The Clemson experience leads Henry Bushnell of YahooSports to call up “experts” about herd immunity.

The idea has arisen inside college football locker rooms; on Paul Finebaum’s radio show and Boomer Esiason’s; and even, sources say, during a recent Pac-12 meeting. On Friday, coaches and athletic department officials convened virtually with the conference’s coronavirus advisory committee. An anonymous question was put to the medical experts.

Would it be possible, or make sense, to intentionally create team-wide herd immunity?

It’s a question that has been lurking for weeks now. It gains steam as Clemson rolls on despite 37 positive COVID-19 tests. Most college athletes who contract the virus, the thought goes, will be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. They’ll recover and become immune, or so they think. They’ll be free to live life and compete. One Power 5 athletic director told Yahoo Sports that multiple football players and other athletes have said they’d like to get the virus now, so that they don’t have to worry about missing games in the fall.

And while coaches clearly want players to be healthy, now and throughout the season, some have mentioned to Yahoo Sports that teams with large early summer outbreaks could be at a competitive advantage come September.

Yahoo Sports presented the concept to a dozen health experts, some of whom have advised Power 5 conferences or the NCAA. A few acknowledged the superficial logic. “I can see why people are thinking about that,” says Bill Schaffner, a renowned infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.

Ron Waldman, an epidemiologist at George Washington University, says of the “competitive advantage” concept: “It’s a strange way of putting it, but the statement itself is probably correct.”

They and other experts, however, say there are several reasons the presumed advantage might not be nearly as significant as it appears. Many pinpointed sustainability of immunity and long-lasting complications as two massive unknowns. And besides, Waldman says: “It seems somewhat perverse to be talking about [COVID-19] in those terms.”

Furthermore, acknowledging competitive advantage and creating it by purposely contracting a potentially deadly disease are two different things. When asked whether intentional infection is a valid strategy, experts give the same answer that members of the Pac-12’s medical advisory committee gave on Friday. Unequivocally.

“No,” says Matt Turnbull, a virologist at Clemson.

“There’s absolutely no validity,” says Paul Pottinger, professor of infectious diseases at the University of Washington. “It’s a terrible idea, and under no circumstances should anybody think about it.”

The uncertainty of immunity

At the heart of this “terrible idea” is the concept of immunity. You contract COVID-19. You develop antibodies. After recovering, you become immune. That’s how other coronaviruses operate. That’s how most experts assume this one does.

“The issue with immunity,” says Chunhuei Chi, director of global health at Oregon State University, “is how long it lasts. And this varies greatly across different communicable diseases. Some last for lifetime. Some last for only a few months.”

And because COVID-19 is so new, researchers aren’t sure where it falls on the continuum.

Chi points to a recent study that followed 74 former patients, half of whom were asymptomatic, all of whom recovered. It found that antibody levels fell sharply over the three months after a person’s initial infection. And while it didn’t prove anything, Chi says it confirmed suspicions that immunity may last only a few months. “And that’s not good news,” he says.

He also points to another finding: “For the asymptomatic patients, immunity is even shorter.” In other words, there appears to be a relationship between degree of sickness, immune system response and antibody strength. “Young people who have mild disease or asymptomatic disease, their antibodies may never rise very high,” says Sankar Swaminathan, chief of infectious diseases at the University of Utah. “We don’t even know if those antibodies are protective.”

All of which means that a college football player who contracts the disease in June very well could contract it again in October. And he’d test positive. And he could get sick. And he’d have to sit out for at least 10 days.

This also presents a cascading problem. “We cannot give people certificates of immunity to play for the season just because they’ve had [COVID] before,” Swaminathan explains. “Let’s say that I’m Joe Lineman. I get sick. [Two weeks later], I’m clear, I’m fine. [Next month], I’m ready to go play The Ohio State University. Then it turns out that my roommate, who had not had [COVID-19] before, tests positive before the game. Guess what? I may not get to go play The Ohio State University on Saturday. Because I’ve been exposed.” And because immunity can’t be counted upon, protocols for “close contacts” may apply to Joe Lineman just as they would to a player who hasn’t previously contracted the virus.

