DETROIT

CB EMMANUEL MOSELEY will be out for quite a while, maybe all season.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Lions cornerback Emmanuel Moseley suffered a serious injury on the practice field.

Moseley has a torn pectoral muscle and is out indefinitely, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

A torn pectoral is often a season-ending injury, although suffering it in early August could allow Moseley to return late in the season.

Moseley entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the 49ers in 2018 and worked hard to turn himself into a starter, but he has had brutal luck with injuries. His 2022 season ended after just five games because of a torn ACL, and his 2023 season ended after just one game with another torn ACL. And now his 2024 season is in jeopardy.

The 28-year-old Moseley is heading into his seventh NFL season and has played in 46 games.

CAROLINA

The Panthers are keeping QB BRYCE YOUNG on ice for the first preseasons game – and backup QB ANDY DALTON is out as well.  Darin Gantt of Panthers.com:

Starting quarterback Bryce Young won’t play in Thursday’s preseason opener at New England, head coach Dave Canales announced Tuesday.

Canales seemed to be leaning that way yesterday and said they’ll meet later today to make the determination for the rest of the team.

But out of a desire to protect Young, they chose to hold him out of this one.

Canales played all his top quarterbacks last year in Tampa when they were evaluating Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask, but he said since Young is clearly the starter here, it precluded the need for that.

“You can’t play scared, but you’ve got to be smart, and so yeah, it’s a factor for sure,” Canales said of the risk of injury. “We’re thinking about that. With the guys we’re counting on, we’re definitely taking that into consideration here.

“In our live move-the-ball periods, we’re going ones-vs.-ones all camp, you know. Those are so valuable, especially at the end of practice when we’re tired, we get into the move-the-ball setting. We’ll have the Jets in here (for joint practice next week), and that’s going to be a fantastic day. I can’t wait. That’s great work for those guys, so we’ve got to take advantage of those windows.”

With backup Andy Dalton dinged up and not practicing, that leaves most of the work for rookie Jack Plummer.

They brought in Jake Luton in this week to have a fourth quarterback, so he’ll likely get snaps as well.

SAN FRANCISCO

Matt Maiocco of NBC Bay Area with the news that the 49ers have blinked and negotiated trade terms with the Browns and Patriots for disgruntled WR BRANDON AIYUK.  Now, it is up to Aiyuk to want to play for either of those teams and reach agreement on a new contract.

The 49ers have negotiated the framework of trades that would send wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to the Cleveland Browns or the New England Patriots, a league source told NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday night.

Now it’s up to Aiyuk to determine if he will accept the contract terms from either of those franchises, the source said.

The 49ers gave permission to Aiyuk to negotiate potential contracts with the Browns, Patriots, Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers, the source said.

The Commanders have removed themselves from trade talks for Aiyuk, and the Steelers effectively no longer are an option after they declined to meet the 49ers’ trade demands, the source said.

The Browns and Patriots have given their best offers to Aiyuk’s camp while also presenting trade proposals that the 49ers have accepted, the source said.

The 49ers likely would acquire a veteran wide receiver and a package of draft picks from the Browns or the Patriots.

The Browns would be in a position to add Aiyuk if wide receiver Amari Cooper were sent to the 49ers as part of the trade, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported.

The Patriots are expected to include former 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne as part of the deal if Aiyuk were to accept New England’s offer.

If Aiyuk ultimately declines to agree to sign a multiyear contract with the Browns or Patriots, it remains a possibility that he could remain with the 49ers. However, Aiyuk and the 49ers haven’t engaged in substantive contract talks for months. He remains tied to the 49ers on a rookie deal that is scheduled to pay him $14.124 million this season.

Aiyuk, 26, reported to 49ers training camp on time, but he isn’t expected to step on the practice field this summer — with any team — until his contract situation is resolved.

Aiyuk is coming off two seasons in which he led the 49ers in receptions and receiving yards. He was named second-team AP All-Pro after catching 75 passes for 1,342 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

Eight wide receivers currently average at least $25 million per season on their contract, and Aiyuk could be seeking a deal in the neighborhood of $30 million annually.

SEATTLE

Jeff Howe of The Athletic on why they think they landed long term gold in rookie head coach Mike Macdonald:

John Schneider pled for help from a higher power.

That’s how badly the Seattle Seahawks general manager wanted to meet with Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald about the team’s head coach vacancy. So on Jan. 28, as Macdonald’s Ravens were preparing to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, Schneider spent some time at mass praying for a Ravens loss.

A Ravens defeat was the only way the Seahawks could interview Macdonald because of the NFL’s rules about coaching hires during the playoffs.

“This is heathen s—,” Schneider said with a laugh during a recent sit-down with The Athletic.

But Schneider’s prayers were answered, as the Ravens fell to the Chiefs, and the Seahawks interviewed Macdonald on Tuesday in Baltimore.

They hired him a day later.

“He absolutely crushed his interview,” Schneider said. “The first part of it, two hours felt like 20 minutes. It was just a really clear, purposeful, great plan. He nailed it.”

Schneider had undergone weeks of prep work on Macdonald, and the coach came as advertised. For Macdonald, the hiring was the culmination of a years-long journey that was nearly sidetracked multiple times. In fact, his coaching career had nearly ended before it ever truly got started. But Macdonald kept pushing.

Now, the 37-year-old  — the youngest head coach in the NFL — is leading the Seahawks in the post-Pete Carroll era. And for Macdonald, who once took out a $20,000 loan just to scrape by to pursue his dreams, the man who bet on himself has hit the jackpot.

