The last
2023 NFL Offseason Rankings: Ranking All 32 Teams For Their Draft Picks, Free Agent Moves, Trades & More | CBS Sports
29. Heads
Maybe they were right to deny LT Orlando Brown Jr.’s demands, but turn around and spend $20 million a year on ex-Jaguar Jawaan Taylor, with apparent plans to move the former mid-level starter on the left side, is risky. . The addition of electric LB Drue Tranquill is an underrated move for Steve Spagnuolo’s ‘D’, but they’re also still running out of juice for Patrick Mahomes, with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman landing elsewhere and only second round Rashee Rice thus entering away.
8 players facing breakthrough or breakthrough seasons in 2023 | Last word on sports
Kadarius Toney
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney is one of the most electric and dangerous players in the league when he’s on the field. However, he is rarely in the field. The Chiefs desperately need someone to step in at wide receiver, and Toney is in a perfect position to take advantage of that opportunity. If it can’t break out in 2023, it’s unlikely to ever do so.
Five things to know about new OT chiefs Donovan Smith | The mothership
3. Smith was among the top pass-blocking tackles in the NFL in 2021.
Smith, 29, is just two years away from a dominant season in which he compiled the NFL’s sixth-highest Pro Football Focus pass blocking rating (among tackles). Smith — who has 1,147 snaps at left tackle this season — gave up just one sack on 784 pass-blocking snaps. In fact, Smith’s impressive rating was despite playing the most pass-blocking snaps of any left tackle in the NFL.
Additionally, among tackles to record at least 900 total snaps in 2021, Smith’s pass blocking rating trailed only Andrew Whitworth, Charles Leno Jr. and Trent Williams.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones price solidified amid DT’s $453m recent investment | Heavy
Among the reasons the Chiefs were short capped this offseason was Chris Jones’ contract. He is in the final year of his four-year, $80 million contract with Kansas City and has capped $28.2 million for the 2023 season according to Over The Cap.
The best way to lower his cap for at least the 2023 season would be to hand the 28-year-old Jones a contract extension, which would give him yet another payday but also push his road course. Kansas City should eventually resolve those cap issues, as it is doing this offseason under Jones’ current deal. But an extension would ease the team’s cap for the next year or two.
According to Nate Taylor of The Athletic on March 2, Jones wants a contract extension that makes him “at least” the second highest paid player in his position. Based on the aforementioned deals among the highest-paid inside defensive linemen, the type of deal Jones is pursuing would net him between $60 million and $65 million in total guarantees.
From junk to stardom: The best undrafted free agents since 1990 | 33rd team
No. 9 Brian Waters, G, 2000
The contributions of college offensive linemen aren’t overlooked much these days. They did at the turn of the century, never more so than when Waters was not selected from North Texas – a poor source for pros at the time. Once he mastered blocking patterns with the Chiefs, Waters became a Pro Bowl regular (six times), with two All-Pro selections. He started every game he was healthy for from 2002 to 2011, the first nine seasons with the Chiefs, then a year in New England.
Waters’ name comes up in talks for potential Hall of Famers, highlighting his reliability, his leadership — and his ability to go undrafted.
“Despite not being drafted out of college, Brian has made the most of his opportunity here in Kansas City,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt said, “and his work ethic. , his talent and tenacity have made him an undisputed leader on the court and in the locker room. Brian also has a tremendous heart of service, and his commitment to the Kansas City community has earned him the prestigious Walter Payton Award from 2009 Man of the Year.
Return of Jerick McKinnon prevents Isiah Pacheco from flourishing for the Chiefs | Arrowhead addict
My biggest complaint about McKinnon’s return is that Pacheco will not have the opportunity to prove himself as a player capable of replacing McKinnon in the years to come. Pacheco is far from a tested backfield threat, with just 20 receiving targets and 26 pass blocking snaps to his name. That role turned into McKinnon and McKinnon alone on the stretch. Pacheco’s lack of experience in pass protection and third down situations could prove costly for the Chiefs. Fans already know what Edwards-Helaire brings to the table when it comes to pass protection and third downs. But that could be the Chiefs’ emergency option in 2023 if McKinnon goes down, which is hardly a confidence-inspiring depth chart.