“Basically,” Chi says in conclusion, “don’t count on herd immunity.”

What about long-term complications?

Proponents of intentional infection, experts say, also underestimate the risk. It’s indeed lower for college athletes than for the average American. “It’s not zero,” Schaffner says.

“Maybe the majority of them, because they’re young and healthy, aren’t going to show symptoms,” Turnbull says. “But some are going to show symptoms. Some are going to show very severe symptoms.”

“And you can’t always predict who that’s gonna be,” adds Jon Drezner, director of sports cardiology at the University of Washington. “Sometimes it’s the apparently fully healthy individual. … You just don’t know.”

The death rate among the college athlete demographic is almost certainly a small fraction of 1 percent. But there are other worries. Drezner says “we’re still learning” about potential long-term effects of the virus. “We don’t totally know. What we do know is that there are both cardiac and pulmonary complications from severe illness. If we look at individuals who have been hospitalized, the sickest of the patients who get COVID-19, they have about a 1-in-5 chance of injury to their heart or injury to their lungs that can be long-term. That’s really significant.

“What that has made us do in our young athlete community is ask the question, what happens if you’re asymptomatic? What happens if you only have mild symptoms, or maybe just a flu-like illness, but don’t have to go to the hospital? Are you still at risk of heart and lung complications?

“My own opinion, and that of some of the experts I’ve worked with, is that the chance that you have a heart or lung complication is directly related to the severity of the illness. And so I think it’s a very low likelihood that somebody who has an asymptomatic carriage of SARS-CoV-2 ends up having a heart problem from that. I think it’s really unlikely. But again, we just don’t know yet.”

Some experts point to high-profile case studies to show that the chance of significant symptoms isn’t negligible. Von Miller had a “frightening” experience that included difficulty breathing. Rudy Gobert still hasn’t fully recaptured his sense of smell. Swimmer Cameron van der Burgh, an Olympic gold medalist, fought COVID for weeks, and called it “by far the worst virus I have ever endured, despite being a healthy individual with strong lungs, living a healthy lifestyle and being young.”

Other experts, such as Zachary Binney, an epidemiologist at Emory University, point out that “not everybody involved in a college athletics program is a young, elite athlete. You have coaches, you have medical staff, you have officials, you have trainers, you have people who can be old and have preexisting conditions.” You also have professors, and family members, and soon-to-be-full campuses.

“We also need to worry about them,” Binney says.

A risk not worth taking

The question of intentional infection, like so many coronavirus questions, is one of risk and reward. The risk, for young athletes, is minimal. The reward, in theory, is timely immunity. The question, therefore, is seductive.

The experts’ counterargument, in summary, is that the risk – to athletes themselves, and to others – is more considerable than most realize. The reward, immunity, is fallible. It may not be so timely. The risk, therefore, isn’t worth taking.

“If you were a coach,” Turnbull says, “and you were really looking toward October, November, December to make your move toward the [College Football Playoff], and you thought the best thing to do would be to go ahead and have a coronavirus party, like the old Chickenpox party, that’s problematic.”

Says Jared Baeten, an epidemiologist at the University of Washington: “If we knew that getting immunity now would protect somebody thereafter, and we knew that that person wouldn’t get sick to a bad degree, yeah, of course that would be the thing to do. But we don’t know that one of these students is not going to get deathly sick. And that’s what everybody has to weigh.”

“We don’t know” remains the common refrain, and the concealer of risk, in large part because the virus is mere months old. Longitudinal studies aren’t yet very long. Perhaps some young adults feel comfortable with what they believe to be the risk. But not even scientists know what the risk really entails, nor the benefits it brings.

“I don’t think anybody should be out there seeking infection,” says Annabelle de St. Maurice, a professor of infectious disease at UCLA. “There are no medical professionals that I think would advise that.”

