The NFL announced Tuesday new policies designed to increase employment opportunities and advancement for minorities and women throughout the league.

The league changed the current anti-tampering policy to prohibit a team from denying an assistant coach an opportunity to interview with a new team for a “bona fide” coordinator role. Nor can a non high-level/non-secondary football executive be prohibited from interviewing for a “bona fide” assistant GM job. Any dispute on if a team is offering a “bona fide” position will be decided on by Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Teams also have been instructed to “submit in writing an organizational reporting structure for the coaching staff with job descriptions for any coach who is a coordinator or co-coordinator within that structure.”

“The NFL is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which I believe is critical to our continued success,” Goodell said in a statement. “While we have seen positive strides in our coaching ranks over the years aided by the Rooney Rule, we recognize, after the last two seasons, that we can and must do more. The policy changes made today are bold and demonstrate the commitment of our ownership to increase diversity in leadership positions throughout the league.”

The league also officially announced changes to the Rooney Rule.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Monday the league will require clubs to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coaching openings and at least one minority candidate for any coordinator job.

In addition, teams must interview one external minority candidate for senior football operations and general manager jobs. Teams and the NFL league office must also include minorities and/or female applicants for senior-level positions, including club president jobs

“We believe these new policies demonstrate the NFL owners’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in the NFL,” said Art Rooney II, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and chairman of the league’s workplace diversity committee. “The development of young coaches and young executives is a key to our future. These steps will assure coaching and football personnel are afforded a fair and equitable opportunity to advance throughout our football operations. We also have taken important steps to ensure that our front offices, which represent our clubs in so many different ways, come to reflect the true diversity of our fans and our country.”

One resolution regarding minority hires was tabled Tuesday. NFL Network’s Jim Trotter reported that NFL owners tabled the resolution that would give teams enhanced draft stock for hiring minority candidates as head coaches or primary football executives (i.e. general managers), per a source informed of the decision.

“Facts are, we have a broken system” said Troy Vincent, the executive vice president of football operations for the NFL, said via NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. “The fight continues.”

Vincent’s sentiments were shared by Goodell in a conference call.

“We’re not satisfied with where we are, we know we can and should do better. That’s why this package of seven initiatives is very significant,” Goodell said in the call, via Rapoport. “Our work here is not done.”

The changes in the rule also apply to front office positions, both with teams and the NFL office, where it is now required that women be considered.  Art Rooney II thinks his father would be happy per Joe Rutter in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

For the first time, the rule will include females applying for executive positions such as club president and senior executives in finance, communications, human resources, legal, football operations, sales, marketing, sponsorship, information technology and security positions.

The rule also applied to the NFL offices in New York.

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II, whose father instituted the Rooney Rule, chairs the workplace diversity committee that initiated the changes.

Rooney said in a statement the policies show a commitment to “diversity, equity and inclusion in the NFL.”

“The development of young coaches and young executives is a key to our future,” Rooney said. “These steps will assure coaching and football personnel are afforded a fair and equitable opportunity to advance throughout our football operations.

“We also have taken important steps to ensure that our front offices, which represent our clubs in so many different ways, come to reflect the true diversity of our fans and our country.”

DETROIT

With a judge allowing the extreme powers claimed by Michigan’s LockDown Governor, the Lions are acting like they won’t be allowed to open their business as now scheduled on May 28.  Coach Matt Patricia is careful not to antagonize anyone with his comments in a radio interview.  Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press:

Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia said in a radio interview Tuesday that the team will not reopen its Allen Park headquarters and training facility for at least “the next couple of weeks.”

The NFL sent a memo to teams Friday telling them they could reopen their facilities Tuesday, with protocols for limiting capacity, if state and local governments allowed it. Michigan’s stay-at-home order runs through May 28 as the state continues to battle COVID-19.

“First and foremost we’re going to try to do everything possible to make sure we’re keeping everybody safe,” Patricia said in an interview with WJR-AM (760). “Our facility is just kind of going to stay in operation the way it is right now. …

“Some of the things we’ve been working on is the virtual meetings, and with the coaches not being able to go in from our standpoint and the phase that we’re in right now in the offseason program, we’re going to stand pat with what we’re doing for the next couple weeks and wait to kind of see what happens here.”

DALLAS

Interesting note about CB REGGIE ROBINSON II, a fourth round pick from Tulsa, by Todd Archer of ESPN.com:

To make an impact on the Cowboys as a rookie, Robinson likely will have to get by with limited practice time because of the coronavirus pandemic. He is learning all he can from his virtual meetings, and he is going through skill work and lifting on his own to be in the best shape possible whenever he can get to The Star for the first time.

Off the field, he can make an impact in other ways besides the effect he is having on his hometown. Robinson is deaf in his left ear, and he can support others who are like him.

“We found out when he was in third or fourth grade when they did a hearing test at school,” said his father, Reginald, who played on the defensive line at Grambling State University. “He had a big hearing aid, and you know how some other kids can be about that. He didn’t wear that very long at all.”

Robinson started sitting closer to the front of his classes to hear the teachers better. The impairment didn’t affect his grades in high school or at Tulsa, where he recently graduated with two degrees, one in organizational studies and the other media. It did not affect him on the field, either.

“You know, I [had] kind of forgotten [about his hearing loss] because he never let that be an issue,” Payne said. “He never let that be a crutch for him. He didn’t want that to be an excuse. He was always very in tune with what we were doing, paying attention on the field. It’s kind of funny to say you would forget that, but that’s how he was.”

