The Daily Briefing Wednesday, December 21, 2022

THE DAILY BRIEFING

AROUND THE NFL

Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com mull over the possible changes coming at head coach:

It seems at this moment like it could be a light head-coaching carousel, though we know surprises abound in each cycle. Which spots do you have your eye on right now for potential coaching changes?

 

Graziano: Yeah, this time last year there was talk of it being a light year and then 10 teams ended up changing head coaches. So I’ll believe it when I see it. But other than the two teams that already have fired their coaches, I have my eye on Denver, Arizona and Houston for a potential change at head coach. I think Brandon Staley could be in trouble with the Chargers if they don’t make the playoffs, but it’s starting to look as if they will. Anything other than that, I think at this point would qualify as a surprise, though I am wondering whether we could see some non-firing changes, such as Bill Belichick deciding to move into a different role with the Patriots or Sean McVay taking one of those TV offers he didn’t take last year.

 

Fowler: With Carolina and Indy already making coaching moves, Dan, those three listed above would put us at five. So for all the talk about high-profile candidates wanting the Chargers’ job (hello, Sean Payton), Brandon Staley has done a nice job this year, considering all the injuries. He has the Chargers’ defense, in particular, showing up in big and creative ways. Anything is possible, of course, but I could see a path where he solidifies his status there.

 

McVay taking the golden parachute via the booth seems plausible, but I’ve talked to a few people around the Rams who have a hard time thinking McVay would walk away on a down year. If we’re looking at NFC West surprises, Pete Carroll turned 71 this season. He probably wants to see the post-Russell Wilson era through multiple years, but he’s a name people around the league are at least watching due to age. I believe the Saints and GM Mickey Loomis had more than one year in mind with Dennis Allen, but there have been rocky moments, to be sure. So, in all, I’m probably in the same spot as you — five jobs open, plus the possibility of a few wild cards that haven’t crystallized yet.

As for who are the hot candidates to take those jobs:

Graziano: The momentum guy is probably Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who’s only going to get more attention if the Lions keep winning and end up in the postseason. Top candidates whose names you’ll hear include 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, Eagles coordinators Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and former Saints head coach Sean Payton, who could be the “white whale” of this cycle for one or more teams.

 

Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen and Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey are of interest to teams from an interview standpoint at least. The Bengals’ success could result in more interview attention for their coordinators, Brian Callahan and Lou Anarumo. Former Colts coach Frank Reich should be of interest if he wants back in right away. Former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is always an interesting name, given the amount of head-coaching experience he has. And could this finally be the year for Eric Bieniemy?

 

Fowler: Still expect Bieniemy to hit the interview circuit, Dan. A few teams probably will want to talk with him. On one end, it seems like his window has passed, but the Chiefs’ offense has improved this year, with Patrick Mahomes pushing for another MVP. Perhaps that helps Bieniemy’s cause. Lewis has been out of the game for four years now, so it’s hard to say he’s a magma-hot name, but I do sense some interest still exists. Cowboys OC Kellen Moore should be a fixture in this cycle. Seahawks OC Shane Waldron, Commanders OC Scott Turner and Giants OC Mike Kafka have caught attention with their work.

 

On defense, enough execs see Patriots assistant Jerod Mayo as potential head-coach material that he’ll be involved. Same with Ravens DC Mike Macdonald, and there still could be an interview spot for Lions DC Aaron Glenn, as the Lions have improved defensively. Do former head coaches Raheem Morris (Los Angeles Rams) and Vance Joseph (Arizona) get another chance? Or does a team try to get ahead of an ascending non-coordinator, such as Rams assistant Thomas Brown? Lot of wild cards here. And here’s another one: David Shaw. The former Stanford coach once had heavy NFL interest and is now available.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

More top 10 love for the Lions from Bo Wulf of The Athletic with his latest rankings:

8. Detroit Lions (7-7)

(Last week: 10)

 

Final three games: at Carolina, vs. Chicago, at Green Bay

 

There won’t be any kneecaps left in the Detroit metro area if Dan Campbell’s Lions are able to pull off this rally to the playoffs. After Jared Goff hit Brock Wright — a real high-water mark season for Brocks leaguewide — for a 51-yard game-winning touchdown to beat the Jets, Detroit has a 57.6 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to Mock’s projections. Its schedule the rest of the way looks there for the taking, but there isn’t a Lions fan alive who feels comfortable. And if they don’t pull it off, well, there might not be any Lions fans alive.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com still has the Lions at #15.

5 LIONS           

After a 1-6 start, they have won six of seven games to get into the playoff race. They play another big road game this week at Carolina.

– – –

Dan Wetzel of YahooSports.com on how California kid QB JARED GOFF may have found a home in Michigan:

Jared Goff hails from Marin County, California, played college football at the University of California, and in 2016 was the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams, the franchise’s first selection upon returning to California.

 

On draft night, his chosen walk-out song to shake Roger Goodell’s hand was, appropriately, “California Love” by 2Pac and Dr. Dre. Goff was, no doubt, confident he would find his NFL glory in a state where you never find a dance floor empty.

 

And he did, at least for a while. He led the Rams to the playoffs three times in his five seasons, including the Super Bowl loss to New England following the 2018 season. Yet in 2021, the Rams didn’t believe Goff was their best option at quarterback.

 

They shipped their one-time future of the franchise and a bunch of draft choices to Detroit for Matthew Stafford, who promptly led them to a Super Bowl title. That meant last year, Goff had to watch his old teammates become champions while he was stuck on a miserable, three-win Lions team in the midst of another rebuild.

 

As career script flips go, this one could have turned as bitter a Midwestern winter.

 

Everyone wants to say they would act as a professional. Everyone wants to think they would still see the incredible opportunity to be a NFL starter. Everyone wants to believe they would work just as hard, care just as much or carry themselves just as professionally.

 

Still, reality is different. We’ve seen plenty of careers crater under similar circumstances. It got even worse when the Lions started 1-6 and the talk was about what college quarterback the Lions might draft to replace him.

 

Even the most strong-minded might wobble.

 

Well, all of that was seven games, six victories and an improbable run to playoff contender status ago.

 

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Goff said.

 

That certainly includes Sunday, when on fourth-and-inches with 1:51 remaining, Goff hit tight end Brock Wright for a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown to give Detroit a 20-17 victory over the New York Jets. The victory pushed the Lions to 7-7 on the season and put them in excellent position to challenge for a playoff spot no one saw coming.