“We’re talking about a potentially severe illness,” Waldman says. “An illness that could end in death, that can have severe long-term consequences. And we’re weighing it against college football. I think we need to keep things in perspective.”

As usual, the “experts” are timid.

And it’s not hard to find obstacles if you look for them.  Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com:

The NFL and NFLPA continue to talk about how to open camps safely, but one of the problems they’re having is that the targets keep moving.

Trying to plan around a virus that’s spreading at record levels in large swaths of the country makes things difficult, and that’s one of the problems the league and union are having at the moment.

“There are a lot of questions unanswered, and even when you do come up with an answer, it brings up three more questions,” NFLPA president JC Tretter said, via Mike Jones of USA Today. “It’s kind of constantly trying to plug the holes, and you’re just trying to stay afloat.”

That reality makes progress on a plan difficult, with the clock ticking toward the scheduled July 28 opening of training camps.

According to Jones’ report, the goal is to have agreement on important issues sometime late next week (specifically mentioning between July 8-10), to give players time to make travels arrangements to return to work.

“The NFLPA and NFL are in the same exact place, where we want whatever makes for the safest possible environments for all our constituents, whether they be players, coaches, trainers, medical staff — anyone in that team environment,” NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said last week. “We’re going to work very hard together to educate everyone about the steps that we feel collectively are the most effective in reducing risks for everyone.”

Coming up with those steps is the current challenge, but the bigger one is recognizing any plans will have to be flexible, and subject to change throughout the season.

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

Ron Rivera explains his praise for QB CAM NEWTON even as he let him take a minimal contract with New England.  It’s all about believing in QB DWAYNE HASKINS.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Washington could have signed Cam Newton. It didn’t.

Instead, Ron Rivera, who spent nine years with Newton in Carolina, traded a fifth-round choice to the Panthers for Kyle Allen to back up Dwayne Haskins.

So Newton signed with the Patriots on Sunday, giving him a chance to win the starting job.

“If the circumstances had allowed us, I would not have had an issue with that,” Rivera said on 670 The Score on Monday, via NBCSportsWashington.com. “I would’ve been very confident and comfortable going after him and bringing him to be part of what we’re doing here.”

Haskins, 23, has only seven starts, but Washington drafted him to be its quarterback of the present and the future.

Rivera didn’t want Newton to be a progress-stopper for Haskins, whom the coach said they will show patience.

“That’s the benefit of being a new head coach is that we can be patient,” Rivera said. “We can put these guys through workouts and get to know what we have and feel good about it or don’t feel good about it. Then we have to go out and make some changes, but until we get that opportunity to know what we have, it would’ve been very hard to bring a guy in who’s had such a solid career, who was a league MVP at one time and expect the young guy to get his chances to grow.”

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY

Tim Daniels of Bleacher Report with the rumors and denials that circulated Tuesday about WR ANTONIO BROWN and the Buccaneers:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not interested in free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown, according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

This comes after both JT The Brick of Mad Dog Sports Radio and Michael Lombardi of The Athletic heard rumors Tuesday linking Brown to the Bucs, who’ve already added former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and tight end Rob Gronkowski to their offense during the offseason:

Russini’s report should not come as much of a surprise, as signing Brown would represent an about-face from Tampa head coach Bruce Arians.

In March, Arians explained on the CBS Sports Network (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine) he didn’t view the seven-time Pro Bowl selection as a good fit for the organization.

“Yeah, it’s not gonna happen,” Arians said. “There’s no room. And probably not enough money. But it’s not gonna happen—it’s not a fit here.”

He added: “Yeah, I just know him, and it’s not a fit in our locker room.”

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Add QB KYLER MURRAY to the list of fearless quarterbacks.  Katherine Fitzgerald of the Arizona Republic:

Kyler Murray has connected with DeAndre Hopkins.

In a video posted first to his Instagram Monday and then to his Twitter, Murray is seen taking the field with some Cardinals teammates. The second-year quarterback had reportedly invited 20 offensive skill players to the Dallas area, footing the budget, according to ProFootballTalk. The highlights are set to “Heatin Up” by Lil Baby featuring Gunna, and Murray posted it with a Bruce Lee quote.

