Sean McDermott’s Surprising Statement: 7 Notable Quotes from Scoop City
Yesterday, Bill Belichick’s son Steve, the Washington Huskies defensive coordinator, reminded us all that he has something his dad doesn’t: a job. The “Dynasty” doc really did turn everyone against Bill.
Bills are happy with their WR room. I think. Sean McDermott was asked about the Bills’ weapons. Can you understand his answer?
“It’s like wearing corduroys. Every couple years, it’s like, are corduroys in or are they not? And so actually, you should be wearing them when they’re not in, to really be ahead of the curve. Right?”
Buffalo added WRs Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins to a room that includes 30-year-old Stefon Diggs and Khalil Shakir. With a rich WR class in this year’s draft, Buffalo should add another. But hey, at least McDermott’s analogies have improved after the 9/11 fiasco.
RB $ in Philly. “We sure as hell value it,” said Eagles HC Nick Sirianni when asked if the NFL still values RBs.
After Sirianni saw Miles Sanders and D’Andre Swift secure Pro Bowl selections while earning less than $2.2 million per year, many were surprised to see Saquon Barkley receive the highest annual contract for an RB in franchise history. Brooks Kubena has the story on why it made sense.
Josh Jacobs is Aaron Jones 2.0. “You guys know how I feel philosophically — I think you have to have multiple backs in this league… I don’t see it really changing much in terms of how we want to use our backs,” said Packers HC Matt LaFleur.
Expect plenty of pass-game and red-zone work for Jacobs, along with varying workloads and stolen touches by backup AJ Dillon.
Falcons HC Raheem Morris needed Kirk Cousins. “I know what it’s like trying to coach without [a strong quarterback]. That’s tough ball, and I want to see if I can avoid that as much as possible as early as possible,” said Morris.
During Morris’ three years as a head coach in Tampa Bay, QB Josh Freeman was the primary starter and ranked 34th in passer rating and 40th in touchdown-to-interception ratio before Morris was fired.
The Raiders’ interest in Jayden Daniels. “A damn runner,” said Raiders HC Antonio Pierce, after he was asked what type of quarterback poses the most problems for a defense.
A trade up is possible, especially with Daniels unlikely to last until the Raiders No. 13 slot. Also, Justin Fields was available for peanuts. I get the Raiders have former Bears OC Luke Getsy, but … ? More on the Raiders QB plan here.
Travis Etienne’s workload. “We [need to] take some burden off of Etienne a little bit, keep him healthy for the remainder of the season,” said Jaguars HC Doug Pederson.
Etienne’s 325 touches ranked second to only RB Christian McCaffrey in 2023. Pederson added that RB Tank Bigsby should be more involved in the team’s offense in 2024 after struggling in his rookie season (2.6 yards per rush).
Bryce Young’s turnaround. “It’s no different than the approach we took with Russell, with Geno, with Baker. We are going to the concepts where Bryce feels most confident,” said Panthers HC Dave Canales in response to a question about improving the sophomore QB.
“Look at the firmness of the back foot on the delivery” as the best evidence of a QB’s confidence, added Canales. Joe Person has more on Canales’ to do list.
49ers DB coach Daniel Bullocks’ dedication. “By the time the game was over, he could barely walk,” Kyle Shanahan said about Bullocks, who tore his Achilles during the Super Bowl celebrating an interception.
Bullocks remained on the sidelines and was one of two 49ers members who tore an Achilles jumping that game. Time for a no-jumping rule on the sidelines. Player/staff safety.
And now, here’s Dianna on the Patriots’ draft situation.
What Dianna’s Hearing: Pats moving down?
The No. 3 draft pick is the highest selection the Patriots have had under Robert Kraft’s ownership. They need a franchise QB, but is this the year they take one? New England is open to discussions with other teams looking to move up in exchange for more picks.
Some believe they could rebuild this team the way we’ve seen the Texans do after moving Deshaun Watson. Rather than draft a QB early, they waited a few years and repeatedly traded down for later draft picks. In 2023, their patience was rewarded with C.J. Stroud and a playoff run.
I’m told the Vikings, Broncos, and Raiders are three teams trying to move up to draft their franchise quarterback. With multiple teams all searching for the most important player, the phone lines in New England should be busy.
This morning, Nick Baumgardner and Chad Graff covered four mock draft scenarios if the Patriots trade down.
