Latest On Browns’ Interior OL Depth
The Browns have been set at guard for the last five years. Joel Bitonio has held down a starting job in Cleveland since getting drafted in 2014, making the Pro Bowl in each of the last six seasons and earning first-team All-Pro honors in 2021 and 2022. Wyatt Teller has joined Bitonio as a starter since being traded from Buffalo in 2019 and has joined Bitonio in the last three Pro Bowls. The team’s depth behind the two is set to look a little different in 2024, though. 
The need for depth hasn’t been critical during the tenure of Bitonio and Teller. Bitonio missed 17 games back in his second and third seasons but didn’t miss any games after that until this past season. Teller has only missed two games in the past three years but hasn’t quite shown the durability of Bitonio in a shorter career. Still, with Bitonio heading into his 11th season in which he’ll turn 33, it makes sense to have an eye on the future.
While Michael Dunn has been a serviceable injury replacement, starting two games in each of the last three years, he doesn’t provide much upside as the future starter at the position. For that reason, the Browns made two key additions to the roster this offseason, signing former Seahawks starter Germain Ifedi and drafting Michigan rookie Zak Zinter in the third round of this year’s draft.
The preferred option here is likely Zinter, who’s had an excellent camp, according to Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Cleveland got an excellent value on Zinter after the former Wolverine needed to have a steel rod placed in his leg, preventing him from working out for teams throughout the pre-draft process. He was able to participate fully in organized team activities and minicamp and showed enough to have the Browns excited about his potential to eventually replace Bitonio or Teller as a top guard.
Without the opportunity to start this year, Zinter should still have the chance to push Dunn for the primary backup role at guard. If, for any reason, Zinter isn’t quite ready to step into that role, Cleveland has Dunn and an experienced starter in Ifedi to hold down the role until he is.
Latest On Chargers’ RB Position Battle
The top end of the Chargers’ depth chart at running back is set to look extremely different in 2024. After rolling with Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley for the last four seasons, new head coach Jim Harbaugh and new offensive coordinator Greg Roman will be utilizing a new pair of backs this season. 
While the pair is new to Los Angeles, they are no strangers to Roman. Roman was on staff in Baltimore from 2017-2022, spending the last four years of that tenure as offensive coordinator. Roman was in Baltimore when both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins entered the NFL as Ravens, helping the team field a top rushing offense in the league during their time together.
For much of his career, Edwards has never really received the billing as RB1. Sharing a roster with such players as the late Alex Collins, Mark Ingram, and Dobbins, Edwards has always entered the season as RB2. Injuries to those players constantly put the Ravens offense in a position in which they needed to rely on Edwards. Even functioning in a dual-back rushing attack, Edwards has been extremely consistent, reaching at least 700 rushing yards in each healthy season.
Dobbins has not had the same consistency as Edwards. While he has been dynamic in stretches, averaging 5.8 yards per carry in his career and being seen as the Ravens RB1 when healthy, health has been a gigantic hurdle for the Ohio State product thus far. Since appearing in 15 games as a rookie, Dobbins has only appeared in nine of a possible 51 games since. He missed the entirety of the 2021 season, nine games in 2022, and suffered a season-ending injury in last year’s season-opener.
Now, Roman, Edwards, and Dobbins all enter their first years as Chargers. According to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Edwards is looking set to enter his first ever season as RB1. Popper claims that Edwards so far looks to be “the clear lead back.” Likely a cautious approach to Dobbins’ injury-history, Los Angeles will depend on Edwards’ consistency. Edwards also displayed true RB1 potential last year, recording a career-high 810 rushing yards while finishing third for NFL running backs with 13 touchdowns behind only Raheem Mostert and Christian McCaffrey.
Behind Edwards, Popper believes that there is an open competition for touches, though he notes that Dobbins should be the clear winner, if healthy. Pushing Dobbins for snaps with be rookie sixth-round pick Kimani Vidal, Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, and Jaret Patterson, likely in that order. Vidal, out of Troy, rushed for 2,793 yards and 24 touchdowns in his final two years of college ball, and his fresh slate in Los Angeles should favor his opportunities if he has a good camp. Spiller and Dotson have seen minimal opportunities in their three-combined years with the team, and that doesn’t seem likely to change now, while Patterson hasn’t seen much action since his rookie year with Washington in 2021.