About the only concession Robinson makes is ensuring anyone he talks to is placed on his right side.

“Honestly, I didn’t know about it when we were recruiting him, and I didn’t find out until he got on campus,” Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery said. “It was one of those deals where I was walking beside him down the hall and I said something to him, and he kind of turned his head to talk to me. He tells me, ‘Coach, you know I’m deaf in this ear, right?’ No, Reggie, I didn’t know that.”

Robinson played on either side of the field, and his fellow defensive backs would use hand signals to communicate, if necessary.

“The great thing was I didn’t know there was any difference from anybody else,” Robinson said. “I definitely started sitting closer in classes so I could hear, but it wasn’t like I was born with both ears being good and I lost something. To me, it’s not a big deal.”

It was not a big deal to the Cowboys, either.

The Dallas staff saw Robinson’s production improve from year to year. As a senior at Tulsa, he intercepted four passes and had 17 pass deflections. Robinson also blocked four kicks in his career. During the draft process, Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay came to love Robinson’s game. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Robinson has the size to line up against bigger receivers or potentially play safety. He clocked a 4.4-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine but ran faster in workouts, so he has the speed to match up, as well.

“I remember the first time I watched the tape on him at Tulsa, and you are wondering why he is not part of the conversation with the other guys up there in the first two rounds,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “Obviously, his size, his strength, his ability as another big corner to play with length [are a plus].”

Robinson’s hometown is now known as Cleburne, Texas.  Since Patrick Cleburne, after whom it was named, was a Confederate general, we could see a name change at some future date.  It’s about 30 miles south of Fort Worth and the county seat of Johnson County (not LBJ).  Robinson is the first Cleburne H.S. Yellowjacket to be drafted in 44 years.

PHILADELPHIA

RB MILES SANDERS is planning on a breakout season in 2020. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

Miles Sanders led the Eagles in carries during his rookie season, but he spent much of the year sharing time with Jordan Howard in the lead running back role.

Sanders doesn’t have a clear partner at the top of the depth chart this year. Howard moved on to Miami as a free agent, which leaves Boston Scott and Corey Clement as the experienced backs behind Howard on the depth chart.

That will likely mean a jump from the 229 touches that Howard handled last year and Sanders said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’s “absolutely” ready for that kind of increase.

“I believe that’s why they drafted me in the first place,” Sanders said. “It was really just a switch that turned. All of a sudden, I was a starting running back and I didn’t start at the beginning of the season. I just looked at the opportunity and attacked it.”

The Eagles could still add to the backfield before the start of the season, but it seems unlikely that anyone they pick up at this point will do more than improve the options behind Sanders.

DENVER

RB MELVIN GORDON thinks the Broncos are a better fit for his talents than were the Chargers.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Melvin Gordon had an up-and-down relationship with the Chargers, making a couple Pro Bowls during his five seasons there but also expressing displeasure with his contract before leaving in free agency this year. Now, Gordon says, he’s in a better place.

Gordon thinks the Big Ten background of Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is the right fit for the running style Gordon showed off in college.

“They run a lot of inside zones, and that’s what I did a lot at Wisconsin,” Gordon told Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. “It’s going to really help me get back in the feel of what I do best. I’m an inside-zone runner.”

Gordon said that in the Chargers’ offense, he felt like a square peg getting pounded into a round hole.

“It really didn’t play out to my strengths, especially the first couple years there,” Gordon said. “I kind of just had to adjust and make it work. It kind of wasn’t a system built for me. But I feel like Denver kinda runs my style of football, and I think it’s a great fit.”

With Gordon joining running back Phillip Lindsay in Denver, the Broncos expect the running game to take pressure off quarterback Drew Lock, and expect to gain plenty of yards on the ground.

CLEVELAND

Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk.com on the efforts of the Browns players to build virtual camaraderie:

Usually when the Browns start having players-only meetings, it’s a sign of their traditional dysfunction.

This time, it’s an effort to function as a normal locker room would.

Via Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal, center J.C Tretter said the Browns have been trying to create some degree of atmosphere with weekly players-only videoconference sessions.

″[On Thursdays] special teams meets and the rest of the guys kind of sit on a Zoom call and just do what you would have done if you were sitting in the locker room,” Tretter said. “Talk and chat and we’ll go over plays and Baker [Mayfield] will run us through different things and we’ll talk through our calls.

“A lot of that is just a chance to get to know each other and see each other’s personalities. We have a lot of new additions. What are their families like, how are they doing, where are they living, all that stuff is important. We’ve kind of got that built into our program, allowing players to take the lead and go through plays as well as just be guys in the locker room, just virtually.”

Mayfield has had some workouts with skill players in Texas, but they obviously can’t get the entire team together in any tangible way. So for now, they’re just hanging out online, and hoping it helps.

PITTSBURGH

Someone defied Pennsylvania’s extreme LockDown Governor and cut QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER’s hair – and he let his media know that he is irate about it.  Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com:

Not everyone is happy about quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s haircut and beard trim.

During his daily briefing Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf criticized Roethlisberger’s recent trip to Norman’s Cut N’ Edge to get his haircut and beard trimmed following a workout with his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates.

Many counties, including Allegheny, are in the “yellow” phase of reopening, which does not include barbershops and hair salons. Those establishments will be permitted to reopen once counties have moved to the “green” phase during the coronavirus pandemic.

