Jim McMahon talks new ‘Mad Mac’ documentary and future of the Bears

In "Mad Mac: The Jim McMahon Story," dive into the former Bear's career and the years following as he dealt with injuries and CTE.

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Dwayne Haskins set to make initial 53-man roster in Pittsburgh

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins didn’t play as well as the Steelers hoped when he started against the Panthers in the team’s final preseason game, but it looks like his time in Pittsburgh is going to last a little bit longer. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Haskins is expected to be on the initial 53-man [more]

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Texans preseason camp awards for 2021

The Houston Texans are finished with training camp and preseason as they cut down to 53 players. Here are some awards from the past 40 days.

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Bill Belichick: N’Keal Harry can make a big contribution to our team

Patriots wide receiver N'Keal Harry was widely viewed to be on the roster bubble in New England this summer, and he asked for a trade before the preseason started. But he hasn’t been traded, he’s still on the team, and coach Bill Belichick indicated today that he will remain with the team. Harry is still [more]

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Israel Mukuamu’s transitioning from corner to safety, CFB to NFL, potentially from fringe to Cowboys’ center stage

Being drafted late on Day 3 is not the uphill climb it normally is if you're a safety prospect on Will McClay's radar. Mukuamu's up next. | From @CDPiglet

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Report: Patriots agree to trade for Chiefs OL Yasir Durant

The Patriots are swapping a seventh-rounder for Yasir Durant.

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Watch: Tutu Atwell mic’d up vs. Broncos, gets tips from Cooper Kupp

Tutu Atwell got some coaching from Cooper Kupp on the sideline during the Rams' loss to the Broncos.

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Stashed until next year, Reggie Robinson is still in the Cowboys’ team picture

After having his position switched, Robinson went back to corner only to have his dream deferred in a different way in 2021. | From @CDPiglet

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NFL Rumors: Patriots acquire OL Yasir Durant in Chiefs trade

The Patriots reportedly are bringing in some depth on the offensive line by acquiring Yasir Durant in a trade with the Chiefs.

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Philadelphia Eagles release RB Jason Huntley

Philadelphia Eagles release RB Jason Huntley

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Markus Golden: Any quarterback back there, Cardinals are coming for you

Chandler Jones was back at Cardinals practice on Monday in a welcome development for the defense in Arizona this season. Jones’ trade request and absence from the field with an undisclosed injury cast some doubt about what his role would be for the Cardinals, but his return allows for thoughts of what he’ll bring off [more]

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Washington roster cuts tracker: Latest news and updates before 53-man roster deadline

Tracking all of Washington's cuts here ahead of Tuesday's deadline.

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Bulls, Nets, Warriors, Clippers all reportedly interested in Paul Millsap

Millsap may choose to sit out the start of the season and make his decision later.

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Watch: Alternate view of Dolphins’ game winning play vs Bengals

Watch: Alternate view of Dolphins game winning play vs Bengals

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Roster cutdown calendar: What’s coming for the Lions

Roster cutdown calendar: What's next for GM Brad Holmes and the Detroit Lions

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Dolphins well positioned to unleash rookie Jaelan Phillips

Dolphins well positioned to unleash rookie Jaelan Phillips

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Bear Necessities: Andy Dalton confident starting offense can find a rhythm

Andy Dalton believes when the Bears starting offense finally comes together, they’ll be good to go.

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Steelers cut Jordan Berry, Kameron Canady

The Steelers are making changes to their special teams unit for the 2021 season. According to multiple reports, the Steelers are releasing punter Jordan Berry and long snapper Kameron Canady. Berry has been with the Steelers since 2015, but Pittsburgh used a seventh-round pick on Pressley Harvin III this year and the rookie is set [more]

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Lions QB Jared Goff ignoring outside noises, setting high expectations

Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff is ignoring the media outside of Allen and has high hopes and expectations for the Lions 2021 season

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Opinion: NFL's new sportsbooks deals show decades-long hypocrisy of the league's gambling stand

The NFL has long decried gambling while profiting from it. Yet its latest gambling deal shows the league in full hypocrisy mode.

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Metta Sandiford-Artest is many things but he was never ‘crazy’

The NBA champion since our days playing each other in college. He was vilified throughout his career but I always saw a man trying to do his best Metta Sandiford-Artest devotes much of his time in retirement towards speaking about mental health. Photograph: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today Sports In 2013 I was part of a trip put on by the NBA Players Association to Africa. Among my fellow players on the tour was Metta Sandiford-Artest, then known as Metta World Peace. It was nearly a decade removed f

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JuJu Smith-Schuster does the milk crate challenge, for some reason

Steelers receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster loves to have a little fun and take a few risks. He recently took a risk that horrified plenty of his team’s fans. JuJu did the milk crate challenge, a fairly new and extremely dangerous phenomenon that consists of climbing a pyramid of plastic cubes, stepping from one to stacks of [more]

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Chandler Jones returns to Cardinals’ practice, Kliff Kingsbury says it’s “awesome” to see

Cardinals outside linebacker Chandler Jones was lost for the season with a torn biceps in Week Five last season, reportedly requested a trade this offseason, has been absent for training camp and the preseason with an undisclosed injury, and hasn’t talked to the media at all this year. But with the regular season about to [more]

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Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant NBA MVP favorites for ext season

Will Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, or Stephen Curry pick up another MVP trophy.

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New on Sports Illustrated: Tom Brady’s Forgotten Rookie Year

From a heroic preseason moment to a shaved head to ‘Tecmo Bowl’-inspired tantrums, remembering a fourth-string quarterback in Foxboro.

As the fourth-string quarterback took the field, a fresh rookie buzz cut beneath his silver helmet, his teammates on the visiting sidelines prayed that he would put an end to their misery. The Silverdome had become a stadium-sized sauna on an August night in Pontiac, Mich., later described by one sweat-soaked reporter as “hot, humid, and air-conditioning-less.” The Patriots and Lions were tied at 10, and with less than a minute on the game clock every NFL veteran’s nightmare loomed: preseason overtime.

For Tom Brady, it was a dream chance to impress. The ball was spotted at the New England 31 after a Lions punt. Two modest gains brought the Pats closer to but not across midfield, each tick of the clock making a delayed flight home more likely. Just when the team’s fate seemed certain, though, Brady reared back and hit receiver Sean Morey between the safeties, a 47-yard connection. Adam Vinatieri came on to make a chip shot field goal on the next play, hitting the netting with two seconds left, guaranteeing an escape from the Detroit suburbs.

Celebratory high-fives and back slaps awaited as Brady left the field, according to the Boston Globe. So did a gesture of gratitude from one teammate hip to the latest in portable technology.

“Those guys did not want to keep playing,"

Brady told the Globe. “One of the guys let me use his DVD player because he said, ‘At least you didn't keep me around for another half-hour.’ So that was nice.”

Bill Greene/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

When it comes to all that Brady has done in the two-plus decades since that night—his first extended NFL action after previously making a small cameo in the Patriots’ preseason opener against his childhood-favorite Niners—hindsight is 20/20. (Devotees of his pricey performance supplements and “recovery pajamas” might prefer TB12/TB12.) Now 44, he is the NFL’s only quadragenarian heading into the 2021 season, the latest in a career so absurdly long that all but 16 of his current teammates on the Buccaneers’ 80-man roster are as close in age, or closer, to Brady’s 14-year-old son Jack (who has been tagging along with Pops to practice as a guest ball boy at Tampa Bay’s training camp this summer) than they are to their quarterback.

Ten Super Bowl appearances and seven increasingly bejeweled rings later, the usual Brady narrative picks up in 2001 when he takes over for Drew Bledsoe and tucks the Lombardi Trophy, among other things, under his arm; the 2000 season is a forgotten footnote in his arc. And for good reason: Aside from his game-winning drive in Detroit, Brady did next to nothing else memorable on the field as a rookie, squeaking onto the active roster when coach Bill Belichick made the unusual decision to keep four quarterbacks. While Brady finished the season as Drew Bledsoe’s backup, he completed a single 6-yard pass in his lone regular-season appearance—Week 13 mop-up duty during a lopsided loss in, coincidentally, the Silverdome.

Even his crowning moment, the dart to Morey, is mostly lost to history; requests for surviving footage to the Lions, the Patriots and NFL Films turned up empty, while Brady “really didn’t have much recollection” of the 13–10 victory, according to a Bucs spokesperson.

But bits of that memory—of Brady’s first NFL heroics—linger for some former teammates. Among them is Eric Bjornson, a tight end who was watching from the sidelines when Brady hit Morey up the seam. “It just seemed like such a mature throw for a kid in his first year,” Bjornson says. “Late-game like that, guys usually don’t take a ton of risk … He fired that thing right down the throat of the defense. Five-step drop, no shuffle, no nothing, just … BANG! Like you’ve seen him do a thousand times, but this was the first sign of how calm, cool and confident he was that we were going to win.”

As it was happening, Bjornson had no reason to believe Brady’s throw would signal anything of note, save for a chance for the rookie who played college ball in nearby Ann Arbor—a sixth-rounder and the seventh draft pick of the Belichick era then buried on the depth chart behind Bledsoe, Michael Bishop and John Friesz—to bank some quality NFL game film. “I don’t remember much, but I remember being happy that this would open up a door for him to land somewhere else,” Bjornson says. “I didn’t think in 8 million years that he’d make the team.”

