| NFC NORTH |
| DETROITJori Epstein of YahooSports.com on the big changes to the Lions coaching staff: As Terrion Arnold jogged out to practice Monday morning, he turned back to a coach and nodded: I know I’ve got research to do. Arnold wasn’t talking to his teammates about a conversation they had in the locker room. The Detroit Lions’ 2024 first-round draft pick wasn’t talking to defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard, either, nor to his defensive backs coach. The cornerback was following up about a research assignment from … receivers coach, Scottie Montgomery? Neither player nor coach found this unusual. “Always trying to get that extra,” Montgomery, who’s also assistant head coach, told Yahoo Sports. “Things that they can see that maybe we’re putting on tape, but definitely that other people are putting on tape. To help them get to not only formation recognition better, but route recognition. “A lot of questions and answers.” Montgomery spoke about the cross-field collaboration as if it is normal and standard in the NFL. In Detroit, he said, the offensive and defensive line coaches aid players across the line of scrimmage. As running backs coach last year, Montgomery alerted linebackers to keys worth remembering. Like the level of physicality in Lions practices, this is not the NFL norm. There are some teams that don’t organize interdisciplinary conversations at all, and others that do so only during a bye week as the exception rather than the rule. In Year 5 of head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions expect more. “The maturation process of our program, of what Dan has been able to do for the organization — it just kind of turned everything into think tank,” Montgomery said. “We’re going against each other in training camp [and] there’s no doubt we’re competing our ass off. “But at the same time, we know that this is for a bigger goal that’s going to start a bit later.” The think tank mentality sweeping the Lions organization has contributed to Detroit’s recent success, the Lions’ playoff berths the past two years were their first consecutive postseasons since 1993-1995. The Lions are looking to follow their 2023 season NFC championship appearance and 2024 franchise-record 15 wins with the spotlight that’s eluded the franchise its entire history. Detroit has never played in, much less won, a Super Bowl. Multiyear success is a good start. But the Lions lost three key members of their braintrust during the offseason. Their plan for maintaining the standard amid turnover at offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and center? Enter the think tank. “We’re going to do what we do here from Dan more than anybody else — he’s the top of the brain trust,” Montgomery said. “Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. “If it is, the complacency will kill you.” The trio they lost — and the trio they foundSuccess, rather than complacency, was the demise of the 2024 Lions group. The Chicago Bears hired Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson as their head coach while the New York Jets hired defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to lead their franchise. Early in the summer, the Lions also lost four-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow to retirement. No one disputes the talent and foundation each of the three brought the club, or the work it will take to replace them. But the think tank mentality means the Lions aren’t starting from scratch building new schemes and playbooks to match their play-callers. The play-callers aren’t starting from scratch, either. “It’s not like we’re going from Ben and AG to some coaches that don’t know anything,” wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown told Yahoo Sports. “Don’t act like we’re bringing in a scrub. “These coaches know ball.” Sheppard was promoted internally after coaching linebackers and outside linebackers under Glenn the past four years. He was in the building for all of Glenn’s installations, meetings and play-calls; he contributed to last year’s seventh-ranked scoring defense (the Lions did rank 20th in yards allowed, in part stemming from when injuries bled their depth). Like Glenn, Sheppard played in the NFL — a linebacker for five teams across eight seasons. In St. Brown’s words: not a scrub. On offense, John Morton spent time first as a player on the Packers’ and Raiders’ practice squads and more recently on the coaching staffs for six different clubs. His 2022 senior offensive assistant role with the Lions meant he was front and center as Johnson first installed the Lions’ most recent offense. As Broncos pass game coordinator in 2023 and 2024, Morton subsequently helped Sean Payton turn around Denver. “So he kind of knows what we’ve been doing here, he knows the players and, like he says: He’s going to continue to do the things that we do well,” St. Brown said. The Lions ranked first in scoring offense and second in offensive production last season. “We’ve been a pretty good offense for the past few years, so a lot of the stuff that we’ve been good at we’ve kept in,” St. Brown said. “Then, obviously, Johnny Mo’s going to add his wrinkles.” Expect shifts in formations and tweaks