“My concern is just a general concern,” Wolf said Tuesday. “Anybody who puts himself or herself into harm’s way is something that I think we have to try to avoid. When you go to something like a barbershop and you’re not protected, I don’t care who you are, the chances of that virus actually wreaking havoc on your life increases.

“I don’t personally think any Pennsylvanian ought to take that chance. I certainly don’t want to take that chance myself.”

The Steelers and Roethlisberger posted a 38-second video Monday afternoon of the quarterback throwing to his teammates, marking a major milestone in his recovery from September elbow surgery.

After showing Roethlisberger throwing to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner, the video then cuts to the freshly shorn quarterback in a barber’s chair, getting his beard trimmed.

MIAMI

QB RYAN FITZPATRICK comments on the selection of QB TUA TAGOVAILOA.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Often times a one-man highlight reel in 2019, Ryan Fitzpatrick did everything he could at the tail end of last season to provide Dolphins fans with excitement and the Miami franchise with something to cheer for following a dubious onset to the campaign.

Not only does Fitzpatrick want to continue playing, but he showed in 2019 that he most certainly can still play and do so at a high level.

Nonetheless, the Dolphins have their franchise quarterback of the future in Tua Tagovailoa — the Alabama product selected fifth in the 2020 NFL Draft by Miami. Perhaps surprisingly, Fitzpatrick was happy to see the Fins pick Tagovailoa.

“I’m excited that they drafted him,” Fitzpatrick said on Eric Wood’s “What’s Next” podcast, via SI.com‘s Alain Poupart. “I’m excited because in watching him play at Alabama, he looks like a pretty dynamic talent. Just in meeting him a few times, he seems like an unbelievable kid, great head on his shoulders, says the right things, wants to do the right things, so like — for me — I’m his biggest cheerleader right now, but I also want to be out there playing. I also want to be on the field because that’s why I’m still doing it, because I still enjoy the game.”

It’s really not a new concept. An older quarterback who still has some left in the tank and a highly-touted rookie who is the future of the club together on the same roster. No matter the best of intentions, the hope of a bright tomorrow via Tagovailoa and the prospects of a meaningful present via one of the NFL’s all-time finest journeyman QBs will collide.

The Dolphins will actually take a two-game winning streak into 2020, thanks in large part to the histrionics of Fitzpatrick, who led Miami to the biggest highlight of last season in Week 17 when a 27-24 win was had over the hated Patriots. The victory, one in which Fitzpatrick threw for more than 300 yards, had two total touchdowns and out dueled Tom Brady, kept New England from a first-round playoff bye. In the eyes of some, it was a win for the Dolphins that effectively ended the best of times in Beantown.

For Fitzpatrick, it was the capper to a season that showed — despite his age and being on his eighth franchise — that he could still play at a high level and compete at the highest of levels. He threw for 3,500 yards and 20 TDs in 13 starts, while also leading the Dolphins in rushing with a career-high 209 yards.

“Last year may have been my best season in terms all the obstacles that we had faced, the adversity, the things that we went through throughout the season and what we did at the tail end of the season,” Fitzpatrick said. “I view last year as such a success for the Miami organization and what we were able to do and improve throughout that season and the last game of the year, beating New England in a must-win for them in Foxborough.”

Though Fitzpatrick’s showings last year are a testament of what he still has left in him, this is nothing all that new for Fitzpatrick. In many ways he’s a placeholder. But he’s also there to compete while helping along the next big thing. Though he’s hoping to teach by example, no matter the role, Fitzpatrick has designs on carrying it out to the best of his abilities.

“Hopefully some of the lessons I’m able to teach him are (from) him watching me, but if it’s the other way around, I’m going to do my best to help him succeed in the best way that he can,” he said.

There’s little doubt that Tagovailoa is the future of the Dolphins franchise, but Fitzpatrick and most notably his arm, experience and bearded wonderment, might have something to say about the immediate future for the team.

“To me, that was such a successful season [last year] and one that I’m so proud of,” Fitzpatrick said. “But it just leaves me like wanting more. Like, I want to still play, I want to still be out there.”

THIS AND THAT

FORMER PLAYERS

Congratulations to former Titans and Buccaneers CB ALTERRAUN VERNER.

He now owns a master’s degree in mathematics – from NYU:

It’s graduation day at

@nyusteinhardt

. Shoutout to my wife for getting me my own gown and creating my sash. She did an excellent job!!! This is a monumental occasion since I never thought I would go back to school…

UNLOCKING THE LOCKDOWN

The NFL knows that somewhere someone will test positive for Wuhan COVID-19 this fall.  They are trying to walk a line to placating the alarmists and not shutting down the league.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

With 90 players on the training camp roster and 65 on the final active roster and practice squad, that’s 2,880 players through Labor Day and 2,080 thereafter throughout the 32-team league. Inevitably, someone will test positive for the coronavirus — and the NFL knows it.

“We fully expect that we will have positive cases,” NFL executive V.P. of communications, public affairs and policy Jeff Miller said during a Tuesday conference call with reporters. “Our challenge is to identify them as quickly as possible and to prevent spread to any other participants.”

He’s right, and this will require robust and repeated testing, ideally on a daily basis and at a minimum whenever anyone reports to a team facility for meetings, practice, travel to games, etc. To intercept positive cases as quickly as possible and to prevent spread through the close quarters inherent to football, the teams will need to know that someone is positive as quickly as possible. The only way to do that is to test, test, and test some more.