The best kind of mistake

While attending the University of Georgia as a finance major, Macdonald’s high school coach, Xarvia Smith, was hired by Cedar Shoals High in Athens. Smith lobbied Macdonald to jump on board and coach the defense for the ninth-grade team.

“Six games, five shutouts,” Macdonald beamed last week from the Seahawks indoor practice facility.

Macdonald loved every part of it — the pride nights before games, mopping the floors, taking care of the field, holding out helmets in traffic asking for donations to cover the team’s expenses. He discovered in himself a true love of the game as he went from class to practice, guiding his team to another defensive masterpiece before returning to campus to brag to his friends.

Macdonald was on his way to graduating summa cum laude and was well on his way to a lucrative business career. But football pulled at the heartstrings as Macdonald weighed his career path.

“It was like, hey, you know what, if I’m 40 years old one day, and I didn’t pursue this thing, I’d be kicking myself,” Macdonald said. “And if I do it, I’ve got an education I can fall back on if this doesn’t work out, but this is something I feel really strongly about.”

Macdonald said he “weaseled” his way onto the Georgia football team’s coaching staff, routinely hanging around the facility and trying to take advantage of being on campus with one of the most prominent programs in the country.

Eventually, then-coach Mark Richt allowed Macdonald to join the team as a volunteer graduate assistant in 2010. That’s when, much to the chagrin of his worried father, Macdonald took out the $20,000 loan — money he would use to cover basic life expenses.

But the loan proved to be a prudent investment.

A few years later, the Ravens invited Macdonald to interview for then-general manager Ozzie Newsome’s 20-20-20 Club. It was a scouting internship program for 20-somethings who’d make $20,000 per year working “20”-hour days.

Macdonald made a strong impression while interviewing with a loaded staff that included current Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, Los Angeles Chargers GM Joe Hortiz and Chicago Bears assistant GM Ian Cunningham. But he didn’t get the job.

He later pinpointed an obvious interview mistake that likely doomed his candidacy.

“I told Hortiz I still wanted to coach,” Macdonald said, “and that wasn’t the right thing to say in a scouting interview. He politely told me, ‘Thanks, but no thanks.’”

In hindsight?

“The best thing that ever happened to me,” Macdonald acknowledged.

Instead, Macdonald returned to Georgia in 2013 for his final year as a grad assistant. As it was coming to an end, Macdonald didn’t see a realistic avenue to remain in coaching, so he interviewed with the accounting firm KPMG for a job in their consulting wing.

It was good money, and he could work his way out of debt. Macdonald signed the offer letter, but then Ravens coach John Harbaugh called. He was starting his own internship program on the coaching side.

“I had to call our KPMG recruiter and tell them to go pound sand,” Macdonald laughed.

Macdonald seized his opportunity. After one year as an intern, he was promoted to defensive assistant on coordinator Dean Pees’ staff and began his quick ascent. He served as the Ravens defensive backs coach in 2017, then the linebackers coach from 2018 to 2020 (under new DC Wink Martindale) as he continued to hone his craft.

“It was a fun process,” Macdonald said. “You’ve been sitting on all this football you’ve been learning for four years (at Georgia), and finally someone was like, ‘Hey, what do you know? What have you learned?’ It was really cool. They’re actually interested in my development. That’s something we’re trying to build here (with the Seahawks), trying to grow our young coaches into roles, and those are going to be our guys for years to come.”

Macdonald left for Michigan in 2021 as Jim Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator before returning to the Ravens as their defensive coordinator from 2022-23. Last season, the Ravens became the first team in history to lead the NFL in points allowed, sacks and takeaways. Macdonald had rocketed his way into the head coaching conversation, and that outcome felt like a mere formality when they completely stifled the Houston Texans and quarterback C.J. Stroud in the divisional round.

But every showcase performance kept Schneider and the Seahawks in limbo.

No looking back

The Seahawks’ search was delayed because they had to be deliberate before deciding on Carroll, so they missed the early window to interview Macdonald.

Macdonald, though, interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans. The Falcons and Raheem Morris were a perfect match for a reunion, while the Panthers (Dave Canales) and Titans (Brian Callahan) wanted an offensive-minded head coach.

Macdonald was on the Seahawks’ short list from the jump, so they did the background work as they waited. Schneider’s friends with the Falcons, Panthers and Titans raved about Macdonald, and Panthers general manager Dan Morgan — who worked for Schneider in Seattle from 2010-17 — said Schneider and Macdonald would be perfect for each other.

Along with the Ravens’ defensive rise under Macdonald’s stewardship, the Seahawks respected the way Michigan’s players improved during his season in Ann Arbor. The Ravens also thumped the Seahawks, 37-3, in Week 9, so they had a firsthand look at Macdonald.

When they finally got their meeting, they knew they had their man.

“There will be a time for (reflection). I just don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Macdonald said. “But I definitely just feel very fortunate and very blessed. To do this job the right way, you’ve got to serve your team. You’ve got to be thinking about how you can help those people. That’s what has helped create these opportunities, being able to affect the people around you in a positive way. People realize that over time, and that’s when those opportunities are created.”

Macdonald could have played it safe and pursued a career in business. He could have avoided the risk of the loan. He could have veered off the path, broken character and gone into scouting. He could have stuck with KPMG.

But Macdonald, remember, didn’t want to turn 40 and wonder what could have been.

