It’s Wednesday. The NFL commerce deadline has handed, and the mailbag is right here. Let’s dive in …
From Josh Frie (@freisenberg89): Is there a reliable probability Carolina sticks with Bryce Younger after this season if he continues to indicate enchancment?
Josh, positive there’s. I don’t suppose it’s seemingly that Younger is the quarterback for the following 5 years. However the Carolina Panthers invested a lot in Younger, and his contract isn’t backbreaking, and the approaching draft class appears to be like shaky on the place, so there’s a fairly reasonable situation the place one of the best factor for the Panthers to do is no less than give him a shot to win again his job in 2025.
The comp right here may very well be Tua Tagovailoa. Right here’s a take a look at the place Younger is now versus the place Tagovailoa was statistically going into 2022, with Mike McDaniel coming aboard as his new coach, and a benching (or three) already on his resume …
Tagovailoa did extra over his first two years than Younger has executed up to now to make the case that he ought to stay the crew’s quarterback. That’s why I feel for those who presume the Panthers don’t take one other huge swing at a quarterback in 2025, the probability can be they bring about in competitors, and see the place it goes. That might be the wise technique to deal with the place, whereas nonetheless giving your self an opportunity to money in on the funding made in Younger.
From Obed Gonzalez (@ObedinHouston): Why do you suppose the Houston Texans didn’t make strikes on the commerce deadline? They wanted OL and receiver assist.
Do they, although?
Obed, I’m unsure there was assist on the market for Houston that may’ve offered higher solutions than those they have already got on the roster.
The problem alongside the offensive line is inside, the place that they had expensive veteran Shaq Mason and 2022 first-round choose Kenyon Inexperienced at guard, and ’23 second-rounder Juice Scruggs at heart. They invested rather a lot, and it hasn’t been practically ok this yr. Now, Inexperienced is damage, and Kendrick Inexperienced, a ’21 third-rounder who’s began 18 video games in his spot, is taking part in. Would, say, Larry Borom have been value buying? Possibly. Or possibly the road simply must be extra constant. Shaky as that group has been, I don’t suppose expertise is the issue.
At receiver, it could take time to work issues out. However Nico Collins has a shot to return this week, Tank Dell’s a very good No. 2, and the Texans have a pleasant mixture of younger (John Metchie III, Xavier Hutchinson) and previous (Robert Woods) to fill within the blanks, plus an rising younger tight finish in Cade Stover to pair with Dalton Schultz and provides Houston extra flexibility to play out of two tight finish units. So I don’t suppose overextending to get, say, Darius Slayton, would’ve made the Texans markedly extra ready for a run to and thru the playoffs.
So, I do suppose Houston has sufficient solutions internally.
From Kim (@jessthebest077): Albert, do you imagine Richardson will probably be on the Colts subsequent yr?
Kim, that is just like the Younger query, solely with manner much less proof, by hook or by crook, on whether or not Anthony Richardson could be the reply. Making it much more troublesome for the Indianapolis Colts is that they don’t have the big-picture expertise points on offense, or the group tumult, just like the Panthers. So you’ll be able to’t actually grasp this on that or coach Shane Steichen along with his document of growing and maximizing quarterbacks.
So I really feel prefer it’s impossible the Colts go into the 2025 offseason with Richardson as their starter, and I feel his possibilities to win the job from there’ll seemingly experience on what stage of quarterback they bring about in to both compete with or substitute him.
Once more, it’s not over for Richardson. However he’s not on scholarship anymore.
From Yinzer (@Yiinzer1): How does the league view the Steelers at 6–2 versus different groups such because the Ravens, Commanders and even Texans? In 2020, the Steelers began 11–0 and nobody believed they had been true contenders.
Yinzer, the league views Mike Tomlin’s bunch as one with a dominant protection, and an offense that also has a ton of inquiries to reply. That mentioned, you don’t must squint too onerous to conjure some solutions to these questions. Quarterback will not be totally solved, however Russell Wilson’s play offers the Pittsburgh Steelers what appears to be like like two reliable options on the place. And whereas the offensive line nonetheless isn’t excellent, they’re counting on extremely drafted younger guys resembling Zach Frazier and Broderick Jones, who ought to proceed to enhance.
So there’s that, and the aggression that GM Omar Khan confirmed in buying Mike Williams and Preston Smith earlier than the deadline. The previous must be motivated, and provides Wilson one other big-bodied goal to take the stress off George Pickens. The latter can play along with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith on passing downs, and be an insurance coverage coverage to verify a crew energy stays a energy if there’s an harm.
Total, I feel, and NFL of us suppose, that is in all probability the Steelers crew most able to advancing within the playoffs shortly.
From Mmmm (@godscousinmatt): Does Chris Grier survive this season? He’s been given longer than most different GMs. He has little or no success to cling to. Being a Invoice Parcells disciple can solely take you up to now.
Mmmm, I don’t see a change there at this level. The Dolphins’ roster remains to be stable, Grier works very well with McDaniel, and I don’t suppose you’ll be able to blame these guys for the Tua circumstance (although the contract determination is separate from that).