Two-plus decades later, it is perhaps a measure of Brady’s status that Bjornson and other members of the 2000 Patriots—all of them having long since retired from football and moved on to other lines of employment (Bjornson works in employee benefits consulting)—can recall anything at all about his rookie season. But they do. Like how he handled the task of performing skits during training camp. “One night, Tom was just up there doing stand-up, telling jokes,” Bjornson says. “It was pretty damn funny.” And how he looked with that shaved head. “Completely ridiculous,” Chris Eitzmann, also a tight end on that 2000 team, says

And his relative lack of fame, even among locals. “He’d be trying to talk to girls at the bars and they wouldn’t give him the time of day, and we’d all be laughing about it,” says defensive lineman David Nugent, who roomed with Brady for three years starting that preseason. “Obviously, that changed.”

Above all else, they remember the obsessive work ethic Brady brought every day, beginning when the rookie would pull his yellow Jeep Wrangler—“ugly and bright,” as Eitzmann describes the gift Brady received from an area car dealership upon making the team—into the parking lot before sunrise.

It was the same approach Brady summarized to the Globe that preseason, the week after the Detroit game: “I am going out there every day, trying to get better and see how good I can possibly be because there are a lot of great quarterbacks here,” he said. “It is so competitive that you just have to go out and worry about yourself, worry about completing balls when you are in, and hopefully get better each day.

“Then, hopefully, the coach sees something he can work with and then you are able to get your shot.”

Lonie Paxton was an undrafted long snapper from Sacramento State in 2000, thrilled to simply score an invitation to an NFL rookie camp, when he first met Brady on their shared connecting flight to New England. “I got a T-shirt and a plane ticket, so I was going to prove myself,” Paxton says. “I was not really expecting too much.” He quickly learned that his new traveling companion, the 199th pick that year, had similar plans. “He’s always had that chip on his shoulder,” Paxton says of Brady.

Eitzmann realized this soon after workouts started at Rhode Island’s Bryant University, by which point he and Brady had begun a tradition of staying late after practice to throw and run routes. “We’d go until I was completely gassed and couldn’t anymore,” Eitzmann says. One day, “We were walking off, and he was like, ‘Know what Eitz, I’m gonna beat out Bledsoe.’ Which at the time just sounded like the most preposterous thing ever. Bledsoe was a god in New England, and here’s this skinny kid.”

Brady, in 2000, warming up for that preseason game in the Silverdome.

Carlos Osorio/AP Photo

Absent any meaningful reps to prove himself, Brady did whatever he could to get ahead. “He’d always be out there throwing, running ... everything,” receiver Shockmain Davis says. Bjornson remembers his preseason roommate, Friesz, coming home to gush about the meticulously detailed “works of art” that Brady would draw in the quarterback room when quizzed by a coach. Others recall him staying up to study the playbook in his temporary lodging at the End Zone Motel in Foxboro, Mass., tuning out the live concerts the divey establishment hosted on weekends. “His drive to get better was insane,” Eitzmann says. “He’s probably the most competitive person I’ve ever met.”

The football field wasn’t Brady’s only arena here. “Nintendo, Ping-Pong, pool, you beat him and he was pissed,” Eitzmann says. Later that year, when Brady was living with Eitzmann and Nugent in a condo he bought from cornerback Ty Law, the trio regularly staged double-elimination tournaments in Tecmo Super Bowl. A Bay Area native, Brady would play as the Niners, while Eitzmann often elected for the Raiders, featuring an unbeatable Bo Jackson. “He’d throw the controller against the wall,” Eitzmann says. “He wouldn’t talk to me for half a day.”

Despite his best efforts Brady remained a glorified practice squad player most of that season, taking snaps sparingly and staying home for away games. But it was clear that he had caught the attention of veteran peers, if only judging by Bledsoe's pranks targeting the yellow Jeep. “At one point he filled it with packing peanuts; at one point there was flour in the vents,” Eitzmann says. All the while, Brady’s intensity never waned. “Every night, he would go down to our basement and watch film, preparing like he was the starting quarterback,” Nugent says. “Then I wouldn’t see him in the morning, because he’d get up so early and go to the stadium and watch film before anyone else got there.”

One night, after returning from a road trip, Nugent checked in to see how Brady, no stranger to quarterback competition due to his time at Michigan, was handling the lack of action. “I asked him, ‘You hanging in there?’ ” Nugent recalls. “He was so competitive, but so far down the depth chart. He said, ‘You know, I can’t control how much practice time I get, or how the guys in front of me play. All I can control is how much I study, what I do with the one or two reps they give me. And when my time comes, I’ll be ready.”

Pats fans everywhere can recite what happened next by rote: Bledsoe went down in Week 2 of the 2001 season, sustaining severe internal injuries on a hit that hastened his exit from New England; Brady stepped up and soon became the youngest Super Bowl–winning quarterback ever, assuming the unfamiliar role of local deity, much to his—and everyone else’s—surprise “I’ve got all sorts of stories about him getting standing ovations at Outback Steakhouse, getting recognized as we were heading into the playoffs,” Nugent says. “At the time it was brand-new to him. We’d get back in the car and he’d be freaking out.”

More SI Daily Covers:

• In the Shadow of Tom Brady: What It Means to Be Pick 199
• Dak Prescott’s Heal Turn
• How the Bucs Are Leading a Linebacker Revival
• Magnificent Seventh: How Brady’s Bucs Became Super Bowl Champions

Cowboys News: Jerry gives a roster spot, turning focus to Tampa, new destination for Dez?

The Cowboys owner confirms which "bubble player" will make the team, silver linings from an 0-4 preseason, and Dez Bryant going to a rival? | From @ToddBrock24f7

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Predicting the Steelers 2021 practice squad

Here's a look at the Steelers potential practice squad.

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Eagles’ Jonathan Gannon stressing importance of takeaways

All defensive coaches care about takeaways but Jonathan Gannon talks about them differently. By Dave Zangaro

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Raiders TE Darren Waller finishes as No. 45 player on ESPN’s top-100 list

Raiders TE Darren Waller finishes as No. 45 player on ESPN's top-100 list

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What we learned from Patriots' preseason finale vs. Giants

What did we learn from the Patriots' preseason finale against the Giants? Phil Perry shares six takeaways, including the encouraging play of several first-year players.

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ESPN ranks Dak Prescott at No. 12, QB among 4 Cowboys in Top 100 players list

A look at a more believable ranking of the best talent in the NFL has 4 Cowboys, all on offense, ranked accordingly. We don't know what the NFL Network list was, but this one makes more sense for 2021. | From @KDDrummondNFL

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5 takeaways from the Bears offense this preseason

From Justin Fields' readiness to an offensive line that's a work in progress, here are our takeaways from the Bears' offense this preseason.

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Miami Dolphins roster bubble: Who hurt their cause in Week 3?

Miami Dolphins roster bubble: Who hurt their cause in Week 3?

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Opinion: Despite robust vaccination figures, NFL receives reminder that it remains at mercy of COVID-19

Just as the NFL seemingly was inching closer to safety came reminders that COVID-19 remains as vaunted an opponent as ever.

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Cardinals hope for return of 3 players from COVID list Monday

Justin Pugh and Jordan Phillips are expected to return after having tested positive for the virus and Roberty Alford could return.

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Patriots’ 53-man roster projection: Surprising shifts at WR, CB and DE, including trades

Which players can the Patriots move to the practice squad? And which players will be gone for good?

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Miami Dolphins roster bubble: Who helped their cause in Week 3?

Miami Dolphins roster bubble: Who helped their cause in Week 3?

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The Good, the bad and the ugly from Cowboys last preseason game of 2021

The Cowboys closed out their preseason schedule with a whimper. Take a look at the major takeaways from the performance against the Jaguars. | From @NoHuddle

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Detroit Lions begin roster cuts with WR Breshad Perriman, a top free agent addition

Breshad Perriman, one of Brad Holmes' first free agent additions of the offseason, signed a one-year deal in March that included $2 million guaranteed.

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Josh Rosen: “Refreshing” to just go play football like you did in Pop Warner

Quarterback Josh Rosen only had a few days of practice to prepare for his Falcons debut, but he wasn’t lamenting his lack of time in the Atlanta offense after Sunday’s game against the Browns. Rosen played the second half of the game and went 9-of-18 for 118 yards and the only Falcons touchdown pass of [more]

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Lions cut Breshad Perriman

In March, the Lions signed wide receiver Breshad Perriman to a contract that included $2 million guaranteed. They can now kiss that money goodbye. Perriman has been released by the Lions this morning. A 2015 first-round draft pick of the Ravens, Perriman has never lived up to expectations in the NFL. He played only 27 [more]

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Kyle Shanahan on QB rotation: We have two guys who can play, it’s always going to be an option

The 49ers continue to resist any calls to officially name a starting quarterback for Week One of the regular season and their final preseason game of the summer showed why it may not be as consequential a decision as it would be for other clubs. Jimmy Garoppolo started the game against the Raiders, but Trey [more]

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NFL preseason winners, losers: Who helped themselves the most in final tune-ups?

With the regular season and cut deadline both drawing near, NFL teams had one last chance to get a closer look at players and settle position battles.

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New on Sports Illustrated: MMQB: Why You’re Hearing More Deshaun Watson Trade Rumors Now

The Texans reach another checkpoint with a decision to make on Tuesday. Plus, Nick Sirianni and Robert Saleh on being first-year coaches.

The needle may have moved on public discussion of a potential Deshaun Watson trade over the weekend, but the feet of the one man holding the cards have remained planted. And I’m not sure anyone should expect Nick Caserio to move from his stance soon.

Before we go any further here, it’s important to remind everyone that

Watson’s situation, as it stands right now, encompasses things far more serious than what color helmet he’ll be wearing next time he plays. There are 22 lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct pending, and 10 of the 22 plaintiffs have filed criminal complaints against the quarterback.

