Latest On QB Bryce Young, Panthers’ Offense
The Panthers traded up and drafted Alabama’s Bryce Young No. 1 overall with the intention that he would be the team’s new starter at quarterback. Yet during organized team activities, head coach Frank Reich had presumed backup Andy Dalton running with the starters. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, this isn’t necessarily indicative of the true depth chart but more a practice in efficiency. 
Of course, as a coach, you prefer not to hand Young the starting job on a silver platter. You’d rather he “earn” the job by performing better than the other quarterbacks on the depth chart. But expecting a rookie to be better prepared for an entirely new system, when veterans have mostly been at the facilities for five weeks now, is unrealistic.
As a head coach new to his team, Reich is intent on establishing his operation at an optimal, functional level. This early into Young’s tenure, he’s just not prepared enough to run the Panthers’ system to the level that Dalton can. Does this mean that Dalton would forever run with the first string? Likely, not. But until Young is up to speed and ready to efficiently run with the ones, having Dalton behind center has been the best way to implement Reich’s operation. In fact, a week after Breer’s report, David Newton of ESPN reported that, while Dalton is still taking the first snaps with the first team, Young is getting more overall snaps with the first string, indicating the progress that we expect from the top overall draft pick.
The system that’s being implemented is designed for Young, anyway. According to a different report from Newton, Reich is allowing new, first-time NFL offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to design a spread-formation system that meshes some of what Brown learned under Sean McVay in Los Angeles and what Reich ran with the Colts. Brown is building the offense with Young in mind, claiming that he doesn’t want to take away Young’s “superpower.”
Lastly, with Dalton and Young likely cemented in the first two slots of the depth chart, there were rumblings that last year’s third-round pick, Matt Corral, was on the trading block, and perhaps that he wanted to go. The most recent reports from this week, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt, indicate that Corral no longer desires an exit. Corral “made it clear (to the media that) he doesn’t want to be traded,” listing playing for Reich as a major reason for staying.
Steelers Rumors: Pickett, Trubisky, Rudolph
One of the most common negatives attributed to Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett as a draft prospect was his hand size. While many considered the issue overblown and trivial, Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot relays that Pickett was told by multiple teams that his hand size would determine whether or not he was on their draft board.
This story is less about Pickett’s hand size and more about the fact that multiple teams threatened that he would be taken off their board altogether if his hands didn’t measure up. Specifically, Pickett says that he was told that he would be taken off some teams’ boards if his hands were not nine inches. Lo and behold, they measured up at eight and a half inches.
The teams that drafted a highly ranked quarterback not named Pickett were the Falcons, Titans, Panthers, and Commanders. It’s no guarantee that these were the teams that passed on Pickett solely because of his hand size, but they all did pass on Pickett in the first round. Where are they now?
Atlanta is attempting to move forward with their third-round pick from last year, Desmond Ridder. Ridder made four starts last year, winning two and losing two. He only averaged 177 passing yards per game while throwing two touchdowns in four games, but he had no interceptions. He’ll have to hold off former Washington starter Taylor Heinicke next year. Tennessee is still rolling with Ryan Tannehill, but the Titans drafted a quarterback in the second round this year in Will Levis who will now challenge last year’s third-round pick, Malik Willis, for the right to replace Tannehill eventually. Carolina traded for the No. 1 overall pick this year to draft a new starter in Bryce Young. Matt Coral, their third-round pick from last year, will be QB3 behind Young and Andy Dalton. Washington, like the Falcons, will try to start their fifth-round pick from last year, Sam Howell. Howell made one start last year, beating the Cowboys in the season finale while throwing for 169 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. They have veteran Jacoby Brissett as a strong backup plan.
Pickett took over as the Steelers’ starter in Week 4 of his rookie season and only missed one game after. He started 12 of 13 appearances throwing for 2,404 yards for seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. He added 237 yards and three scores on the ground. He won Pittsburgh’s season-long quarterback competition last year and is expected to be the continued starter in a very similar-looking position room this year with the most experience of any of last year’s rookie quarterbacks. Was it worth it to pass on Pickett because of his hand size? It may be too early to tell, but even the teams sitting in a better position now than they were before the 2022 draft look better despite their quarterback choice last year. As of right now, Pickett appears to have to most potential of the second-year quarterbacks, aside from maybe Brock Purdy.
Here are some other rumors surrounding the Steelers’ quarterbacks:
- Neither Mason Rudolph nor Mitchell Trubisky were expected to return to the Steelers this offseason. Trubisky was pleasantly surprised after not expecting to be brought back but says it was an “easy decision” to return, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Rudolph didn’t intend to return, feeling he was treated unfairly last season. He even asserts that he had offers from other teams this offseason. Ultimately, after rookie minicamps concluded, nothing materialized into a new deal and Rudolph wanted to be with a team by the start of organized team activities. He opted to remain in Pittsburgh as opposed to starting fresh somewhere new.