 

As rough emotionally as last year must have been for Goff, there aren’t many quarterbacks in the league having a more enjoyable time right now.

 

There is nothing in football better than winning the Super Bowl, and Goff will probably always wish he stayed with the Rams and won one there. That isn’t how life worked out.

 

Perhaps the second-best experience in football is the euphoria of an unexpected winner on the rise, the magic and excitement and energy that comes with finding an identity and exceeding all reasonable expectations for a long-suffering fan base.

 

In other words, no one has had it better the last two months than Jared Goff and the Lions.

 

“It’s fun to be on a team that’s winning games,” Goff said. “Sure I’m doing some good things but we’ve won a lot of big games recently with the same guys that were part of the 1-6 and part of last season.”

 

It’s unlikely the on-field success was possible without the off-field dignity he displayed since getting jettisoned by the Rams.

 

Rather than pout, he poured himself into improvement, projecting positivity and taking ownership of the team.

 

Rather than pine for life back on the West Coast, he planted roots in Detroit — raising money through his JG16 Foundation, working with local education initiatives and scholarship drives and donating some 40,000 pounds of food to charity kitchens. He’s a nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

 

Maybe fans and media weren’t sure if Goff would be a Lion long-term — and who knows, maybe he won’t — but he never acted like he wouldn’t. If Detroit looked like a demotion to others, he certainly never behaved that way.

 

Goff was asked last week about never lashing out about his fate, his disappointment or at his critics. He just scoffed.

 

“What would I lash out about?” he asked.

 

Perfect answer.

 

“I really just enjoy winning with these guys,” he said. “Whatever people may have said earlier on in the year, they were probably justified in some ways. We were 1-6 and not playing very well. Now we are playing pretty well. Everyone seems to have changed on us; we try to stay in the middle.”

 

Detroit has two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL draft and the selection that arrives via the Rams could be in the top five. The long-held thought was that the Lions should use it on a potential franchise quarterback, but this draft may prove short of sure-things at that position.

 

Goff has done his part to be not just a place-holder but the potential future. He is just 28, under contract for two more seasons and the idea of Detroit adding another elite defender — a Will Anderson of Alabama or a Jalen Carter of Georgia — to an improving unit anchored by rookie Aidan Hutchinson is rather appealing.

 

Those decisions will come.

 

Right now, Detroit is in a euphoric state, contending for a playoff spot that seemed hopeless as recently as early November behind a quarterback who was sent reeling by the Rams.

 

It wasn’t easy. This isn’t California.

 

In some ways, though, considering the challenges, it might be even better.

 

GREEN BAY

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks it is a big deal that the Packers offense has changed how they watch video:

Garbage time of the Monday night game between the Rams and the Packers included a conversation between the members of the broadcast booth that was anything but.

 

On Tuesday, Packers coach Matt LaFluer vaguely confirmed the accuracy of comments made on the air by Joe Buck and Troy Aikman of ESPN.

 

They said LaFleur had told them things began to change when the offense started watching practice film together, and not in individual groups. A reporter asked LaFleur about it.

 

“Yeah that’s something that just thinking back in previous years, we had done that, most of the time together and then after that first year, again we had a more veteran group of wideouts and we allowed it to, just from an efficiency standpoint and a detail standpoint, allowed the position groups to meet independently of one another in some instances,” LaFleur said, via Kalyh Kahler of TheAthletic.com. “Now, I would say, I can’t remember what week it was, but we decided to start watching . . . every practice together as a whole unit.”

 

Asked why it took so long, LaFleur said, “That’s just the way it transpired.”

 

And that directly contributed to the sluggish manner in which the season transpired.

 

Buck said, via Kahler, that the practice of watching film as an offensive unit helped make an overdue connection between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and rookie receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.

 

“LaFleur said it changed when we all started watching tape of both our Wednesday and Thursday practices together as a group, so we could talk and Aaron can hear what Christian Watson is thinking and Romeo Doubs, and not only that but get to know them as people which maybe humanized him and took a little bit of the pressure off,” Buck said.

 

“When LaFleur said that, I was shocked that they hadn’t been meeting all along,” Aikman replied. “I’ve been on both sides of it, I have had [offensive coordinators] who had it where you always met with your individual position coach and not as a group and I have had others where the whole offense, excluding linemen, met and that worked best. I think that’s the way to go and my guess is LaFleur will do it that way the rest of his time as a head coach. . . . The more time you can have with the skill players, the more you can be in the room watching the practices together and even the opponent film, the better off you are going to be, especially when you are talking about young receivers like Watson and Romeo Doubs.”

 

It’s obviously right. And it’s amazing that Rodgers wasn’t insisting on it — or (if true) that he was resisting it.

 

But no one should be surprised. It was Rodgers who stayed away from all of the offseason program, but for a cameo appearance in connection with the mandatory minicamp. And it was Rodgers who didn’t gather his new corps of receivers for informal workouts, like so many other quarterbacks do on an annual basis.

 

For as smart as Rodgers is (or at least pretends to be), it’s amazing he didn’t realize that young players who literally grew up watching his exploits (Watson was only 11 when Rodgers won his only Super Bowl, and Doubs was only 10) needed to get to know him before getting comfortable around him. Instead, and by all appearances, Rodgers opted to be absent and aloof and perhaps even standoffish in the early days of their NFL experience.

 

Then training camp started, Rodgers showed up with his Arthur Shelby haircut, and Watson and Doubs had to try to perform while also being naturally in awe of their new quarterback — and also probably a little (or more than a little) intimidated and even afraid of him. Especially after he started calling them out generally for making mistakes or not going above and beyond the call of duty and working when not at work.

 

It’s a jarring failure of Rodgers either to understand the importance of making a real human connection with his new teammates or to take steps to improve a situation that he actually knew would make it harder for Watson and Doubs to get as comfortable, and in turn as effective, as they can be.

 

The good news is that it’s finally working. So, better late than never. Unless it was so late that they’ll never make it to the playoffs this season.

NFC SOUTH
 

CAROLINA

Could Carolina extend interim coach Steve Wilks into 2023?  Opinions from Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com:

Fowler: Support for Wilks getting the Panthers’ job full time is building in some league circles after his 4-4 start. As one AFC executive told me, Wilks should be a “slam dunk” to get the job because he has improved morale in the locker room, reenergized the staff and promoted a physical style of football. At the very least, he has positioned himself well as owner David Tepper charts a direction for the franchise. Many around the league believe Tepper wants to solve his quarterback room once and for all, so whether it’s an offensive-minded candidate, Wilks or somebody else, their plan for the offense will loom large as a selling point.