Wide receivers Hopkins and Christian Kirk, running backs Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds, and tight end Maxx Williams are among the 17 tagged. The Murray-Hopkins connection is especially prominent, with three shown receptions and the two embracing toward the beginning of the video. Murray, wearing a beanie and an “equality” shirt, looks sharp.

Lombardi seems to think that Brady is being persistent:

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Tampa makes another move,” Lombardi said on the Pat McAfee Show. “I wouldn’t be surprised now that New England got Cam (Newton), I wouldn’t be surprised if Tampa made another move.”

A move like signing Brown?

“I am thinking they are chipping away,” he said. “You know how Andy (Dufresne) used to chip away at the wall at Shawshank? Chip, chip, chip. I think there’s some chipping going on down there. I am just saying keep your antennas up.”

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Two months is a long time in our new world, but DT AARON DONALD wants certainty from the NFL.  Joseph Nocco of ClutchPoints.com:

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is not only one of the best all-around players that the NFL has to offer, but he is also one of the league’s more respected players as well.

Typically letting his play do the talking for him as Donald is no doubt a physical specimen, the veteran defender for the Rams recently spoke out in regards to being fed up with the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming 2020 NFL season, transcription via Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.

“I was just talking to a couple people with the Rams. I think everybody’s mindset is still, we start in July around camp. I just don’t know how they’re going to do camp just because all the situations,” Donald said, via his YouTube channel.

Of course, both the Rams and every other NFL franchise are currently in the midst of the most unique offseason that the league has ever encountered due to the ongoing “coronavirus” pandemic. Although social distancing and wearing a mask may help people maintain their help in normal society, it is a bit difficult to avoid contact when suiting up as a professional football player.

With the month of July now looming large, it remains to be seen as to how all of this plays out for the NFL in 2020 like the Rams superstar.

SEATTLE

Josina Anderson gets the scoop from JADEVEON CLOWNEY.

@JosinaAnderson

Just got off the phone with free agent DE Jadeveon Clowney. He told me, at this time, he intends to sign with a team “before the season starts, if everything still goes on time with the season.” Clowney also added, “no I have not narrowed down a final team. I’m still open.”

It’s my opinion from my phone conversation with Clowney just now that he remains confident about his value and worth and that interested teams have the ability to still pay, regardless of the upcoming pandemic-impacted season. I sensed zero shift in that belief.

It’s unclear whether or not Anderson is still doing this reporting on behalf of ESPN.  Her contract was said a month ago to be expiring “this summer” and there will not be an extension.

We note that the Seahawks cleared $5 mil in cap space on Tuesday.  Brady Henderson of ESPN.com:

The Seattle Seahawks announced Tuesday that they have waived safety Tedric Thompson and released tight end Ed Dickson.

Neither move, both of which comes with a failed physical designation, was a surprise.

The moves clear more than $5 million in cap space for the Seahawks, who are still hoping to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney or add one of the other available pass-rushers.

Thompson, 25, was a fourth-round pick by Seattle in 2017 and was up and down in 16 starts over the past two seasons after taking over for Earl Thomas at free safety. He made interceptions in critical moments in consecutive October victories but also had lapses in coverage that resulted in long completions, including a 50-yarder in the Seahawks’ loss to Baltimore that coach Pete Carroll lamented as a “big mistake.” His 2019 season ended after six games because of a shoulder injury that required labrum surgery.

Thompson no longer projected as a starter with Quandre Diggs taking over at free safety. He was scheduled to make a non-guaranteed $2.133 million in base salary this season because he met the playing-time threshold for a raise via the NFL’s proven performance escalator. The Seahawks save that amount while incurring $168,000 in dead money.

Dickson was due a $3 million base salary and could have made up to $400,000 in per-game roster bonuses. Seattle incurs $867,000 in dead money with his release.