- Dulac provided us with some new details on Trubisky’s new contract, as well. The $8MM that Trubisky was reported to be making this year is composed of the veteran minimum salary of $1.08MM and a signing bonus of $6.92MM. Dulac adds that “it was (Trubisky’s) relationship with Pickett – and the way he put aside the disappointment of being benched early in the season – that drove the Steelers to extend” the veteran quarterback.
DeAndre Hopkins Rumors: Chiefs, Trade Talks, Patriots
The Chiefs were reportedly one of the most active teams looking into former Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this year. According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Kansas City had received permission to talk with the now-free agent earlier in the offseason and spoke with him before the draft.
The biggest hurdle for the Chiefs, as it was for any team Arizona spoke to, was having to take on Hopkins’s existing contract. If a trade were going to take place, Kansas City wanted a much lower price, meaning the Cardinals would have to take on some of Hopkins’s contract in the trade.
The Chiefs were fairly big spenders this offseason after making big deals for tackle Jawaan Taylor and defensive end Charles Omenihu, resulting in the exhaustion of most of their salary cap. After their most recent $3MM deal for tackle Donovan Smith, the Chiefs are 31st in the league in available cap space, according to OvertheCap.com.
While adding Hopkins is on anyone’s wish list, except perhaps Arizona’s, Kansas City also doesn’t seem desperate to add any more wide receivers. Despite losing JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman to free agency, the team has real confidence in Kadarius Toney‘s potential. They return Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore and drafted SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice in the second round to compete for snaps with the starters.
Here are a few more rumors surrounding the still young free agency of DHop:
- The Chiefs were not the only team that the Cardinals struggled to find equal ground with on a trade. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who spoke on the Pat McAfee Show, Arizona was working to trade the veteran wideout up until the day before the first round of the NFL draft. The Cardinals hit snags, though, as each discussion required handling of draft pick compensation and salary adjustments that would require Arizona to take on some of Hopkins’s salary. In the end, they opted to take the hit in the salary cap while ultimately saving cash.
- ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler was one of the first to release a list of best fits for Hopkins in his newfound free agency. According to Fowler, the Bills, Chiefs, Jets, Cowboys, and Saints are the teams to watch out for in the initial race. A Stefon Diggs-Hopkins-Gabriel Davis trio could be just what’s needed to put the Bills in a Super Bowl, but the team only has around $2.4MM in cap space. The Jets are a bit better at $6.9MM of cap space (still far under the $19.45MM Hopkins was set to make in Arizona this year), but the team is working to create more cap room by restructuring large contracts like those of linebacker C.J. Mosley and wide receiver Corey Davis. They nearly had Odell Beckham Jr. before the Ravens swept in and nabbed him themselves. The Cowboys are set on defense and have some strong weapons on offense. Adding Hopkins to a receiving corps that contains CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks could be deadly, and they’ve got $9MM of cap space to work with. The Saints have missed having a star wideout as they’ve dealt with the durability issues of Michael Thomas. Hopkins would be a nice veteran mentor for youngsters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, and New Orleans has the most cap space of the above teams at $13.6MM. Fowler also lists the Browns, Giants, Falcons, and Patriots as wild-card teams to look out for.
- Speaking of the Patriots, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports that, now that the contract isn’t nearly as much of a hurdle, New England is more likely to pursue Hopkins. Hopkins reportedly had a bit of a rocky relationship with Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien when the two were in Houston together, but adding Hopkins would immediately provide quarterback Mac Jones with a WR1. Hopkins would be teaming up with Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, and last year’s second-round pick Tyquan Thornton to try and mount an upgraded New England passing attack.
Texans Working Out FA WR Preston Williams
Following the draft and free agency, the Texans have plenty of numbers at the wide receiver position. Still, it looks like they may be interested in adding a big, veteran body to the room after recently working out former Dolphins wide out Preston Williams, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. 
Williams is a former undrafted free agent who declared for the draft due to a stellar junior year at Colorado State after transferring from Tennessee. During his lone season in Fort Collins, Williams dominated the Mountain West Conference with 96 catches for 1,345 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns.
He signed with the Dolphins out of college and ended up not only making the 53-man roster but earning a starting role, as well. Williams started his first seven game before ultimately suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 8. He had 32 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns before going down with the injury. The 2020 season saw him follow the same pattern, starting seven of the first eight games before getting shut down with an injury for the second half of the season.
Injury troubles sporadically made him miss nine games the next season. After he failed to eclipse eight game appearances in any single season, the Dolphins waived Williams. He signed to the Panthers’ practice squad for the 2022 season but only made an appearance in the team’s season finale, appearing only in two offensive plays and seven special teams snaps. He was released by Carolina last week.