Graziano: In Carolina, what I’ve heard consistently is that Tepper is looking for someone with previous head-coaching experience, which Wilks has. If the Panthers win the division — which they absolutely could — you’d have to think Wilks’ chances of keeping the job are strong, though I agree with you that quarterback has to be that team’s top priority and the decision about the head coach could ultimately depend on what they think they’re going to be able to do at QB.

 

TAMPA BAY

Members of the Tampa Bay media have come in for criticism when their pestering of RB GIOVANI BERNARD went viral.  Shalise Manza Young of YahooSports.com surprisingly upbraids her fellow journos, which include ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine who goes unnamed.

At the risk of sounding like an old lady, here goes: journalists aren’t supposed to become the story.

 

But on Monday, reporters who cover the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found themselves as one of the stories of the day on NFL Twitter (along with the gobsmacking lack of situational awareness from the New England Patriots’ offense) after posting a video of their postgame interaction with backup running back Giovani Bernard.

 

For a recap: the Buccaneers were up 17-3 at halftime on Sunday against Cincinnati and got the ball to start the second half. Bernard fumbled a fake punt on fourth-and-1 with the ball on the Bucs’ half of the field, and the Bengals got possession at Tampa Bay’s 16-yard line. Despite the favorable field position for Cincinnati, the defense held the Bengals to just a field goal. It was an unfortunate mistake, and the Bengals went on to win the game 34-23, though Tom Brady’s four turnovers that followed — on consecutive possessions — arguably played a much larger role in the loss.

 

In the locker room after the game, reporters said Bernard initially declined to comment on the play, then acquiesced after being badgered.

 

To be clear, it isn’t the interaction with Bernard that’s the problem. Any reporter who does the job for any reasonable length of time will have interactions that are confrontational or awkward, especially when the team just lost a game or the topic is a bad play by a player or bad call by a coach. While there is a 10-minute “cooling off” period before coaches are at podiums or locker rooms are opened, the truth is for some athletes and in some situations, that’s not nearly long enough.

 

And it’s not about Bernard not wanting to talk either. By many accounts, the veteran is one of the nicer guys media will encounter in an NFL locker room, but he isn’t the first nor last player who had no interest in talking to reporters after a tough loss or mistake.

 

It’s the fact that we saw the interaction at all.

 

Posting that video reeks of trying to publicly and unnecessarily shame Bernard, and there are moments that are uncomfortable. There was a meme that circulated online years ago, of an empty white laundry basket and the words, “your dirty laundry belongs in here. Not on Facebook.” In the same way, not every interaction reporters have with athletes needs to become social media fodder.

 

Bernard initially told reporters that he wasn’t going to talk Sunday because they hadn’t wanted to talk to him at any other point in the season. He missed nine weeks to an ankle injury suffered in Week 2, and the Bucs, like most teams, don’t make players available to media when they’re on injured reserve. Sunday was his third game back, and his fumble did play a role in the loss.

 

But as we see in the video, as he’s walking through the locker room one reporter tells Bernard, “you were injured all year” as justification for why he hasn’t gotten media attention before then. Someone else says, “what have you done for us to talk to you about all year?”

 

Yikes.

 

Yes, players are technically obligated to make themselves available to media once during the week and after the game. But any analysis of Sunday’s game could be done without Bernard’s input, and telling the audience that he wouldn’t comment after the game may lead to some fans judging him negatively for not holding himself to account for his error. And that consequence is for Bernard to deal with, not reporters.

 

To Bernard’s credit, he eventually obliged. He said it was a miscommunication, it was all on him and “I messed up.” After the third time he gave that response, it was clear he wasn’t going to offer more, but still he got four more questions. Four more variations on the same answer followed.

 

If there was an intent to make Bernard look bad with how things went down, for many it had the opposite effect: it’s the media members who look bad, not to mention unprofessional.

 

Asking him what has he done to merit media members talking to him is foul. Bernard is a 31-year-old running back who is playing on a one-year contract for the minimum a player with his experience can earn. He didn’t want to suffer an injury that took him off the field for half the season. He is likely well aware that this could be his last season as a professional athlete and may be embarrassed that a guy who once had three straight seasons with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage is now relegated to playing only special teams.

 

Beyond that, he’s a human being. That fact seems completely lost in the interaction. It comes across that the reporters wanted something from Bernard, and damn if they aren’t going to get it.

 

Journalism requires first and foremost great curiosity, but almost as important, an ability to foster and maintain relationships. Insulting a man in a low moment because you demand he explain his mistake seems completely antithetical to good relationship-building. Maybe to some reporters only the starters or stars are worth treating well, which is wrong. You never know when a backup will be a star, and by focusing only on the bold names, an amazing story in a different corner of the room could be missed.

 

And if you really want to know how the sausage is made sometimes, a good reporter knows disgruntled players can be the best sources, especially on struggling teams. But that’s only after a relationship has been established, usually through an investment of time. If something goes down that the team doesn’t want the public to know about, maybe you get a text one snowy morning and break a big story.

 

Of course fans want to know how a winning play came together or what went wrong on the fake punt attempt, but Bernard didn’t want to offer his breakdown Sunday. Maybe he would have Monday had he been treated differently.

 

What differentiates a beat reporter is access. What’s done with that access is important.

There are plenty of other references to the exchange on-line.  Even the NBA’s Kevin Durant weighed in:

Giovani Bernard has a defender after his testy media interaction: Kevin Durant.

 

Durant, the Nets star who has had his own issues with the media over the years, sided with the backup Buccaneers running back after seeing video of Bernard’s exchange with the media in the locker room.

 

 “Giovani handled this like a true pro,” Durant tweeted.

 

Responding to a follower who said that the reporters peppering Bernard were full of themselves, Durant added, “Entitlement in this world has gone to another level. Media believes they are responsible for the popularity of the game.”

 

Asked where sports would be without media coverage, Durant answered, “We can survive without spoiled, entitled clickbait media…there are some good people who simply love to cover the sport.”

