Now, obviously, we’re optimistic and hopeful that we can be on the front end, somewhere toward the front end of that, but the reality is you can be anywhere in that spectrum.”

Should the Colts be looking for a veteran QB?  Mike Kay of NJ.com with some thoughts:

@mike_e_kaye

The Colts did have interest in Marcus Mariota before trading for Wentz, per league source. While Nick Foles is an obvious option, he might not be the only one for Indy.

QB NICK FOLES, odd man out in Chicago, seems to be campaigning for a trade to the Colts.  Chase Goodbread of NFL.com:

Could Nick Foles be called on once again to sub for Carson Wentz?

Just two days after Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy spoke about the inherent trade value in having a third-string quarterback with a Super Bowl ring like Foles, there’s already a team with a sudden need for help at the position: the Indianapolis Colts, who’ve lost Wentz to a foot injury.

Foles famously subbed for an injured Wentz with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, resulting in a Super Bowl LII title.

Colts coach Frank Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator at the time, so the fit is obvious enough. Foles made it clear he wants to have involvement in his destination, if he is to be traded, and spoke highly of Reich.

“Listen, Frank Reich is one of my favorite, if not my favorite, coaches of all time. He understands me as a player,” Foles said. “He understands me as a person. But you know, I haven’t had any talks with them. I’m a Chicago Bear right now. But he knows me, he understands.”

The Colts lost Wentz on Monday for five to 12 weeks due to surgery to repair a foot injury suffered last week. The club not only lost its starter, but its backup options don’t exactly inspire confidence either — Jacob Eason, Brett Hundley and rookies Sam Ehlinger and Jalen Morton. Foles has something they all lack: experience.

Foles is less than four years removed from winning the Super Bowl LII MVP, but his career since then hasn’t had the same good fortune. He struggled for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, and again last year in seven starts for the Bears. If he’s on the move again, he wants familiarity.

“In this league, I don’t want to go to someone that I don’t know. I don’t want to … listen, great coaches, when you have a great coaching staff, it’s something special,” Foles said. “A big reason we were great in Philly was we had a great coaching staff. They put us in a position to succeed, and it showed. Everyone can say it showed. That being said, I don’t want to just go somewhere where I don’t know ’em, I don’t know the offense. I’ve gone down that road before, and it’s not fun.”

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

So where is WR JAKE KUMEROW whose waiver by the Packers last year sent QB AARON RODGERS into depression?  The answer is Buffalo.  Joe Buscaglia in The Athletic:

Some know Jake Kumerow by his popular Green Bay moniker “Touchdown Jesus.” Others know him as the cousin to the supercharged pass-rushing brothers, Joey and Nick Bosa. As for the Bills, they know Kumerow as the do-everything receiver making a serious run at a roster spot this summer.

Kumerow has been catching everything coming his way since camp began last week. Well, almost everything. He’s still lamenting the deep, one-handed attempt that bounced off his right hand a good 40 yards down the field — even though a defender was dragging him down as he was trying to catch the ball.

“Yeah, man, that was a close one. It was a bang-bang play, but I feel like I could have come up with it,” Kumerow said. “Tight coverage, good ball. I’ve got to get that. That’s on me.”

There isn’t a single person, other than him, that would expect Kumerow to come up with a ball with that much difficulty attached. But that’s been part of the allure about Kumerow this summer with the coaching staff.

The early buzz centered around some of the younger players on the backend of the receiver depth chart throughout spring workouts. Isaiah Hodgins, the team’s sixth-round pick from 2020, was a popular name with a few flashy plays. Rookie Marquez Stevenson, a sixth-round pick from this year’s draft, showed off his speed.

But once training camp began, the 29-year-old Kumerow began to make his move forward. Kumerow was getting reps with quarterback Josh Allen and the first-team offense by the fourth day of camp, an opportunity he hasn’t taken lightly.

“It’s a good feeling to be out there, get in the huddle with those guys, give ’em all fist bumps, dap ’em up,” he said. “You really just gotta make sure you stay on top of your stuff, though, because getting in there is one thing. But performing and knowing what you’re doing is another thing. Being able to play fast is huge because if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t play fast.”