That’s why getting what, in January, was fair market value has been difficult for the Texans and their first-year general manager. On the field, Watson, without question, would make the Dolphins, Panthers, Broncos or Eagles better. But if you trade for Watson now, he instantly becomes the face of your franchise, and it’s difficult to predict with any level of certainty how the legal situation will play out. Any general manager or head coach would be putting his own neck on the line in going to his owner asking for permission to make such a trade.

That brings us back to Caserio. With all due respect to J.J. Watt, whatever Caserio does here will be the first franchise-shifting move he makes in a job he worked two decades to get. If he takes less, and Watson is cleared legally in a couple of months, then he’s traded away a 25-year-old franchise quarterback with five years left on his contract at a cut rate.

So, then, what’s the rush to move Watson? Caserio doesn’t owe Watson anything, nor does he owe other NFL teams the chance to acquire him. The argument that it’ll make things awkward for David Culley and the coaches, or Tyrod Taylor and the quarterbacks, is fair. But those guys have already rode that out for six weeks.

The cost for hanging on to Watson for the season would be $10.54 million. The cost for holding on to him past Tuesday would be the 53rd player on the roster.

Bottom line, given Caserio is in his first year as a GM, and given what the haul for Watson would’ve been in January or February, that cost is small in comparison to what a trade should bring for a player like this.

Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports (Watson); Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports (Sirianni); Vincent Carchietta/USA TODAY Sports (Saleh)

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We’re 10 days out from the opener, and, as such, we’ve got lots coming for you in this week’s MMQB. Inside the column, you’ll find …

• A fun look at two first-year head coaches interacting with one another.

• Previewing the 2022 draft quarterbacks with the college season afoot.

• A deep dive into trade names ahead of the 53-man cutdown.

• Some overarching observations from my camp trip.

And, of course, a whole lot more. But we’re starting with the situation in Houston.

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Quinn Harris/USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio did a nice job of breaking down the four options the Texans have Tuesday, when rosters across the NFL reduce to 53. One, they could tell him it’s time to play; two, they could put him on IR; three, they could keep him on ice, and essentially go into the year with 52 players; four, they could trade him.

The cutdown is a big reason why the Watson situation bubbled back up to the top of the news cycle the last couple of days, and why it’ll remain there until Tuesday afternoon’s deadline for the Texans to check one of those four boxes. And looking forward to that deadline, and trying to project what might happen, requires looking back at why we are where we are.

• I believe the root of the issue here for Watson remains with ownership, and specifically that Cal McNair didn’t follow through on his promise to loop Watson into the process of hiring Caserio, after involving him in prior stages of vetting coach and GM candidates. Obviously, a lot has happened since then, and not for the better, and the result is an irrevocably broken relationship between a team owner and his team’s quarterback.

• Caserio, to my knowledge, was earnest in his desire to hold on to Watson earlier in the offseason—which I can say was reflected in the way the Texans rebuffed interest back then from other teams. I can also say through that period, and well into March, packages involving three first-round picks (and then some) were discussed by interested teams. The Texans, at the time, were unmoved.

• In mid-March, the first three lawsuits were filed by attorney Tony Buzbee. By the end of the month, the number grew to 21. On April 2, a police investigation was launched. (Watson has denied any wrongdoing.) And while the language the Texans were using publicly had shifted—from “he’s our quarterback” to “we’ll do what’s best for the team”—by then, the market for Watson had changed dramatically.

• Since, some teams I talked to that were interested at the time, and some that remain interested now, have only been willing to entertain a deal that gives them protections by making the draft-pick compensation conditional (with conditions linked to his availability to play). I haven’t gotten any indication that the Texans are willing to tie their return to those sorts of contingencies.

• On Saturday, Yahoo’s Charles Robinson reported that the Texans’ price is three first-rounders and a pair of second-rounders. What I’ve heard is vaguer than that—three first-round picks as a starting point, with additional compensation on top of that—but does match up with Robinson’s information.

• And to that “additional compensation,” I wouldn’t assume that another team’s young quarterback (e.g. Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, Carolina’s Sam Darnold or Philly’s Jalen Hurts) would necessarily be seen as an asset by Houston in a Watson trade. I think in at least some of those cases, and maybe all of them, the Texans would much prefer additional picks to the quarterbacks.

• On one hand, I don’t think Watson’s preference being Miami gives the Dolphins any sort of advantage, or leverage, in working to land the quarterback. On the other, Watson does have some control over this, via the no-trade clause he secured in the four-year, $156 million extension he signed less than a year ago.

So looking at that landscape, if you’re Caserio, what do you do?

The comfortable thing might be to find a way to move on soon, give Culley a fresh start with a healthier quarterback room and make the Watson story someone else’s issue. And maybe someone will decide, at the 11th hour, to meet the Texans’ price. Or find a creative way to write conditions into a deal that work for Houston.

Absent that sort of offer, though, it’s really hard for me to see Caserio’s being backed into a corner here. It’s too important to the future of the franchise that it gets the highest price possible for the NFL’s most valuable commodity—a young, under-contract, superstar quarterback. If that means essentially squatting on Watson’s rights, paying him $10.45 million for the year and managing a very weird situation over the coming months, so be it.

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A MEETING OF FIRST-YEAR COACHES

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — A few weeks back, I had the idea to get a couple of first-year coaches together to discuss the challenges they’re facing and their new lives in charge. That sent me to the schedule, where I saw that the Jets and Eagles would be practicing together at the end of August.

Which was perfect. Both new Jets coach Robert Saleh and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni carry themselves like regular guys, they’re close in age (Saleh’s two years older), and they come from pretty different backgrounds, with Saleh’s having cut his teeth in the Shanahan and Carroll coaching families, and Sirianni’s having roots in systems planted by Bill Parcells and Norv Turner.

The only hang-up was they didn’t really know each other much before last week. But that ended up making it kind of fun. The result is up on YouTube as a part of our new video series, the Hurry Up. And I’d encourage you to go take a look at that, as Saleh and Sirianni take you inside what it’s like to be in their shoes. But if you want a little taste of that here, here’s an edited down version with some of my favorite parts of our conversation …

MMQB: You guys are around the same age, nearly 20 years as coaches, what’s the biggest difference being the guy in charge?

Sirianni: You’ve just got a little bit more on your plate, but you don’t stop doing the things that got you to this position. So I like to think of myself as an expert in quarterback and wide receiver play, well, I couldn’t stop doing that once I became a coordinator, right? And then you think of yourself as an expert in an offensive play and you don’t want to stop that once you get to your head coaching spot. So you’re just adding more hats. And you’ve got to be able to delegate and trust the guys that you hired. But I just think the best thing that I get to do every day is coach players. And I don’t want that to stop just because I’m head coach.

MMQB: So how much of it is wanting to do what got you here, but then balancing that with the idea that this is a completely different job?

Saleh: No different than what [Sirianni] said. You keep grinding. Like for me, the worst position to coach in our entire building is linebackers, [because] I’m in his room all the time. And then [defensive coordinator Jeff] Ulbrich, I’m with him all the time. At the same time, you’ve got to be able to trust those guys because you are going to get pulled away, and you can’t dedicate as much attention to the detail that you want. But you’re straining guys to keep that detail and you’re staying as connected as possible. You are being pulled in many, many directions. It doesn’t make it an impossible task; it just makes it a little more tedious.

MMQB: I’ve heard head coaches say they have to create time during the day, where they close the door and just focus on their work, because, like you said Rob, you’re getting pulled in a lot of different directions. Is there that time for you?

Saleh: There is. If that door’s open, someone’s walking through it—which is welcome for us because we want to welcome people to walk in and talk about whatever’s on their mind. But at the same time there’s moments, and I would imagine it’s going to become even more so now that we’re getting closer to game-planning, where that door’s gotta be closed because you got to focus on the opponent, so you can do what’s best for your players, and that’s to get them ready for Sunday.

Sirianni: I’m laughing. I’m still laughing about the linebackers coach and his struggles. And I think the same thing.

MMQB: So it sucks being the Eagles’ quarterbacks or receivers coach?

Sirianni: Yeah, they get picked on a little bit, but they know what it is and they know what they signed up for.

MMQB: So then how do you guys handle the guys on the other side of the ball? Nick, you with defensive players and you, Robert, with offensive players?

Sirianni: I’ve always felt like I’ve had a good relationship with DBs just because of that interaction in the one-on-ones, so I’ve continued to do that. And I think the thing that you can do with the players and the coaches is just explain it from the offensive point of view. It’s like, Hey, here’s what I’m seeing you guys doing on offensive, here’s why you can’t do that. Or, Here’s why this is really good, what you’re doing, because an offense is looking at this. And so I think when you’re a coordinator or a wideout coach or a quarterback coach and you go and tell a DB something, it’s like, Hey, what are you doing? But as the head coach, you’re allowed to do that. So I feel like I’ve had more of those conversations just because I feel like I’ve been able to help them get a sense of what an offense is thinking or what a wideout thinks or what a quarterback looks like.

MMQB: And obviously you have a quarterback now who is probably the most important draft pick you’ll ever make, so this is really important for you, Robert, right?

Saleh: It is. So it’s the same thing. You’re having a conversation. Zach [Wilson] came into my office a couple of weeks ago and he does that, he goes into everyone’s office on defense, just to ask about scheme. And we had a great discussion about our scheme and how we play three deep compared to our other teams play three deep, and just going through all the different ways we teach man compared to other teams teaching man. And you want to have those interactions. But at the same time, understanding your voice might carry weight, you’re very cognizant of making sure that offense isn’t doing something just because you told them to do something. And you just make sure that you’re constantly staying focused on the style that you want that side of the ball to represent.