McKinnon will be 31 when training camp begins this summer, making him one of Kansas City’s oldest players. Some concerns about whether he can withstand another season of NFL action are understandable, especially given McKinnon’s injury history. (He missed all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons with knee injuries.) Those injuries have turned many contenders away from McKinnon, given the physical punishment running backs take in their positions. That age, injury history and dwindling running juice likely made it possible for McKinnon to return in 2022 and 2023 for the Chiefs.
Around the NFL
Jets’ Robert Saleh says talking about Aaron Rodgers’ wishlist is ‘silly’ | ESPN
The Jets added four former Green Bay Packers — wide receiver Allen Lazard, quarterback Tim Boyle, tackle Billy Turner and wide receiver Randall Cobb, who signed a one-year contract Wednesday.
“It’s very common for new faces to want old faces, to come and help speed up the installation of a whole program,” Saleh said at the start of the rookie minicamp. “It’s all pinned on the quarterback. It’s not just him.
“[Offensive coordinator Nathaniel] Hackett has something to say about that. He loves Lazard. He loves Randall. He took Billy Turner with him to Denver, and he wanted him here. Of course, you’re going to surround a coach with people who he thinks are going to plant the flag.
“All this narrative – what people are trying to put on the quarterback – it’s tired. This is standard practice in the NFL.
Colts release QB Nick Foles after one season | NFL
The Nick Foles era in Indianapolis is over.
The Indianapolis Colts released Foles on Friday, the team announced.
The 6-foot-6, 243-pound, 34-year-old Foles was signed by the Colts just under a year ago. He appeared in three games (two starts) for Indianapolis last season, completing 25 of 42 passes for 224 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions. The Colts lost both of their season-ending starts after running through Matt Ryan and Sam Ehlinger.
The most overrated NFL teams ahead of the 2023 season | Launderer’s report
Buffalo Tickets
Winning line: 10.5
Super Bowl Odds: 9-1The Buffalo Bills won’t be a bad football team in 2023. They’ve won at least 10 games in each of the past four seasons, and they still have dynamic dual-threat Josh Allen at quarterback.
However, it is hard to think that they will be significantly better than they were a year ago. Two of their greatest needs remain unmet thanks to early free agency and the draft. Buffalo still lacks a reliable third receiver behind Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, and he did little to improve on a pass rush that sank when Von Miller suffered a torn ACL late in the game. season.
Despite playing behind a battered offensive line, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was only fired once in the blowout Division Round victory over Buffalo last year. . Why, again, do the Bills have better Super Bowl chances than Cincinnati (11-1)? They should not.
And while Buffalo’s 10.5-game winning line isn’t bizarre, it’s important to remember just how competitive the AFC East will be this season. The New England Patriots, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins all won at least seven games last season, while Miami made the playoffs. And the Jets just added four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Buffalo can pull off 11 wins and capture a fourth straight AFC East title, but there will be attrition along the way. And until the Bills prove they can beat Cincinnati and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs, they shouldn’t have fourth-best odds to win it all.
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
What Donovan Smith’s signing means for the Chiefs
Lucas Niang – the Chiefs’ 2020 third-round draft pick – started nine games in 2021 before being sidelined with a nasty injury until the middle of the 2022 season. experience on the right side, his top-down game will likely require him to play the best football of his life to walk away with a starting job. It should be noted that in the Super Bowl – when Andrew Wylie had to leave the game for one game – it was Niang who came on as his replacement.
Wanya Morris was the Chiefs’ third-round draft pick this year – and while he brings an interesting mix of talent to the table, as I touched on in my movie review of his game, he’s still far too many incompatible with departure. line-up as a rookie.
Prince Tega-Wanogho was the team’s tackle last season and saw little of the pitch. He is the candidate most likely to be cut.
Kinnard has been inactive for most of 2022, and while he’s an all-conference tackle at Kentucky, his road to the field will be nearly impossible with the bodies the Chiefs have added. I expect him to step up to guard – his most natural position – and compete for a reserve role.
A tweet to make you think
Follow Arrowhead Pride on social media
Learn more