Greg Auman of FOX Sports has apologized for his snippy “what have you done all year”

In the contentious confrontation, Bernard claimed he didn’t want to talk to reporters because they hadn’t talked to him all season. In response, Auman replied “what have you done for us to talk to you all year?”

 

On Tuesday, Auman apologized on Twitter for his quip. He quote tweeted a video of Pat McAfee discussing the interaction. The former NFL punter was open in his criticism of the reporters, saying he didn’t like the tone with which they spoke, adding “That’s a human. That’s a human as well as a professional athlete.”

 

Just to be clear: I shouldn’t have said what I said Sunday. I’ll apologize personally to Bernard the first chance I have. Not a good look at all and I understand the criticism.

Laine remains unrepentant:

@JennaLaineESPN

Further…I posted the clip in its entirely because 1) I believe in transparency and 2) It provides an honest look at what a locker room is like when a team with Super Bowl expectations falls to 6-8. If the reality of that is too much for people…I don’t know what to tell you.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Steve Keim will not be returning as Cardinals GM.  Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.comhad this a few days ago:

The Arizona Cardinals are preparing to have a new general manager starting with next season.

 

After announcing earlier this week that sitting GM Steve Keim is taking a medical leave of absence from the team, the prevailing thought around the league is that he’ll be replaced permanently in that role starting in 2023.

 

In Keim’s absence, the reason for which has been kept private, general manager duties are being split between VP of player personnel Quentin Harris and VP of pro personnel Adrian Wilson. Sources around the league believe both will be in consideration for the full-time role after the season ends. 

 

According to league sources, team owner Michael Bidwill was particularly active talking one on one with participants of last week’s accelerator program, where 32 minority candidates across 28 clubs joined the league meetings in Texas to learn, shadow and network with NFL decision-makers.

 

Questions about the immediate future of Keim and head coach Kliff Kingsbury emerged prior to Keim’s leave, amid a disappointing season and despite the contract extensions both men signed in the offseason.

– – –

Running backs coach James Saxon was placed on administrative leave in August before pleading guilty to domestic battery charges. He eventually resigned. Offensive line coach Sean Kugler was fired in November for allegedly groping a hotel security worker at the team’s Mexico City hotel.

 

Just this week, Kugler filed a request for arbitration. He called the allegations “mysterious” and “untrue,” wondering in a statement whether it was “a miscommunication or mistaken identity.” The Cardinals said in a statement they were “confident the process will result in a much different set of facts than those presented” and that they had “good cause” to fire Kugler.

 

As for who will take on the responsibility of rebuilding the team starting in 2023, both Harris and Wilson are well respected by their industry peers and are considered GM candidates — whether in Arizona or elsewhere.

 

Harris played for the Cardinals from 2002 to 2005 as a safety out of Syracuse. He joined the Cardinals as a pro scout in 2008 and earned the VP title in 2021.

 

Wilson is a Cardinals legend who’s in the team’s Ring of Honor as a three-time All-Pro safety during his decade-plus with the team. He’s worked his way up the scouting ladder with the team since his 2015 retirement.

 

But many around the league wonder if Bidwill would hire an external candidate. It’s been nearly three decades since the Cardinals have hired a general manager from outside the organization. In 1994, legendary coach Buddy Ryan was named head coach and GM. The Cardinals’ three GMs since then — Bob Ferguson, Rod Graves and Keim — have all been promoted from within.

AFC NORTH
 

BALTIMORE

Desperate times mean desperate measures in Baltimore. Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com on the return of WR SAMMY WATKINS:

The Ravens claimed wide receiver Sammy Watkins off waivers and placed starter Devin Duvernay on injured reserve after he was hurt in Tuesday’s practice. Baltimore is bringing back Watkins with the hope he will improve the NFL’s sixth-worst passing attack and help an offense that hasn’t scored a touchdown in its past seven quarters.

 

Watkins, 29, was waived by the Green Bay Packers on Monday after failing to make a catch in his last three games. He signed a one-year, $1.85 million deal with Green Bay this offseason and managed 13 catches for 206 yards and no touchdowns in nine games.

 

His return to the Ravens was unexpected because he finished with career lows in receptions (27) and receiving yards (394) in his one season in Baltimore last year. By the end of last season, Watkins was near the bottom of the depth chart, which was a far fall for the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 draft.

 

PITTSBURGH

Oh my, Franco Harris does not make it to the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception.  Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris has died, just days before the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 50th anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced Wednesday.

 

Harris was 72. No cause of death has been revealed.

 

Harris authored what is considered to be the greatest play in NFL history when he caught a deflected pass inches from the ground and ran for a 60-yard touchdown with five seconds left in a playoff game against the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 23, 1972.

 

The catch and run, famously dubbed the Immaculate Reception, propelled the Steelers to a 13-7 win that was the first playoff victory in franchise history. It set the stage for the glory years of the 1970s when the Steelers won the Super Bowl four times in six years.

 

The Steelers were planning to recognize the anniversary of the monumental catch on Friday, and Harris is scheduled to have his No. 32 retired Saturday night at halftime of the team’s game against the Raiders at Acrisure Stadium.

 

Harris was named MVP of Super Bowl IX and was the NFL’s third-leading rusher with 12,120 yards at the time of his retirement in 1984. He spent his first 12 seasons with the Steelers before ending his career with the Seattle Seahawks following a threatened training camp holdout, a move he and the organization later regretted.

 

Harris was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

 

In September, the Steelers announced they would retire Harris’ jersey at the game Saturday against the Raiders, tying the event into the anniversary celebration of the Immaculate Reception.

 

Team president Art Rooney II called it a “long overdue jersey retirement given Franco’s remarkable accomplishments to the team of the decade.”

 

Harris was overwhelmed by the gesture.

 

“It’s like giving you flowers while you’re still around to smell them,” he said.

 

The idea was endorsed by legendary defensive lineman Joe Greene, a fellow Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee who is considered the franchise’s greatest player and the second player to have his jersey retired.

 

 “Before Franco, we hadn’t done very much,” Greene said in October. “After Franco, we didn’t do much, either. But during Franco, we did a lot.”

 

On Tuesday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin talked about Harris’ impact to the Steelers organization.

 

“He’s just a special man,” Tomlin said. “Forget the player. Obviously, I never knew the player. I know the man. Just what an awesome representation of this organization, this community, a guy that embraces all the responsibility that comes with being him. I just admire his passion for Pittsburgh and young people.”