Chargers fans looking for a glimpse at what they can expect out of their rushing offense should have little research to do other than watching the Ravens’ offensive film of the last five years. If Popper’s perception is correct, 2024 should feature a healthy dose of Edwards as the lead back with as much Dobbins as his body will allow. Vidal will likely get some work, too, should Dobbins not be up for it, while Spiller, Dotson, and Patterson could all earn some time with strong camps.
NFC Front Office Updates: Biehl, 49ers, Powell
Another Biehl has entered the NFL ranks of scouting as Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com tells us that Nate Biehl has joined the staff in San Francisco. Biehl’s dad, Mike Biehl, is currently the director of player personnel for the Buccaneers.
Biehl had been working for his dad’s team in Tampa Bay as a video intern while finishing school at nearby South Florida. He joins the 49ers as the team’s new NFS scout, following in his father’s personnel footsteps.
Here are a few other personnel updates from around the NFC:
- The 49ers made two other updates to their scouting department, per Stratton. Casey Filkins joins the staff as a new scouting assistant, making the short trek over from Stanford. As a running back for the Cardinal, Filkins struggled to stay on the field in his four years of play. Following the conclusion of his playing career, it appears Filkins will attempt to make the transition to scouting. In addition, San Francisco added Grant Bordelon as a new football systems personnel analyst. A former defensive lineman at MIT, Bordelon will look to continue utilizing his football IQ (and his regular IQ) on the gridiron.
- Lastly, the Saints have promoted long-time staffer Ryan Powell, according to Stratton. Powell started in the NFL as a training camp assistant for the Seahawks in 1998. He’s now been with New Orleans for 19 years, spending 17 of those as a pro scout after two years as a combine scout. This newest promotion will make Powell a national scout.
Latest On Browns’ WR Corps
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will be throwing to a lot of the same targets in 2024 that he did last year, but the single addition of a player like Jerry Jeudy largely changes the outlook of that group. The acquisition of Jeudy solidifies Cleveland’s starting group, but some questions still remain further down the depth chart. 
Amari Cooper did Amari Cooper things last year, and though he only reached the endzone five times, he put up a career high in receiving yards with 1,250. Former Jets second-round pick Elijah Moore benefitted from a change of scenery last year. Like Cooper, Moore put up a career-high 640 yards, though he only scored twice. Then, the room adds Jeudy, who has mostly failed to live up to his first-round draft stock over his four-year stint in Denver. His best year saw him catch 67 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns, and if he can reach those peaks again, the top line of the receiving corps is in good shape.
Behind the likely starters, Cedric Tillman, David Bell, and James Proche return from last year. All three players were given opportunities to start following the trade of Donovan Peoples-Jones, but it was the rookie, Tillman, who showed the most growth and promise near the end of the year. According to Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal, those efforts and a strong spring in the absence of Cooper and Jeudy have likely secured Tillman in the WR4 position.
Bell and Proche, on the other hand, will likely join Michael Woods and rookie fifth-round pick Jamari Thrash, among a number of other names, for the remaining roster spots. Bell is likely safe. Though his yardage and target shares decreased last year from his rookie season, Bell finished second in the room last year with three touchdowns. Proche didn’t have any catches in 10 games with the team last year but became the team’s primary punt returner after the departure of Peoples-Jones. Proche’s special teams prowess helps his case, but he may need to show more on offense to earn a roster spot this year.
Thrash is perhaps the next most likely to keep a job as a recent draft pick. After a stellar 2022 campaign with Georgia State that saw him catch 61 balls for 1,122 yards and seven scores, Thrash transferred to Louisville and led the team by far in receptions (63), receiving yards (858), and receiving touchdowns (6). Woods, a sixth-round pick from 2022, faces longer odds after missing all of last season with a ruptured Achilles tendon and receiving a six-game suspension for personal conduct. Behind them, players like Jaelon Darden, Jalen Camp, Matt Landers, and Ahmarean Brown make up the rest of the room competing for roster spots.