That’s a burden Macdonald will never have to bear.

DENVER

The Broncos have gotten DE EYIOMA UWAZURIKE back from a year-long gambling suspension.  Nick Kosmider of The Athletic:

The NFL on Monday reinstated Broncos defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike one year after he was indefinitely suspended for violating league gambling rules, the team announced.

Uwazurike was a fourth-round pick out of Iowa State in 2022 and played in eight games as a rookie. He was suspended in July 2023 after league officials determined he bet on NFL games in 2022.

Criminal charges against Uwazurike and three other Iowa State athletes related to a gambling investigation were dropped by state prosecutors in Iowa in March, clearing the way for the 26-year-old to apply for reinstatement. Uwazurike is now cleared to participate in all team activities.

A statement from Uwazurike provided to The Athletic read: “I am grateful to the Denver Broncos and the National Football League for giving me the opportunity to resume my NFL career. I’ve learned from this situation and taken steps to ensure it will never happen again. It is a privilege to play in the NFL, and I hope others can learn from my mistake. I will not take this second chance for granted and am fully committed to making a positive impact with the Broncos both on and off the field.”

Broncos coach Sean Payton said Saturday the team was anticipating that Uwazurike would be reinstated and was eager to welcome him back.

“He’s in great shape, and we were really excited to hear that news,” Payton said. “That’ll be an additional player for us, and we’ll be glad to have him back. So good news on that front.”

Prior to his suspension Uwazurike was set to compete for a starting spot on Denver’s defensive front after seeing increased snaps down the stretch of his rookie season.

– – –

Presumably the PR department talked to Sean Payton before they published this.  Cody Benjamin of CBSSports.com:

We have a designated leader in the Denver Broncos’ quarterback competition, and it’s not first-round draft pick Bo Nix, according to the team’s first unofficial depth chart. Released Tuesday, the pecking order lists veteran Jarrett Stidham as the starter, with Nix at No. 3 behind ex-New York Jets starter Zach Wilson.

A few caveats: Unofficial depth charts are fluid. Many teams explicitly claim they are assembled by media relations departments rather than team executives, further downplaying the permanence of players’ listed roles. Second, as The Denver Post noted Tuesday, not a single Broncos rookie is listed as a starter on the first depth chart, which could simply be a staff directive meant to “reward” proven veterans in training camp.

That said, Nix’s placement is worth monitoring as the 2024 season draws near. Coach Sean Payton has been especially praiseworthy of the rookie since his arrival, arguing the Oregon product is more pro-ready than most first-year prospects. Wilson, on the other hand, didn’t get Payton’s overt endorsement when the coach was asked recently whether the former first-rounder would get additional first-team reps at camp.

KANSAS CITY

PK HARRISON BUETKER didn’t even need an agent to become the highest-paid kicker in the NFL.

The Kansas City Chiefs are locking down Super Bowl-winning kicker Harrison Butker for the long haul.

The Chiefs and Butker have agreed to terms on a four-year, $25.6 million contract extension, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the deal. Butker’s new deal includes $17.8 million in guaranteed money, per Rapoport.

The pact makes the 29-year-old the highest-paid kicker in the NFL, passing Jake Elliott and Justin Tucker’s $6 million-per-year average.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on if he’s underpaid compared to others: ‘Not necessarily’

Butker has been a stabilizing weapon since joining the Chiefs in 2017. He’s aided all three of K.C.’s Lombardi-lifting victories since 2020, including nailing a Super Bowl record-setting 57-yarder in the February win over San Francisco.

In seven seasons with the Chiefs, Butker has made 89.1% of his field goal attempts and 94.5% of his point-after tries. His career-long of 62 yards came in 2022. In 19 postseason games, he’s hit 88.9% of 36 field goal attempts and 95.4% of 65 PATs.

An exemplary individual off the field by classic standards, Buetker stirred the ire of some in the media and liberal intelligentsia when he extolled the virtues of marriage and children in a spring commencement speech.

Although still popular by most measurements with Chiefs Nation and his teammates, his contract news was not received well by Trey Wingo of ESPN.com:

@wingoz

The Harrison Butker extension… making him the highest paid kicker….underscores the inherent truth of the NFL: the better you are at the job the more a team is willing to put up with pure and simple.

Reaction to Wingo:

@ClayTravis

Agreed. Crazy the Chiefs were willing to put up with, checks notes, telling young men and women graduating from college that no matter what career success they may have in life they are likely to take the greatest joy from their kids.

@luke_mccown

So teams now have to “put up with” players that believe in traditional family values….

@dandakich

Never hear a word from this clown when wife beaters, criminals sign contracts… a Christian man sets him off… absolutely perfect

BALTIMORE

QB LAMAR JACKSON says he allowed himself to get out of elite physical shape.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson says he has made a concerted effort to get into better shape, and it’s paying off.

Jackson says when looking at old game tape he sometimes believes he is both overweight and not as fast as he should be.

“I was fat,” Jackson told Jonathan Jones of CBS. “I just saw a video from two years ago, against the Browns, and I looked out of shape.”

Jackson has always been one of the best running quarterbacks in the NFL, but he says he knows there were times when he could have run better if he had been a little slimmer.

“My eyes might be deceiving me, but I think I looked a little slower,” Jackson said. “But not now.”

Jackson said his weight loss was motivated by a desire to get better — and not to get caught from behind.

“Just so I can move around without getting fatigued,” Jackson said. “I don’t like to get caught if I do decide to run.”