 

Born in New Jersey, Harris attended Penn State and shared the backfield duties with another future NFL player, Lydell Mitchell.

– – –

The image of Harris catching the Immaculate Reception above his shoe tops is iconic and was turned into a statue that is displayed at Pittsburgh International Airport.

 

“A ball that low, who catches it like that?” Harris said. “Who bends like that and catches it like that? You dive for it, you do whatever but no one catches a ball that type of way.”

 

Before Harris’ arrival, the Steelers had appeared in one playoff game — and lost it — in the first 40 years of the franchise’s existence.

 

“Many have said, and I agree, that the Immaculate Reception marked the turning point of franchise history,” Rooney II said. “My grandfather once was quoted as saying, ‘Before Franco got here, we didn’t win much. Since he got here, we don’t lose.’

 

Harris was voted to the Pro Bowl nine times in his career and he surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in eight seasons, including his final one with the organization in 1983. In training camp the next year, Harris was released when his demands for a pay raise were not met. Coach Chuck Noll referred to him as “Franco who?,” and the running back spent his final season in Seattle.

 

When Harris retired after the 1984 season, he trailed only Jim Brown and Walter Payton in career rushing yards. He still ranks No. 15 on the NFL’s all-time list. His 354 rushing yards in four Super Bowl appearances remain a record.

 

Harris is survived by his wife, Dana, and son Franco “Dok” Harris.

– – –

QB MITCH TRUBISKY was fine last week in leading the Steelers to victory in Carolina, but it will be rookie QB KENNY PICKETT back at the helm on Saturday against the Raiders.  Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:

After being sidelined with his second concussion in eight weeks, Steelers rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett is expected to start against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. As of Monday afternoon, Pickett remained in the concussion protocol. But Tomlin said if the team practiced Monday, Pickett would be a full participant.

 

“I think he’s gotta check a box procedurally,” Tomlin said.

 

With Pickett sidelined Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, Mitch Trubisky got the start and completed 17 of 22 passes for 179 yards, scoring a rushing touchdown.

 

“He did a really good job of taking care of the ball and playing within the game plan and planned approach that we have prescribed for that opponent,” Tomlin said. “He should be congratulated for that.”

 

Pickett will return in time for a frigid game — the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception — Saturday night, when temperatures are expected to be around 8 degrees at kickoff with a wind chill estimated to be minus-4. Pickett’s five years of collegiate experience at Pitt, though, will help prepare him for Saturday night’s weather.

 

“I think that’s an example that we often cite when we analyze people in draft prep,” Tomlin said. “Diontae [Johnson] played at Toledo; he’s from Tampa, but he played at Toledo in that Wednesday night MAC-tion. That probably got him a little prepared. All the offensive guys — usually there’s a discussion of some kind in draft analysis of that exposure or what that might look like or if it might be an issue for them. Oftentimes it’s not a significant decision-maker but a variable certainly.”

 

But, Tomlin admitted, the weather could be a challenge and affect the team’s game plan.

 

“We’ll acknowledge that the weather could be significant on Saturday night and could play out in terms of how these two teams come together,” he said. “That’s life in the National Football League, and that’s specifically life in Pittsburgh, and so we won’t run from that. We’ll run to that.

 

“We gotta be an all-weather group. I think everybody that lives here and plays here understands and embraces that.”

AFC SOUTH
 

HOUSTON

Albert Breer of SI.com ponders who the Texans should take with the top pick:

 

It’s Christmas week, meaning a lot of the mailbag questions I’m getting now are about next year, not this year. Let’s dive in …

 

From A (@randomdogname): Are Texans better taking Bryce Young, or taking Will Anderson/Jalen Carter and rolling dice on a QB elsewhere?

 

A, it’s way too early to make a definitive call on that. That said, we can talk about it philosophically.

I do think the safer call here is to go with Alabama’s Anderson Jr. or Georgia’s Carter. Both are physically superior players at important positions that you can plug in and hope for a decade’s worth of Pro Bowls. If I had to guess which player Texans GM Nick Caserio would be more comfortable, I’d go with Anderson, because he is cleaner from a makeup perspective and comes from a program Caserio has a ton of background with. But Carter has more upside.

 

Here are the comps I got from one AFC exec, who started by saying that physically, Anderson is built like Von Miller, while he plays a little like a smaller version of another star edge guy.

 

“Will Anderson is a less athletic Myles Garrett—not as long or quick, but just as powerful,” he said. “Heavy-handed, more consistent motor than Myles coming out. … And Jalen is a unicorn. Probably the closest thing to [Ndamukong] Suh since Suh, just a total, freakish blend of size, power and athletic ability.”

 

One other comp that I got for Carter that I kind of liked was Fletcher Cox. And Kayvon Thibodeaux and Melvin Ingram are two other comps that came in for Anderson.

 

Now, if you want a real-life example of how the actual decision-making here could play out, if you’re not wild about the quarterbacks, look at the first three picks from 2019.

 

The Cardinals got Kyler Murray and that’s, well, complicated. He’s not a bust, but there’s a lot to dig through with him. Meanwhile, the 49ers and Jets are pulling Brinks trucks out of the driveway for Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams, both of whom have become game-wreckers at important positions, but not as important as quarterback. And both teams took quarterbacks two years after that, and are contending now (the Cardinals are not).

 

So there’s a lot to a decision such as this one, for sure. So it’s a good thing Caserio’s got four months to mull it over.

 

INDIANAPOLIS

Add the Colts to the list of teams starting 3 quarterbacks this year.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Nick Foles will start for the Colts on Monday night against the Chargers, Colts interim head coach Jeff Saturday said.

 

Foles takes over for Matt Ryan, who is benched for the second time this season. The first time Ryan was benched, rookie Sam Ehlinger took over, the Colts lost the two games Ehlinger started, and head coach Frank Reich was fired. When Saturday was installed as interim head coach, he immediately put Ryan back in the starting lineup.

 

But now Saturday has decided to go to Foles, the veteran who has a Pro Bowl season and a Super Bowl MVP on his resume but has mostly been a backup since that Super Bowl MVP-winning performance for the Eagles five years ago. Foles has only played in one game this year, and only for the final two snaps of a 24-0 loss to the Jaguars.

 

The Colts are reeling after suffering the greatest collapse in NFL history, losing 39-36 to the Vikings after leading 33-0 at halftime. It’s possible that game will go down as the last start of Ryan’s career.