The league quietly (for now) believes that testing protocols will be greatly improved and readily available by the time the season rolls around. It will be critical for teams to know who is positive as soon as they are positive, so that they can be kept away from other players, coaches, etc.

Although Miller didn’t say it (and wasn’t asked to address it), the league also will need a procedure for allowing teams to quickly and easily replace players who test positive, whenever and however that may happen. In this regard, a 12-person practice squad attached to a 53-man roster may not be enough to guard against the kind of localized outbreak that could, in theory, leave a team without enough players for a given game.

It should be noted that Miller has been given a promotion in the last few days, bumping someone named Jocelyn Moore.  This from Zennie Abraham in the Oakland News:

Jeff Miller was named “NFL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND POLICY” and turns yet another page on a kind of revolving door of National Football League communications leaders starting with the hiring of former Clinton Press Secretary Joe Lockhart to replace the outgoing-after-39-years legend that was Greg Aiello. But the NFL National Anthem Controversy, and Lockhart’s approach in positioning the NFL, seemed to lead to his ouster, as Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones said he was glad Joe was gone.

Jeff is currently an NFL EVP overseeing Player Health & Safety, but with today’s announcement, Miller will also add to his portfolio Communications, Public Affairs, and Policy – the “policy” area also includes the player health and safety portfolio.

Then, on June 27, 2019, Jocelyn Moore was elevated from NFL lobbyist to the Executive Vice President Of Communications role, becoming the first African American and woman to be in that position for the League. Then, whatever happened, it was strange. By contrast with the departures of Aielo and Lockhart, Moore’s departure was not announced. Reportedly, she did not show up to the League PR Meeting at the NFL Combine, and yet her photo was still in position as Executive Vice President Of Communications. Very strange, but whatever the case, I wish her well.

Now, enters Jeff Miller. The NFL reports:

NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL today tapped JEFF MILLER as the league’s new Executive Vice President of Communications, Public Affairs and Policy.

Miller will be responsible for managing the league’s communications and public affairs. He will maintain his health and safety portfolio in addition to taking on his new role. Miller will continue to report directly to Commissioner Goodell.

“Jeff’s experience – from policy development, to government relations and philanthropic endeavors, as well as continuing to champion our highest priority, the health and safety of players – makes him the right fit, especially today,” said Commissioner Goodell. “Jeff has the trust and confidence of club ownership, partners, and league colleagues alike, as health and safety efforts have collaborated with the competition committee and the football community at all levels.”

Since being named Executive Vice President of Health and Safety Initiatives in 2012, Miller has led the league’s ongoing efforts to improve the safety of the game. During his tenure, the league has driven innovation in protective equipment technologies and in the use of data and engineering to advance the game itself through rules changes and technique, in addition to supporting independent medical research and advancing overall player wellness. In 2016, the NFL and its 32 club owners pledged $100 million to fund those efforts as part of its commitment to continuously evolve the way football is taught and played, an initiative Miller has forwarded. The latest examples of that progress were on display last season when the league saw nearly 100 percent of players choose top-performing helmets, the permanent adoption of safety-focused kickoff rules changes, and a partnership with AWS poised to transform player health and safety using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Miller launched the league’s Washington office as Senior Vice President in charge of Governmental and Public Affairs. In that role, he was the primary representative to federal and state governments, interacting regularly with the White House, Congress, and administrative agencies, as well as coordinating with clubs on interactions with governors, mayors and state legislatures. Inspired by Zack Lystedt’s story and his family’s advocacy, Miller led a national campaign to pass youth sports concussion laws in all 50 states. He also oversaw creation of the league’s philanthropic organization, NFL Foundation, and managed the league’s community relations department.

Prior to joining the NFL, Miller spent a decade on Capitol Hill where he was Chief Counsel and Staff Director for the Antitrust and Business Competition Subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. He earned his J.D. from University of Chicago Law School and his B.A. from University of Pennsylvania.

Jeff Miller is a good man for the helm and a long-time NFL executive who goes all the way back to my effort to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland. I wish him well.

More on Miller from Politico.com dating back to his hiring in 2009 where NFL legend Joe Browne seems to have been his recruiter.

The National Football League has hired a quarterback for its lobbying operation: Jeff Miller, staff director for the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee.

Miller’s new role as vice president of government relations and public policy should provide a huge boost to a league looking to pump up its Washington presence. Miller has been one of a small but sought-after group of congressional aides coveted by K Street.

The 38-year-old has been courted to come downtown, where he could bring home a base salary of more than $350,000 per year, according to lobbying insiders. The NFL, not surprisingly, wouldn’t say what it laid out to lure him away.

Part of what the league is paying for is Miller’s eight years working for the subcommittee’s chairman, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.). Miller knows business — and business knows, and likes, him.

He’s been at the center of the merger machinations between Yahoo and Microsoft and satellite radio giants XM and Sirius. He was also ringside for Google’s purchase of online advertising company DoubleClick. And he had a hand in reforming class action lawsuits and antitrust law.

Republican lobbyist Jamie Browne says Miller was seen as someone with whom business could get a fair hearing. And Democratic lobbyist Jeff Peck said when it comes to business regulation, Miller’s “expertise is unmatched.”

His stock is further enhanced by the possibility of a leadership shuffle that could catapult his boss into the chairmanship of the full Judiciary Committee if the current chairman, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), heads for the Appropriations Committee.