Kumerow roped in several passes with the opportunity and has become one of the players that coaches are eager to see in the preseason, given the year’s expectations.

“I think Jake’s a good football player,” offensive coordinator Brian Daboll said. “Training camp is for all of this. You want to see guys that are maybe behind the top guys. You give a guy a day of rest, or another guy gets dinged up, and see where those guys fall in and if they can do it. Because the more you can do, the more you can do in this business. He’s done a good job for us.”

The Bills have also heavily incorporated Kumerow, according to him, into all four phases of special teams. Additional functionality for a depth receiver is often critical. For an organization that backs up their press conference emphasis about special teams with roster actions, Kumerow’s prowess in that area could mean a lot on cutdown day.

“My position is a football player,” Kumerow said. “I like to be out there on any phase, whether it be offense or special teams. Whatever the team needs me to do. I enjoy playing special teams. Shoot, running down on kickoff is pretty fun…. especially when you make a tackle inside the 20, or even the guy next to you makes a tackle inside the 20. It just gets you fired up, ready to go.”

Kumerow’s current standing with the Bills wouldn’t have been possible without a whirlwind journey featuring one suitcase, three NFL stops and over 140 consecutive nights in a hotel amidst a global pandemic.

The Bills first signed Kumerow last season to the practice squad after the Packers surprisingly released him in September. From there, Kumerow quickly endeared himself to the Bills coaching staff for how quickly he took to their scheme. By Week 9, when Taiwan Jones had to miss time with a hamstring injury, Kumerow stepped into Jones’ substantial special teams role in an essential one-for-one exchange.

The three-week practice squad call-up stint left the Bills so impressed that they signed him to the active roster the following week. He remained there for three more weeks, through the Bills’ AFC East clinching win in Denver when he caught a touchdown pass on his first reception as a Bill.

The Bills and QB JOSH ALLEN are working against a self-imposed timetable as they ponder an extension.

Bills general manager Brandon Beane told The Associated Press on Monday he is giving himself until the start of Buffalo’s preseason schedule next week to negotiate a long-term extension with quarterback Josh Allen before putting off discussions until next year.

While saying a deal can’t get done beyond that timeline, Beane said the two sides have agreed to suspend talks once games begin so as not to serve as a distraction for the fourth-year starter, whose rookie contract runs through the end of the 2022 season.

“Josh and I are in lockstep on that,” Beane said during a brief interview after practice. “There will be no negotiating in-season. At some point we will press the pause button.”

The Bills are into their second week of practice and open their three-game preseason schedule at Detroit on Aug. 13.

Beane first hinted at a deadline during an appearance on the Bills flagship radio station, Buffalo’s WGR-550 earlier in the day.

“We’ll see here soon. We’re in August, so I’d say we’re down to a few weeks to either get this done or delay it, and try it again in 2022,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get something done this year. But if not, we’ll be excited. Josh knows. He and I have had great conversations this spring and summer about it.”

MIAMI

Word from Dolphins camp is that QB TUA TAGAVAILOA is much improved.  Barry Jackson in the Miami Herald.

After yet another strong training camp practice by Tua Tagovailoa — one featuring four (albeit short) touchdown passes and no interceptions – several teammates were asked a simple question:

What’s different about Tua Tagovailoa from a year ago?

Here’s how they responded:

▪ Cornerback Nik Needham: “He’s letting it fly this year. He was last year, but he looks a little more comfortable back there, making some tough throws, putting it in the hole, leading the receivers.”

Referring to how Tagovailoa is anticipating where receivers will be, Needham mentioned one throw from Tagovailoa to Robert Foster the other day “the out and up. He threw it in a nice little pocket; that was nice.”

▪ Safety Eric Rowe: “He’s always had accuracy. That was never a problem. He always had the zip, always had the power. I just believe it’s that year-two jump that everyone needs to make from their rookie year. And obviously the type of offense. Last year, I even noticed his playbook was condensed to slants and bubbles. They really wouldn’t let him show his arm. Now seeing training camp, a lot more deep routes, they’re allowing him the opportunity to throw it deep. That’s what we need.