Dickson, 32, missed all of last season because of a knee injury that required surgery in August. The Seahawks briefly activated him off injured reserve in November but then put him back on IR before he played in a game.

He joined the Seahawks in 2018 as a free agent, signing a three-year deal worth $10.7 million. Dickson missed the first six games of that season, then caught 12 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns over the final 10. The 10-year veteran previously played for Baltimore and Carolina.

The Seahawks were set at tight end after adding Greg Olsen in February and then re-signing Jacob Hollister and Luke Willson. Will Dissly is coming back from a torn Achilles.

– – –

Pete Carroll loves his virtual Seahawks.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

This NFL offseason was unlike any other, with players and coaches barred from team facilities during the pandemic, and all work done on video conference rather than on the field. But Seahawks coach Pete Carroll believes his team got better, despite the circumstances.

Carroll told Doug Farrar of USA Today that the Seahawks exceeded expectations with the work they put in under unusual circumstances, and he believes that’s going to make a big difference once they can finally get on the field.

“We killed it during the offseason in a way I couldn’t envision it going as well as it did,” Carroll said. “It went great, and we accomplished a lot, and we’re smarter than we’ve ever been. The transition we make now will be huge. Who would have thought that we could come out of the offseason and say that this was an extraordinary offseason – learning and teaching and concepts, and then all of the social stuff and personal stuff we dealt with has been so challenging, but necessary. Hopefully, we’re really going to make a turn here that’s extraordinary. There’s so much happening, even though we’ve been sitting at home! It’s just amazing.”

Carroll’s optimistic nature has not been shaken by the circumstances of this offseason. He expects another big year in Seattle.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

DL CHRIS JONES wants huge money, even in a league that may not have any ticket revenue.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Standout defensive lineman Chris Jones and his Super Bowl-champion Chiefs have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.

However, if Jones, who the team applied the franchise tag to in March, doesn’t get the deal he’s desiring, it might be well past mid-July until Kansas City sees the uber-talented DL again.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday on NFL Total Access that Jones has “always viewed himself as a $20 million-plus” per-year player, but that the Chiefs have never seen him in such a light and have never offered him that substantial an amount. Hence, Garafolo added there is “a lot of work to be done,” if a long-term pact is to be had and Garafolo’s not confident it will happen.

Jones, a 2019 Pro Bowler, replied via Twitter to a reply to a video of Garafolo’s report that a holdout might be in store.

“Or I won’t play. Le’Veon Bell told me about this,” Jones’ tweet read.

Bell famously — or infamously, pending on your viewpoint or rooting interest — held out all of the 2018 season while he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers seeking a lofty contract. He was eventually released and signed a lucrative deal with the New York Jets.

Jones, 25, is set to make $16.1 million during the 2020 season on the franchise tag and currently there are only two defensive tackles making north of $20 million annually, per Over the Cap, and that’s the Rams’ Aaron Donald and the Colts’ DeForest Buckner.

Jones, whose 87.6 grade via Pro Football Focus was the seventh-best among interior defensive linemen in 2019, is a four-year pro who really burst upon the scene in 2018 when he tallied 15.5 sacks. Over the last two seasons and 29 games played, he has 24.5 sacks. Aside from his statistics, though, Jones can play all along the line and impacts a game like few others.

Should he hold out, not only would it likely be a blow to the chemistry of the reigning Super Bowl champions, it would also take one of the most talented young defensive players in the league off the field.

It seems as though the honeymoon may well be over for the champs.

So Jones is holding out Le’VEON BELL as a role model as to how to negotiate?

AFC EAST

NEW ENGLAND

In a normal world, QB CAM NEWTON would be receiving unabashed praise for promptly beginning workouts with one of his new Patriots receivers.  But, this is not a normal world.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Cam Newton is wasting no time getting to know one of his new Patriot teammates.

The recently signed quarterback was seen working out with receiver Mohamed Sanu at UCLA on Tuesday.

Sanu, coming off a disappointing half-season in New England, is recovering from offseason ankle surgery. His trainer recently said the wideout was “faster, quicker, leaner and in better shape” as he rehabs.