in motions, but not a full overhaul, thanks to the retention of run game coordinator and offensive line coach Hank Fraley. Fraley “was a big driving force probably in the fact that everything didn’t change, which I’m happy about,” left guard Graham Glasgow told Yahoo Sports. “They did a good job of making it so that it’s not all completely new, which I appreciate.” That’s by design for the Campbell think tank, which aims to maximize each member of its staff but not rely too heavily on them to regroup when success prompts promotions elsewhere. On the offensive line, Glasgow is teaching second-round rookie Tate Ratledge some of what Ragnow taught him, sharing tips on how to read hand placement to detect pressure and whom to help first when uncovered during a play-action pass. “He always was good at keeping a bigger-picture view of what we were supposed to do,” Glasgow said of Ragnow. “Frank was always just a tough player who’s really f***ing smart. “I feel like you can always learn little things from that.” The Lions’ return to postseason relevance under Campbell felt good at first. “When nobody has expectations for you to win games or go far or win playoff games, it feels nice when you’re doing those things,” Glasgow said. “But then … last year we win all those games for what? To go home?” January left a bitter taste in Detroit’s mouth. The Lions hosted the upstart Washington Commanders in the divisional round before an electric Detroit fan base. Five turnovers doomed the Lions’ offense while a slew of late-season injuries decimated their defense. The Commanders upset Detroit, 45-31. “We’ve created this chip on our shoulder this offseason to understand ‘close’ is not close,” Montgomery said. Campbell told his roster during an early training camp team meeting: There must be a reckoning. “We’re out to finish what we started. We’re going to close out some of these debts,” Campbell reiterated the message Monday morning. External expectations ticked up quickly last offseason … and now hang in limbo. Players know they’re no longer the NFC favorites and their luster has lost some shine even as they believe in their consistent-over-flashy principles. In some ways, St. Brown says, the expectation that the Lions will hover in the range of fifth to 10th is more comfortable for this team and this city than the feared favorites. Few expected them to make it to the NFC championship two seasons ago, just as few expected drafting Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall to be an investment that returned handsomely and few believed at first in what now borders on the legend of Dan Campbell. “We’re not back to square one, but we’re back to square ‘you’re still underdogs,’” St. Brown said. “We feel like we play best when we’re underdogs. We love being the underdog [and it] gives us that hunger, that fight [that] our team is built off. “We’re right where we need to be.” |
| GREEN BAYThe man with two first names, T ZACH TOM, has a large new contract. Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com: Packers offensive tackle Zach Tom has reached an agreement on a new contract. Tom will sign a four-year, $88 million extension, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Tom was heading into the final year of his rookie contract but will now get a deal that reportedly includes a $30.2 million signing bonus. Tom has started all 17 games two years in a row, and the Packers are penciling him in as a starter on their offensive line for years to come. |
| NFC EAST |
| DALLASIt sounds like owner Jerry Jones isn’t ready to just roll over and hand EDGE MICAH PARSONS a contract of more value than the one T.J. WATT just signed with the Steelers. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com: Micah Parsons should not have shown up for training camp. Owner Jerry Jones is going to lowball him. Guaranteed. And the only way to avoid it would have been to stay away. Micah seems to realize it. He re-posted a tweet from J.J. Watt criticizing Jones for comments he made on Monday, during which he justified concerns about paying Parsons and quarterback Dak Prescott by pointing to time they missed due to injury in 2024. “Just because we sign him doesn’t mean we’re gonna have him,” Jones said regarding Parsons. “He was hurt six games last year. Seriously. I remember signing a player for the highest paid at the position in the league and he got knocked out two thirds of the year. Dak Prescott. So there’s a lot of things you could think about when you’re — just as the player does — when you’re thinking about committing and guaranteeing money.” For starters, Jones exaggerated the extent of the absences. Parsons missed four games with a high-ankle sprain, not six. Also, Prescott missed nine of 17 games (52.9 percent, not 66.667 percent) with a hamstring injury. More important: Who gives a shit? Players get injured. You don’t lowball them because they might get injured. THEY DO. That’s the point of contracts that give them protection against injury. Without those protections, teams will be far more inclined to screw them. As Watt put it, “Anytime you can publicly take a dig at your star quarterback and your star pass rusher simultaneously, right before the season