“Tua is making that jump. I see each day he’s getting better from the first day. Opposing defenses can’t just double one guy and be like everybody else is covered” anymore.

▪ Tight end Durham Smythe: “It just seems like confidence. That’s a big thing for year-one to year-two players. He understands the offense, yada, yada, has got a great arm. Everyone says that. Everyone knows that. But confidence year one to year two, that’s big. If he continues to develop that, the sky’s the limit.”

After completing several deep balls last week, Tagovailoa on Monday threw four touchdowns to Myles Gaskin, Jaylen Waddle, Mack Hollins and Albert Wilson — all in drills inside the 10-yard line. He also delivered two impressive strikes down the middle to Wilson.

Tagovailoa hasn’t thrown an interception in 11-on-11 work in four consecutive practices after throwing two during the first practice on Wednesday.

Jacoby Brissett also has been sharp throughout camp; on Monday, he delivered TD throws in goal-line drills to Foster, Lynn Bowden and Allen Hurns.

NEW YORK JETS

WR ELIJAH MOORE is a name to know late in your Fantasy draft.  Kevin Patra ofNFL.com:

Every recap from New York Jets training camp includes some version of “rookie receiver Elijah Moore is friggin’ awesome.”

The second-round pick out of Ole Miss has repeatedly torched a questionable Gang Green secondary early in camp, turning heads and providing fans, media, teammates, and coaches a show that suggests he’ll be a massive part of the Jets offense right off the bat.

Moore has sported the athleticism to get open and make acrobatic catches. Coach Robert Saleh glowed about how the rookie approaches the mental aspect of each practice.

“I was telling someone this morning he’s an old soul,” Saleh said of Moore, via the team’s official website. “He’s already ahead of the game in regards to how he studies, takes care of his body, the way he approaches practice, the way he approaches each rep. He’s impressive in the sense that we feel very confident that he’s going to find ways to get better. This game is very important to him and he shows it with his actions every day.”

Moore has thrilled fans a camp thus far, making a bevy of splash plays, including a deep bomb TD from Zach Wilson over the weekend.

By all accounts, Moore’s rapport with Wilson is burgeoning with each practice. It’s a good sign for the watchability of Gang Green and the potential upside in years to come.

The Jets brass was over-the-top giddy when Moore fell to them in the second round of the draft. His early camp exploits show why the club was so ecstatic. With the pads coming on, we’ll see if the rookie continues to impress as life gets more challenging in camp and into the preseason.

THIS AND THAT

UPWARD BOUND

Rivers McCown of ProFootballOutsiders, writing at ESPN.com, has a list of 25 young players who could break through in 2021.  We keep seeing New Orleans TE ADAM TRAUTMAN on lists like this – and there he is again.  Comments are edited for space:

Every year, Football Outsiders puts together a list of the NFL’s best and brightest young players. Eighty percent of draft-day discussion is about first-round picks, and 10% is about the players who should have been first-round picks but instead went in the second round, particularly if they were quarterbacks.

This list is about that last 10%. It’s a stab in the dark at players who may just come out of the woodwork and surprise you this year.

– – –

Previous editions of the list have hyped players such as Geno Atkins, Grady Jarrett, Chris Godwin, Tyreek Hill and Jamaal Charles before they blew up. Last year’s list of players was hampered by the pandemic — which kept many young players around the league from getting a real offseason to challenge for a job — but still managed to single out Jamel Dean, Dre’Mont Jones and Chase Winovich as key contributors.

Methodology

This is the 15th anniversary of the list. We’re still relying on the same things we always do: scouting, statistics, measurables, context, ceiling, expected role and what we hear from other sources. The goal is to bring your attention to players who are still developing in their second and third seasons, even after the draftniks have forgotten them. It’s important to note that this list is not strictly about fantasy football (otherwise, there would be no offensive linemen on it) and career potential matters. It’s not just a list for the 2021 season.