Newton is also coming off his own surgery after missing all but two games in 2019 due to a foot injury.

The tandem remaining healthy will be key for any success in New England this season. Newton brings MVP-caliber upside and diversity to the Pats offense if he can stay healthy. If Sanu puts the ankle injury in the past, he’d make a receiver corps along with Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry much more complete.

Getting a few reps in together in the downtime before training camp — even as the NFLPA has suggested players give the group workouts a rest amid the pandemic — should only help strengthen the duo’s potential rapport.

Is two a group?  It would seem that a QB and receiver could stay at least six feet apart during a “workout” although in the social media photo that brought attention to the event, they are only about four feet apart.

– – –

We are reminded that the Robert Kraft massage parlor case is still ongoing as Palm Beach County prosecutors are going to extraordinary cost and lengths to try and gain a reversal of a trial judge’s order.  The AP:

Florida appellate judges on Tuesday questioned the legality of search warrants that let police secretly video record New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and others paying for massage parlor sex, pressing a prosecutor on his contention that the warrants were legally valid.

Deputy Solicitor General Jeffrey DeSousa found himself repeatedly queried by the three-judge panel as he tried to persuade them that the warrants and searches met all constitutional protections and that they should overturn lower court rulings that barred the recordings’ use at trial.

Misdemeanor charges against Kraft, 79, and other customers would have to be dropped if those rulings stand, although felony charges against the spa owners might proceed as there is other evidence against them.

Kraft and others were charged in February 2019 in a multi-county investigation of massage parlors that included the secret installation of video cameras in their lobbies and rooms. Police say the recordings show Kraft and other men engaging in sex acts with women and paying them.

Judge Robert Gross, who presided at the Florida Fourth District Court of Appeal hearing, seemed taken aback by DeSousa’s contention that he and his colleagues should primarily consider the plain language of the Fourth Amendment. It says judges can issue warrants if police demonstrate there is probable cause of a crime and the warrants must specify the place to be searched and the people or property to be seized.

Gross told DeSousa he seemed to be ignoring numerous rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court expanding Fourth Amendment protections since the 1960s, including some that restricted electronic surveillance by police.

“You are getting us off on the wrong foot by focusing on the language of the Fourth Amendment when we should be focusing on the Supreme Court jurisprudence….that is heavily weighted against you,” Gross told DeSousa.

THIS AND THAT

NINE UNDER PRESSURE

Adam Schein of NFL.com offers us nine players he thinks are especially “under pressure” in 2020.

In the NFL, pressure comes in many forms …

Can the first-round bust turn his career around? Will the former Pro Bowler recapture the magic? Can the young up-and-comer cash in on a contract year? Will the aging veteran capitalize on that last chance to shine? And who delivers the goods on a team with the simple “Super Bowl or bust” mantra?

With all of that in mind, here’s my Schein Nine list of the players facing the most pressure in the 2020 campaign:

1 Cam Newton

New England Patriots · QB

If Cam cannot beat out Jarrett Stidham for the starting job and/or Brian Hoyer for a roster spot, it’s over. And taking into account how injury-riddled Newton’s last two seasons have been — as well as the report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Browns were the only other team to show even mild interest in the 2015 NFL MVP — it’s reasonable to surmise the SuperCam days are indeed over.

Cam turned 31 in May. Shoulder and foot injuries have taken a significant toll on his dynamism. In his past eight starts, going back to early November of 2018, Newton is 0-8 with more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9). In that span, he averaged a measly 18 ground yards per game without a single rushing touchdown. Once a dual-threat monster with jaw-dropping physical traits, Newton’s been a shell of his former self. This is why new Panthers coach Matt Rhule rightly upgraded to Teddy Bridgewater. This is why Chargers coach Anthony Lynn ignored the cries for Cam, sticking with the athletic veteran he knows (Tyrod Taylor) and drafting a quarterback for the future (Justin Herbert). This is why Cam’s former coach, Ron Rivera, traded a fifth-rounder for Kyle Allen instead of just signing Cam to join him on the Redskins.