With Cooper, Jeudy, and Moore locked in as starters and Tillman seemingly the favorite as the first off the bench, there’s a remaining one to three spots on the roster, depending on the team’s preferences. A combination of Bell, Proche, and Thrash feels like the most likely outcome, but strong training camp performances from any of the others, or poor camps from any of those three, have the potential to shake things up a bit in Cleveland.
Latest On Titans’ RBs Room
The King has left the building in Tennessee, and now, for the first time since Derrick Henry was drafted in 2016, the Titans will need to form a running backs group that doesn’t include the big man from Yulee. One of the benefits of rostering Henry was that the need for depth was never that pressing as he led the league in carries in four of the last five years, only failing to do so in 2021 due to injury. In 2024, Tennessee will need to take a bit of a closer look at their depth chart. 
The top of the room is clear: last year’s third-round pick Tyjae Spears will be joined by free agent signing Tony Pollard as a 1A-1B duo in the backfield. In his rookie season, Spears spelled Henry with 100 carries for 453 rushing yards and two touchdowns, adding 52 catches, 385 yards, and another score through the air. This was the biggest performance by an RB2 in Nashville since Dion Lewis joined Henry in 2018 as the two took over for DeMarco Murray.
Pollard joins the Titans after five years in Dallas, four of which saw him tied to the hip of Ezekiel Elliott. After leading the team with career highs of 1,007 yards to go along with nine rushing touchdowns and 371 receiving yards with three more scores, Pollard was finally given the opportunity to lead the running backs group in Dallas last year. While he nearly matched his prior year numbers with 1,005 rushing yards, six touchdowns, and 311 receiving yards, it was accomplished in a much less efficient manner as Pollard recorded career lows in yards per carry and yards per reception.
After appearing to struggle in the lead role last year, Pollard returns to a comfortable pairing, this time with Spears. It will be interesting to see how the two are utilized exactly, but Tennessee has two strong options as it prepares to form a rushing attack without Henry for the first time in eight years. Another interesting aspect of training camp will be how the team addresses the depth behind Spears and Pollard.
Right now, two third-year backs, Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut, are battling for the RB3 role. Haskins has 25 carries for 93 yards to his name in the NFL, while Chestnut has nine for 12. Through the air, Haskins has more receptions (10) and yards (57) than Chestnut (3-41), but Chestnut appears to be more dynamic receiving out of the backfield. Neither back recorded an offensive stat last year as Haskins dealt with legal and health issues and Chestnut played only on special team.
Haskins and Chestnut are joined in the offseason competition by two undrafted free agents in Dillon Johnson and Jabari Small. Both Johnson and Small bring strong college resumes with them, but a lack of experience will likely hold them out of the roster battle for now.
Both Haskins and Pollard are strong special teams contributors, and that may be what decides the RB3 job. If both players have a strong enough camp, there’s a chance the team holds on to four rushers on the 53-man roster, but likely they are competing for one spot behind Spears and Pollard.
AFC South Rumors: Green, Hines-Allen, Radunz
The Texans were forced to scramble last year when second-year starting guard Kenyon Green underwent season-ending shoulder surgery in the preseason. The team opted to trade for the similarly-named Kendrick Green (no relation) to start in his place but were thrown for a loop shortly into the season.
After sitting out the team’s season opener as he was still acquainting himself with the offense, Green started the next three games at left guard for Houston. Unfortunately, near the end of the game against his former team, the Steelers, Green suffered an injury that, while not tearing any ligaments, still required meniscus surgery that would hold him out for the remainder of the year.
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, Green has now made a full recovery and will make his return during training camp. Kenyon Green was also recently reported to be back to full strength, so now, both healthy Greens will compete for the starting left guard job.