begins, you just gotta take it… Nothing makes guys want to fight for you more than hearing how upset you are that they got hurt while fighting for you.” Although the CBA is structured to make it much harder for a player to walk out after he shows up, Parsons may have to do it in order to get the best possible deal. If he doesn’t, Jones WILL lowball him and, if Micah doesn’t take the last, best offer, the Cowboys WILL kick the can until 2026. If that happens, Parsons should demand a trade after the season to a team that will pay him what he’s worth, and that won’t use the inevitability of injury against him. Meanwhile, Cowboys fans, is it really a mystery as to why your team hasn’t made it to the NFC Championship for 30 years and counting? Thoughts from Parsons from Garrett Podell of CBSSports.com: “They numbers got nothing to do with mine, and my numbers ain’t got nothing to do with them,” Parsons said told PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh at his football camp in his hometown of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday. “Like, I’m younger than Hendrickson. I mean, Hutchinson’s coming off an injury. Everyone’s circumstances is completely different. Hutch is coming off his third year. Usually guys wait four years. So, it just all depends. Watt, I mean, he’s up there with Myles. So, you know, it’s different. Everyone’s circumstance is different.” It’s now time for Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner and general manager, to green light a new deal with his All-Pro. Parsons, whose 330 quarterback pressures co-lead the NFL along with Crosby since Dallas drafted him in 2021, knows he’s getting paid one way or the other. He is also the first player since sacks began being tracked as an individual statistic in 1982 to have 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons in the NFL. Jones can finally stop the contract demands from increasing, but only if he pays up. “I just work harder. Like, to me, I look at it like if people don’t see your value, you don’t cry and sit down,” Parsons told Farabaugh. “You just work harder. You got to show people your value. I just think that’s the difference. Like I go, ‘OK, bet,’ and I just work.” Waiting has only hurt Dallas in the past. Delaying to re-sign quarterback Dak Prescott until hours before kickoff in Week 1 of the 2024 season led to his extension being worth four years and $240 million. That’s an average per year salary of $60 million that still leads the entire NFL today. Taking it slow last offseason with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb caused him to holdout all spring and summer before he signed to a four-year, $136 million extension — the third-richest deal at his position in the league behind only Ja’Marr Chase (four years, $161 million) and Justin Jefferson (four years, $140 million). Parsons would have actually preferred the financial security earlier by signing last year with Prescott and Lamb, believe it or not. “We wanted to do the contract last year. They’re just kind of like, ‘We want to do Dak [Prescott] and CeeDee [Lamb],” Parsons said Tuesday. “You would think, all right, [the Cowboys would] get it done early. There are some guys that are about ready to get re-paid, like Myles [Garrett], and Maxx [Crosby] has gone. So you’d think, let’s get ahead of that. … Even now, you’ve got T.J. [Watt] and Maxx and all these other guys who are getting paid, and you can’t want us to take less because you just decided to wait.” Despite his frustrations, Parsons’ attendance at training camp in Oxnard, California, won’t be any different than any of his first four offseasons. He’s already rented a house for himself, his children and family for the duration of camp from late July to early August. As for practicing at training camp without a new contract? That’s still up in the air. “We’ll see,” Parsons said at minicamp. “Time will tell.” What is clear is that Parsons’ time to get paid is NOW. Should Jones and Dallas’ front office wait any longer, it may cost them All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland and/or Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith down the road. Bland enters 2025 on the last year of his rookie deal, and Smith is on the last cost-controlled season of his rookie deal in 2025 before his fifth-year option salary of $21.272 million kicks in for the 2026 season. The clock is running out. |
| NFC SOUTH |
| TAMPA BAYIt looks like T TRISTAN WIRFS will be back in action sooner than later. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com: Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this month. Wirfs could miss the start of the season, but coach Todd Bowles isn’t ready to rule Wirfs out. Bowles expressed optimism despite uncertainty about whether doctors will clear Wirfs for Week 1. “That I cannot tell you,” Bowles told Joe Bucs Fan about Wirfs’ availability for the season opener. “I just know he’ll be ready sooner than later. I don’t know if it’s Week 1, 2, 3. He’ll definitely put the work in, so I don’t have a problem with that.” Wirfs recently posted a workout video on Instagram. “I would feel better if you told me he put out a video jumping out of a pool on one leg,” Bowles said. “Then I’d know he’d be close to being ready to play.” Wirfs’ knee was expected to be fine with rest, with Bowles saying during the offseason program that Wirfs would be full-go at training camp. Instead, Wirfs required surgery after the offseason program, and additional damage was found during the procedure. Bowles, though, defended the team’s medical staff. “Obviously, there have been talks since the season ended and for it to heal,” Bowles said. ”And [the medical staff and Wirfs] each other decided to get the surgery done. Sometimes when you let things heal, they don’t heal the right way. That’s just part of it. “That’s just like going for it on fourth down. Either you get it or you don’t. Either it heals or it doesn’t and you have to get surgery. But there was great communication throughout and Tristan’s in great spirits right now. And if I was a bettin’ man, I’d bet he’d be back sooner than later. And we can do is get the next guys ready.” Charlie Heck is expected to fill in for Wirfs. |
| AFC WEST |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERSThe Chargers have signed RB NYHEIM HINES. ESPN.com: Running back Nyheim Hines, who hasn’t played in the NFL the past two seasons because of a knee injury, reached agreement on a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Hines reached a deal after trying out for the team Monday. He first tore his left ACL while he was with the Buffalo Bills in July 2023 when he was struck by a personal watercraft. Before the injury, he was set to go into training camp as Buffalo’s primary kick and punt returner. Hines signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2024 but did not play last season because of his injury and was released by the team in February. Rushing is the focal point of Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s game plan, which is why they drafted running back Omarion Hampton in the first round despite signing veteran Najee Harris in free agency. Hines gives the Chargers an experienced running back who is accomplished on special teams to compete with backups Kimani Vidal, Hassan Haskins, and Jaret Patterson. Undrafted Raheim Sanders has missed the past three days of practice, and Hines’ signing makes the roster an uphill battle for the rookie. Hines, 28, has accumulated 2,980 scrimmage yards and totaled 18 touchdowns in a career that began with the Indianapolis Colts, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. He also has returned two punt returns and two kickoffs for scores. |
| AFC NORTH |
| CINCINNATIUnlike EDGE MICAH PARSONS of the Cowboys, EDGE TREY HENDRICKSON does not intend to report to camp. Brad Crawford of CBSSports.com: Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson will not report to training camp today, he told Adam Schefter, continuing to stick to his game plan throughout the offseason until he gets a new contract. Hendrickson said in May he will not suit up under his current deal, which is set to pay him a $15.8 million base salary in 2025. The Bengals came to the table with several offers to last season’s NFL sack leader, including one over the weekend according to the NFL Network, but nothing materialized. “It has been a long negotiation. Trey Hendrickson is a fine player, he’s a good guy, we want him here,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said Monday. “Dealing with him is sometimes not so easy and that’s alright he’s got the right to argue his case. We’ll try to make sense of it from our perspective and we’ll see. I’m not persuaded that it isn’t going to get done, as far as I’m concerned, the sooner the better.” Reports of Hendrickson planning to skip the start of training camp is news to Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin, who said this week the team expects the four-time Pro Bowler to be present. “He’s an important part of our team,” Tobin said. “He’s under contract and we expect all our guys under contract to be here. He’s a guy who has been very valuable. He has earned a raise and extension. We’ll see if we can come together on something.” Hendrickson registered a league-best 17.5 sacks last season, equaling his 2023 numbers as one of the NFL’s top edge rushers. He also accumulated 46 combined tackles, including 33 solo tackles, which were career-bests in both categories. Hendrickson has been an impact player and headliner for Cincinnati’s defensive efforts since joining the Bengals in 2021. The franchise is also in the middle of a contract dispute with first-round pick and fellow defensive end Shemar Stewart, who wants a fully-guaranteed deal without any behavioral stipulations. |
| THIS AND THAT |