MMQB: Both of you just got done working for first-time head coaches. What are you taking from them?

Saleh: For me, it’s delegation and understanding. Kyle [Shanahan], to be honest with you, the way he handles the other side of the ball, I think I’ve taken that. The way he handled me and the conversations that we had and the way he was very careful and very cognizant of the words that he spoke and the things that he gave us to help us evolve on defense, because it allowed us to flow a lot easier. But I thought his leadership skills were phenomenal, and I feel like that’s the best part I’ll take.

MMQB: So in a way, it’s like you want your relationship with [OC] Mike [LaFleur] to be similar to his relationship with you.

Saleh: Very similar.

MMQB: And you, Nick?

Sirianni: I just think Frank [Reich] had a great ability of connecting with everybody in the building, the offensive guys, the defensive guys, offensive coaches, defensive coaches, but then everybody else around the building too. He just had a great way about him as the leader of the organization. I saw that and I feel like I’ve said this before, I got my doctorate degree on how to treat everybody in the building as a leader. And he was just a great example of that. And his messaging to the team. I always thought his messaging to the team, he knew what he wanted to get across. He knew how to get it across. And I just felt like the team always embraced his messaging.

As I hope you can tell, the conversation with those two was a lot of fun—and if you want more (including coaching in a big market, best advice they’ve gotten, and how their private lives are now very public), be sure to check out the full interview on YouTube. And don’t be shy about subscribing to the show while you’re there.

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Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports

2022 DRAFT QUARTERBACKS

For a few years, we had a summer “Draft Week” in which I would do a piece to preview the coming fall’s quarterback class. It became a fun exercise for me, and I hope a good guide for all NFL fans who may not follow college football as closely, on what to keep an eye on at that level and how it might translate to what we’ll be talking about come the following April.

That would be a pretty comprehensive look at each class, but this, I think, should be taken as a little more of a sneak peek at the group—I haven’t canvassed the league all that extensively on these guys yet, but do have a little bit of a feel for how the NFL views them.

And to get you a good view of each of these guys, I got on the phone with Jordan Palmer—the former Bengals quarterback, and younger brother of Carson—to help me break down what each guy brings to the table. Palmer’s worked with a lot of these kids, going back to high school and (one going back to middle school) through the Elite 11 program and his own personal coaching business (QB Summit), which gives him great perspective on who these guys are.

One last thing before we get started: This class reminds me a little of the 2019 class. Going into that year, we were coming off of a quarterback-rich draft that saw five selected in the first round, and there was potential, but a lot of unknown. The end result? Two first-year starters (Kyler Murray, Dwayne Haskins) and a dark horse out of Duke (Daniel Jones) went in the first round. Things are similarly wide-open this year.

“This year’s interesting because we don’t have the highly-anticipated future No. 1 pick, like we did last year,” Palmer said. “What we do have is some candidates where if their seasons go the way that it could and should, we could end up still with three, four or five guys in the first round. So if you look at Kyle Trask coming out of nowhere, if you look at Joe Burrow coming out of nowhere, if you look at these guys, Mac Jones coming out of nowhere …”

Palmer then stopped himself, and said, “Well, not coming out of nowhere, it’s Alabama, but Mac Jones started one season, I mean, Kyle Trask had a really good year and he’s a second-round pick. It’s that kind of year.”

Here, then, are the kinds of players with a shot to rise like Burrow, Trask or Jones did, with Palmer’s take on them attached.

Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma (6' 1", 200 lbs., 2020 first-team All-Big 12): “I think it’s kind of a foregone conclusion: He’s going to have big numbers, and he’s going to be in a position to win every regular season game, based off his team and his productivity. And so we’re going to really be able to see how he how he stacks up, honestly, when you get to the playoffs. He’s positioned to have a really big year, and he’s positioned himself to be selected really high in the draft. … Quick release, really accurate. He’s a playmaker.

Sam Howell, North Carolina (6' 1", 220 lbs, 2020 second-team All-ACC): “Sam Howell is potentially the most polished of the group heading into the season. He’s done it for two years now. He’s very, very mature. I mean, he had a beard in high school. And just really clean [as a prospect]. Very, very confident. And the coach he’s playing for doesn’t get enough credit for developing great quarterbacks. But he’s playing for a guy who’s just done it forever. And so there’s just not going to be too many situations that Sam Howell sees that he’s not completely ready for. … I think [Baker Mayfield is] a good comparison. And that’s a good thing. Baker has a very strong arm and is very athletic.”

Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati (6' 4", 215 lbs., 2020 AAC Offensive Player of the Year): “When we get to the testing side of things, there’s a chance that Desmond is one of the most impressive athletes at the position entering the draft in years. Size, speed, explosiveness, arm talent. He’s not as fast as Lamar [Jackson]. He’s not as big as Josh Allen. But the sum of all his physical traits, we’re going to look at him entering the draft and say this is one of the more impressive athletes we’ve seen in a long time. … He’s 30–4 as a starter going into a season that returns everybody for Cincinnati, with a chance to play Indiana and Notre Dame. So that’s a guy who could emerge as maybe the top guy when it’s all said and done.”

J.T. Daniels, Georgia (6' 3", 210 lbs.): “I’ve been working with J.T. since sixth grade, and I think he’s poised to have a Joe Burrow–type year, and for two reasons. One, for him personally, he’s actually, I think, a clone of Joe. He is about the same size, about the same arm, about the same athleticism. Joe is one of the most intelligent and confident quarterbacks I’ve been around at his age. I’d say the same thing for J.T. at his age. On the team side of it, think about college football this year—Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Florida all reload at quarterback, running back and pass-catcher. Georgia is not.”

Kedon Slovis, USC (6' 3", 205 lbs., 2020 first-team All-Pac 12): “It’s incredibly impressive how he stepped into a situation as a true freshman backup quarterback, the starter tears his ACL the first game, and all of a sudden, boom, you go in as a true freshman at USC. And he put together a great year. Last year, they were still working out kinks and lost some receivers in an up-and-down year. But I think he’s positioned to have a big junior year. He’s got talent around him. The level of play in the Pac-12 is less than what it is in some other conferences. And so he should be positioned to have a really solid year.”

Malik Willis, Liberty (6' 1", 215 lbs., 202 lbs.): “Physically, he’s a Ferrari and he’s at a lower-level school, but he’s playing way outside of where anybody at that level is playing. It’s going to be fascinating to watch him play this year as they take on some bigger competition. And I think he’s going to build quite the résumé this year. And maybe the most intriguing prospect in this upcoming draft. … [Physically], he’s Devin White. He’s enormous and he’s all muscle. He’s not Cam Newton, he’s not Josh Allen, he’s Shaq. I mean, he looks like an outside linebacker. And couldn’t be a nicer dude and has great work ethic. I can kind of bet how his year is going to go. He’s going to be a Heisman finalist, is going to have crazy numbers and have a couple of really cool moments. And so fast-forward, it’s going to be a team that says, ‘Hey, that guy’s perfect for what we’re doing here.’”

Carson Strong, Nevada (6' 4", 215 lbs., 2020 Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year): “Very unassuming athlete. Very, very, very athletic, very strong arm, and he pushes the ball down the field probably as well as anybody in college football. He also has a really good tight end and a really good receiver, so they’re going to have put up big numbers. And he starts off playing against Cal, which, I know we sit here and say it’s a Pac-12 team, but when you go to Nevada, most of those kids, had they got offered from a school at Cal, they would have gone there, so you’re still talking about two rosters that are not even. … He’s won, he’s been a conference player of the year. He’s won the conference. So he’s done everything that you can do at this point. He’s got one more season here to really cement that résumé. And he’s going to be an intriguing prospect. But he’s really, really mobile and can push the ball down the field and has a really live arm.”

So that gives you a list of seven to work off of. And just for fun, because I got asked this for my mailbag this week, I asked Palmer if he had a deep dark horse (mine was Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec). His answer: Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

“Reminds me of Kyle Trask,” Palmer said. “He’s bigger and spins it better than people think. Everybody said the same thing about Kyle Trask when they saw him in person—he’s a lot bigger than I thought, he throws it a lot better than I thought. So Kenny Pickett is a big body, great dude, dynamic personality and a playmaker at Pitt, and I think that he’s going to be able to string together a really solid year as well.”

College football had a sort of soft opening last weekend with Week 0, and things get going in earnest a few days from now. I can’t wait, and hopefully this list will give the rest of you a little something to get excited for in the sport, outside of just the NFL.

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TEN TAKEAWAYS

I can’t imagine what Sunday night was like for people who live in, and may or may not have evacuated from, New Orleans. What I do know is that the Saints acted fast in finding shelter. Saints beat writer Amie Just did a nice job of summing it up.

https://twitter.com/Amie_Just/status/1431820003838504963

And if you read my old friend Jeff Duncan’s column in the Sunday Times-Picayune, the rapid escalation of Ida reflected it really was like reliving a 16-year-old nightmare for those in Louisiana, and actually closely mirrored how quickly the Saints had to react to Katrina in 2005.

Anyway, after arriving in the Dallas area on Saturday night, Sean Payton gave his players the day off on Sunday to get their bearings, and they’re scheduled to resume practice on Monday at AT&T Stadium. Payton’s relationship with the Jones family made that a relatively easy, temporary solution for the team. And obviously, even then, it’ll be tough for everyone to be completely focused with friends and loved ones back in Louisiana trying to stick out the storm. Here’s hoping everyone in Louisiana is staying as safe as possible in an incredibly dangerous time.