Here are a couple of other notes coming out of the AFC South:
- To the relief of many sports writers, a certain Jaguars outside linebacker will no longer sport the exact same name as a player he may potentially be sacking. From now on, Josh Allen will potentially be getting sacked by Josh Hines-Allen. Hines-Allen posted the news on his X account, saying, “Legacy is forever, and I’m proud to carry that tradition on the back of my jersey, following in the footsteps of my family, who have donned the Hines-Allen last name with so much pride and joy.”
- In a look at the Titans‘ right guard and right tackle position battles almost three weeks ago, we noted that a healthy Nicholas Petit-Frere had the potential to win the starting right tackle job, which could push last year’s starter at the position, Dillon Radunz, back inside to guard. According to a training camp preview from Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt, we are apparently seeing this come to fruition. Wyatt claims that the team has “locked in” Radunz at guard, where he’ll now compete with Daniel Brunskill and Saahdiq Charles for the starting role.
PFR Originals: Bolts, WRs, Cardinals, Vikings
Here’s a rundown of recent PFR originals:
- With the initial rushes of free agency coming to a close, Ben Levine took a look at where each team ranks in projected salary cap space for the 2025 season with the help of OvertheCap.com. A few teams at the bottom of their divisions like the Patriots, Cardinals, and Commanders are all projected to have the ability to be big spenders in the next offseason.
- Sam Robinson continued our Offseason in Review series with a look at the offseason activities of the Chargers. Now led by college football’s most recent national championship-winning head coach Jim Harbaugh, Los Angeles will field a new-look offense coached by new offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Roman’s new-look offense will be without recent offensive staples Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler but adds some former Roman associates in Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.
- I continued our work on the Offseason in Review series with a dive into the Cardinals’ activities for the past few months. After some losses in the trenches and in the receiving corps, Arizona made moves to reinforce those areas of loss with a number of free agency signings on both the offensive and defensive lines. The team also made two serious investments for quarterback Kyler Murray, drafting legacy wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall and trading for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder as an upgrade in case Murray misses any more time.
- Sam followed this up with the Offseason in Review series’ edition of the Vikings’ offseason activities. Third-year general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s main focus this offseason was the big-money extension for star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, while other key offensive contributors like Kirk Cousins, Alexander Mattison, and K.J. Osborn found themselves headed to free agency. Minnesota will hope that their two first-round picks, J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, will help offset some of the losses, but the team’s third pick in the draft, Khyree Jackson, tragically lost his life in a car accident days ago.
- We’ve seen a number of star veteran cornerbacks push the market in recent offseasons and some young players set a slightly lower market for some of the best, young corners in the game. The latest of those players vying for a new deal is former first-round pick AJ Terrell for the Falcons. Ben laid out the case for Terrell to get a big, new contract extension before “negotiations get tense.”
- There are several key wide receivers pushing their clubs for new contracts this offseason. New deals for players like Jefferson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Calvin Ridley, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and others have made things even tougher for receivers like Brandon Aiyuk, Amari Cooper, Tee Higgins, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Courtland Sutton, all of whom are looking for some kind of update to their current situation, as Sam detailed here.
- Carolina passer Bryce Young had a rocky rookie season as Adam Thielen was the only receiver to truly contribute to the offense in a big way in 2023. I broke down what the upcoming season will look like for the Panthers’ wide receiving corps with the additions of Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette, and Daewood Davis.
- After watching Bill Belichick part ways with the Patriots this offseason, the top of the list of the NFL’s longest-tenured head coaches looks slightly different, with Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin and Baltimore’s John Harbaugh sitting alone atop the list now. Sam ran through the entire list, noting when each coach was hired and for how much longer they’re going to be under contract.
- Lastly, Ben noted that it was three years ago yesterday that wide receiver N’Keal Harry requested a trade from the Patriots. Harry’s struggles on the field continued that season and, after having his fifth-year option declined, he saw his trade-request fulfilled as New England shipped him off to Chicago. Now with the Vikings and making a transition to tight end, Harry is still working to make his impact on the NFL.
Latest On Broncos’ RBs Group
It’s certainly safe to say that the Broncos’ two-year tenure with Russell Wilson leading the offense did not go as planned. While Wilson himself certainly could’ve been the key factor in his team’s underwhelming performances, a lack of support was a factor, as well. Over the past two seasons, the Broncos were one of only two teams without a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver, the other being the Ravens, who have the luxury of a fielding a two-time MVP at quarterback and a top defensive unit. 