Jackson said he hasn’t lost a step to age and will be at his fastest this year.

“I’m only 27. I’m still young. It doesn’t have anything to do with age,” Jackson said.

That’s good news for the Ravens, who want Jackson playing at an MVP level for many years to come.

JACKSONVILLE

The Buffalo QB is the only remaining JOSH ALLEN in the NFL.  Dan Pompei of The Athletic goes deep on the name change to DE JOSH HINES-ALLEN.  As it turns out, people named Hines had a lot more to do with his upbringing than anyone named Allen.

With a 17 1/2-sack season, a second Pro Bowl appearance and a new contract that made him football’s highest-paid outside linebacker, Josh Allen indisputably had become a big name in the NFL. But not exactly like he wanted.

He often was referred to as “the other Josh Allen,” with the more famous one quarterbacking the Buffalo Bills.

The Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher and his wife, Kaitlyn, watched highlights of this year’s Pro Bowl Games and listened to a commentator refer to “Aidan Hutchinson and Josh … Allen?”

“It was almost like she was confused about who I was,” he says.

She wasn’t the only one. Kaitlyn wanted to know where her husband’s jerseys were being sold and learned they were as difficult to find as disinfecting wipes during the pandemic. The 27-year-old, five-year NFL veteran and father of three had considered changing his name for a couple of years. Now his wife started pushing for it.

His four older sisters have a different last name, Hines-Allen, incorporating their mother Kim’s maiden name. When Josh and twin brother Isaiah were born, their father, Robert, wanted the boys to be Allens. Kim and Robert divorced when Josh was a baby, and his dad wasn’t around much, so the boys were raised and shaped by Hineses. In his New Jersey neighborhood, Josh was known as “Little Hines.”

So in the offseason, Josh hired a marketing agent and a lawyer. He waited in lines at the courthouse that serves Duval County. There were stacks of forms to fill out. He had to verify the addresses of every place he lived from birth to the present. He was required to identify all his family members, as well as their residences and ages. Changes had to be made to his driver’s license, Social Security information and tax returns.

In July, his marketing team released a video announcing the change, and a new teal nameplate was placed above his locker. It was then that Josh Hines-Allen became who he was intended to be.

The new name is about how he hopes to elevate. And it’s about what grounds him.

Morris Hines was a force. Considered a hoops legend on the streets of their New Jersey neighborhood, Morris founded a basketball team at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark and instilled a love of sports in his descendants, including his grandson Josh. Morris taught Josh to shadowbox. He used to say, “Cut them deep and let them bleed.” Josh has it tattooed on his inner arm. Josh learned to tie a tie from Morris. In fact, he has tied teammates’ ties and taught them the way Morris did it.

“He’s one of the biggest reasons why I am the way I am mentally and competitively,” Josh says.

Morris’ oldest son, Greg, was more father figure for Josh than uncle. He was also a legendary basketball player and an example of how sports could change a life. “Dunkin’ Hines” was a dominating big man at Hampton University and an inaugural member of the Hampton Athletics Hall of Fame. A fifth-round pick of the Golden State Warriors, Hines never made the NBA but played professionally for 12 years.

At 12, Josh was the only man in the house with Isaiah living in Alabama with relatives. His sisters were driving him crazy by “momming” him.

“It was just pitiful,” he says. “I was already going to school, and then at home they made me go to ‘class’ with them as my teachers. It was just because they wanted to. We had math, science and recess.”

Desperate to get out of his house, Josh moved in with Dunkin’ Hines, who took Josh and his dirty clothes to the laundromat and taught him how to wash, dry and fold them. Josh learned to count the coins they saved in a jar and convert them to cash at an exchange machine. Hines made him feed and clean up after Blazer, his white boxer.

Josh and Hines imitated the WWE wrestlers Josh watched on “SmackDown” and “Raw,” trying to make the other tap out. At 6-foot-9, 280 pounds, Hines had a significant advantage, which taught Josh to use leverage and his quick, strong hands.

“Those nights were so awesome,” Josh says.

Hines schooled Josh on the basketball court, where he remembers his nephew as an average ballhandler but strong and very athletic for his size, with a knack for rebounds, loose balls and defense. When Josh got frustrated with basketball, Hines signed him up for football for the first time.

When Josh moved in, Hines was a bachelor enjoying the privileges of freedom and fame. He thought Josh needed some religion, so every Sunday morning, they walked to Rising Mount Zion Baptist Church in Montclair, where together, they experienced amazing grace.

“I had no structure, no responsibilities in my life,” Hines says. “That grounding, keeping God in the center of our lives, helped us both out.”

Josh also looked up to Keith Hines, Greg’s brother and Kim’s twin. Nieces and nephews called Keith “The General” because he didn’t mess around. Basketball was in his blood, too, as The General once scored 59 points in a high school game and then played at Montclair State before becoming a high school coach.

It wasn’t just the men of the family who paved the way for Josh.

Josh’s appreciation for the pageantry of sport grew while sitting in the bleachers at Montclair High watching his sister Torri, who would go on to play at Virginia Tech and Towson. He got chills every time the lights dimmed and Torri and her teammates broke through a poster to dazzling strobes.

“I thought it was the coolest thing, and it kind of made me fall in love with that part of sports,” he says.

Sister Kyra played basketball at Cheyney University the way Josh plays football. “You didn’t want to mess with her, you know what I mean?” he says. “She was the shortest one of my sisters but the toughest, and I just loved the way she played.”