Here’s our full criteria:

Drafted in the third round or later, or signed as an undrafted free agent

Entered the NFL between 2018 and 2020

Fewer than 500 career offensive or defensive snaps (except running backs, who are allowed just 300 offensive snaps)

Have not signed a contract extension (players who have bounced around the league looking for the right spot, however, still qualify for the list)

Age 26 or younger as of September 1, 2021

Here are the top 25 NFL prospects for 2021:

1. Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2019, pick 87 | 251 offensive snaps

It was extremely hard to find anybody talking down Harris, an Alabama back who showcased an advanced skill set in college and came to the Crimson Tide as the No. 1 running back recruit in the nation. Harris was made to split time with Josh Jacobs — you may remember him from places such as the first round of the 2019 draft — and still averaged 6.4 yards per carry and rolled in 23 touchdowns in his four-year career.

Harris is not likely to be a three-down, win-your-fantasy-PPR-league guy. He’s a between-the-tackles bruiser, and that’s why he lasted until the third round. He’s built to pound the rock. He did that successfully last year for the Patriots to the tune of a 9.9% DVOA, and the only reason he didn’t surpass eligibility for this list for snaps is because the Patriots had problems sustaining that kind of game plan.

We don’t think Harris is going to be a superstar, but we also can’t rule out that he’ll continue to take steps to improve.

2. Adam Trautman, TE, New Orleans Saints

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 105 | 393 offensive snaps

After finishing fifth in FCS with 14 touchdowns for Dayton in the 2019 college season, Trautman was looked at as a huge middle-of-the-field target who was going to have to deal with questions about his ability to transition against tougher competition. Running a 6.78-second three-cone drill at the NFL combine — a 97th percentile result among tight ends — caught eyes, and the Saints traded up for him in the fourth round.

While Trautman wasn’t a superstar in his first season, he produced at a high efficiency when he was actually targeted.

With Jared Cook released in a salary cap move and Josh Hill retired, the position is wide open for Trautman this year.

3. Justin Madubuike, DL, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 71 | 260 defensive snaps

One of the most successful brands on the Football Outsiders top prospects list is the undersized defensive tackle.

When most draftniks didn’t cite Madubuike for his relative lack of size,that was a tacit admission that this kind of player has been successful and shouldn’t be as overlooked as they have been in the past. Madubuike didn’t quite hit the Geno Atkins benchmarks as far as athletic ability, but had plenty of overall potential blended with 11 sacks and 23 tackles for loss over his last two years at Texas A&M.

4. Logan Wilson, LB, Cincinnati Bengals

Age: 25 | Drafted: 2020, pick 65 | 343 defensive snaps

The first pick of the third round of the draft in 2020, Wilson started seeing heavy snaps in Week 5 but was knocked out of action by a high ankle sprain over the last three weeks of the season. The combination of the slow start and the injury is the only reason he’s still eligible for the list. Wilson showcased some intriguing blitz skills and paired a solid athletic profile with a great year as a run defender for Wyoming in 2019.

Bengals middle linebacker feels like a position that has been up for grabs since Rey Maualuga retired and Vontaze Burfict finally stopped getting second chances. Letting Nick Vigil walk in free agency opened up yet another void, and Wilson and Akeem Davis-Gaither were drafted into it without much help. Of the two, Wilson has the skill set to help on run downs more, but the blitzing and coverage skills are solid selling points for Wilson as well.

5. Alex Highsmith, EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 102 | 437 defensive snaps

Pittsburgh took a bet on Highsmith’s ridiculous 2019 season at Charlotte, where he improved from three sacks as a junior to 15 as a senior. Running a 4.7-second 40-yard dash at 248 pounds at the combine, Highsmith was a bit light for the NFL, but he had the combine metrics for which we look. SackSEER, our edge rusher projection system, had Highsmith with a top-10 “explosion index” — its ranking of a player’s athleticism — in the 2020 class.

Playing behind Bud Dupree and learning for a year was the plan for Highsmith, but when Dupree tore his ACL in Week 12, Highsmith immediately became an almost-every-down player for Pittsburgh. Dupree is now a Titan, so Highsmith’s closest competition on the edge is journeyman Cassius Marsh.

6. Kevin Dotson, G, Pittsburgh Steelers

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 135 | 360 offensive snaps

The first non-combine invitee to be drafted in 2020, Dotson nevertheless had an incredibly successful senior year at Louisiana. He was a small-school standout for a run-heavy offense, and NFL questions persisted around moving up with the competition and his ability to pass set because of a lack of experience there.