The Texans are just one of a number of teams considering trades before the 53-man cutdown on Tuesday. So here’s some of what we’re hearing on that front.

• Houston’s willing to listen to offers for pretty much any of its veterans. Obviously, the rebuild there won’t happen overnight, and it makes sense for Caserio to start building up draft capital. And for as tough as the last year’s been in Houston, there are some proven players that’d be attractive to contenders on that roster.

• Everyone’s seemingly looking for offensive line depth, and the Chiefs (the same Chiefs team that’s line collapsed in the Super Bowl) have become a place for teams to look for that help, which is a tribute to the job Kansas City did rebuilding the position. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (who was doing things more important than football last year) has come up in talks, but he’s got a no-trade clause, making it more likely he’ll be on Kansas City’s roster.

• The Eagles are another team taking calls on offensive linemen—their issues of the last few years staying healthy up front have actually created a situation where they have experienced backups. Philly’s also discussed dealing away some linebacker depth.

• Count the Lions in those two categories, too. OL Tyrell Crosby and LB Jahlani Tavai have been involved in trade discussions.

• And Cleveland would be a third team where you can find a linebacker. Mack Wilson, who’s been up and down, is a name the Browns have taken calls on. The Rams (Micah Kiser) and Cowboys (Jaylon Smith) are two other teams that could deal a linebacker.

• The Patriots have solicited interest in their defensive line depth, with Akeem Spence and Montravius Adams emerging as names that could be dealt.

• And just as teams are looking around for offensive line depth, they’re also digging in and trying to find corners. Baltimore’s well-stocked but might be more hesitant now after trading away rookie Shaun Wade. Dallas’s Anthony Brown was a name to watch, albeit an expensive one (his base for 2021 is $4.25 million), but the chances he gets dealt were diminished on Sunday with Kelvin Joseph’s suffering an injury in the team’s preseason finale.

• The Broncos’ depth in the secondary in general has made them another team getting calls on corners, as well as safeties. Teams have sniffed around on Kyle Fuller, Bryce Callahan, Nate Hairston and Saivion Smith.

• The Bills have defensive end depth, so teams looking for pass rush help have been calling Buffalo. Darryl Johnson’s one young player who’s elicited interest from other teams.

• The Bears will listen on Nick Foles, but I’ve also long gotten the sense they aren’t going to send him somewhere he doesn’t want to go.

Having seen 24 teams, I have some overarching takeaways on where the league is. And I’ll give you 10 of those, in quick-hitting fashion, right now.

1) Some teams’ losing the spring for a second straight year has had an impact. Coaches believe more players came in out of football shape than ever before. I had one tell me he believes it takes 10 to 12 weeks to condition a guy for the season, and training camp only gives them seven. And one consensus I found: Some level of reform is needed, where a compromise is reached that gives players more football activity as a runway to prepare, even if it means eliminating part of the spring.

2) I believe that’s why we’re seeing wild variations in how teams are deploying their starters in preseason. Some have decided to sit them out of caution, and to try and replicate last year’s slower ramp-up schedule. Others have tried to cram more work in, through longer practices and reps in preseason games. In both cases, coaches are trying to condition players to avoid injury and endure a 17-game schedule. Which shows there’s no instruction manual for this uncharted territory.

3) The quarterback paradigm in the NFL is changing again, and you can sense the pressure on teams now to be great at the position, rather than just merely good. That’s why the Rams and Niners worked hard to upgrade this offseason, even with established, twentysomething starters in-house. It’s also, I believe, why the Panthers and Broncos made mid-level investments this offseason and kept their options open.

4) Which means we’re probably going to have more upheaval between now and this time next year. Watson’s situation remains in flux. And it sure feels like we could be right back where we were with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson again after the season—with the Packers, Seahawks and their quarterbacks having found a way to press the pause button … for now.

5) Offensive line depth is a problem across the NFL. No one seems to have enough of them, and it’s one reason why you see young pass rushers flashing in the second half of preseason games. It’s also why this is the one area even the league’s best teams (see: Kansas City last year) can’t afford injury.

6) I had a lot of people bring Tom Brady up to me unsolicited, and in a very reverential way—and, for some AFC teams, it also came with a, See, this is what we were up against all those years sort of tone.

7) A trend defensively: valuing length. Maybe it’s the continuing impact of the Seattle scheme across the league. Maybe it’s more complex than that. But seeing the off-ball linebackers in places like Indy [Darius Leonard, Bobby Okereke] and Arizona [Isaiah Simmons, Zaven Collins] really brought this into focus for me. Of building that way, one GM said, “It shrinks the field for you.”

8) Frustration definitely exists among coaches and execs on the players who are still hesitating on the COVID-19 vaccine. Washington coach Ron Rivera, as you read here a couple of weeks ago, is one. But not the only one.

9) The receiver position is incredibly healthy across the NFL, and the 2020 draft class is proof. When I was putting together camp observations on the Eagles the other day, ’20 sixth-rounder Quez Watkins came up. Philly felt like it was able to unearth him so late in large because the depth of the class pushed guys down. Then, I figured other teams probably found similar benefits. And after looking it up, I’d say Buffalo (Gabriel Davis), Chicago (Darnell Mooney), Cleveland (Donovan Peoples-Jones) and Tampa (Tyler Johnson) would agree.

10) It was really good to see people face-to-face again. We’ve all learned to do our jobs through Zoom and our phones the last year, and I think we’ve all gotten pretty efficient at it. But actually seeing people remains priceless. So thanks to all the teams for jumping through all the necessary hoops to make it happen (and special thanks to the Lions’ equipment guys for helping with my laundry, which always hovers over you on the camp trip like a black cloud).

I like the Eagles’ trade for Gardner Minshew. The 25-year-old arrives in Philly with 20 starts, 5,530 yards and 37 touchdown passes against just 11 picks on his résumé. He’s on the books for $850,000 this year and $765,000 next year. So the team keeps three quarterbacks, and insurance against Jalen Hurts’s slumping or Joe Flacco’s getting hurt, then gets an experienced backup for ’22 at next to nothing. And if he becomes more than that, then great. But at a baseline, landing a quarterback with that much experience, at that age, at that price, for just a sixth-round pick (a fifth if he plays more than half of the snaps in three of the Eagles’ games) is 100% worth it.

While we’re there, the Rams’ shot at Sony Michel is a good example of how GM Les Snead & Co. have managed their assets. The centerpiece of the Patriots’ return for Sony Michel was, all along, a fourth-round pick. First it was a fourth-rounder on the condition that the Rams landed a 2022 compensatory four for letting safety John Johnson walk (in the event the Rams got a three or a five for Johnson, it would’ve been a five and a six). When that was disallowed, thanks to a rule forbidding conditions on compensatory picks in trades, the teams reconfigured the deal to send ’22 sixth- and ’23 fourth-round picks. Either way, all of this was based on the projection that the Rams will wind up with that four for Johnson. So for letting him go, they basically get help in replacing the production of Cam Akers, and short-term insurance while Darrell Henderson (thumb) is banged up. And if Michel balls out in a tailback-friendly scheme, the Rams wind up with a ’23 comp pick to take the place of the ’23 pick they gave up for him. As it stands now, here’s how the Rams are projecting their 2022 draft war chest …

• Their own lotted second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks.

• A comp third-round pick for the Lions’ hiring of Brad Holmes as GM.

• Three comp sixth-rounders (Gerald Everett, Troy Hill, Samson Ebukam).

• A seventh-rounder from Miami from the 2019 Aqib Talib trade.

And all of this works because they’ve been able to draft and develop players like Jordan Fuller and Taylor Rapp, which allows them to let really good players like Johnson walk. Count up the above, and even without the first-rounder they sent to Detroit in the Matthew Stafford trade, the Rams have 10 picks next year, plus flexibility to add guys like Michel on the fly. Not bad.

The Patriots, as I see it, pulled off something similar here. New England went into the final stages of the preseason like a lot of teams—needing depth at corner and along the offensive line. The Patriots also had a surplus at tailback, and what they saw as a surplus at tight end. Bumps and bruises at the latter position basically narrowed the focus, and from there the remade personnel department went to work in using a strength to take care of a weakness with moves that corresponded.

• Wednesday: Pats trade Michel to the Rams for 2022 sixth- and ’23 fourth-round picks.

• Thursday: Pats trade 2022 seventh- and ’23 fifth-round picks for Ravens DB Shaun Wade.

So they essentially moved two picks up a round and took a flier on a talented, inconsistent rookie who’s under contract for the next four seasons. If it doesn’t work out, really, they’re no worse for the wear, because Michel’s role in Foxboro clearly would’ve been limited with Damien Harris entrenched as the starter and rookie Rhamondre Stevenson’s earning his way into a role. And we’ll see what happens with Wade—who might’ve been a first-round pick in 2020 after starring in a safety/slot corner hybrid for Ohio State, then returned to school on the premise he’d play outside corner (to boost his draft stock) and had the kind of year that killed his draft stock. Clearly, he’s not a replacement for the holding-in Stephon Gilmore. But he gives the Patriots depth in an area they need it, and also scratches the itch Belichick’s had for a while to find a bigger inside corner who can match up with tight ends.