As is typically the case when Bill Belichick’s Patriots bring in a big-name player, though, the hype around Newton’s New England relocation has been out of control over the past 48 hours …

I’m just not there. Like at all. I don’t think this changes the outlook on the 2020 Patriots’ win-loss record one bit. As I said on my CBS Sports Network show, Time to Schein, this is not a savior situation — this is a flyer. A flyer that, yes, makes sense, considering the current state of New England’s QB room, but a flyer nonetheless. And I have a hard time imagining it bearing much fruit.

That said, it seems like I’m in the minority here. Many suddenly anticipate big things from Cam and the Pats in 2020. These outsized expectations take the pressure through the roof. Oh, and did I mention that Cam is replacing the greatest quarterback of all time?

2 Khalil Mack

Chicago Bears · OLB

When Chicago traded for Mack just before the start of the 2018 season, I thought it was one of the biggest steals in memory. And Mack burst on the scene in his Bears debut, with a strip-sack and pick-six in his first half of play. Although he would miss two games that season due to an ankle injury, Mack still finished with 12.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits and six forced fumbles, earning his third first-team All-Pro designation.

But at the risk of sounding hyperbolic, did Mack make an impactful play last year? OK, five forced fumbles is a nice figure, but 8.5 sacks just doesn’t cut it. Honestly, I’m not really sure how he made a fifth consecutive Pro Bowl.

Two seasons into Mack’s Chicago tenure, the Bears have yet to win a playoff game. Obviously, this franchise’s most glaring issue is the quarterback position. But Mack is supposed to be a top-five defensive player. That’s why the Bears traded away a pair of first-rounders — and consequently handed out a record-setting extension — for his services. Last year, he was most definitely not elite.

This offseason, Chicago GM Ryan Pace signed Robert Quinn to hunt quarterbacks opposite Mack. Quinn’s the kind of proven running mate who should allow the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year to eat. Now the pressure’s on Mack to deliver sacks, wins and live up to the trade.

3 Patrick Peterson

Arizona Cardinals · CB

Whenever I ask cornerbacks or receivers to name the truly elite cover men in the game, Peterson’s name routinely comes up. A Pro Bowler in each of his first eight NFL seasons, Pat Pete’s built up an immense level of respect among his peers. But last year was an absolute mess.

After serving a six-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Peterson just wasn’t himself upon return. While his play picked up in the final month of the season, the 29-year-old looked like a player in decline for much of his ninth NFL campaign.

Now, I have Arizona as my Cinderella team in 2020. Part of my premise is that the Cardinals have three special talents on defense in Peterson, Chandler Jones and rookie Isaiah Simmons. Peterson needs to be special again — which means playing at his Hall of Fame level — for the Cardinals to live up to my billing.

4 JuJu Smith-Schuster

Pittsburgh Steelers · WR

Antonio Brown became a world-class headache in Pittsburgh, but he produced at a transcendent rate. Over his final six seasons with the Steelers, AB averaged 114 catches for 1,524 yards and 11 touchdowns per year. Smith-Schuster logged some impressive numbers of his own in 2018 — 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns — giving Steelers fans hope that he could truly assume WR1 status following Brown’s trade in the 2019 offseason.

Not so much.

Last year was a hot mess for JuJu, who posted career lows in catches (42), yards (552) and touchdowns (3). Granted, Smith-Schuster dealt with injuries and lackluster quarterback play after Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending elbow injury in September, but he was less productive than James Washington and rookie Diontae Johnson.

The Steelers need JuJu to get his mojo back in 2020. While Pittsburgh’s defense is ready for prime time, the offense has a number of questions, starting with Big Ben’s health. And given the underwhelming options in the backfield, the 38-year-old quarterback is going to have to air it out. Thus, he needs a legit go-to receiver. Still just 23 years old, Smith-Schuster has to be that guy — not just for the Steelers to be successful in 2020, but for JuJu to get paid in 2021. Yes, this is a contract year for the former second-round pick. If he flounders in consecutive seasons, he’s a goner in Pittsburgh and he’ll face a chilly reception on the open market.