Myisha, one year older than Josh, played against sixth-grade boys when she was in fourth grade. In high school, she was a McDonald’s All-American. At Louisville, she was first-team All-ACC three times and played on a Final Four team. She won a WNBA championship with the Washington Mystics in 2019 and was voted second-team all-league a year later.

Josh’s entire athletic experience has been about trying to keep pace with Myisha, with whom he could never compete on the basketball court. A year after she was taken 19th in the WNBA draft, he wanted to be drafted higher, which he was (seventh). Now he is determined to win a championship like she did — and to one-up her by being voted first-team all-league.

Myisha and Josh weren’t close when they were young, but their relationship has grown as professional athletes.

“I try to give her motivation, lead her down a good path and help keep her mind right,” Josh says. “She does the same for me.”

Shortly before the Jaguars play the Bills in September, Josh plans to offer fans an opportunity to swap old “Allen” jerseys for new “Hines-Allen” ones at a discounted price. It’s a good week to do it because the game is on a Monday night and the players have a little extra time — plus his opponent is the other Josh Allen.

They’ve never swapped jerseys with one another. They haven’t exchanged phone numbers either or even pleasantries.

“I don’t think he likes me,” Hines-Allen says. “After the first time we played them, he walked right by me, never said anything. By the second time, I didn’t really care.”

If the quarterback is resentful, he has reason. Hines-Allen has helped prevent him from winning both games they’ve played against one another. In the first game, a 9-6 victory in 2021, the Jaguars linebacker sacked and intercepted the Bills quarterback as well as recovered his fumble. And the Jaguars prevailed in the second “Josh Allen Bowl” by a 25-20 score.

Those games weren’t just any games to Hines-Allen.

“It was kind of like a respect thing — you have to earn the respect,” says Hines-Allen, who vows never to lose to the Bills QB. “I feel like I did, but if we didn’t win, it would have been like, ‘Oh, and you lose to him?’ It definitely brought out a little extra in me because my name is my name. I respect all and want the same thing given to me.”

If Hines-Allen breaks the NFL sack record of 22 1/2 — which he intends to do — more respect will come. He rushes the passer with extreme dynamism and unpredictable gusts, making him about as easy to hold back as a twister. He had 17 sacks in 13 games at Kentucky and 22 1/2 in 12 games at Montclair High. Getting 5 1/2 more than he did in 2023 does not seem unreasonable to him.

His pursuit of the record will be abetted, he believes, by dropping less and rushing more in the scheme run by new Jaguars defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen. Head coach Doug Pederson envisions Hines-Allen “pushing that 20-plus sack range” with more support from his team.

“He’s one of those guys who shows up early and stays late,” says Pederson, who recently became Hines-Allen’s neighbor when the linebacker bought a house near his coach’s. “He has the determination to be great.”

He hired a chef to prepare his meals and sleeps in a hyperbaric chamber for about five hours every night. He brings the device to road games, along with a specialist to administer intravenous fluids, and his personal physical therapist.

During his pregame routine, he makes himself the only person in a crowd of thousands by wearing noise-canceling headphones and listening to nothing but silence. He is normally gregarious, with an easy smile and hugs all around. But there is a dark side.

“I’m angry,” he says. “I had a great season last year, but the only thing I got was a Pro Bowl. I’m pissed because y’all think I’m supposed to be happy. I’m pissed because I wasn’t All-Pro. I’m pissed because I wasn’t a nominee for defensive player of the year. I’m pissed because my team didn’t make the playoffs.”

So now there are quarterbacks to pound, honors to earn, triumphs to be had, a legacy to uphold and another to create. And opponents who studied 2023 tape will realize the linebacker across from them is not the same one who wore No. 41 last year.

This is Josh Hines-Allen.

THIS AND THAT

7 TEAMS THAT WILL CRASH THE PLAYOFFS

Will Brinson of CBSSports.com has previously listed the Browns, Steelers, Buccaneers, Texans, Cowboys, Packers and Rams as 2023 playoff teams that won’t be in this year’s field.

Here is who he replaces them with:

No one likes being told their favorite team might not make the playoffs, but the math is pretty simple: On average the last three years (since the NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams) we see somewhere between six and seven different teams make the postseason each year.

Whether it’s injuries or variation in performance or just plain old random luck, the line is so fine between a playoff team and a non-playoff team we see massive shifts every single year.

With that in mind, let’s dive into some teams who might take a step forward and MAKE the playoffs after being on the outside looking in last year. You can find last year’s list right here — it featured some great calls (Texans, Lions) and some terrible ones (Falcons, Panthers 🤢) and one (the Jets) that got derailed by injury.

New York Jets

Speaking of those Jets, how can they not top this list? They finished last year 7-10, outperforming their expected win total of 5.8 fairly significantly. But they also went 4-5 in one-score games, and, quite obviously, did all of this without Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles four snaps into the season. The underlying problem for Rodgers — aside from his age (turns 41 in December) — was the question marks up front on the Jets offensive line. New York went all in on addressing that problem this offseason, signing both Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses while investing a first-round pick in Olu Fashanu.

If the line holds up the offense could be really fun. Rodgers plus Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson — both solid double-digit looks for OPOY investments — equates to a very fun trio. The Jets’ other investments in the offense aren’t too shabby either: Mike Williams, a big-play threat waiting to happen if he’s healthy off his torn ACL last year, was a solid free-agent signing and both Malachi Corley and Braelon Allen are fun additions through the draft.