But for a league trying to improve its Washington ground game, it has been pretty tight-lipped about what’s going on inside its huddle. Both Miller and Joe Browne, the NFL’s executive vice president for public affairs, declined interview requests.

In an e-mail, Browne said, “One of Commissioner [Roger] Goodell’s priorities is to enhance our public policy presence in Washington, and we believe the hiring of Jeff Miller is a major step in that direction.”

“Having grown up the son of a U.S. senator and House member, the commissioner appreciates perhaps more than most the key role Congress plays in this country and the importance of making sure our policies and positions are clear to those on the Hill,” said Browne.

What exactly those policies and positions are, he didn’t say. But he did point out that Miller’s experience dovetails nicely with longtime concerns such as telecommunications, intellectual property and antitrust issues.

Miller will work with the franchises’ state and local political consultants and direct the league’s outside lobbyists. So far this year, the NFL has paid $450,000 to four shops — the bulk of it to Covington & Burling, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

RANKING THE OFFSEASONS

Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com is telling us how the 32 teams have improved themselves.  You can get into the full thing here.

Here is his criteria, rankings and heavily edited comments.  We will have the final 16 teams on Thursday.

With the NFL universe on pause, now seems like a good time to continue our big-picture look into how each organization did during the player-acquisition period of the offseason. I’m going to run through all 32 teams and rank the work they did from worst to first.

To measure how each team performed, I’m comparing their roster, cap situation and future draft capital at the beginning of the offseason to what they have in mid-May. The most important thing a team can do is add talent, so those that made significant inroads in improving their roster will rank highly, while those that saw key pieces leave without replacements won’t. I also considered how each attacked their specific needs, how well they read the market and handled the financial side of their deals, and what they did to create future draft picks.

For each team, I’ll include what went right, what went wrong, what they might have done differently with a bit of hindsight and what they need to do next in the months to come. Finally, and this is important: These aren’t power rankings of how these teams will perform in 2020. Some of the worst teams in the league from last season will finish at or near the top of these rankings because they were able to draft immediate-impact players at key positions, while some of the best teams shed talent or weren’t able to add much in the draft because they already had dealt away picks.

32. Houston Texans

What went wrong: The Texans traded away arguably their second-best player for pennies on the dollar because he wanted a new contract and then overpaid for just about every one of their offseason additions. Even if they hadn’t traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and a swap of fourth-rounders for a second-round pick and running back David Johnson’s bloated contract, this would be a disaster.

Coach Bill O’Brien misread the market and handed out significant deals to cornerback Bradley Roby (three years, $36 million), wide receiver Randall Cobb (three years, $27 million), kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn (four years, $17.7 million) and Murray (three years, $18 million) and even threw in a one-year, $4 million pact for backup quarterback AJ McCarron. O’Brien finished up by giving agentless left tackle Laremy Tunsil a three-year, $66 million extension, a market-shifting deal everyone saw coming from the moment the Texans traded away multiple first-round picks to acquire Tunsil without negotiating an extension as part of the pact.

– – –

If O’Brien thought his relationship with Hopkins was unsalvageable and he needed to trade his star wide receiver away, that’s one thing. He simply had to get more out of that deal than an underwater running back contract and a second-round pick. Even if Hopkins wanted a new deal, the Stefon Diggs trade saw the Vikings send a less productive player with a reputation of creating drama inside his building to the Bills for a much greater haul, most notably a first-round pick. Beating the Vikings to the punch for that Bills deal would have been more defensible.

31. Chicago Bears

What went wrong: Despite the fact that Foles’ contract was a disaster for the Jaguars, the Bears sent a fourth-round pick to acquire him and didn’t force the Jags to eat any of the money, instead restructuring $21 million in guarantees to come due over the next three seasons. Foles could work out as the team’s starter, but this is the equivalent of signing an expensive three-year gym membership as a college senior. There couldn’t have been much of a market for Foles, and Andy Dalton, who was cut by the Bengals after the draft, came without the pick or significant cash attached.

What they could have done differently: Waited out the quarterback market. Foles wasn’t going to have many suitors, and the Jaguars had little leverage in moving his massive contract. Judging from the deals that Dalton and Jameis Winston signed — and the offers Joe Flacco and Cam Newton have yet to get — there was more supply in the quarterback market than demand this offseason. Wiping away the Graham deal goes without saying; if the Bears wanted to go after a versatile tight end, they were better off handing a similar deal to Eric Ebron, who signed with Pittsburgh for less money.

30. New England Patriots

What went wrong: The Patriots had Brady at quarterback, and now they have Jarrett Stidham. Even a diminished Brady would still project to be a playoff-caliber quarterback with the sort of defense this team had in 2019; the same thing isn’t clear with Stidham, who appears to be the Week 1 starter. Losing Brady is one thing, but the Pats neglecting to make a meaningful move for someone like Andy Dalton seems shortsighted and stubborn.

What they could have done differently: When Brady was clamoring for more money during the summer of 2019, the Patriots gave him a “two-year deal,” which was really an $8 million raise and a ticket to free agency after the season. Given that Brady ended up netting only a two-year, $50 million deal on the open market, this team could have made him a credible multiyear offer to stick around for the remainder of his career.

Would Brady have taken that kind of offer if the Pats had made it at this time last year? It’s impossible to say.

What’s left to do: Clear out cap room and wait.