The social-media stir over Lamar Jackson, in my mind, was largely misplaced. Is there a book on Jackson going into Year 4? Absolutely. Does that mean the NFL’s figured him out in a way that’s so uniquely different than other young quarterbacks? Not really. I touched base with a few defensive coaches this week to ask about the idea this week, and what came back was relatively simple. Over his first three years in the league, Jackson’s shown to be more accurate throwing between the numbers than on the outside edges of the field, where he can be very streaky. So, as one coordinator explained to me, if you’re a zone team, you might take the defender responsible for the curl-to-flat area and station him closer to the curl, in an effort to make Jackson throw outside. That’s why, from what I understand (and we have more on this coming next week) Jackson worked so hard this offseason on his mechanics and fundamentals, something that’s led to his throwing a tighter spiral and more accurate ball across the board. And if he can improve throwing outside the numbers, and be more consistent there, given the stress the Ravens’ run game puts on opponents (which leads to those opponents’ having to play a simpler game schematically), look out. “He’s streaky,” said one coordinator. “But if they’re running it like they can, and he’s hot, look out, you’re gonna have to outscore them.” So the idea is pretty simple, in those terms. If Jackson’s more consistent throwing it … that’d mean he’s “hot” more often … and look out.

We all loved the great work the NFL Films crew did in showing off The Star, the Cowboys’ over-the-top suburban practice facility that replaced Valley Ranch a few years back.

But there was a subtle message in those shots too—and almost a favor from the Cowboys to other teams in showing other municipalities, “This is what everyone is looking for.” The Vikings and Dolphins have similarly opulent suburban headquarters. The Panthers are building one now, and the Jaguars are about to break ground on their own, while the Rams and Chargers are seeking such permanent Monday to Saturday homes in and around Los Angeles. And in some cases, teams are getting public funding to build these palaces, which is why you should pay attention to this sort of thing …

Bottom line, it’d hardly be surprising if these campuses eventually become hubs for the scouting combine, should the league decide to put the combine on the road. And then, the same way the league dangles the Super Bowl as an incentive for cities and states to help their football teams build stadiums, it could put hosting the combine out there as reason for the public to kick in funds to build practice facilities. Would that wind up being a good deal for the public? History says probably not. But history also tells us that won’t stop owners from using this kind of thing to get themselves more favorable deals, like the one the Joneses got in building The Star.

We’ve all made a lot of how the Buccaneers are bringing back all their offensive infrastructure, and how that means Tom Brady could have an epic season at 44. But we’ve done it a lot less so looking at the Bills’ offense. And then I took a look at it, after Josh Allen torched the Packers on Saturday, and the whole of it is pretty scary looking.

• Ten of 11 offensive starters return.

• WR John Brown is the one not back—his roster spot went to Emmanuel Sanders.

• Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is back.

• So is quarterbacks coach Ken Dorsey, as is every other position coach.

Word is Allen’s performance on Saturday only reflects the kind of summer he’s had in general. And so I have it down, all this made me think about picking Allen for MVP. I don’t think I’m going to wind up pulling the trigger on that. (Find out who I’m picking in our season preview on the site!) But I’d be very unsurprised if he won it, based on the year he’s coming off of, but also all of the continuity around him. Bottom line, if the Bills’ pass rush is right, and the corner depth holds up, this is a very much a Super Bowl–caliber team. And the once-maligned quarterback is a gigantic reason why.

Teddy Bridgewater’s winning the Broncos’ starting quarterback job should tell you two things. First, as I see it, this is GM George Paton’s and coach Vic Fangio’s saying, implicitly, that the offense is in a spot right now where having a game manager trumps playmaking upside (which Drew Lock has)—and to me that’s an affirmation that Mike Munchak’s work reimagining the offensive line, and the resources spilled into the skill positions (Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler, Courtland Sutton, Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, Javonte Williams) are adding up in a positive way. Second, and maybe more significantly, it positions Denver as a player on the quarterback market in 2022, if not sooner. In passing on Justin Fields at No. 8—a player they really liked—they kept their options open. And a hard look at the roster shows that a couple of things breaking right could give Denver some of the same selling points it had for Peyton Manning in I’12 for Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers in ’22.

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SIX FROM THE SIDELINE

1) I’m genuinely stunned that the Scott Frost era has played out this way at Nebraska (losing to Illinois is not good). Frost helped Chip Kelly build Oregon, then took a UCF program that went 0-12 the year before he got there to 6-7 in his first year and 13-0 in his second year. Then he went to his alma mater, where he won a title as a player … and he’s 12-21 since. I can’t make that make sense. And I know Nebraska’s probably never going to be what it was when I was a kid. But it should be better than this.

2) Speaking of Kelly, his UCLA team looked dynamite against an overmatched Hawaii team on Saturday. This week’s game at the Rose Bowl against LSU should be fascinating.

3) The Yankees are good again? And I might’ve been right about the Sox all along?

4) I think the spike in interest in Formula One is a great example of how leagues can use access—and entertainment vehicles—to drive popularity in their sports.

5) I said when I got the vaccine that it was a personal choice and, quite honestly, I feel like I need to amend that now. Back then, in April, I wanted to be empathetic to pregnant women (as well as women trying to get pregnant), people with serious health conditions and others with legit reasons for trepidation. What I didn’t foresee was politicians’ sewing seeds of doubt in people, or people buying into absurd conspiracy theories birthed in dark corners of the internet. We’re all in this together. Get vaccinated. It’ll mean far fewer people infected and far fewer people hospitalized, and give us all a better chance to learn to live with what’s left of COVID-19 in the aftermath. And if you see this paragraph as political, you’re part of the problem.

6) I don’t know every detail of the Rachel Nichols saga at ESPN, but I know Rachel, and I know the result isn’t good for anyone. Rachel and I competed with one another a lot in my early years at NFL Network, as Northeast-based field reporters. She was tough to go against, had a great nose for whatever the story of the day was and knew how to draw information from people. And through those years, I gained a ton of respect for her, and we became friendly. On top of that, she’s been excellent at every job she’s had since. So here’s hoping all this leads to something better for her.

---

BEST OF THE NFL INTERNET

Honestly, that was a hell of a kick from Reid.

A three-part saga comes to a close with a happy ending for Isaiah McKenzie. It’s a good example, too, of how some people need a personal event to act—some anecdotal evidence the NFL compiled actually showed that teams that had young staffers get sick (not just test positive) from COVID-19 over the last year wound up having high vaccination rates.

That’s the first angle of it …

… the second was better.

Hard to believe it’s only been two years. Feels like a lifetime ago.

And here I thought it was just the reason why the Colts can’t get out of the first round.

And I totally remember those (props to Luck for talking to those high school kids, though, and it’s good to see him out and about a little more than we have).

I’ll echo Sanchez: Prayers to the families of the 13 U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

The Chiefs have done a really good job honoring Terez, who spent a few years on the beat there, and this is an awesome pay-it-forward sort of gesture.

This is the stuff that Fields can do that’s hard to teach—getting away from the rush, keeping his eyes downfield and putting the ball right where he wants it.

And this is Mac Jones doing something it usually takes a while to teach—getting a quarterback to communicate to the receiver with his throw.

And this right here is a pretty good indication of what Trey Lance is able to do right away for perhaps the NFL’s best-designed run game (watch the defenders close on Lance as Raheem Mostert slashes upfield).

Hard not to feel awful for J.K. Dobbins, a guy with a great reputation who was poised for an absolutely monster sophomore year in Baltimore. Here’s to a speedy recovery and big comeback in 2022 for the Ravens’ lead back.

---

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

We’ve now got two weeks to the opener, and Bill Belichick, Matt Nagy and Kyle Shanahan are under no obligation to disclose their plans for their rookie quarterbacks between now and then. And so it’s pretty noteworthy that the three of them handled their final preseason games, and the aftermath of those games, differently.

• Belichick stuck to his script—starting Cam Newton and deploying Mac Jones like coaches do young, developmental quarterbacks (lots of game reps, but mostly against the other team’s backups). He then declined to name a starter for Week 1, despite having called Newton the starting quarterback repeatedly over the last few months.

• Nagy rested Andy Dalton and gave Justin Fields the start Saturday. Afterward, he reaffirmed the plan to start Dalton against the Rams in Week 1. “This is the plan, this is the process, we understand that,” Nagy said. “That's what we've been saying from the very start. But with this, when you look at this thing big picture, we love where [Fields] is at. He's done everything that we've asked him to do.”

• Shanahan unfurled the quarterback shuttle he told us was possible in the August 9 MMQB column on Sunday, moving Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo in and out of the lineup through two full possessions, then going with Lance fulltime for the rest of the half. And to be sure, it definitely seems like Shanahan likes keeping people guessing who’ll be his starter against Detroit in 13 days. “I guess we'll have to see,” he said. “I don't like playing this game, but everyone keeps asking that question. I'm not giving the answer just to satisfy the question. I think we've got a pretty good idea, like I've said all along. I think our team does. We're pretty good with it as long as I can keep surviving press conferences.”

This year’s draft class is a rarity, in that more first-round quarterbacks (three) than not (two) went to contending teams. The result, it turns out, could be pretty entertaining.

How Austin Bryant went from roster bubble to key player on Detroit Lions pass rush

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Cowboys News: La’el Collins update, substitute coordinators for Sunday, Dak is left off a big list

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PFF snap counts and grades for Nebraska's defense vs. Illinois

Here are the final snap counts and grades for Nebraska's defense against Illinois, courtesy of PFF.

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Preseason finale provides valuable ‘teachable moments’ for Packers QB Jordan Love

Packers QB Jordan Love gained valuable situational experience during two "teachable moments" in the preseason finale against the Bills.