Well, it was one season — and an abbreviated one at that — but in four starts, Dotson allowed zero sacks and blew zero pass blocks. David DeCastro missed time with an ankle injury in 2020, and the Steelers didn’t have the great offensive line you remember creating lanes for Willie Parker. They were abysmal last year, and change was naturally coming.

So they are turning over the entire interior line, essentially handing Dotson a starting job at left guard without a real competition. That speaks to the level of belief they have in him.

7. Jordan Elliott, DT, Cleveland Browns

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 88 | 307 defensive snaps

We’re weighing a lot of disruption over actual sacks in putting Elliott this high on the list. Elliott had just 5.5 college sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss, but he consistently disrupted timing and put pressure on the quarterback by showing lateral quickness and gap-shooting ability. That was the trait that got him in front of everyone’s eyes and moved him up draft boards.

The Browns gave Elliott some small roles in packages last season behind Sheldon Richardson.

Both Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi moved on this offseason, leaving Cleveland’s interior line in a state of flux

8. Matt Hennessy, C, Atlanta Falcons

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 78 | 225 offensive snaps

Hennessy was an NFL combine darling. He was in the 69th percentile or better in basically every agility metric in the combine — three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, 40-yard dash — as well as the explosion measured by vertical jump and broad jump. The question with Hennessy was more about how his weight and playing strength would translate to the NFL, as he’s fairly scrawny and does not have the arm length that line coaches prefer in the trenches.

With Alex Mack off to the 49ers, the Falcons sure haven’t provided much in the way of competition for Hennessy this offseason. They spent a fourth-round pick on rookie Drew Dalman. OTA talk was promising, with tackle Jake Matthews saying that Hennessy almost communicates too much now. There’s no reason why Hennessy can’t take the job and run with it.

9. Drue Tranquill, LB, Los Angeles Chargers

Age: 26 | Drafted: 2019, pick 130 | 385 defensive snaps

Tranquill was 13th on our list last year for the exact same reason he is ninth this year: He profiles to be a modern coverage linebacker. What happened last season: Tranquill took five snaps and was immediately lost for the season with a broken ankle. He was rehabbing with an eye towards coming back in the playoffs had the Chargers reached them, but alas, they did not.

10. Tyler Biadasz, C, Dallas Cowboys

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 146 | 427 offensive snaps

The Cowboys suffered through some unfortunate times on the offensive line last year. Zack Martin was hurt. La’el Collins was hurt. Tyron Smith was hurt. Most importantly for Biadasz, long-time center Travis Frederick was dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome. That turnover meant that Biadasz played 99% of the snaps from Weeks 5-8 before a hamstring injury claimed him as well. Biadasz allowed a sack and demonstrated that he’s got some pass-protection adjustments to make in the NFL in those five games.

Cowboys players and coaches were raving about Biadasz at OTAs.

11. Quintez Cephus, WR, Detroit Lions

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 166 | 365 offensive snaps

A throwback, Cephus is a true outside power receiver. He slipped in the draft partially because of a 4.73-second 40-yard dash, but he also has an outside build at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds, and he put up 23 bench press reps at the combine. It’s very easy to understand this type of player — it’s what D.K. Metcalf would be without game-changing speed.

Detroit’s depth chart at wideout is the major reason Cephus is as high on this list as he is. Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams are the presumed 1-2 punch here. Williams was released by the Raiders, and Perriman is on his fourth team in four seasons.

12. Bryan Edwards, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Age: 22 | Drafted: 2020, pick 81 | 259 offensive snaps

A big outside receiver prospect, Edwards was available in the third round despite good speed and an obscenely large target share at South Carolina, mainly on account of drops. Drops are at an interesting point in the NFL analytics spectrum. Obviously, it’s bad when a drop happens, but for a receiver to make a drop he has to get to the ball, and Edwards made it to a ton of balls.

13. Josh Jones, OL, Arizona Cardinals

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 72 | 55 offensive snaps

While he wasn’t considered part of the headlining group of offensive tackles in last year’s class, Jones was a very common No. 5 behind Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton and Jedrick Wills.