29. Detroit Lions

What went right: The Lions went all-in on rebuilding their oft-frustrating secondary, trading cornerback Darius Slay and replacing him by signing Desmond Trufant and drafting Jeff Okudah at No. 3 overall. On paper, the trio of Okudah, Trufant and Justin Coleman would rank as one of the best cornerback combinations in the league. Trading for safety Duron Harmon completed the defensive back makeover. They will miss Slay, but even with him on the field last season, they allowed a passer rating of 97.4, which would have been the eighth-worst mark in the league.

What went wrong: Coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn elected to rebuild most of their defense by acquiring the players Bill Belichick didn’t want to keep, a move that typically turns out poorly for other teams.

The Lions also weren’t able to parlay the No. 3 draft pick into a bidding war between the Chargers and Dolphins, forcing them to stay put. Okudah should be an impact cornerback, and I don’t have any issue with them drafting him, but this team could have sorely used an extra first-round pick.

What they could have done differently: Resisted the urge to go after as many former Patriots as possible. The Collins deal is a mess, and under Belichick, the Patriots have exhibited the ability to develop players such as Shelton and Harmon into useful contributors. Patricia and Quinn are trying to buy them instead. If the Lions couldn’t trade down in the first round, they should have used their second-rounder on a position that’s tougher to fill than halfback.

28. Los Angeles Rams

What went right: The Rams acknowledged sunk costs and made the difficult decision to essentially erase their 2018 offseason by releasing running back Todd Gurley and trading away receiver Brandin Cooks.

What went wrong: As I wrote about in my winners and losers column, the Rams didn’t address their needs. They used their two second-round picks on replacements for Gurley and Cooks; shouldn’t Sean McVay be able to coach up a running back and third receiver without having to use the team’s top picks? Their offensive line is still seriously troubling, and while they re-signed veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth, the 38-year-old committed 14 penalties last season, up from 12 over his prior two seasons combined.

Perhaps more disconcertingly, it seems L.A. is either struggling with cash flow or going to present itself as such for the time being. It still hasn’t paid Gurley or Clay Matthews owed bonus money, which led to Matthews filing a grievance with the league. Last week, the Rams reportedly applied for a $500 million loan from the league to help finance cost overruns on their new stadium while simultaneously asking for a 30-year repayment term, which is double the typical length. These two issues likely aren’t directly related — the bonuses for Gurley and Matthews are a drop in the bucket relative to the stadium costs — but it’s fair to wonder whether the organization is in position to meet the lofty contract demands of star corner Jalen Ramsey.

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The Rams didn’t have a first-round pick in April, and they won’t have one in next year’s draft, either. With that in mind, they badly needed to use one of their second-round picks this year on helping their offensive line. The organization was spoiled by what happened in 2017 and 2018, when the line stayed remarkably healthy and free-agent imports such as Whitworth and John Sullivan played at a high level. The line was a mess last season, and Jared Goff just isn’t good enough to overcome heavy pressure. He posted a league-worst passer rating of 34.5 under pressure. Even if second-round pick Cam Akers turns into a superstar, the Rams should have waited to target a running back.

27. Green Bay Packers

What went right: In a market in which teams were aggressively paying for potential at offensive tackle, the Packers got a reasonable price in replacing Bryan Bulaga with Rick Wagner on a two-year, $11 million pact. While it wasn’t the first-round wide receiver Packers fans were craving, Devin Funchess could deliver good value on a one-year, $2.5 million deal as a second or third wideout.

What went wrong: In an offseason in which the draft was full of wide receiver talent and veteran wideout prices were depressed, the Packers really couldn’t come away with more than Funchess? Taking Love was one thing, but using a second-round pick on bruising running back AJ Dillon seemed more egregious. It also seemed to hint that Aaron Jones’ future after the season lies outside of Green Bay, which is unlikely to make many Packers fans happy.

The decision to move on from Bulaga also was curious, given that he signed a relatively friendly deal with the Chargers. It’s possible the Packers weren’t given an option to match, but if they could have signed Bulaga for three years and $30 million, they should have brought back their stalwart right tackle.

They didn’t do much to address their defense. While they improved from 29th to 15th in DVOA after a spending spree in free agency last year, they are unlikely to be as healthy on the defensive side of the ball in 2020 after their starters missed a total of four games all season. They replaced linebacker Blake Martinez with Christian Kirksey, which should be a positive if Kirksey stays healthy, but I was surprised Green Bay didn’t try to do more to add depth on defense.

What they could have done differently: Realistically, even if the Packers wanted Love in Round 1, they should have gone out of their way to get one of the remaining wideouts in the second round. I’m not often an advocate for trading up, and it’s possible that opposing teams were quoting astronomical prices to the Packers after seeing how their fan base reacted to the Love pick, but they should have moved up in the second round to get someone like Laviska Shenault Jr. or Denzel Mims. Dillon basically has to turn into Derrick Henry for that pick to work, and both the track record and NFL career span of backs like Henry aren’t great.

What’s left to do: Acquire a veteran wideout. I mentioned Kenny Stills earlier, and a trade for the Texans wideout makes total sense.

26. Seattle Seahawks

What went right: They made what looked to be an excellent trade in acquiring cornerback Quinton Dunbar from Washington for a fifth-round pick.

What went wrong: Dunbar’s near-term future appears to be uncertain after a warrant was issued for his arrest on armed robbery charges. The Seahawks will be able to get by without him, but they still haven’t acquired a primary pass-rusher after letting Jadeveon Clowney leave this offseason.