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Top takeaways from the Lions preseason

Top takeaways from the Detroit Lions preseason games in 2021

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10 takeaways from Bears’ 27-24 preseason win vs. Titans

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Final Steelers 53-man roster prediction

Here's our final shot at predicting the Steelers roster.

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What are Kenny Yeboah’s chances of making Jets’ 53-man roster?

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Pete Carroll says Seahawks had no new injuries vs. Chargers

Pete Carroll says Seahawks had no new injuries vs. Chargers.

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Browns rookie Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah noted as team’s best offseason move

The Browns made a ton of moves this offseason but one analyst says that the drafting of JOK was their best move:

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Teddy Bridgewater: “Definitely good” to work through adversity Saturday night

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Raiders vs 49ers: Time, TV schedule, odds, streaming, how to watch

Raiders vs 49ers: Time, TV schedule, odds, streaming, how to watch

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Matt Nagy “impressed” with how Jason Peters has picked everything up

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Browns 10 most important players for 2021

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Former Penn State safety Lamont Wade released by Steelers

Former Penn State safety is once again an NFL free agent

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Pittsburgh Steelers roster: 3 takeaways from the 1st batch of final cuts

Here is a look at Pittsburgh's first group of final cuts.

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Lamar Jackson on 20-game preseason winning streak: We want to win, even in preseason

The preseason may not matter, but the Ravens have done something unique over the last five preseasons, and they see it as something to celebrate. Saturday night’s preseason win was the Ravens’ 20th in a row, the longest preseason winning streak in NFL history. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson played only briefly, but he was excited [more]

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Chris Paul says Williams, Booker were motivations that brought him to Suns

"When I thought about going to Phoenix, people didn’t even know that was in my mind."

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Steelers LB T.J. Watt lands at No. 9 on NFL Network Top 100

T.J. Watt was the second-highest rated defensive player on the list.

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PFF snap counts and grades for Nebraska's offense vs. Illinois

Here are the final snap counts and grades for Nebraska's offense against Illinois, courtesy of PFF. Nebraska QB Adrian Martinez. Getty QUARTERBACK  Quarterback grade Player Snaps Pass plays Run plays Overall grade Adrian Martinez - Jr.

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Matt LaFleur: “For the most part” Jordan Love did a nice job in preseason

The Packers’ preseason came to an end with Jordan Love starting at quarterback against the Bills on Sunday and it remains to be seen when he’ll next be in that role. Aaron Rodgers is set to start in the regular season with Love on hand in case of injury or a remarkable drop in effectiveness. [more]

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Dolphins announce LB Vince Biegel has been placed on injured reserve

Dolphins announce LB Vince Biegel has been placed on injured reserve

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Justin Fields finishes preseason strong

Justin Fields is not the Bears’ starting quarterback. But he looks like he should be. Fields, the rookie first-round pick who is the future in Chicago, got the start and played well in the final preseason game on Saturday night, and coach Matt Nagy praised his effort afterward. “He’s done a lot of great things,” [more]

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Bears’ unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason finale vs. Titans

Here's a look at where the Bears' depth chart stands heading into the preseason finale vs. Titans.

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Adam Butler set to be valuable role player for Dolphins’ pass rush

Adam Butler set to be valuable role player for Dolphins' pass rush

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Bengals roster bubble players who need big performances in preseason finale vs. Dolphins

It's now-or-never time for Bengals players on the roster bubble.

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Dolphins’ Trill Williams focused on process amid push for roster spot

Dolphins' Trill Williams focused on process amid push for roster spot

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Moose Crossing? Nick Ralston’s path to Cowboys’ 53-man roster may be paved with history

An unknown rookie fullback grinds for a spot on the 53-man roster in an effort to revitalize the position for the Cowboys. | From @TimLettiero

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Mike Zimmer: “I feel like we’re going to be pretty good, but we still have to go out and prove it”

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer is optimistic. Despite generating an 0-3 record in the preseason with an offense that most of the time seemed downright offensive, Zimmer has high hopes for his team. “I feel like we’re going to be pretty good, but we still have to go out and prove it,” Zimmer told reporters. He [more]

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Bills vs. Packers preseason: How to watch, listen and stream

#Bills vs. #Packers preseason: How to watch, listen and stream:

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These 21 Lions players were held out vs. Colts

Lions head coach Dan Campbell rested 21 of his most important players in the preseason finale

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The NFL let Jabril Cox fall into the Cowboys’ laps; he projects to make them pay in short order

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Trae Waynes still an unknown for Bengals’ opener after suffering leg injury

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Hail Mary, two-point conversion cap first NFL regulation tie since 1973

It’s not quite a 19-game winning streak in meaningless action, but it’s still a record. A new rule change applied for the first time in NFL history on Friday night in the Eagles-Jets game at MetLife Stadium. Jets fans who paid to see the only preseason home game of the season didn’t see Zach Wilson [more]

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Bills trade candidates before cutting roster to 53 players

#Bills trade candidates before cutting roster to 53 players:

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WATCH: Brian Baldinger breaks down Boogie Basham pass rush

WATCH: Brian Baldinger breaks down #Bills DE Boogie Basham pass rush:

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Robert Saleh: Offensive line shuffling, not weather, led to decision to not play Zach Wilson

The intersection of the third preseason game and the final preseason game has indeed caused different teams to take different approaches as to the players who play in the Week Three games. For the Jets, coach Robert Saleh decided to keep quarterback Zach Wilson and most other offensive starters out of the fray on Friday [more]

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Cavaliers “strongly deny” any buyout talks with Kevin Love

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Opinion: NFL has led the way on COVID-19, and rest of country would do well to follow

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Jerry Jones: Tony Romo would be a first-ballot Hall of Famer if it were up to me

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Detroit Lions should go lighter in other spots and keep more running backs on the roster

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Giants’ Montre Hartage, Cole Hikutini revert to IR

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Dwayne Haskins struggles, Josh Dobbs injured in rough night for Steelers’ quarterbacks

The Steelers gave quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph the night off so they could get a good look at backups Dwayne Haskins and Josh Dobbs in Friday night’s preseason finale. It did not go well. Haskins started and played poorly, while Dobbs entered the game in the third quarter and got hurt. Steelers coach [more]

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Eagles at Jets 2021 NFL preseason: Start time, TV schedule storylines

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Financial ramifications of Cowboys restructuring Ezekiel Elliott’s contract

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NFL strengthens partnership with Black institutions with second annual NFL x HBCU Open House

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Colts vs. Lions preseason Week 3: How to watch, listen, stream online

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10 Bears players to watch during Saturday’s preseason finale vs. Titans

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Players on the Cardinals’ roster bubble who need good performance vs. Saints

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Pascal Siakam doesn’t want to be traded, it’s “last thing on his mind,” agent says

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New on Sports Illustrated: Every AFC Team’s Biggest Weakness Going Into 2021

From the Ravens’ wide receivers to the Raiders’ secondary, here’s the biggest trouble spot on every team’s roster.

We’ve made it to the second part of our team-by-team examination of biggest weaknesses (you can

find the NFC version here), though not without our hiccups. A team weakness is often relative to the strength of its roster. So, if you’re reading this post, see something you disagree with and fire your Americano at the computer screen, remember: Just because a unit is on this list does not mean it’s bad by NFL standards (unless your favorite team is the Texans!). It probably means your favorite team is quite good.

An example before we get rolling: Down below you’ll find the Patriots and quarterback paired together. Does this mean we think Mac Jones is bad? Quite the opposite. Some of us have been saying he should start Week 1 long before Cam Newton misunderstood COVID-19 protocol and opened the door for Jones to do so. It means that Jones is a rookie, and with rookies there is always limitation. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster is talented and deep.

With that in mind, let’s get started.

Paul Rutherford/USA TODAY Sports

AFC EAST

Buffalo Bills

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: This was a toss-up for me, a process made no easier given that any person or position named in this space would immediately draw the ire of Bills Mafia. And it makes sense; this is as complete a team as we’ll see in the NFL this year. Linebacker was another option. Either is going to sound nitpicky, but remember that this is a weakness relative to the rest of the team and not necessarily the league. A pairing of Ed Oliver and Star Lotulelei sounds good on paper, and Oliver was actually one of Buffalo’s best defensive players in terms of net yards over average last season, behind only Matt Milano. That said, the unit lacks some punch, finishing 26th in yards per attempt surrendered by opposing running backs (Lotulelei opted out of the 2020 season, and in ’19 the unit was eight spots better in the same category). Buffalo did a majority of its work this offseason on the pass rush, which may have been a way of compensating for a threadbare defensive tackle class in the draft.

Miami Dolphins

INSIDE LINEBACKER: Miami spent most of its time shifting between nickel and dime fronts last year, which meant it could have as few as one inside linebacker on the field at one time. Perhaps the team’s reliance on dime (one of the 10 highest-usage teams in the league) reflected its thoughts on the linebacker position at the time. But outside of Andrew Van Ginkel, none of the Dolphins’ off-ball linebackers finished with a positive net yards over average last year. The Dolphins were especially susceptible to getting beat up by zone rushing teams as a result. Not far behind on this list were offensive line, quarterback and running back. We had to ask ourselves: Is adding Benardrick McKinney to this unit better than the upgrades the team made at offensive line this offseason, or how much better the running back position may be as a result of these upgrades. The same could be said of Tua Tagovailoa, who may also improve with a more robust receiving corps and better protection.

New England Patriots

QUARTERBACK: In the NFC version of this post, more than a small handful of readers decided to take the position out of context when I listed quarterback as the 49ers’ biggest weakness. So, to reiterate, this does not mean we’re saying the quarterback you have is bad. It means, relative to the rest of the team, it’s a position that needs to come around a bit. Hopefully, what I have written about Mac Jones this preseason can be added for perspective.

