Pro Football Rumors’ 2018 NFL Predictions
The 2018 NFL season gets underway tonight, and the writers at Pro Football Rumors have weighed in with projections for the upcoming year. We’ve predicted which teams will earn playoff berths, which clubs will win their respective conferences, the Super Bowl champion, and the winners of the league’s major awards.
Click on the table below for predictions from Zach Links, Ben Levine, Andrew Ortenberg, Rory Parks, Dallas Robinson, and Sam Robinson. And please head to the comments section to chime in with your own prognostications for the 2018 NFL season!
Jets Work Out Hau’oli Kikaha, Charles Tapper
The Jets worked out edge rushers Hau’oli Kikaha and Charles Tapper and cornerback Josh Robinson on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Kikaha was the 44th overall selection in the 2015 draft, but he’s been beset by injuries and ineffectiveness during his three-year tenure. After playing on 62% of the Saints’ snaps during his rookie campaign, Kikaha missed the 2016 season with a torn ACL (the third of his football career) and subsequently saw action on only 209 defensive snaps the following year. New Orleans shopped Kikaha ahead of the 2017 trade deadline, and waived him over the weekend.
Like Kikaha, Tapper has been affected by injuries during his NFL career, as a pre-existing back condition caused him to miss his entire rookie year in 2016. He suited up for the Cowboys’ first two games in 2017, but a broken foot landed him on injured reserve in October. A former fourth-round pick, Tapper could conceivably help the Jets as a rusher off the edge, an area of weakness for Gang Green.
The Buccaneers exercised their 2018 option on Robinson in March, but released him on Sunday during final cutdowns. A seven-year veteran who’s also spent time with the Vikings, Robinson has essentially become solely a special-teamer. Robinson played on at least 50% of Tampa Bay’s special team snaps in each of the past three seasons, and saw just nine total defensive snaps during that snap. He auditioned for the Lions earlier this week.
After looking at Kikaha, Tapper, and Robinson today, the Jets are scheduled to work out free agent linebacker Zaire Anderson on Thursday, according to Herbie Teope of NFL.com (Twitter link).
NFL Workout Updates: 9/5/18
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter unless otherwise noted:
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
- WRs Roger Lewis, Isaac Whitney; OTs Anthony Coyle, Antonio Garcia, Brad Seaton, Jylan Ware; G Sean Harlow; DTs A.J. Francis, Lance McDowell; LBs Jonathan Celestin, Kennan Gilchrist, Emmanuel Smith; CBs Makinton Dorleant, Henre’ Toliver; K Greg Joseph (link)
Detroit Lions
- RB Larry Rose; CBs Johnathan Alston, Leonard Johnson, Jeff Richards, Duke Thomas (link)
Houston Texans
- QB Garrett Gilbert; WRs Malachi Dupre, Malik Turner, DeAngelo Yancey; OTs Aaron Evans, Justin Evans, Taylor Hart; David Steinmetz (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Obum Gwacham
Jacksonville Jaguars
- FBs Dimitri Flowers, Jay Prosch; TE Ryan O’Malley; LBs Zaire Anderson, Tre’von Johnson, Corey Nelson (link)
Tennessee Titans
- QB Nick Stevens; WRs Devin Fuller, Francis Owusu (link)
Minnesota Vikings
- CB Christian Campbell (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- WRs Reggie Davis, Dorren Miller; S Andrew Adams (link)
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/18
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: S Isaiah Johnson
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: OL Michael Ola
- Waived: RB Boston Scott
New York Giants
- Waived: RB Robert Martin
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Josh Keyes
- Placed on injured reserve: RB Byron Marshall
Jeremy Maclin Intends To Play In 2018
Veteran wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is still a few weeks away from full recovery after tweaking his hamstring during a training session, but he still hopes to play in 2018, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Maclin reportedly had offers in hand prior to training camps getting underway, per Schefter, but was waiting for the “right opportunity” before signing. Whether that means Maclin is searching for a larger contract or more playing time is unclear, but the only club to have expressed reported interest in Maclin was the Eagles, who had Maclin on their radar at one point.
Maclin, 30, was once a perennial threat to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns, but his production has dwindled in recent seasons. From 2016-17 (which he split between Kansas City and Baltimore), Maclin played in just 24 total games and averaged only 42 receptions, 488 yards, and 2.5 touchdowns per year. Last season, Maclin ranked as a bottom-10 receiver in Football Outsiders’ DYAR and DVOA, meaning he was ineffective both overall and on a per-play basis.
At this stage of his career, it’s difficult to imagine Maclin garnering anything other than a one-year deal near the minimum salary. Given that he won’t be fully healthy until after the regular season begins, teams won’t have to worry about Maclin’s salary becoming guaranteed in Week 1 (as it would have had he made an opening roster as a vested veteran).
Patriots Work Out WR Kendall Wright
The Patriots hosted wide receiver Kendall Wright and a host of other free agents for workouts on Wednesday, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
New England currently only has four wide receivers on its roster (excluding special-teamer Matthew Slater), and the club is counting on Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and the recently-claimed Chad Hansen to shoulder the load until Julian Edelman returns from suspension in Week 5. In addition to Hansen, the Patriots claimed former Seahawks pass-catcher Amara Darboh off waivers on Sunday, but waived him with an injury designation on Tuesday.
Wright inked a one-year, $1MM deal with the Vikings this spring that contained $400K guaranteed, but he was cut loose on Sunday. Scheduled to be Minnesota’s slot receiver between Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, Wright was beaten out by former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell for a starting spot. Given his lack of special teams prowess, Wright didn’t hold much appeal as a reserve for Minnesota.