While it’s obviously too early to make significant judgments about draft picks, Seattle’s first-round selection of off-ball linebacker Jordyn Brooks was widely seen as a stretch for both the player and the positional value. The Seahawks have proved broader consensus wrong in the past — Metcalf and quarterback Russell Wilson come to mind — but Brooks will have to be great to overcome the needs this team had on either side of the line of scrimmage.

What they could have done differently: I would suggest that they should have traded down from No. 27, but I’m not sure there was much of a market for the pick.

What’s left to do: Bring back Clowney. A one-year reunion makes sense for both sides, given that the Seahawks are likely to be a playoff contender and Clowney wants to restore his free-agent stock on a winner. Seattle has about $15 million in cap space, which is a little more than what he might hope to land on a one-year pact at this point. General manager John Schneider could clear out $5.4 million by releasing backup pass-catchers Jacob Hollister and David Moore.

25. Tennessee Titans

What went right: The ideal situation for the Titans would have been retaining quarterback Ryan Tannehill and franchising running back Derrick Henry, which is what ended up happening. Tennessee hasn’t yet come to terms on an extension with Henry, which I’m considering a plus given how poorly contracts have aged for running backs. It also lost right tackle Jack Conklin, but it replaced the former All-Pro by re-upping Dennis Kelly and using its first-round pick on Isaiah Wilson.

What went wrong: Losing Conklin and cornerback Logan Ryan cost the team two valuable starters, and I’m not sure the Kelly/Wilson combination or free-agent corner Johnathan Joseph are going to be as valuable in their absence.

Most notably, to get the Tannehill deal done, the Titans practically guaranteed their breakout quarterback three years and $91 million, which is a huge investment for a player whom the Dolphins paid $5 million to sell for a fourth-round pick at this time last year. He was one of the league’s best quarterbacks last season, but he has a lengthy injury history. The Titans also want to build around running the football, which makes a $31 million quarterback an expensive accessory.

What they could have done differently: I’m not sure the Titans had much of a choice, but even limiting the Tannehill deal to two guaranteed seasons would have been a much better deal.

What’s left to do: Let Henry play out his franchise tag.

24. Carolina Panthers

What went right: You can’t accuse new coach Matt Rhule of neglecting the defense. He transformed a Panthers unit that ranked 25th in DVOA and 31st in scoring defense a year ago, using each of his seven draft picks on the defensive side of the ball

What went wrong: My biggest indicator for these rankings is measuring the talent added versus the talent lost, and the Panthers lost linebacker Luke Kuechly, cornerback James Bradberry, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, guard Trai Turner and former league MVP Cam Newton, among others.

Rhule clearly intends to rebuild this team in his desired image, and that’s going to take more than one offseason. That’s totally understandable, and the Panthers took strides toward those long-term goals. In the short term, though, they might have less talent on their roster in 2020 than they did on paper in 2019, even if they never had a healthy Newton. They also locked up Christian McCaffrey, and while there’s no doubting his talent, signing running backs to massive contracts has been a dangerous game.

23. Jacksonville Jaguars

What went right: The Jaguars looked to be stuck with quarterback Nick Foles’ contract after the former Super Bowl MVP lost his job in 2019, but they managed to trade him to the Bears without having to assume any of the remaining guarantees and got a fourth-round pick in the process.

The Jags also took steps to move on from their disastrous move to take running back Leonard Fournette with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft, when Patrick Mahomes, Deshaun Watson and more than a half-dozen other running backs who have proved to be more productive were still on the board. (Seriously: Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Joe Mixon, Alvin Kamara, Kareem Hunt, James Conner, Marlon Mack, Aaron Jones, Chris Carson and even undrafted free agent Austin Ekeler look like better backs than Fournette right now.) The Jaguars could have been fooled by a largely inefficient season from Fournette in 2019, but they declined his fifth-year option and desperately tried to trade the former LSU star, to no avail.

What went wrong: Boxed into a bad cap situation by years of free-agent spending and missteps, the Jaguars had little choice but to trade cornerback A.J. Bouye and cut defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.

The Jags haven’t resolved the Yannick Ngakoue situation, with the star defensive end picking fights with ownership on Twitter and insisting he won’t play for the organization again. With each passing day, the franchise loses more and more leverage

What they could have done differently: The Jaguars should have traded down in the first round when they had the opportunity. The Falcons were the most frequently rumored candidate to move up, likely for cornerback CJ Henderson, whom the Jags drafted at No. 9 overall. They needed a cornerback, so I have no issue with them drafting Henderson, but under Caldwell’s reign, they haven’t shown much of an aptitude for drafting. Caldwell’s picks in the top five include Luke Joeckel, Blake Bortles, Dante Fowler Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Fournette. Even if they had an excellent grade on Henderson, the Jaguars don’t really deserve any benefit of the doubt when it comes to evaluating prospects. They would have been better off adding an extra selection or two.

What’s left to do: Trade Ngakoue. I don’t like to see teams give up on star players, but it seems clear that he has no intention of signing an extension in Jacksonville

22. Atlanta Falcons

What went right: The Falcons finally acknowledged their need to rebuild on defense. Out went pass-rusher Vic Beasley Jr., cornerback Desmond Trufant, linebacker De’Vondre Campbell and defensive tackle Adrian Clayborn, and they declined the fifth-year option on edge rusher Takkarist McKinley. Atlanta finally made a significant investment on an outside player by signing Dante Fowler Jr., and it used first- and second-round picks on cornerback A.J. Terrell and defensive lineman Marlon Davidson. Thomas Dimitroff’s team projects to come away with one compensatory fifth-round pick and a pair of selections in the sixth round of the 2021 draft.