With Wilson now out in Pittsburgh, the Broncos’ supporting skill players are going to be that much more crucial to the team’s success in 2024. And with the Jerry Jeudy joining Wilson in the AFC North, the running backs, in particular, are going to need to step up for a brand-new quarterbacks groups.
The team’s top three rushers from last season – Javonte Williams (217 attempts-774 rushing yards-3 rushing touchdowns), Jaleel McLaughlin (76-410-1), and Samaje Perine (53-238-1) – all return to the roster in 2024. Additionally, the team added Notre Dame rusher Audric Estime in the fifth round of this year’s draft and Memphis-product Blake Watson as an undrafted free agent.
With fullback Michael Burton all but guaranteed a spot on the initial 53-man roster, per ESPN’s Jeff Legwold, that leaves three or, maybe, four roster spots over which the above players will compete. Williams is a likely lock for a roster spot. The former second-round pick has yet to record a 1,000-yard season or score more than four touchdowns in a year, but he’s been their best rusher over his three years in the league, despite being hindered by injury. And, while Watson flashed at times in the team’s spring program, he’s likely the first odd man out, though he could wind up on the practice squad.
That leaves two or three spots for three players. Denver could decide to roll with four running backs and a fullback and eliminate the need for a decision, but more likely, Burton’s presence on the roster will probably limit the Broncos to three roster spots for four backs.
As an undrafted rookie out of Youngstown State, McLaughlin showed up in a big way as Williams dealt with an injury early last season. McLaughlin got the nod over Perine in those few games, but for most of the season, they held similar rushing responsibilities behind Williams. The big difference is that Perine was, by far, the team’s best receiving back throughout the year. Perine’s 455 receiving yards outpaced both Williams (228) and McLaughlin (160) combined, though the latter two both had two scores each through the air to Perine’s zero.
With 2,261 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns for the Fighting Irish in the past two seasons, Estime could potentially bring a production that was lacking in the room last season. At 6-foot-1, 215 pounds, Estime also brings a physical presence to the room that wasn’t there last year.
It’s difficult to determine who holds more value between McLaughlin and Perine. Perine holds the obvious advantage of experience and receiving prowess, while McLaughlin was relied upon in Williams’ absence last year and, at 23 years old, has much more tread on his tires on a much cheaper contract. Then, consider if Estime provides more value than either player, and the decision muddies even further.
In the end, Denver may decide that it serves the team best to hold on to all four running backs going into the season. If not, the Broncos decision could come down to whether they prefer the experience of Perine, the contract of McLaughlin, or the potential of Estime.
Latest On Bills’ Special Teams
The Bills had to make a lot of tough decisions this offseason for the sake of the salary cap and their future. Buffalo has lost a number of big names like wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, pass rusher Leonard Floyd, and center Mitch Morse, but it’s also parted ways with a number of under-the-radar contributors, particularly on special teams, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. 
Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley is going to need to come up with some ideas for both returner jobs. The team let last year’s leading punt returner, Deonte Harty, depart for Baltimore in free agency, and while last season’s leading kick returners, Ty Johnson and Khalil Shakir, both return in 2024, Shakir may be needed more on offense with the departures of Diggs and Davis.
Shakir was a contributor on punt returns last year, as well. Now that he’s competing with rookie second-round pick Keon Coleman for the WR1 job, though, the Bills may want to do what they can to keep him fresh for the offense. One possible replacement is rookie sixth-round cornerback Daequan Hardy. The Penn State-product returned 17 punts for 248 yards and two touchdowns for the Nittany Lions last year. While moving from Harty to Hardy sounds easy enough, Hardy likely won’t make the roster for his return abilities alone. He’ll need to show that he can contribute on defense, as well to win the job.