They made the playoffs final yr. They’ve misplaced to 2 actually good groups the previous few weeks. Take a deep breath. They’re going to be O.Okay., if Tagovailoa can keep wholesome.
From Corey Bohler (@CoreyBohler): Any shot the Bears jettison Eberflus and Waldron earlier than the top of the season?
Corey, I’d be stunned as a result of I don’t suppose that’s how the McCaskeys function.
Matt Eberflus has executed plenty of good issues the previous three-plus years. I feel for those who take a look at Caleb Williams’s play—final week towards Arizona however—you must give Shane Waldron and the offensive coaches some credit score.
On the flip aspect, I’m not saying modifications couldn’t come after the season, and there’s clearly a vital stretch forward for the crew. To lose the way in which the Chicago Bears did in Washington, have all of the noise they did in the course of the week, after which come again and lay an egg in Arizona places plenty of of us on the spot. And now they are going to host the lowly Patriots, a get-right opponent for the Bears. Appears fairly essential that they, yup, get proper this week.
From Craig Evans (@CraigEvans06): Do the Browns transfer on from Ken Dorsey quickly? Looks like Stefanski’s good friend, Klint Kubiak, will probably be out there after the season.
Craig, not not possible—it’s good of you to boost Kubiak’s potential availability.
That mentioned, in some methods, doing that may be rolling the clock again. Kevin Stefanski’s logic in hiring Ken Dorsey was to inject new concepts into the Cleveland Browns offense. The mannequin, I’d say, was the Baltimore Ravens, and the way John Harbaugh pushed evolution in transferring from Marty Mornhinweg to Greg Roman to Todd Moken over Lamar Jackson’s seven years. I feel we’ve seen some flashes of the place Dorsey and Stefanski can take it collectively.
And also you noticed it, after the crew misplaced legendary line coach Invoice Callahan, and thru a rash of offensive line accidents, the off-loading of Amari Cooper, and, in fact, whereas enduring issues at quarterback. So I’m unsure I’d go into fire-everyone mode fairly but.
From Nikolai (@mothernachure): What’s the heart beat on the NFC West? Everybody desires to attend for L.A. and San Francisco to get their guys again, however Arizona has been doing it with out their guys. Can the Cardinals grasp on?
Nikolai, the San Francisco 49ers are attention-grabbing due to their expertise and expertise, and getting Christian McCaffrey again, assuming he will get wholesome, is clearly big. They nonetheless have one of the best roster, and a workers and crew of gamers stuffed with playoff expertise. The Los Angeles Rams have one of the best quarterback and, just like the Niners, one of many NFL’s finest head coaches, plus a younger protection that appears to be getting higher by the week (accidents are lingering on offense).
So with that established, I’d in all probability choose the Niners to win the division proper now, however see the Cardinals as an actual contender. Kyler Murray’s taking part in nice, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is a star within the making, the crew is stable on the traces of scrimmage, and rookies Marvin Harrison Jr. and Max Melton ought to maintain bettering.
Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort are doing a bang up job constructing that crew.
From ASB1216 (@ASB1216): For individuals who didn’t fill a necessity by way of commerce, are there free brokers who had been just lately launched or are nonetheless out there from the offseason that might signal with a crew for the stretch run?
There are just a few skilled gamers on the market resembling tackles D.J. Humphries, Charles Leno Jr., Donovan Smith and David Bakhtiari, who’re older and beat up, however may very well be an answer for somebody in a pinch. Defensively, Patrick Peterson and Marcus Peters may have the ability to assist somebody at nook, and Frank Clark might assist as an edge.
I’d suppose with any of those guys, you’d be rolling the cube greater than anything.
From Jeff Duffy (@jeffdduffy): In relation to participant security, shouldn’t the gamers do their half as nicely? I see mouthpieces hanging out, and never many canopy their knees…these are penalties in highschool for participant security. Mouth items do play a job in concussion prevention, and knee pads can solely assist.
Jeff, so that is an previous argument that I may not have the ability to add a lot to. Guys go away mouthpieces out, or play with out kneepads actually because they really feel quicker or extra comfy with out them. And, sure, the dangers they assume in these circumstances are their very own.
I suppose you may penalize guys on mouthpieces—gamers are required to put on them by rule, but it surely must be probably the most loosely regulated guidelines.
From erickleinphd (@DrEricKlein): If Woody Johnson is chosen once more by President Trump to be the Ambassador to England, how may that influence the potential hiring of a brand new coach and normal supervisor for the Jets? Would Woody nonetheless wish to make these hires, or would he defer to his brother, Christopher Johnson?
Eric, I feel Woody can have a say in it both manner. When Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas had been employed, they had been warned about Johnson, and that he’d finally be the one making the selections on their respective futures after they had been employed by Christopher.
My guess is Woody would depart much less to probability this time round. On the very least, he’ll be a think about how engaging the job is to candidates, whether or not he’s right here or within the U.Okay.