And then he joined the Cardinals, who feel set at left tackle with D.J. Humphries. They also had long-time starter Kelvin Beachum win the right tackle job. Jones played only as a sixth-lineman or temporary swing tackle patch last year, and both players were retained. There’s not really an easy projection for Jones to play tackle unless one of those two players gets hurt.

Jones is part of a competition with Max Garcia and Brian Winters at guard going into training camp. The optimism is still there from the Cardinals.

14. Zack Baun, LB, New Orleans Saints

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 74 | 82 defensive snaps

He’s only 238 pounds, and SackSEER saw him as more of a linebacker than a true edge player. SackSEER gave Baun a projection of just 12.6 sacks through his fifth season, citing his injury history, lack of production outside of his redshirt senior season and subpar jumps at the combine.

Sure enough, that’s kind of unfolding with the Saints.

15. Deonte Harris, WR, New Orleans Saints

Age: 23 | Undrafted in 2019 | 235 offensive snaps

As an all-purpose weapon for the Saints, Harris has taken quite a few end-arounds for big gains. He was an All-Pro returner in 2019 and was quite good in that area in 2020 as well. As a wideout, Harris was almost exclusively used on quick outs, screens, or underneath routes to try to take advantage of how slippery he is. He proved exceptional there, racking up 13 missed tackles last season. While we don’t have a ton of reps of him getting vertical on the route tree, there was some promise there at Assumption, and he does a good job coming back for the ball and tracking it.

As we noted above with Adam Trautman, there’s not a lot of receiving production returning for the Saints this year, especially with Michael Thomas missing the beginning of the season with continuing ankle issues.

16. Julian Okwara, EDGE, Detroit Lions

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 67 | 69 defensive snaps

Okwara led all edge rusher prospects in 2020’s draft with an explosion index of 1.4 per our SackSEER system.

Okwara’s brother, Romeo Okwara, re-upped with the Lions this offseason, and the two have a plan to be bookmark ends. “So I definitely see myself getting double-digit sacks, my brother the same thing. I think that’s something that hasn’t been done,” Okwara told reporters in May. Well, a little someone named Trey Flowers might have something to say about that, but Okwara absolutely has the raw talent to live up to double-digit sacks. Health and opportunity? That we’re not so sure about yet.

17. Ashtyn Davis, S, New York Jets

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 68 | 402 defensive snaps

Davis is someone who shined on scouts’ boards but also had some health concerns coming out of college

A new coaching staff is in town, and that could mean big things for Davis. Robert Saleh has a pretty stellar recent history as a defensive coordinator. However, Davis didn’t show at OTAs or minicamps while recovering from the foot injury, and the team signed LaMarcus Joyner as insurance at safety. There’s still a lot of upside here, and we can weigh that against how disappointing last year was, but the history of new coaches working with the previous administration’s underused draft picks is not promising.

18. David Long, CB, Los Angeles Rams

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2019, pick 79 | 225 defensive snaps

A second returning player on the list, Long’s 2020 opportunity for playing time was swallowed whole by an impressive run from Darious Williams. Not only did Williams take the third corner job, he ran away with it, getting a huge payday in the process.

Troy Hill fled to the Browns in free agency, and the Rams didn’t make any real stabs at replacing him beyond using a fourth-rounder on Central Arkansas corner Robert Rochell. “He’s done a great job,” Sean McVay said in May.

19. Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Cleveland Browns

Age: 22 | Drafted: 2020, pick 187 | 268 offensive snaps

Those of you who like raw talent will very much enjoy the Peoples-Jones experience. At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, Peoples-Jones profiles as an outside receiver.

Peoples-Jones had a fairly successful rookie season, finishing second among wideouts with 10-49 targets and a 51.9% DVOA on a 70% catch rate. He surged a bit towards the end of the season as well, finishing with 55 or more yards in three of his last four games. It’s easy to understand why the Browns would be excited about what he showed in 2020, but with Odell Beckham back, it’s also fairly hard to see a clean fit for him in the starting lineup.