Defensively, this team shouldn’t miss too much of a beat as long as they get Haason Reddick back into camp. This defense is still loaded at all levels. It essentially comes down to whether Rodgers is healthy or not this year.

Cincinnati Bengals

The same above can be said for the Bengals and Joe Burrow. The oft-injured quarterback has had quite the interesting offseason, spending time in Paris modeling for Fashion Week and then showing up to training camp having gone platinum blonde and looking like Pete Davidson crossed with a Ken doll. It’s either Burrow having lost his mind or Burrow preparing to go enormous this season, and given Joseph Brrrrrr’s penchant for winning when it matters most, I lean toward the latter.

The Bengals finished a full game above their expected win total last year and went 5-4 in one-score games. Like the Jets, it’s hard to really put their underlying statistics into context given their lack of QB health. Burrow hurt his calf in training camp around this time a year ago, wasn’t quite right until a few weeks into the season and promptly injured his wrist, knocking him out for the year. If you take the five-game stretch of Burrow being healthy (Weeks 5-9) he put up a 17-game pace of 5,032 passing yards, 41 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. I was surprised, too.

Tee Higgins possibly holding out could have been a red flag. Ja’Marr Chase is “holding in” could be as well. But I think this is just a case of the Bengals doing what the Bengals do. Chase won’t miss any time, Higgins looks prepped for a full season and both guys can just go out and earn massive contracts by playing well this year. Cincy also added Jermaine Burton and there’s been some serious training camp buzz surrounding Andrei Iosivas.

Defensively there’s some slight concern about Trey Hendrickson’s contract but I would guess their bare-handed pass rusher doesn’t skip any meaningful time. Sheldon Rankins is a sneaky — and necessary — addition with D.J. Reader departing. Adding Geno Stone and bringing back Vonn Bell should do wonders for the backend of the secondary. I trust Lou Anarumo to get this unit cooking again after giving up 6.0 yards per play last year.

I definitely have some concerns with Brian Callahan leaving and how a new offensive coordinator might affect this offense, but Zac Taylor is the play-caller and Burrow is highly cerebral and involved so the transition should be fairly minimal. A full season of Burrow healthy should get Cincy back in the postseason.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Let’s keep the theme going! Last year I correctly identified the Jaguars as a team that could miss the postseason in 2023, nailing the flip between Houston and Jacksonville. In full disclosure, I definitely didn’t see it going down the way it did, with Jacksonville sitting pretty at 8-3 and utterly collapsing to close out the season.

In order to shore things up and get newly minted bajillionaire quarterback Trevor Lawrence back into the MVP chatter, the Jags went heavy at the receiver position this offseason. Jacksonville signed Gabe Davis to pair with Christian Kirk and then used a first-round pick on LSU burner Brian Thomas Jr. Davis has been banged up and Thomas is a raw rookie, but with Kirk and Evan Engram in the fold, along with Travis Etienne and second-year back Tank Bigsby in the backfield, there’s no shortage of weapons for Lawrence.

Jacksonville managed to still overperform its win expectancy, with the Jags’ point differential suggesting an 8.7-win team. They ended up finishing 3-4 in one-score games, so underlying statistical regression should be fairly nominal.

If you’re trying to pinpoint the biggest reason to expect a bounce-back year, it might be the health of Lawrence. Last season he battled through injuries, including a mid-season knee injury and his mobility dipped pretty substantially (going from 5.5 rush attempts per game to 3.6 over the next few games) in the immediate aftermath. A high-ankle sprain later in the year saw his play drop off a cliff: Lawrence completed 67.9 percent of his passes and averaged 7.5 yards per pass attempt through the first 13 weeks of the season, but completed an even 60 percent of his passes and averaged just 6.1 yards per attempt down the stretch. Lawrence threw seven picks in that first stretch and then managed to throw seven more in his final four starts, all of which were losses (Lawrence didn’t play in Jacksonville’s lone end-of-season win, a blowout of the Panthers).

If he doesn’t hurt his ankle against the Bengals, the Jaguars probably make the postseason last year. We can’t predict health in the NFL, but Lawrence was extremely durable in college and in the pros until last season. I think there’s a good chance we get a full season of Lawrence in the wake of his contract extension this offseason. That alone is enough to justify projecting the Jags as a playoff team in 2024.

Los Angeles Chargers

If the first three picks on this list can be classified as simply a “bet on a quarterback,” then you can go ahead and classify this as “a bet on a coach.” Jim Harbaugh just wins. Wherever he goes, he wins. He is 144-52-1 as a college coach with stops at San Diego, Stanford and Michigan. He is 44-19-1 as an NFL head coach and took the 49ers to the NFC title game in his first three seasons (with one Super Bowl appearance as well).

(Somewhat ironically, within the time I initially wrote this “bet on Harbs” section and the actual publication of this article, we saw the Chargers deal with a quarterback injury as Justin Herbert was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. It’s not enough to get me off the Chargers — yet — but it’s absolutely concerning, given how that type of injury can linger.)

This Chargers team isn’t quite as stacked across the board as the 49ers roster was when Harbaugh took over, but Los Angeles is vastly better at a more important position, sporting an in-his-prime Herbert at quarterback. Some folks are worried the run-heavy system Harbaugh implements will neuter Herbert’s explosiveness, but I would push back on that. Herbert’s stats might not be as gaudy, but he’ll be supremely efficient in 2024 and his downfield passing, which is some of the best in the NFL, will be lethal when paired with a vastly improved run game. If anything, Herbert was neutered last year when then-OC Kellen Moore sunk his aDOT into the basement. 