Williams provides elite size at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds but still has the athletic ability to field punts, something he did in Miami as a rookie. For Houston, he could provide another strong redzone target out wide other than Nico Collins or rookie Xavier Hutchinson. If he can earn his way to a roster spot this summer, the Texans will likely be focused on his health and ability to catch contested balls in the endzone.
Free Agent RB Adrian Peterson Not ‘Officially’ Retired
After 15 straight years of running back Adrian Peterson in the NFL, 2022 was a season with him. Not only was he not playing football in 2022, he was actually participating in another sport, boxing another former NFL running back in Le’Veon Bell. Despite not appearing in a game last year and having just turned 38 years old, Peterson is not quite ready to officially hang up his cleats, according to Clarence E Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Many assumed that a torn meniscus and sprained LCL that limited him to three games in 2016 was the beginning of the end for Peterson. He had undoubtedly been an all-time great running back over the first 10 years of his career, but running back careers notoriously do not last long and a season-ending injury in a contract year didn’t bode well for the then-31-year-old.
After a down 2017 season that saw him bounce from the Saints to the Cardinals, Peterson showed that he still had plenty of tread on the tires with a couple strong seasons in Washington. He was no longer a threat to lead the league in rushing yards, as he had done three times before, but he surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards during both of his seasons in DC.
Peterson struggled for a bit in 2021 as the Lions’ leading rusher and then tried to stick on the Titans’ and Seahawks’ rosters the following year with little success. Inching closer to 40 years old while declining in production was making it hard to keep one of the NFL’s greatest career rushing performances going.
Just after the 2021 season, Peterson was arrested for a domestic violence incident but didn’t end up facing charges. Reports from both him and his wife declined that there was any physical violence, but the incident still may have played a factor in his struggles to find a roster spot this past season.
At the boxing match with Bell, Peterson addressed his future, claiming that boxing may be his way forward but that he was “waiting for that next opportunity to present itself.” He teased a retirement announcement in March but, ultimately, decided that no announcement will be made this season.
“Mentallly, I haven’t officially hung it up,” Peterson told the media. We’ll see what happens. My mindset is, if God’s willing, maybe an opportunity presents itself, and maybe it happens this season…but (if) nothing happens this season, for sure, I will be hanging it up.”
Statistically, Peterson is currently fifth all-time in rushing yards. 82 more yards will push him over the 15,000-rushing yards mark. He would need only 351 yards to pass Barry Sanders for fourth all-time, but he would need 1,082 to reach Frank Gore‘s 16,000 and nearly 3,500 more to top the list altogether. That’s certainly some incentive to return for at least one more season, but if not, Peterson’s likely Hall of Fame career is nothing to scoff at.
Falcons FB Keith Smith Arrested
Falcons fullback Keith Smith is currently dealing with a legal issue and has been arrested in Atlanta today, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The arrest is linked to a previous driving incident and appears to be the result of a miscommunication. 
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Smith had previously received a speeding ticket earlier this year. Smith informed the team of the infraction and paid the ticket, believing that to be the end of things.
Smith’s agent, AJ Vaynerchuk, claims that there was a miscommunication with the resolution of the ticket, and though they both thought the situation had been dealt with, Smith’s driver license had been unknowingly suspended. When Smith was pulled over today for an expired registration, the officer saw that his license had been suspended, resulting in Smith’s arrest.
The situation seems to be fairly straightforward. Whether it’s determined that Smith was, in fact, in the dark or that he knowingly drove with a suspended license, his NFL status will likely only be affected by his legal status.
Former Bengals RB Jeremy Hill Retires
Nine years after his NFL debut in Cincinnati, running back Jeremy Hill has reportedly retired from football, announcing the move on his Instagram account yesterday. Hill had refused to give up on a return to the NFL despite not having appeared in a game since Week 1 of the 2018 season, but nearly five years after that final appearance, he’s finally ready to hang up his cleats. 
Hill showed immediate promise as a second-round rookie out of LSU, surpassing 1,000 rushing yards as a rookie. Despite having to split carries with Giovani Bernard, a second-round pick in the prior year, Hill earned a consistent workshare in each of his first three seasons as Cincinnati gave him 222, 223, and 222 rush attempts in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively. Over that period, Hill rewarded them with 2,757 rushing yards and 29 rushing touchdowns.
In 2017, the final year of Hill’s rookie contact, he began to lose carries to the team’s newest second-round running back, Joe Mixon. With Mixon starting to take the driver’s seat, Hill’s role lessened up until the point in the year when an ankle injury landed him on injured reserve after seven games, ending his season. That injury was the beginning of the end for Hill.
The next year, Hill signed with the Patriots as a free agent on a one-year deal. After a preseason battle with Mike Gillislee, Hill won the RB3-spot behind Rex Burkhead and James White. Unfortunately, Hill would tear his ACL in the third quarter of his first game for New England, ending what would be the last season of his career.