Johnson should continue to work as the team’s main kickoff return man, but Smiley has iterated that both return jobs are wide open for competition. Smiley may also decide to continue utilizing Shakir if he’s truly the best option. The team also rosters veteran Andy Isabella. While Isabella has never caught on as an NFL receiver, he has experience returning kickoffs and punts from his time with the Cardinals.
The Bills also will need to replace the production of linebacker Tyler Matakevich, who remains a current free agent. In four years with the Bills, the veteran played almost exclusively as a special teamer, even earning a role as team captain for his special teams contributions in Buffalo. Similarly, former safety Siran Neal, now with the division-rival Dolphins, served as the team’s main gunner on punt coverage. Both players’ special teams efforts will need to be replaced.
Lastly, the team seems to be encouraging competition at the punter position, as well. Veteran Sam Martin has held the position for two seasons and is under contract for two more, but at one point this offseason, the Bills had three punters on the roster. Matt Haack was released before spring practices concluded, but undrafted free agent punter Jack Browning out of San Diego State is still on the roster and could push Martin through camp. It will take a lot for Browning to beat out Martin, though, as the veteran placed a career-best 47.1 percent of his punts inside the 20-yard line last year.
Smiley has a lot of decisions to make over the next two months, but he seems really excited to see the guys he has on the roster compete this summer.
Latest On Gruden’s Lawsuit Against NFL
The next step of former Raiders head coach Jon Gruden‘s lawsuit against the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell has come and gone with yet another blow to the former head coach’s efforts. With the latest update provided by ESPN this week, the situation continues to seem inevitably headed towards an NFL-led arbitration. 
For those unfamiliar with the situation, Gruden sued the league and its commissioner back in 2021 shortly after he felt he was pressured to resign from his job following backlash from the leak of several emails he had sent while he was an employee for ESPN. The emails were sent from 2011 to 2018 to former Commanders president and general manager Bruce Allen and contained inappropriate racist, sexist, and homophobic language. The correspondence was discovered amidst the NFL’s workplace culture investigation into Washington.
Gruden’s initial complaint accused the league of intentionally leaking only his documents selectively. As a result, he claims that the publication of those documents by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times “destroyed his career and scuttled endorsement contracts.”
A district judge in Las Vegas determined that that Gruden’s claims “could show evidence of ‘specific intent’ or an act designed to cause a particular result.” The league appealed to the Nevada State Supreme Court, where a three-justice panel determined (in a 2-1 split decision) that the league was able to force the civil case out of the state courts and into arbitration that could be overseen by Goodell, a named party in the lawsuit.
The two justices who ruled for the NFL claimed that Gruden “understood the NFL constitution allowed for arbitration to resolve disputes” and said that “it wasn’t clear whether Goodell or a designated third-party arbitrator would” oversee the arbitration. The dissenting justice called it “outrageous” that there would even be a possibility Goodell could arbitrate a dispute in which he is a named party.
After this all occurred, we relayed that Gruden had the option to request a rehearing with the three Nevada Supreme Court judges who comprised the split decision votes. He would then potentially have the option to petition for a rehearing including all seven justices that make up the State Supreme Court.
The latest update confirms that Gruden did take that first step, seeking a rehearing from the three-justice panel that made up the May 14 decision. Ultimately, Gruden and his team lost the bid as the panel’s decision was upheld. There have been no reports on whether or not Gruden still can or will seek a rehearing with all seven Nevada Supreme Court members. If his team is able to take this route, the losing party of that rehearing could have the option to take the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, as the NFL did with the Rams relocation case.
While speculation leaves the door open for plenty of possibilities, the odds continue to stack against Gruden getting anything out of this lawsuit. The NFL’s resources vastly outweigh those of Gruden and his attorneys, and the courts have a history of siding with the league. The signs continue to point towards an NFL-led arbitration that will either be headed by Goodell himself or a third-party selected by Goodell and the league.
Whether Gruden and company continue to fight back against what they perceive to be a targeted attack from the league and its leader is yet to be seen. After two major setbacks, the complainant has seen the direction in which this is moving and may decide to cut their losses and run. They’ve yet to exhaust all of their options, but this week’s July 1 decision has continued to limit their ability to fight on their own terms.