Takeaways from Pro Days
LSU’s pro day began yesterday and featured three expected first-round draft picks in QB Jayden Daniels and WRs Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas. They add to the list of over a hundred players to participate in pro days so far.
Given that many top prospects skipped this year’s combine, draft expert Nick Baumgardner’s article on risers and fallers in his pro day roundup is a must to catch up.
With this year’s class particularly strong at the QB and WR position, let’s quickly check in there:
Biggest riser at QB: J.J. McCarthy of Michigan. Former coach Jim Harbaugh called McCarthy’s performance the best pro day he’s ever seen. McCarthy was stellar, throwing just two true incompletions in 25 minutes and impressing with his touch throws and deep ball.
Biggest riser at WR: Ladd McConkey of Georgia, who paired elite speed (4.39 40-yard dash) with impressive movement by running the 20-yard shuttle in the 95th percentile among WRs since 1999 (3.97 seconds). Last college season, McConkey’s yards per route run of 3.62 ranked just behind Malik Nabers (3.81) in this draft class. He has risen to 36th on The Athletic’s big board.
Unchanged QB stock: Caleb Williams of USC, Bo Nix of Oregon, and Daniels. Williams appears to have solidified his No. 1 status. Both Nix and Daniels had a few missed throws but overall good performances that shouldn’t impact their draft position. Daniels was projected No. 2 while Nix was not selected in the first round of the latest beat writers mock draft.
Elite WR who impressed: Malik Nabers of LSU appears neck and neck with Marvin “Skipping Sessions” Harrison Jr., the Ohio State WR whom most have as the No. 4 pick in this year’s draft. Nabers’ unofficial 40-yard-dash time of 4.35 and a 42-inch vertical go a long way in helping his draft stock.
Pro Day Schedule: Today, we’ll see Drake Maye at North Carolina and Michael Penix Jr. at Washington, as well as the first Big 12 pro day, an event bringing the conference’s draft-eligible talent together for a four-day showcase in Texas.
Around the NFL
WR Josh Reynolds, formerly of the Lions, agreed to a two-year, $14 million deal with the Broncos. A week after Detroit GM Brad Holmes spoke about re-signing Reynolds, the 29-year-old WR rode to Broncos Country. Beat writer Nick Kosmider has more on what this means for the Broncos’ offense.
OLB Jadeveon Clowney is returning to hometown Charlotte to play for the Panthers on a two-year, $20 million deal. Clowney, 31, had a career-high 9.5 sacks with Baltimore last season and brings much-needed depth to a Panthers defensive line that lost two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns.
The Chiefs will sign rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, 23, who is expected to play RB/WR and should see work on the new kick returns. Here’s one highlight of Rees-Zammit that should have Chiefs fans excited.
QB Brock Purdy finished 2023 with the No. 1 QBR in the NFL last season and was an MVP finalist, all at the age of 24. Yet his contract ranks 60th among quarterbacks in total value. That could change after the 2024 season, which 49ers owner Jed York called a good problem.
RB J.K. Dobbins, a free agent and former Raven, visited the Chargers yesterday. He would reunite with fellow Baltimore alum Gus Edwards in a backfield for a team that was 27th in yards per rush attempt last season.
The Giants have plenty of questions for 2024, starting on the offensive line. “It’s ridiculous, and it’s a continuing source of frustration for me,” co-owner John Mara said of the line’s struggles. “It’s time to get it fixed.” The Giants hold the No. 6 pick but have been rumored to be interested in a WR or QB. Team reporter Dan Duggan has more.
Jacob’s Picks
What about my fantasy team? Jeff Haverlack listed the dynasty league football pre-draft value risers and fallers after a busy free agency period. “WR Marquise Brown’s value hasn’t adjusted significantly since his signing in Kansas City — take advantage of that market indifference.” (The Athletic)
NFL stars break down their best plays. Hear from Tyreek Hill, Ja’Marr Chase, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Myles Garrett, and more. Trent Williams sends a linebacker to another dimension. (YouTube)
Meet this year’s QB class. Robert Mays, Nate Tice, and Dane Brugler take a long look at the top four QBs in the 2024 draft class, as well as where Penix, Nix, and Spencer Rattler could land. (Podcast)
Now, can you guess the only team to receive an A in the revisited grades on the 2023 draft class?
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