– – –

Jim Harbaugh to the Colts rumors swirl as owner Jim Irsay tries to quell the idea that GM Chris Ballard is on the way out.  Sam Robinson of ProFootballRumors.com:

Several teams have disappointed this season, and the Colts are near the top of that list. They have gone from a team that led the NFL with seven Pro Bowlers last season to one with a 4-9-1 squad that just blew an NFL-record 33-point lead.

 

The Colts have already fired their head coach and offensive coordinator, promoting their assistant quarterbacks coach to call plays, and have made multiple quarterback changes. Jeff Saturday‘s showing in Minnesota likely will lead to him not being retained as Indianapolis’ full-time HC, and prior to the Vikings loss, Jim Irsay indicated he was looking forward to interviewing a host of HC candidates. But the second-generation Colts owner is still planning to keep Chris Ballard in place as GM.

 

“I think a lot of Chris,” Irsay said, via Zak Keefer of The Athletic. “Young GMs make mistakes. He’s been up against it. The No. 1 component is he’s an outstanding talent evaluator. He has this [Bill] Polian-esque touch in the draft room. There have been some things … people don’t realize, you have to learn as a general manager. You just don’t get it overnight. I feel very confident in where we’re going.”

 

The directional confidence part is a bit strange to read, considering what has happened to the Colts over the past year, and it should be noted Irsay issued this Ballard support prior to the team’s 39-36 loss Saturday. But Irsay said upon hiring Saturday that he intended for Ballard to return next year. The Colts are 1-4 since those comments. Ballard, however, had attempted to talk Irsay out of the Saturday move. While Irsay has said it will be Ballard’s job to hire coaches, Keefer adds some around the league are convinced the owner will pursue Jim Harbaugh in 2023.

 

Long connected on the coaching carousel’s fringes, Harbaugh surfaced in a real way this year by interviewing with the Vikings. Harbaugh also recently announced he would stay at Michigan for a 10th season, but just before that pledge, NFL teams were doing homework on him. The former quarterback spent four years with the Colts, leading them to two playoff berths and an AFC championship game in the mid-1990s, and is in the team’s ring of honor. Harbaugh, who has led Michigan to back-to-back College Football Playoff berths, signed a new deal with his alma mater this year. Should Harbaugh truly be on Indy’s radar, Ballard’s personnel power could be at risk — at least compared to where it is now.

 

Ballard, 53, built what looked like one of the league’s top rosters — though, one without a long-term quarterback — and last year’s Pro Bowl count reinforced confidence the Colts sported a strong foundation. The Colts have extended Ballard draftees Shaquille Leonard, Quenton Nelson and Braden Smith. Two of Ballard’s Day 2 picks from 2020 — Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. — will likely be on the extension radar soon as well. But the team has not truly climbed out of the hole Andrew Luck‘s sudden retirement left it in three years ago.

 

Irsay drove the trade of Carson Wentz to the Commanders and pushed Ballard to finalize the Matt Ryan swap. The latter move has not panned out for the Colts, and Irsay was behind the midseason QB switch that led to Sam Ehlinger rising from third-stringer to starter. It is safe to say this has been a rather chaotic year for the Colts, who returned all seven of those Pro Bowlers this season. Ballard has, however, been rather stingy in free agency since being hired in 2017. That has placed more pressure on his homegrown core.

 

Last year, Ballard and Reich signed extensions that run through 2026. The former returning in 2023 would mean considerable pressure to both aid Irsay on the team’s next HC hire and fix the quarterback position. Ballard’s last HC search did not go smoothly, with Josh McDaniels reneging on an agreement and Reich being the fallback hire. The next one not panning out would almost certainly lead to Irsay going GM shopping.

 

JACKSONVILLE

In Bo Wulf’s NFL rankings at The Athletic, the Jaguars are #12 with a bullet after toppling Dallas:

12. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-8)

(Last week: 17)

 

Final three games: at New York Jets, at Houston, vs. Tennessee

 

All aboard the Jaggin’ Wagon after their rapid 40-34 comeback win over the Cowboys on Sunday. Even before the game-clinching pick six by Rayshawn Jenkins (his second interception of the day to go along with an absurd 18 tackles), Jacksonville put up more points in regulation (34) against the Dallas defense than anyone else this season. Even if the Jaguars don’t kick down the door to the playoffs, this season has been a rousing success because Trevor Lawrence looks like the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. By EPA (expected points added) per dropback, he’s been the third-best quarterback in the league over the last month, which backs up the eye test. Trailing Tennessee in the AFC South by one game having won the first head-to-head meeting, the Jags have a 32.2 percent chance of making the playoffs, per Mock’s projections. That Week 18 rematch with the Titans in Jacksonville seems destined for the Sunday night winner-gets-in affair.

 

THIS AND THAT

 

BROADCAST NEWS

Apple and Amazon are out, You Tube is in – and the NFL has another $2.5 billion each year.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

As explained in Playmakers, the Janet Jackson incident at Super Bowl XXXVIII — and the curiosity of those who missed it live — helped provide the spark for the creation of a video-sharing service known as YouTube. Nearly 20 years later, YouTube and the NFL will be doing a significant piece of business together.

 

As reported last night by multiple outlets, and as PFT has confirmed, YouTube is closing in on a deal for Sunday Ticket, the out-of-market package that DirecTV has exclusively broadcast since 1994, when it debuted. John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that YouTube will pay $2.5 billion per year for the package.

 

Talks with Google (the YouTube parent company) accelerated after Apple dropped out. Amazon was also involved; however, Ourand reports that Amazon “never got close” to the amount Google/YouTube will pay.

 

The Sunday Ticket package will be available on YouTube TV and YouTube Premium channels, if/when the deal is done. The price will be similar to the current DirecTV charge. That reportedly became the sticking point for Apple, which wanted to make the product less expensive for consumers.

 

As Alex Sherman of CNBC.com reported in June, the NFL’s deals with CBS and Fox prevent the NFL from offering Sunday Ticket at a significantly lower price. This helps maximize viewership of the games offered by CBS and Fox in a given market, by keeping people from purchasing the ability to watch all games.

 

Don’t get mad at CBS or Fox or YouTube about this. The NFL could have taken less from CBS and Fox in order to secure the ability to sell Sunday Ticket for less. The league, taking full advantage of its broadcast antitrust exemption, maximized the revenue from all broadcasters while also making it more expensive for average fans to watch the games they want to watch.

