The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- The Chiefs are the latest team to mount a GM search well into the offseason. PFR’s Zach Links compiled a list of the candidates Kansas City is considering to replace John Dorsey. Some familiar names from past 2017 searches popped up, and the Chiefs have contacted multiple internal candidates to replace Dorsey. The recently fired GM held this title since the beginning of the 2013 offseason.
- Nick Fairley was dealt a brutal blow recently, and the heart condition the Saints defensive tackle encountered will cost him at least the 2017 season — and maybe the rest of his NFL career. As for the Saints, who re-signed Fairley in March after a productive 2016, PFR’s Dallas Robinson looked at a variety of ways the team can attempt to replace the ailing interior defender. From trades for players like the Jets’ Sheldon Richardson or the Browns’ Desmond Bryant, to the free agent market — where the likes of Jared Odrick and Vince Wilfork still reside — many assistance avenues are mentioned.
- The Patriots are as of now a runaway favorite to repeat as AFC champions, but after that, a glut of contenders are on roughly the same level. I asked readers who they thought would be the chief challenger to New England this season. As of Sunday afternoon, the Raiders are the clear leader. The Steelers and “other” are in second and third, respectively, with many fans evidently seeing some sleepers I left off as more viable threats than the Chiefs or Texans.
- Thanks to the fifth-year option, players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Aaron Donald are under team control for two more years at salaries far below market value. I took a look at how this issue is affecting them and other players, such as the Raiders’ Khalil Mack, around the league in PFR’s latest Community Tailgate piece. Weigh in with your thoughts about how these fourth-year players should proceed as training camp nears.
- The Vikings have a player who is closer to his contract year than the aforementioned superstars, and PFR’s Rory Parks took a look at how an extension for Xavier Rhodes would play out. The 2013 first-round pick is set to play 2017 on a fifth-year option as of now. The Falcons’ recent Desmond Trufant re-up looks to provide reasonable parameters for Minnesota’s talks with Trufant.