20. Matt Peart, OT, New York Giants

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 99 | 150 offensive snaps

Somewhat of an afterthought in a tackle-rich class, Peart got hit with a critique of “why is a guy this physically talented rated a two-star recruit and sent to Connecticut?” Well, because he’s from Jamaica and didn’t play football until high school.

The reason Peart is as low as he is? We can’t say from our publishing deadline if he’ll win a fair battle against Thomas and COVID opt-out Nate Solder. Both of those guys have massive incentives to play if they are retained. Solder publicly said, “who cares who starts?” after Peart was the first-string tackle at OTAs. It certainly would make sense for the Giants to see what they have, as Solder wasn’t exactly great in 2019, but there are more questions here than there are at the top of our list.

21. Devin Duvernay, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 92 | 347 offensive snaps

What Duvernay showed at the University of Texas is the ability to be a gadget wideout around the line of scrimmage. In his first season with the Ravens, Duvernay peaked at about 80% usage as the team dealt with a horrific COVID shortage in early December.

Unfortunately for Duvernay, the Ravens reinforced wideout pretty heavily this offseason. Sammy Watkins came on as a reclamation project, and the team also drafted Rashod Bateman in the first round. It’s hard to see Duvernay growing much out of his 2020 role in 2021 because there are people in front of him.

22. Marcus Epps, S, Philadelphia Eagles

Age: 25 | Drafted: 2019, pick 191 | 474 defensive snaps

There are two kinds of prospects that tend to hit the end of this list. There are the ones who have the pedigree but haven’t done much yet, and there are the ones without the pedigree who have been showing out whenever they get on the field. Epps is in the latter camp.

Drafted by the Vikings, Epps was claimed by the Eagles on waivers and used at free safety in December of 2019. Rodney McLeod was ahead of Epps on the depth chart last year, but after a torn ACL in December, Epps grabbed a major share of the snaps yet again by getting at least 56 percent of the snaps in each of Philadelphia’s last four games. Epps picked off two passes and defensed four more. And while we wouldn’t expect this to last at his size, Epps had the best run stop rate of any Eagles secondary player last year, at 64%.

23. Amik Robertson, CB, Las Vegas Raiders

Age: 22 | Drafted: 2020, pick 148 | 35 defensive snaps

When it comes to the Raiders’ cornerback depth chart, everyone seems to play poorly, and when Jon Gruden just decides he doesn’t like you, you’re gone. “The best guys are going to play,” Gruden said at OTAs. “I don’t care if it’s Nate Hobbs or Amik Robertson. I don’t care what round they came in. We’re going to play the best four or five guys and players will decide that.” It was a not-so-veiled message, aimed like a dodgeball at Damon Arnette’s head. The former first-rounder has disappointed so far.

New defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is also reportedly high on Robertson, and as we have learned in the Gruden Vegas era, the depth chart is always up for grabs with one bad impression. Robertson has the talent to stick if he gets the chance to play next to Casey Hayward and Trayvon Mullen.

24. Lucas Niang, OT, Kansas City Chiefs

Age: 23 | Drafted: 2020, pick 96 | 0 offensive snaps

Coming out of TCU, Niang was regarded as pro-ready and a “help-now” right tackle prospect by NFL.com‘s Lance Zierlein.

Certainly you remember what happened to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Niang was supposed to be part of the crew drafted to deal with a potential injury to Eric Fisher or Mitchell Schwartz. But he opted out of the season under the league’s COVID plan, something that was rare from players on rookie contracts and particularly so among players who hadn’t played an NFL snap yet.

Niang comes back this year, along with Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, to a team that has gone hog-wild on offensive line this offseason.

25. Jonathan Greenard, EDGE, Houston Texans

Age: 24 | Drafted: 2020, pick 90 | 265 defensive snaps

Greenard transferred from Louisville to Florida and led the SEC in sacks in his senior year in the swamp under former Cardinals defensive leader Todd Grantham. What Greenard lacked in explosion in college, he made up for in heady play.

What the Texans have done is created a roster so full of mediocre edge rushers that we’re really not sure who they’ll pick to play. That’s the major reason Greenard is as low as he is. He’s not a high-ceiling superstar, but Greenard could develop into a positive second- or third-banana edge player with playing time.