5 Jimmy Garoppolo

San Francisco 49ers · QB

You can make the case that the 49ers have the single best roster, 1 through 53, in the NFL. You can make the case that if Garoppolo connected on that deep ball to Emmanuel Sanders in the final minutes of Super Bowl LIV, the Niners would have a sixth Lombardi Trophy. You can make the case that San Francisco should’ve signed Tom Brady this offseason.

In fact, I’ve made all of those cases.

Don’t get it twisted: I’m not a Jimmy G hater. He played quite well in the 2019 regular season. But he came up short in the postseason, particularly on that infamous overthrow. These Niners are built to make another playoff run, with the talent and coaching to take home the ultimate prize. But at some point, in a huge spot, they’ll need the quarterback to make a play. Will he?

6 Von Miller

Denver Broncos · OLB

Miller, like Mack, slumped big time last season. Eight sacks? That’s the second-lowest total of his career, only more than the five he logged in 2013, when he missed seven games due to suspension and injury. Miller would be the first to tell you that last year wasn’t up to his standard. And the number crunchers over at Pro Football Focus would agree. Over his first eight years in the league, Miller never posted a PFF season grade below 90. But last year, he ended up below 80 — at 79.3, to be exact.

While the hype is understandably building around Drew Lock and the Broncos’ offense — after Lock’s inspired play last December and an offseason full of weapons upgrades — the calling card for Vic Fangio’s team still needs to be the defense. And that means Miller must get back to his elite level. It’s also worth mentioning that Miller holds a $22.2 million cap hit in 2021. Another eight-sack season, and the $4.2 million dead-cap hit could be a pretty enticing alternative.

7 T.Y. Hilton

Indianapolis Colts · WR

Is Hilton a legit No. 1? Can the 5-foot-10, 183-pounder stay healthy? Is T.Y getting long in the tooth at age 30? Those are all valid questions, especially with the Colts in win-now mode, with a new quarterback at the helm in Philip Rivers. Indy needs the veteran to lead the receiving corps, with a pair of unproven youngsters (second-year man Parris Campbell and rookie Michael Pittman Jr.) likely to flank him in the starting lineup.

I’ve always been a T.Y. fan, and I love the Colts to bounce back and make the playoffs in 2020, but the pressure weighs heavy on No. 13, who just so happens to be in the final year of his contract. Will Chris Ballard let him hit the open market in 2021? Time to rejoin the 1,000-yard club, T.Y.

8 Aaron Jones

Green Bay Packers · RB

Lost in the shuffle of Green Bay foolishly spending a first-round pick on a quarterback to eventually replace Aaron Rodgers, the Packers inexplicably spent their second-rounder on an old-school bruiser back to potentially replace Jones. While the AJ Dillon pick didn’t get the same attention as the Jordan Love selection, it was similarly confounding.

Jones is fresh off a breakout season in which he led the NFL in rushing touchdowns (16) and total touchdowns (19). As a multifaceted weapon, Jones eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing and also caught 49 passes. But now he’s in the final year of his rookie contract. Could this be his final year in Green Bay? And if so, what kind of money will await a 26-year-old running back on the open market? Jones has to build off last year while holding off the rookie.

9 Leonard Fournette

Jacksonville Jaguars · RB

Time and patience are running out when it comes to the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. And remember: The Jaguars drafted the running back over Christian McCaffrey — as well as Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Whoops.

I still think Fournette is talented, having shown enticing flashes over his first three NFL seasons. He did just finish seventh in the league in rushing, after all, with 1,152 yards. But does he really get it? Is he ready to lock in as a mature professional? Can he help the Jaguars win in 2020? What’s the future hold after this season?

Jacksonville declined his fifth-year option. The Jaguars have been dangling him on the trade block this offseason, but no one’s biting. It’s high time for Fournette to change the narrative.