 

Basically, Apple wanted to buy the package and make it cheaper for fans. The NFL said no, no, no.

 

So ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas.

 

2021 RE-DRAFT

With nearly two seasons of knowledge, what would have been the ultimate 2021 draft?  Jordan Reid and Mike Miller of ESPN.com with a re-do of the top 15.  Will QB ZACH WILSON make the cut?

It has been almost two years since the 2021 NFL draft, heralded as a top-tier quarterback class that saw five go in the first 15 picks. On Thursday night, two of them — the top two draft picks that April — will face off. Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars visit Zach Wilson and the New York Jets (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). But would they have still been the top two picks if we re-picked that class?

 

With the benefit of hindsight, NFL draft analysts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid re-drafted the top 15 picks from 2021, starting with the Jags at No. 1. They explained each pick by looking at team need and player performances through nearly two full seasons. We reset the draft order to what it was entering draft day and didn’t allow for new trades in the projections. That means the San Francisco 49ers are still picking at No. 3 (they traded up in March of that year), but the New York Giants’ flip with the Chicago Bears at No. 11 gets voided.

 

What would each team do if they could do it all over again? How many quarterbacks would still land in the top 15? And how high would stars such as Micah Parsons and Ja’Marr Chase go?

 

Let’s start with Jacksonville, with Miller winning the coin flip in our alternating re-draft and going first:

 

1. Jacksonville Jaguars

Original pick: Trevor Lawrence, QB

New pick: Trevor Lawrence, QB

 

Miller: There are plenty of directions the Jaguars could go in a 2021 re-draft — Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is among the league’s elite players, and quarterback Justin Fields has been amazing in Chicago — but the Jaguars got it right the first time. Lawrence had a rocky rookie season, but he has had an awakening and is playing franchise quarterback-level football.

 

He finished last season with 12 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions. And now through 14 games this season, he already has doubled his touchdowns (24) and cut down on his picks (7). In his past six games, he has 14 touchdown passes, just one pick and has completed 70.8% of his throws. Overall, he ranks in the top 10 among quarterbacks in passing yards, touchdowns and completions.

 

2. New York Jets

Original pick: Zach Wilson, QB

New pick: Justin Fields, QB

 

Reid: The Jets get a chance to right their pick here. Fields just surpassed the 1,000-yard mark as a rusher in Chicago, but imagine him with this ascending roster and in a Mike LaFleur offense that keeps a quarterback on schedule with a lot of easy throws. He still has much to prove as a passer, but his development could lead to great things. Having him under center would change this team’s trajectory with an exciting dual-threat orchestrating the offense.

 

Wilson’s time with the Jets has been complicated. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions in 21 career starts, and he was benched last month before returning in Week 15 because of Mike White’s injury. He has completed just 55.4% of his passes over the past two seasons.

 

3. San Francisco 49ers

Original pick: Trey Lance, QB

New pick: Micah Parsons, LB

 

Miller: The 49ers have shown they can win without an elite quarterback, but the defense could use another elite pass-rusher. Adding Parsons opposite Nick Bosa would give them the NFL’s most feared defensive line. They already have a great defense, but Parsons’ rare ability to play as a stand-up linebacker or edge rusher sets him apart. And in a division with throw-first offenses in Arizona and Los Angeles, Parsons’ 25 career sacks would be a huge addition.

 

Lance, whom San Francisco acquired after a huge trade a month before the draft, is still largely an unknown at the NFL level because of injuries. He has started just four games and attempted 102 passes, throwing five touchdown passes and three interceptions while adding a rushing score. He has completed just 54.9% of his passes. Lance has also been outplayed by rookie seventh-rounder Brock Purdy when comparing their performances.

 

4. Atlanta Falcons

Original pick: Kyle Pitts, TE

New pick: Ja’Marr Chase, WR

 

Reid: Chase is the easy new pick here, as he’d give the Falcons more consistency in the passing game. The wideout has already set the rookie single-season record for receiving yards (1,455), and he is one of only two wide receivers in NFL history to have at least 2,000 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns before their 23rd birthday (Randy Moss). Adding the young star wideout to the team’s offense provides a dynamic playmaker outside.

 

Atlanta’s original pick, Pitts, has struggled to become a mainstay after a big rookie season (1,026 yards and one touchdown). This season, he has only caught 28 receptions for 356 yards before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 11. Pitts will still make the top 15 here (spoiler!), but Chase is the no-brainer selection for Atlanta.

 

5. Cincinnati Bengals

Original pick: Ja’Marr Chase, WR

New pick: Rashawn Slater, OT

 

Miller: I would have jumped all over Chase if he were still on the board, but let’s throw it back to the debate that dominated Cincinnati’s pick in mock drafts at the time: Should the Bengals focus on protecting Burrow or give him a star wideout? And with Chase off the board, it becomes a lot easier of a call.

 

The Bengals’ offensive line could still use help, and a Pro Bowl-caliber tackle like Slater would boost the entire offense while finding a legitimate receiver would be possible in subsequent rounds. He has appeared in 1,220 offensive plays since being drafted (limited to three games this season with torn left biceps) and has only allowed five sacks. And his 91.1% pass block win rate over those 19 games ranks 17th among all NFL tackles.

 

6. Miami Dolphins

Original pick: Jaylen Waddle, WR

New pick: Pat Surtain II, CB

 

Reid: Waddle is a dangerous complementary pass-catcher in the Miami offense, but Surtain plays a premium position, and a strong argument could be made that he’s already among the top five cornerbacks in the entire league. He already has six interceptions and 24 pass breakups through his first two seasons and is a shutdown man-to-man corner. Oh, and Surtain goes to the team that once drafted his father. The younger Surtain would immediately be a building block for the Dolphins, who are giving up 246.3 passing yards per game this season (27th).

 

7. Detroit Lions

Original pick: Penei Sewell, OT

New pick: Penei Sewell, OT

 

Miller: The Lions got it right the first time, and while there will be arguments for a quarterback, the offense is doing just fine with Jared Goff. Neither Zach Wilson nor Mac Jones warrant a top-10 pick, and Trey Lance has thrown for less than 1,000 yards due to injury and development. So let’s stick with Sewell, who has been rock solid in his two seasons, allowing just three sacks this season for one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses. Sewell is one of the NFL’s best young left tackles and a player the Lions can build around.