What went wrong: Fowler was the only significant veteran addition this team made to that flailing defense

You could argue that they didn’t have the cap room to make many additions, but after cutting Devonta Freeman, they still found a way to hand Todd Gurley a one-year, $5.5 million deal. Even if Gurley returns to form and has a great season, this is the exact sort of organization that needed to focus on finding a cheap, multiyear solution at running back. The Falcons have committed serious resources to their offensive line, have a great passing game and desperately needed to save money for their defense.

What they could have done differently: The money they committed to Gurley could have been part of an offer for someone like Jadeveon Clowney

21. Kansas City Chiefs

What went right: Kansas City mostly stayed put with its Super Bowl-winning roster, sticking to one-year deals and small deals to retain players such as quarterback Chad Henne and corner Bashaud Breeland. The Chiefs were able to convince receiver Sammy Watkins to take a pay cut, and they franchise-tagged star defensive tackle Chris Jones.

What went wrong: Breeland was arrested at gunpoint on May 1. Watkins is still earning nearly $9 million with the chance to earn $6 million more in incentives in 2020, which is a lot for a player who had been ordinary during his first two seasons in Kansas City before breaking out during the postseason. The team also didn’t resolve Jones’ future with a trade or a long-term contract, meaning it’s likely to end up getting one more year out of him before losing him as a free agent in 2021.

The Chiefs used their first-round pick on running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who should end up as one of the most productive backs in football when he takes over as the full-time starter. That’s a good thing, but when you look at recent history for this team, just about anybody who has been in that role has been among the most productive backs in football.

What’s left to do: Extend Mahomes. The team has just $1.4 million in cap space, and it’s difficult to imagine the star quarterback’s 2020 cap number staying anywhere close to its current figure of $5.3 million on a new deal, so this is going to be a difficult negotiation.

20. Pittsburgh Steelers

What went right: Without a first-round pick or much cap space, the Steelers had about as quiet of an offseason as possible.

What they could have done differently: I can’t pick too many holes in what Pittsburgh did beyond the backup quarterback situation. It’s in this grouping because most teams added more talent, either through free agency or the draft. The Steelers probably feel thrilled about using their first-round pick to acquire defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick last year, but since that trade happened during the season, I’m not including it in this analysis.

What’s left to do: Upgrade behind Roethlisberger. The Steelers should absolutely be in the market for Cam Newton or Joe Flacco.

19. Minnesota Vikings

What went right: Nobody added more future draft capital this offseason than the Vikings. Trades produced two fourth-rounders and a fifth-rounder in 2021. They let cornerbacks Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander leave in free agency, with those moves expected to generate third- and sixth-round compensatory picks. Minnesota should have 12 picks in next year’s draft.

This offseason was about clearing out cap space and retooling on defense for the Vikings, but I liked that they were still able to replace Linval Joseph with wildly underrated Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce on a team-friendly deal.

Does trading Stefon Diggs to Buffalo fit on this side of the right/wrong debate? When I wrote about the trade, I suggested it could be a win-win for both sides. With the Vikings subsequently using the first-round pick from the trade to nab wide receiver Justin Jefferson, my feelings haven’t changed. Losing Diggs will hurt the team in the short term, but for an organization that wants to run the ball and use 22 personnel, transitioning to a cheaper option alongside Adam Thielen makes sense. If they were going to trade Diggs, they did it at the right time.

What went wrong: Diggs is really good! Even if you’re optimistic about Jefferson, the chances of a first-round pick turning into a top-10 wide receiver aren’t extremely high

18. Baltimore Ravens

What went right: Finally freed of the last vestiges of the Joe Flacco contract, the Ravens used their newfound cap space to try to build a devastating defensive line. While they let Michael Pierce leave and decided against confirming their deal with Michael Brockers after a physical, they traded a fifth-round pick for Jaguars star Calais Campbell and signed Derek Wolfe to a one-year deal. Baltimore then found its long-term replacement for C.J. Mosley by using its first-round pick on LSU linebacker Patrick Queen.

On offense, the Ravens found the guy who will likely start for them at running back in 2021 and beyond by using a second-round pick on J.K. Dobbins. They also netted a second-round pick from the Falcons for Hayden Hurst, and while Hurst will start for Atlanta, it’s always nice to get a premium pick for your third-best tight end.

What went wrong: The only disappointing thing the Ravens had to deal with was losing legendary guard Marshal Yanda to retirement.

17. Philadelphia Eagles

What went right: The Eagles addressed their two obvious weaknesses heading into the offseason. The trade for Darius Slay netted them the No. 1 corner they sorely needed after years of frustrating play at defensive back, and general manager Howie Roseman went all-in for speed during the draft by adding receivers Jalen Reagor, John Hightower and trade acquisition Marquise Goodwin.

What went wrong: Solving the problem at cornerback might have created holes elsewhere on defense, as Philadelphia declined safety Malcolm Jenkins’ option and released linebacker Nigel Bradham without really replacing either veteran.

What they could have done differently: You could argue that they might have been better off just riding out what was a relatively cheap cornerback market and holding on to their third- and fifth-round picks.