| TOP 10 RUNNING BACKSNot exactly hot off the presses, Jeremy Fowler published a list of his panel’s vote on the top 10 running backs. We guess rookie ASHTON JENTY wasn’t eligible for consideration: his year’s top 10 featured some perennial favorites — and a few surprises. 1. Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia EaglesHighest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 2Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: 4 Barkley got greedy in 2024. He clearly wanted every first-place vote in our 2025 poll. And he got all but one of them. Barkley’s Super Bowl-inspired run in 2024 harkens back to then-New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman taking serious heat for selecting a running back with the second overall pick despite plenty of good quarterbacks available in the 2018 draft. Barkley was just that good. And just maybe, that pick wasn’t so bad and Gettleman looks smart? Let’s just say scouts around the league who once forecast Barkley as a transcendent player can admire those old scouting reports with a low-key fist pump. “It was almost like this was expected — he was always expected to be this,” an NFL personnel director said. “You can call it confirmation bias. Everybody thought he was a great player [at Penn State] and he proved what people thought he would be. It just took some peaks and valleys. And he was in a bad offense [in New York].” When including the regular season and playoffs, Barkley’s 2,504 rush yards and seven scrimmage touchdowns of 60-plus yards are the most in a season in NFL history. His speed was constantly on display, reaching at least 20 mph on nine touchdown runs, per Next Gen Stats. No other player had more than two. “He can go another few years with high-level play behind that [offensive] line,” the director said. 2. Derrick Henry, Baltimore RavensHighest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 6Age: 31 | Last year’s ranking: 9 Mr. Laughs at First Contact still refuses to go down. Henry’s 830 rushing yards after contact in 2024 — his first season with the Ravens — were 191 more than the next-closest player (Josh Jacobs). His 3,634 yards after contact since 2020 is 945 more than the second-ranked player (also Jacobs). All of this is nothing new. Tackling Henry has forever been an arduous task. But coming off 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns, Henry appears averse to the running back cliff to which most 30-somethings succumb. “He’ll slow down at some point, but he’s got elite body composition and elite work ethic,” an AFC executive said. “He’s a monster. No one wants to tackle him, and then when he wears you down, that’s when he breaks off that big run.” Somehow, Henry is proving more efficient with age. Henry’s 5.9 yards per rush last season represented the highest mark by a player with 250 carries in a season since Adrian Peterson in 2012 (6.0). And his 13 career games with 150 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns ties Jim Brown for the most in NFL history. 3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit LionsHighest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 9Age: 23 | Last year’s ranking: 8 “Sonic” narrowly outdistanced 2023 draft mate Bijan Robinson for the third spot thanks to his 20-touchdown season, which led the NFL. The previous Lion to lead the NFL in scrimmage scores? Barry Sanders with 17 in 1991. Gibbs’ raw speed at 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds can “flip the game upside down” on one play, per an NFC scout. And his 6.4 yards per touch last season was the highest mark by any player with 250 touches in a season over the past decade. “He’s a lot like Reggie Bush, just with a little bit more power,” an AFC executive said. “Size will always be a little bit more of an issue with him, but his speed and instincts and ability to change the game are a problem and may be the best in the league.” Some evaluators agree Gibbs is best utilized in a 1-2 combo, like he is in Detroit with David Montgomery. As the AFC exec put it, Gibbs can serve as a primary back but “might wear down faster” if asked to absorb too many hits between the tackles due to his size. But he runs with toughness, so it’s not like he wouldn’t be up for the challenge. And Gibbs did just fine in three games without Montgomery late last season, totaling 365 yards on 64 carries. 4. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta FalconsHighest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: unrankedAge: 23 | Last year’s ranking: 6 After spotty usage in his rookie year, Robinson earned primary back status in 2024. It’s no surprise that his game subsequently took off with 1,456 yards and 14 touchdowns on 304 carries. Robinson entered the league with considerable expectations and has largely met them. He’s one of three players in NFL history to produce 2,400 rushing yards and 100 receptions in a player’s first two seasons, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Edgerrin James and LaDainian Tomlinson. “Size, speed, acceleration, pass game, value, breaks tackles, can hit home runs,” an NFL coordinator said. “He’s a nightmare to prepare for.” Robinson was voted among the top three on half the running back ballots cast for these rankings, but fell just short of Gibbs. His 365 touches last year ranked second behind Barkley (378). Young Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will need similar reliability in 2025. Given all this, Robinson is totally justifiable as a No. 1 or No. 2 pick in fantasy drafts. 5. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ersHighest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: unrankedAge: 29 | Last year’s ranking: 1 Durability is the one thing holding McCaffrey back. He has missed 10 or more games in three of his past five NFL seasons. “He’s a great player, but he’s always had durability issues, even in college,” an NFL personnel executive said. “He’s an elite trainer and takes great care of himself. He’s just not a big body and will lose a step eventually.” A return to 2023 form would put McCaffrey back in the MVP conversation. When he’s healthy, he always produces. In fact, McCaffrey has four seasons with at least 1,800 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns. The only players with more are all Hall of Famers: Tomlinson, Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton (five each). Since 2006, two players have at least 2,000 scrimmage yards and 25 touchdowns in a season (plus playoffs): McCaffrey in 2023 and Tomlinson in 2006. “He’s still the prototype — and the best player on the field at times,” an NFC scout said. 6. Josh Jacobs, Green Bay PackersHighest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: 10Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 7 Many people inside the league perked up when the Packers gave Jacobs a $48 million free agency deal in 2024. The move showed that Green Bay, not known for spending big on tailbacks, was all-in on bolstering Jordan Love and the offense with a top-shelf back. Jacobs rewarded that faith with 1,329 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, returning to his 2022 form after a down 2023 season in which he missed four games with a quad injury and rushed for 805 yards. “Elite balance, strength, vision, feet and determination with the ball in his hands,” a high-ranking NFC personnel executive said. “He catches it well. True difference-maker. And he plays every week. Availability. I tend to lean toward well-rounded backs that are elite runners and huge threats in the passing game, and Jacobs fits that bill.” Jacobs is the lone NFL player to eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns in each year since 2019. He’s one of four players in Packers history to produce 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 rushing scores in a season, joining Aaron Jones, Ahman Green and Jim Taylor. 7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis ColtsHighest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: unrankedAge: 26 | Last year’s ranking: 5 Taylor’s dropping two spots from last season is a curious case. He pumped out 1,432 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024 despite uneven quarterback play. His speed is still elite. He turned 26 in January. And he’s the first back since Adrian Peterson (2007-11) to produce 6,000 rushing yards and 50 rushing touchdowns through his first five NFL seasons. While his contract dispute in 2023 stalled momentum, he has never underwhelmed when playing a full season. “He’s underrated,” an AFC executive said. “Highly productive and can wear you down before breaking off a big run.” Taylor’s 24 games of 100 rushing yards since 2020 trail only Henry’s 37. 8. James Cook, Buffalo BillsHighest ranking: 4 | Lowest ranking: unrankedAge: 25 | Last year’s ranking: honorable mention Cook entered the top 10 after a 16-touchdown season in 2024, vaulting from honorable mention to No. 8 and pushing Taylor for the seventh spot. He’s now tied with O.J. Simpson (1975) for the most rushing touchdowns in a single season in Bills history. Cook’s 3.1 yards per rush before contact was the fifth-highest mark of any qualifying back. “Dangerous and explosive,” an NFL personnel executive said. Added an AFC exec: “He’s perfect for that offense, with a quarterback that spreads things out. He’s good in the passing game, catches the ball really well, good in open space. Not sure he’s elite yet, but he’s really, really good.” He’s averaging 222 carries per season as the starter, and some teams are curious about how he would hold up as a 300-carry No. 1 back at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. But either way, he has earned leaguewide respect at a time when he’s seeking a contract extension from Buffalo. 9. Joe Mixon, Houston TexansHighest ranking: 5 | Lowest ranking: unrankedAge: 28 | Last year’s ranking: honorable mention Mixon looked rejuvenated in Houston after the Texans acquired him in a trade with Cincinnati in March 2024. He’s not a home run hitter, with a career average of 4.1 yards per carry over eight seasons. But he’s got just about everything else. “Really good vision, feet, contact balance — a hammer in the run game,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “Looked worn down at the end of the season, but overall that was a really good trade for Houston.” Mixon is the NFL’s only player with at least 1,300 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in each of the past four seasons. His 94.6 scrimmage yards per game last year trails only Arian Foster (2014) and DeAndre Hopkins (2015, 2018) in Texans history. 10. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans SaintsHighest ranking: 7 | Lowest ranking: unrankedAge: 29 | Last year’s ranking: honorable mention A premier back in our rankings for years, Kamara fell to honorable mention last year after a few down seasons. Though some evaluators see slight decline, Kamara fought his way back to the top 10 thanks to 1,503 scrimmage yards last year. Kamara appeared on nearly 60% of the voting ballots but none in the top six. “Some of the elite traits are still there,” an NFL offensive coach said. “He didn’t have much of an offensive line or supporting cast last year. But he can still take a screen for big yardage and still has great contact balance.” Kamara has eclipsed 600 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards in all eight seasons of his career. That’s already tied for the most such seasons in NFL history, alongside Faulk. Despite missing the final three games of last season, Kamara still accounted for 26% of New Orleans’ scrimmage yards in 2024, the seventh-highest mark in the NFL. Honorable mention Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “Combination of speed, quicks and contact balance. Heck of a runner. Rarely goes down on first contact.” — NFL coordinator Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings: “Classic slasher. Darts through run lanes. Plays big on the goal line. A dual threat. Love everything about him, but durability and age [30] are issues.” — NFL personnel evaluator De’Von Achane, Miami Dolphins: “Elite speed and explosion. Could wear down because he’s small. Similar to Gibbs. He just gets banged up. Runs very hard for how small he is and should get out on the perimeter more as a pass catcher.” — AFC executive Breece Hall, New York Jets: “He’s been one of the best in the league at points. I just haven’t felt the same way recently. I know the injuries have been an issue.” — NFL coordinator “That’s not all his fault. He was in a bad offense. Still has good lower-body balance and home run juice.” — veteran AFC personnel executive James Conner, Arizona Cardinals: “He’s a load to bring down. Short strider with quick feet to slip tacklers, find slices of daylight. Good second-level burst. Runs behind his pads. Finisher. Underrated player.” — NFL personnel evaluator Also receiving votes: Kyren Williams (Los Angeles Rams), David Montgomery (Detroit Lions), Brian Robinson Jr. (Washington Commanders), Chuba Hubbard (Carolina Panthers), D’Andre Swift (Chicago Bears), Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks) |
| TIGHT ENDS TO DRAFTJake Ciely of The Athletic looks over the tight ends before your Fantasy draft: At the top of the rankings are major dips among the top four picks, a sharp decline at No. 5 after Travis Kelce, and then another after TE13. PLAYER POS. VORP RANKBrock Bowers 95.1 TE 1George Kittle 71.2 TE 2Trey McBride 64.6 TE 3Travis Kelce 49.0 TE 4Sam LaPorta 19.9 TE 5David Njoku 19.8 TE 6Hunter Henry 18.0 TE 7Mark Andrews 13.8 TE 8Kyle Pitts 8.4 TE 9Jake Ferguson 4.1 TE 10Evan Engram 0.5 TE 11Dalton Kincaid 0.0 TE 12T.J. Hockenson −0.7 TE 13Tucker Kraft −9.2 TE 14Isaiah Likely −12.1 TE 15Brenton Strange−13.3 TE 16Darren Waller −18.9 TE 17Mason Taylor −20.4 TE 18Dallas Goedert −20.6 TE 19Jonnu Smith −24.2 TE 20Zach Ertz −24.6 TE 21Tyler Warren −25.6 TE 22Dalton Schultz −33.7 TE 23Juwan Johnson −36.7 TE 24 However, I don’t (and won’t) consider Kelce part of Tier 1, despite the projections saying he could be. I put him in the next group, as his best days are behind him. The only caveat would be if Rashee Rice is suspended six games or more. Then my ranks will come closer to the projections shown here. Everyone from Kelce to Mark Andrews could finish as TE4 or miss the Top 10, and it wouldn’t be a surprise. That’s why, despite Tier 1 showing a solid group of options, I’m unlikely to end up with any of them, as there are similar ceilings with many end-game options. So, it’s the same strategy as with the quarterbacks for me: If a Tier 1 tight end is there in Round 3-5, I’ll pounce (maybe I’d even use the last pick or two of Round 2 for Brock Bowers). Otherwise, the Tier 2 options would need to reach Round 8 or later for me to draft them, and most don’t. LaPorta currently has a Round 5 ADP, while T.J. Hockenson, Kelce, Andrews and Evan Engram range from Rounds 6-7. The chart, which visually depicts the drop-offs, illustrates that Hockenson, Andrews, Engram, and even LaPorta are in the same value tier, while Kelce is in Tier 1 (again, I disagree with the projection). So why reach for LaPorta when the value difference among these players is so little? And that’s what we’re looking at in this series, where the major cliffs in positional groups are and why drafting the next-best player at a position of need isn’t always the best strategy. While rankings show value, they don’t show the difference in value between individual players or among a group of players. If I’m looking later in the draft for TEs, some of my favorite late-round fliers include Tucker Kraft, Kyle Pitts (hey, he’s free now), Jake Ferguson, Dallas Goedert, Brenton Strange and rookie Colston Loveland. The best part about taking a tight end super late is that the position is “bleh,” as shown in the positional comparisons chart. It takes a mere 60/500/5 line to crack TE1 status. Whoop-dee-do, Basil! I’m aiming for Top 5 (or close) breakout upside, and if the flier I take misses, I’m off to the waivers for someone who might have it. Jonnu Smith (190 ADP), Zach Ertz (198) and Tucker Kraft (308) were all Top 10 last season and undrafted. Heck, Bowers was TE10-11 in ADP last year! |