 

8. Carolina Panthers

Original pick: Jaycee Horn, CB

New pick: Jaylen Waddle, WR

 

Reid: The Panthers secured a key cornerstone of their defense with Horn, and he was really tough to pass up here in a re-do after hauling in four picks over 15 career games. But this offense also needs a jumpstart on the outside, and Waddle is a game-breaker in that regard. He is an explosive catch-and-run threat who completely alters the outcome of games in an instant. His 104 receptions during his first season were the most ever by a rookie, and he recorded at least eight catches in seven games to set a new mark for first-year wide receivers.

 

Waddle already has back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons to his credit, and the Panthers’ offense has lacked that type of three-level receiver in its scheme. Pairing him with D.J. Moore would make for a dangerous one-two punch.

 

9. Denver Broncos

Original pick: Pat Surtain II, CB

New pick: Christian Darrisaw, OT

 

Miller: Surtain would have been my pick here, but with him off the board, let’s focus on an offensive line that has been under fire since Peyton Manning retired. Over the past two seasons, the Broncos have allowed 91 sacks, the third-most in the NFL. Darrisaw (originally the 23rd pick in 2021) looks like an All-Pro this season and would solve many of their current and long-term problems on the offensive line. He has allowed only three sacks over 651 offensive snaps this season, and his 78.4% run block win rate is 13th among all tackles.

 

10. Dallas Cowboys

Original pick: DeVonta Smith, WR (PHI traded up)

New pick: Jaycee Horn, CB

 

Reid: The Cowboys hit a home run with their original pick, trading back and still landing arguably the best player in the class in Micah Parsons — but we undid any draft-day deals here. And Dallas still could have drafted a star even if it had stayed home at No. 10 rather than trading with a divisional rival in the Eagles. Offensive line help was needed at the time, and adding Rashawn Slater or Christian Darrisaw would have been a positive alternative.

 

But I went with Horn, who could end up as one of the better corners in the league. With four interceptions through 15 career games played, he has progressively improved with each outing. An argument can be made for him to be selected higher, but the Cowboys would be more than happy to place him opposite Trevon Diggs to give their defense two lockdown cornerbacks. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, he has limited opponents to minus-13 expected points added when he’s the nearest defender on passing plays, eighth best among defensive backs this season.

 

11. New York Giants

Original pick: Justin Fields, QB (CHI traded up)

New pick: DeVonta Smith, WR

 

Miller: Man, the Giants could have stayed put and drafted Justin Fields, but he’s off the board in this re-draft. I’m not going to be tempted by any of the available quarterbacks — frankly, because I don’t think they’re worth a pick this high in hindsight — but instead give the Giants a legit WR1 to correct the many errors former GM Dave Gettleman made at that position. Smith would be a big help for a Giants team whose current leading receiver is Darius Slayton with 40 catches, 631 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Smith has 71 catches, 901 yards and five touchdowns on the season for the Eagles, and he averages 5.3 yards after the catch per reception.

 

New York originally moved back to No. 20 and drafted Florida receiver Kadarius Toney — who played in just 10 games with the Giants (39 catches) before being traded to Kansas City at the trade deadline.

 

12. Philadelphia Eagles

Original pick: Micah Parsons, LB (DAL pick from PHI trade)

New pick: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G

 

Reid: The team originally traded up to 10th for DeVonta Smith, but wow, imagine adding Parsons to that Eagles front? It would have been a nightmare for opposing teams, but they are instead forced to face him twice a season.

 

Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman has shown that he values the trenches, and the Eagles would be overjoyed to add a player of Vera-Tucker’s stature to the inside of their offensive front. With the center position manned by Jason Kelce, Vera-Tucker could fill in at either guard spot and provide the team with a versatile, rock-solid interior force. Prior to his triceps injury this season, Vera-Tucker was playing at an All-Pro level. He has logged starts at every spot along the offensive line except center over two seasons, and he has only allowed five sacks over nearly 1,400 snaps.

 

13. Los Angeles Chargers

Original pick: Rashawn Slater, OT

New pick: Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR

 

Miller: Jordan, you keep taking my picks! I would have loved Alijah Vera-Tucker to the Chargers. But with no offensive tackles of value still on the board (Slater went fifth in our re-draft), let’s load Justin Herbert up with playmakers. St. Brown looks like the steal of the ’21 draft (fourth round at No. 112 overall) and would be awesome in tandem with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, while also picking up the slack during their inevitable injuries (both have missed significant time this season).

 

St. Brown has been a standout for the Lions this year, leading the team with 89 catches, 974 receiving yards and six touchdowns. His 105 first-down receptions rank 10th over the past two seasons.

 

14. Minnesota Vikings

Original pick: Alijah Vera-Tucker, G (NYJ traded up)

New pick: Kyle Pitts, TE

 

Reid: This was a tough pick with a lot of options. The Vikings originally traded back and ended up with Christian Darrisaw down the board, which has ended up well for them. But Darrisaw isn’t available. Pitts is, though, and would be a fantastic addition to an already explosive offense.

 

While his second-year stats don’t reflect his impact, we saw during his first season how much of a security blanket Pitts can be for quarterbacks. He posted 1,026 receiving yards in 2021, becoming only the second rookie tight end in NFL history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark. With the versatility to play on the outside or in the slot, he can be a mismatch against defensive backs or linebackers. And Pitts would be a welcomed addition to a stacked offense for Kirk Cousins.

 

15. New England Patriots

Original pick: Mac Jones, QB

New pick: Creed Humphrey, C

 

Miller: In my opinion, the Patriots’ offense isn’t that different with Bailey Zappe under center compared to Jones. In his two seasons, Jones has been solid but unspectacular. His Total QBR of 30.7 this season is 32nd of 33 qualified quarterbacks, and his career touchdown-to-interception ratio is 29-to-21. He’s a low-level NFL starter and won’t take this offense where it needs to go.

 

Fixing the offensive line and ensuring a strong front five is more important than finding a system quarterback in the first round. Humphrey — originally the 63rd pick — looks like the next Jason Kelce and is already an All-Pro caliber player. His 97.8% pass block win rate is No. 1 in the entire NFL across all OL positions over the past two seasons.

Interesting how so many of the other first round picks were home runs – for example WR JAYLOR WADDLE who is a perfectly fine pick by Miami gets displaced.

So that really makes the three QB picks that are displaced – Lance, Wilson and Jones – look suspect.