All that said, New England’s roster is pretty complete. Anyone saying this is a paper-thin free-agency patch job is ignoring the fact that the Patriots also got players back at key positions (linebacker) and that their offensive line may be among the best in football. So, relative to the rest of the position groups on the field, the quarterback position is still finding its way. Cam Newton’s COVID-19 testing mishap has opened the window for Jones. Jones has looked phenomenal this preseason. But … it is a rookie and a former MVP relying on some outsized athletic traits that naturally fade over time. We have to keep that in perspective.

New York Jets

CORNERBACK: Jets general manager Joe Douglas had a serious upgrade list this offseason, needing to pacify both the pass rush–needy Robert Saleh and the offensive line–needy Mike LaFleur. This roster was thin up to this point, so there were inevitably going to be positions that struggled. It’s hard to imagine the Jets capably matching up with opponents this year until Saleh and Douglas have time and equity to spend on upgrades. Bless Austin developed year over year under Adam Gase, but not to the point where one would be confident in his matching up with a top receiver in Buffalo or Miami.

AFC NORTH

Baltimore Ravens

WIDE RECEIVER: At this point, we don’t know when Rashod Bateman will return and, when he does, how effective he can be immediately. The great issue with Baltimore’s offense is, and will always be, how much further Lamar Jackson can take it with the requisite tools. The Ravens built a brilliant offense that took advantage of the NFL’s devaluation of running quarterbacks, road-grating offensive linemen and, especially, tight ends. However, there is a ceiling when it comes to this scheme in its current itineration. Getting the pass catchers healthy and on the field to allow Jackson to more regularly dial up deep shots and balls toward the sideline will go a long way toward making them difficult to defend.

Cleveland Browns

DEFENSIVE TACKLE: Cleveland addressed its needs at corner and linebacker in the draft, and while one or two rookies are never going to tip the scales, the presence of Greg Newsome and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah should go a long way toward bolstering the talent on the roster. The one concern now may be their defensive front, which the Browns have tried to stitch together in recent years. They let go of both Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson this offseason and will roll with the dependable but soon-to-be 33-year-old Malik Jackson and Andrew Billings, who had a promising finale to his career in Cincinnati before opting out of last season due to COVID-19. Myles Garrett will dictate an offense’s protection, but do the Browns have the rotational pieces and heft to keep offensive linemen from getting to the second level and preventing someone like Owusu-Koramoah from reaching his potential?

Cincinnati Bengals

OFFENSIVE LINE: I understand the argument that breaking in a rookie offensive tackle could take as long as breaking in a wide receiver. That said, the Bengals’ passing up on a generational tackle class to add some rocket fuel to their receiving corps must be one of the most irresponsible decisions in recent memory. This has nothing to do with Ja’Marr Chase’s preseason drops, which are, like the stories about Joe Burrow’s pocket wariness, the kind of training camp fodder that exists in a vacuum. The Bengals have bigger problems and are trying to build a roster from the outside in. Their scattershot offensive line last year was actually O.K. in that they were one of the better zone running offenses in the NFL. Why not double down on this and nurture something that will make your franchise’s two best offensive players, Joe Mixon and Joe Burrow, better?

Pittsburgh Steelers

OFFENSIVE LINE: A toss-up between offensive line and inside linebacker here, with the nod toward the obvious: This is a time of transition for Pittsburgh up front. While it’s hard to doubt GM Kevin Colbert, who has as strong a track record as any personnel man, the relative inexperience and freshness of this unit will cause some to pause. It may not be a bad thing. Like we saw with the Raiders, every great front has an expiration date, and a house cleaning is helpful. Units can grow organically and become greater than the sum of their parts with good coaching. However, if you go back to November of last year, four of the five starters trotting out on the field for opening day will be different. This, with an aging, not-so-fleet-of-foot quarterback behind center.

AFC SOUTH

Houston Texans

TOO MANY TO DECIDE: This is, generously speaking, one of the worst rosters in football, but more than likely the worst roster in football. The Texans are in the middle of a complete rebuild, a process that will ultimately leave everyone save for Laremy Tunsil as transactional flotsam. The Texans are going to be a bad team that, depending on the strength of David Culley as a head coach, can vacillate between respectably poor and disastrously poor. There are a handful of fine players on this team who will likely get steamrolled under the weight of a regime change. Here’s hoping everyone remains healthy.

Indianapolis Colts

WIDE RECEIVER: I’m prepared to dodge a few tomatoes for this one as well, but again, just look at how complete this roster is. Zach Pascal, Michael Pittman Jr. and T.Y. Hilton (I’m adding Nyheim Hines in here as well) would be a solid pass-catching group. If the Patriots, for example, had these wideouts, there would be no discussion about a weapons drought in New England. But … we’re talking about roster maximization here. Pittman had one of the lowest drop rates in football for an active wide receiver last year. He and both running backs (Hines and Jonathan Taylor) were among the top 20 players in the NFL in yards after the catch. However, only Jack Doyle was in the top 40 for highest passer rating when targeted. While it’s a flawed statistic, it does reflect how much better their presence makes the quarterback. Lists like that are headlined by guys like Kenny Golladay, one of the best contested-catch receivers in football, or Stefon Diggs or Mike Evans. Had the Colts added a Julio Jones this offseason, how much more ironclad would our belief be in this offense, Carson Wentz or not?

Jacksonville Jaguars

OFFENSIVE TACKLE: The Jaguars have surrendered 11 quarterback hits so far in two preseason games, which has translated directly to three sacks of Trevor Lawrence. While this is not unexpected for a team that had the No. 1 pick in the draft, recent, troubling trends in roster asset allocation (and what happens to the quarterbacks on the wrong end) should raise some red flags. Andrew Luck was battered out of football. Joe Burrow is entering his second season trying to climb over mental hurdles related to a significant knee injury. Lawrence’s rookie season will be about emerging healthy, but more than that, with a clear path toward stability at the tackle spots, which will marry with a more than adequate offensive line interior that was in place before Urban Meyer’s arrival.

Tennessee Titans

PASS RUSHER: According to Sports Info Solutions, the Titans applied pressure on 27% of all snaps last year, which was 29th in the NFL. And on those plays that they applied pressure, their effectiveness was 27th in the NFL. Adding Bud Dupree is a foundational move that will help the Titans in myriad ways. He was a key component to what the Steelers had been doing defensively in Pittsburgh. Perhaps some of their pressure numbers will improve organically this year, given how bad Houston and Jacksonville will be, but that also means their pressure numbers should have been better to begin with given how bad the division was in the past. Pairing their clock-control offense with a vicious attack will be Mike Vrabel’s white whale in Nashville, but if he can discover how to produce more QB hits, Tennessee can dream more regularly about competing at the highest levels of the AFC.

AFC WEST

Denver Broncos

QUARTERBACK: This was the true bummer of the offseason, that the Aaron Rodgers rumors never materialized to the point where he was a serious candidate to quarterback the Broncos. This team, with its talented receiver set, developing offensive line and top-five defense would have been a serious AFC title game contender with an upgrade at the position. Drew Lock’s ceiling is probably in the Jared Goff realm in absolute best-case scenarios, while Teddy Bridgewater will undoubtedly make the Broncos more efficient to start. Last year his completion percentage over expectation plus expected points added was middle of the road for NFL starters and actually slightly better than that of Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert. Lock, meanwhile, had bottomed out, sinking into the land of 2020 Sam Darnold and Carson Wentz.

Kansas City Chiefs

LINEBACKER: While the thought was there to note that Kansas City’s non-running-back skill-position platoon is getting a little gray in the hair, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce are still among the best players in football and figure to remain so for the foreseeable future. The presence of Tyrann Mathieu can cover up a good deal of deficiencies for the Chiefs, but both of their top linebackers on the depth chart allow opposing quarterback completion percentages between 77% and 87%. Willie Gay’s missed-tackle percentage was above 13%. Neither add a great deal to the pass rush despite somewhat frequent blitzing opportunities.

Las Vegas Raiders

SECONDARY: There are a lot of options to choose from here, with Jon Gruden’s reverting back to his old tried-and-true personnel strategy of layering any deficiencies with end-of-career contracts. The defensive line might be O.K., though apparently not good enough to avoid a Hail Mary Khalil Mack trade attempt. Their cornerback position seems like it needs the most help, even with the addition of Casey Hayward. In a division that can still spread out opponents, they will likely get dissected by those who have adequate depth and versatility in their receiving core. Gruden will need to live up to his reputation as an offensive mastermind, as scoring 30 points a game will be a necessity.

Los Angeles Chargers

COMPLEMENTARY WEAPON: A bit of an obscure choice here, so let’s set some qualifiers: The Chargers are excellent at WR1 and RB1, and good at TE1. They drafted a wide receiver in the third round, Josh Palmer, who has promise. Mike Williams has always been … Mike Williams. At his best, he is in the mid-60s in terms of catch percentage (but has been in the mid-50s each of the previous two seasons). He received the largest percentage of L.A.’s targeted air yards last season, which is a serious amount of real estate devoted to a player who, again, is good but perhaps not the kind of player who should be getting more targeted air yards than Travis Kelce or Amari Cooper, for example. 

More from Conor Orr:

• Predicting Every Game of the 2021 Season
• How Derrick Henry Handles a Throwback Workload
• Why Installing the NFL’s Trendiest Offense Is Harder Than You'd Think
• An Early Look at the 2022 NFL Quarterback Carousel