That Wright doesn’t play special teams (he has only four career ST snaps) could present a problem for his chances to earn a Patriots roster spot, as well, but New England’s dire need for receiving weapons could trump Wright’s weakness on teams. A former first-round pick, Wright spent five years with the Titans before landing with the Bears in 2017. The lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal passing attack, Wright posted a team-leading 59 receptions and 614 yards in his only season with Chicago.
Here’s the full list of free agents that were on hand for New England today, per Reiss:
- RB Kenjon Barner
- DB Quin Blanding
- RB Matthew Dayes
- WR Brandon Reilly
- RB Aaron Ripkowski
- LB Martrell Spaight
- LB Anthony Winbush
Latest On Steelers, Le’Veon Bell
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell did not report to the team’s facility on Monday, leading to a number of statements from Pittsburgh’s decision makers.
“We are disappointed Le’Veon Bell has not signed his franchise tender and rejoined his teammates,” general manger Kevin Colbert said in a prepared statement. “Coach [Mike] Tomlin and the coaching staff will continue to focus on preparing the players on our roster for our regular season opener on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.”
Bell is the last remaining franchise-tagged player yet to sign his tender, which will pay him $14.544MM for the 2018 campaign. The Steelers attempted to sign Bell to a long-term extension during the offseason, but those talks never led to an agreement. Recent reports indicated Bell would report to Pittsburgh on Monday, but Bell later tweeted that those reports were “fake news.”
“I hadn’t thought about it,” Tomlin said when asked if Bell would report on Wednesday (Twitter thread via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic). “We’ll see. Much like I’ve told you guys throughout this process when he gets here is when we will start quantifying all Le’Veon Bell-type things. His overall readiness, the amount of time that we have between our arrival and our next competition, etc, etc.
We will weigh all of those things at the appropriate time. Right now, we are singularly focused on the guys who are here working and have been here working and building a plan around variables that we know. That’s the appropriate thing.”
The Steelers open the season on Sunday against the division-rival Browns, and Bell would forfeit a game check if he’s not in attendance. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, will likely give second-year pro James Conner the “start” at running back against Cleveland even if Bell does report this week, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. That certainly doesn’t mean Bell wouldn’t play, but it signals a confidence in Conner following a strong training camp and preseason, and possibly sends a thinly-veiled shot at Bell after an offseason of relative animosity between player and team.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/4/18
Today’s workout updates:
Buffalo Bills
- QB Josh Woodrum; WRs DeVier Posey and Hunter Sharp; OT Michael Dunn; G Landon Turner; C Anthony Fabiano, DTs Jay Bromley and Christian Ringo; DE Nate Orchard (per Field Yates of ESPN.com)
Cleveland Browns
- LB Nigel Harris (per Greg Auman of The Athletic)
Detroit Lions
- RB Matthew Dayes and Mark Thompson; DB Josh Robinson (per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Houston Texans
- DT Tomasi Laulile (per Wilson)
New York Jets
- QB Connor Cook (per Pro Football Talk); WR Travis Rudolph (per Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com)
Giants Work Out Tony Lippett, Kevin Minter
The Giants worked out cornerback Tony Lippett, linebacker Kevin Minter, and a host of other free agents on Tuesday, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Lippett, who transformed from a collegiate wideout to an NFL corner, was a 13-game starter for the Dolphins in 2016, but didn’t make it through final cutdowns earlier this week after missing the entire 2017 campaign with a torn Achilles. Provided he’s now healthy, Lippett could give New York’s secondary a boost, as the only experienced players on the Giants cornerback depth chart are starters Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple. The Giants know they have a problem in the defensive backfield, as they claimed three cornerbacks off waivers on Sunday.
Minter, 27, was cut by the Jets earlier this week after inking a one-year deal during the offseason. After starting 32 games for the Cardinals from 2015-16, Minter has struggled to find playing time (or even a job) in recent seasons. While he could conceivably offer depth behind starters Alec Ogletree and B.J. Goodson (and has familiarity with Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher, formerly of Arizona), Minter hasn’t played special teams since his rookie season. That’s a problem for a backup linebacker, and could be why New York signed ST standout Nate Stupar — also a part of today’s cattle call — instead.
Here’s the full list of players who auditioned for the Giants on Tuesday:
- QB Matt McGloin
- WR Jehu Chesson
- WR Quadree Henderson
- WR Brandon Tate
- WR Shane Wynn
- OT David Sharpe
- OT Dakoda Shepley
- DE Daeshon Hall
- LB Josh Keyes
- CB Michael Hunter
- CB Ronald Zamort
Giants Sign LB Nate Stupar
The Giants have signed free agent linebacker Nate Stupar, according to a tweet from his agency.
Stupar, 30, was released by the Saints earlier this week but quickly drew interest on the free agent market. Had Stupar not signed with New York, he had another visit lined up with an unidentified club, tweets Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
Stupar entered the league as a seventh-round draft pick in 2012. He’s mostly served as a backup during his NFL career, but he’s played plenty of snaps on special teams, an area of great need for the Giants. New York ranked dead last in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA in 2017, but Stupar should be able to help the club improve.
Although he shouldn’t be expected to see much time on defense, Stupar is capable of playing inside linebacker in the Giants’ new 3-4 scheme. He’ll provide depth behind starters Alec Ogletree and B.J. Goodson.