Adding Joe Alt and Ladd McConkey with the first two picks of the draft are perfect fits for this system. Alt is a mountain of a man and will bookend nicely with Rashawn Slater. The McConkey Hype Train has left the station and is steaming down the tracks. He’ll be an immediate-impact chain mover and maybe WR1 out of the gate for Herbert. Josh Palmer and D.J. Chark are both generating substantial training camp buzz. Losing Keenan Allen and Mike Williams wasn’t “good,” but it’s being overblown with this current system and setup.

Besides, Harbaugh and new GM Joe Hortiz took a calculated approach to this roster: They knew major moves were inevitable and chose to make those moves on the offensive side, while keeping a high-priced pass rush featuring Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack intact. That will serve them quite well in a difficult division.

The Chargers profile is that of a bounce-back team, too, having underperformed their win expectancy (7.1 wins) by more than two full games and going 3-8 in one-score games. They were also in the top half of the league in Adjusted Games Lost. I’d probably be in on the Chargers bouncing back anyway — mix in Harbaugh and they have a real feel of a playoff team this year.

Atlanta Falcons

The bull case for the Atlanta Falcons is pretty simple: Kirk Cousins. The 36-year-old quarterback suffered a torn Achilles last season, throwing his status with the Vikings into limbo. When Minnesota wasn’t willing to commit to Cousins long term, he shopped around and the new-look Falcons, now coached by Raheem Morris, pounced on Cousins, pairing him with offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

Last year, then-head coach Arthur Smith drew plenty of ire from media members and Falcons fans for declining to effectively use the trio of top-10 weapons the Falcons drafted in the last few years. Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson all felt underutilized and now get a massive upgrade at quarterback from Desmond Ridder to Cousins. Michael Penix Jr. as a top 10 pick this year was highly controversial and you can quibble about not grabbing a blue-chip defensive player at eighth overall after signing Cousins, but you can also use Penix as a solid argument for the Falcons’ playoff hopes. If something happens to Cousins — and by all accounts he’s way ahead of where everyone thought he’d be this offseason — Penix is a “veteran” rookie with upside who could end up filling in successfully.

With Robinson and Cousins pulling the levers, the skill-position talent on the roster and the upper-tier offensive line, I don’t really have any concerns about the Falcons offense doing their part this season.

Defensively, you can certainly ask questions about this team. But Morris has been a really, really good defensive coach in every stop of his career. I actually think he got a raw deal the first time around in Tampa. He was an incredibly young coach who found some early success (10-6 and the playoffs in his second season) but then was run out of town after going 4-12 in his third year following an implosion by Josh Freeman. Things are a lot more stable now and I’m expecting an improvement on defense.

Last year the Falcons matched their win expectancy to the exact number, but went 4-5 in one-score games, including a humiliating 9-7 egg to the Panthers late in the year, a loss that essentially rammed a final nail into the coffin of their 2023 season.

Chicago Bears

The Bears get annually hyped up as a possible playoff team, and usually I’m standing on the opposite corner yelling “Not this time!” and having tomatoes thrown at me by Bears fans. NOT TODAY, CHICAGO. The logic is pretty much the same as the Panthers from last year (ruh roh): You have a No. 1 overall pick being dropped into an environment that fostered just the ninth-worst team in football.

Now it didn’t work for the Panthers, but … it might work for the Bears. Why? Glad you asked. See, the Bears actually do have a decent, ascending offensive line in place (we maybe thought the Panthers did, that was real wrong). The Bears absolutely have actual weapons for their young quarterback, having traded for Keenan Allen and drafted Rome Odunze to add to D.J. Moore, who was acquired in the blockbuster trade that resulted in Carolina moving up to draft Bryce Young No. 1 overall.

Chicago’s defense was great last year after the addition of Montez Sweat. I don’t think the Bears will be a top five defensive unit or anything, but they could take a step forward and be above league average for the full year.

And then there’s the quarterback. All due respect to Bryce Young, but Caleb Williams is a legit “generational” prospect. When the Panthers traded up for Young, people questioned it largely because someone like Williams was in the upcoming draft. The Bears are the big beneficiaries of that. And they’ve done everything they can to put a decent infrastructure in place for Williams. If he shows up like he did in 2022 for USC, the Bears could be a fun, fun team.

Seattle Seahawks

This is a tough one to figure out because the Seahawks’ underlying statistics from last year actually indicate they might be a team likely to take a step back. But coaching matters and — all due respect to Pete Carroll — it’s possible this new coaching staff led by Mike Macdonald is ready to really implement a new plan.

Ryan Grubb is a fascinating offensive coordinator for this group, coming from Washington where it operated a high-powered offense with three stud wide receivers. Hello DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett. Tight end Noah Fant is getting a little slept on too given his age and athletic profile. Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet are a swell backfield. And there’s good buzz about Charles Cross coming out of camp re: taking a big leap forward at left tackle. Geno Smith is better than people think and if he deals with any kind of injury I like the fit for Sam Howell. In other words, the offense could be awesome.

It’s been a hot minute since the Seahawks were great on defense and while there’s no guarantee Macdonald is immediately a great hire as a head coach, I feel pretty confident about his ability to maximize this defense by moving guys all over the place and doing the same things he did in Baltimore. I’m particularly pumped about seeing what Devon Witherspoon is going to do this year. The Seahawks might just be the most sneaky fun team in football in 2024.

THE ALL-UNDER 25 TEAM (OFFENSE)

From Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com:

Young talent is imperative for success in the NFL. Having young stars on rookie contracts allows teams some extra financial flexibility for roster construction, and if you do it right, it could lead to Super Bowls. But who are those best young players in the NFL?

Below, we will reveal our NFL Offensive All-Under-25 First and Second Teams. The only rule is that these players must be under 25 years old entering the 2023 NFL season — that first full week of September. There are plenty of studs to discuss here, so let’s go ahead and jump in.

First Team

QB: Brock Purdy

SF • QB • #13

Maybe Purdy isn’t Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson, but he is the best quarterback the San Francisco 49ers have had in some time, and even got to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter. In 2023, Purdy averaged the most yards per attempt in a season all time with 9.6, and set a franchise record with 4,280 passing yards.

For those who believe he’s just a game manager, Purdy ranked second in air yards per completion last season (7.3), and led the NFL in completion percentage on throws with 20+ air yards (55%). The 49ers scored on 11 of 17 second-half drives in the playoffs last year (excluding kneel downs) en route to their Sin City showdown vs. Kansas City, and it’s fair to believe Purdy will improve as he continues to grow into his own.

RB: Bijan Robinson (22)

ATL • RB • #7

Robinson set an Atlanta Falcons rookie record with 1,463 yards from scrimmage, and added eight total touchdowns. He also avoided 71 tackles in 2023, which ranked fifth in the NFL. At just 22 years old, Robinson’s best football is obviously ahead of him, and it will be interesting to see how new Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson features him in this new scheme.

WR: Ja’Marr Chase (24)

CIN • WR • #1

Chase exploded onto the NFL scene with 1,455 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns in his rookie season. While he hasn’t met those numbers over his last two NFL seasons, he’s crossed 1,000 receiving yards each year, and caught a career-high 100 passes for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023 while quarterback Joe Burrow missed seven games due to injury. With another big year, Chase could become the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history next offseason.

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown (24)

DET • WR • #14

St. Brown used to be one of the most underrated wide receivers in the NFL, but we can’t call him underrated anymore after the contract he signed this offseason. The former No. 112 overall pick had a career year in 2023 despite having to deal with some injuries. St. Brown’s 119 receptions tied for second in the NFL, his 1,515 receiving yards ranked third and his 10 receiving touchdowns tied for fourth. He recorded nine 100-yard receiving games last season, and is one of just five players to record 100 receptions in each of the past two seasons.

WR: Garrett Wilson (24)

NYJ • WR • #5

Wilson became the first New York Jets player to cross 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two NFL seasons, and he accomplished this while playing with six different quarterbacks. If Aaron Rodgers can stay healthy and bring some consistency to the quarterback position in New York, Wilson will explode in 2024.

TE: Sam LaPorta (23)

DET • TE • #87

LaPorta set a rookie tight end record by catching 86 passes in his first NFL season, and turned those 86 receptions into 889 yards and 10 touchdowns — which led all tight ends. It was undoubtedly one of the best rookie campaigns in NFL history, as Iowa continues to churn out stars at tight end. The Detroit Lions have plenty of weapons, but LaPorta quickly emerged into a trusted target of Jared Goff.

LT: Charles Cross (23)

SEA • OT • #67

Cross was selected with one of the picks acquired in the Russell Wilson trade, and he has started in all 31 games played over his first two NFL seasons. SI.com‘s Albert Breer wrote last month that Cross has looked great in training camp, and could ascend to an All-Pro level in 2024. At just 23 years old, he’s going to improve.

LG: Tyler Smith (23)

DAL • OG • #73

The Dallas Cowboys star earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods in 2023 playing at left guard. Smith earned a 74.4 overall PFF grade, and an 80.7 run-blocking grade. At just 23 years old, the former first-round pick out of Tulsa will be an important player on the Cowboys offensive front for years to come.

C: Tyler Linderbaum (24)

BAL • C • #64

Linderbaum made the Pro Bowl last year after making the Pro Football Writers Association NFL All-Rookie Team in 2022. PFF actually ranked him as the No. 3 center in the NFL entering this season, pointing to his noticeable improvement in pass blocking in 2023. The former Iowa star also allowed zero sacks last season.

RG: O’Cyrus Torrence (24)

BUF • OG • #64

The second-round pick out of Florida in 2023 started at right guard immediately for the Buffalo Bills, and played well enough to earn a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie Team. There were times where Torrence struggled in pass blocking, but I’m expecting a jump in 2024.

RT: Penei Sewell (23)

DET • OT • #58

This one was easy, as Sewell is already one of the best tackles in the entire league. In 2023, he allowed the lowest pressure rate (3.0%) among tackles, earning Sewell his first All-Pro selection and second straight Pro Bowl bid. It’s why Sewell signed a four-year, $112 million extension with Detroit this offseason.

Second Team

QB: C.J. Stroud (Texans)

RB: Breece Hall (Jets)

WR: Puka Nacua (Rams)

WR: Chris Olave (Saints)

WR: George Pickens (Steelers)

TE: Dalton Kincaid (Bills)

LT: Rasheed Walker (Packers)

LG: Zion Johnson (Chargers)

C: Steve Avila (Rams)

RG: Dylan Parham (Raiders)

RT: Darnell Wright (Bears)