After a year removed from the sport, Hill was able to earn a contract with the Raiders after working out with the Lions and Titans, as well. Less than a week later, though, the Raiders moved on from Hill, satisfied with their depth of Josh Jacobs, Devontae Booker, Jalen Richard, and Rod Smith. Despite only being 27 years old at the time, teams stopped calling on Hill. He announced that he would get back on the field by entering the XFL draft last November but never landed with a team.
In the Instagram post, Hill cites the fateful ACL injury as the key reason that he will no longer pursue professional football as a career. It truly marked the beginning of the end of a career that began with so much promise before fizzling out due to injuries.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/24/23
The NFL’s mid- to late-round draft pick signings for today:
Indianapolis Colts
- DT Adetomiwa Adebawore (fourth round, Northwestern)
New England Patriots
- C Jake Andrews (fourth round, Troy)
Adebawore was a three-year starter for the Wildcats, functioning mostly as a defensive end in Evanston. Over his final two years at Northwestern, he totaled 9.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and four passes deflected. He isn’t a pure pass rusher or run stopper, but with explosive burst and disruptive strength Adebawore should be able to compete with Taven Bryan and McTelvin Agim for snaps rotating in behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.
Also a three-year starter, Andrews made the move inside from right guard to center for the Trojans as a redshirt senior. The Patriots don’t have an immediate need at center as David Andrews is under contract for another two years. The long-time Patriots’ starting center will be 32 when his contract expires, perhaps opening the door for the rookie Andrews to take over after a couple of years of development. In the meantime, Andrews’s experience at both guard and center provides New England with some depth along the interior offensive line.
Giants Add Ryan Cowden To Front Office
Ryan Cowden was unable to land in New York as Dave Gettleman‘s successor in the role of general manager two years ago when Joe Schoen, Cowden’s coworker of six years back in the early 2000s, got the job, but according to Ryan Dunleavy of New York Post Sports, Cowden has found his way to the Giants, nevertheless. Dunleavy reports that Cowden is expected to be hired to a role in the Giants’ front office. 
Cowden got his start in the NFL as a scouting analyst for the Panthers in 2000, shortly after graduating from Wofford. A year later, he was assigned to the southeast area, covering his assignment as an area scout for the next six years alongside Schoen. He was promoted to national scout in 2008, once again holding the position for six years but, this time, adding on the title of senior college scout, as well, in 2012. Schoen was also promoted to national scout in 2008 but for the Dolphins, ending his time with Cowden. In 2014, the Panthers promoted Cowden once again, this time to assistant director of college scouting, a position he held for two years.
In 2016, Cowden was hired in Tennessee as the Titans’ director of player personnel. A year later, he found himself receiving some interest for general manager positions, interviewing for the Chiefs’ open role in 2017 and the Panthers’ open job in 2018. He failed to land the big opportunity but accepted the consolation prize of a promotion into the position of vice president of player personnel for Tennessee. He continued to interview for general manager jobs, talking to Washington in 2021 before interviewing with the Steelers and Giants, as mentioned above, last year.
There were only two general manager positions open this offseason but, luckily for Cowden, one of them was his own team. After Jon Robinson was fired early in December of last year, Cowden was appointed as the interim general manager in his stead. Everything was lining up for Cowden to finally land his first job as an NFL general manager. Instead, he was passed over as the Titans decided to hire former 49ers director of player personnel Ran Carthon.
Since getting passed over, many felt Cowden’s time in Nashville quietly ended. The Titans, who also saw key Robinson lieutenant Monti Ossenfort leave (for the Cardinals’ GM job) this offseason, removed Cowden’s name from their website earlier this month. Cowden’s role with the Giants has yet to be determined, but as an annual general manager candidate, he joins the team as a highly experienced executive.
As he and Schoen are near the same age, it’s hard to imagine this being a GM-in-waiting scenario, but perhaps Cowden’s old friend wanted to give him a solid jumping off point for the league’s next general manager vacancy. Regardless, the Giants’ front office is looking stacked with Schoen and Cowden back together.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Bills, Titans, Steelers
Last year, the Raiders offensive line was viewed as a major weakness, forcing Las Vegas to shuffle the depth chart until they found a workable solution. Oddly enough, though, by the end of the season, the team found a reliable starting five and some dependable reserves that didn’t blow anybody away but routinely got the job done. With the position no longer a weakness, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal posits that the Raiders may not have much urgency in addressing the position before next season.
Returning a likely starting five of Kolton Miller at left tackle, Dylan Parham at left guard, Andre James at center, Alex Bars at right guard, and Jermaine Eluemunor at right tackle, the Raiders don’t necessarily have any holes in the offensive line. Bonsignore asserts that the team still may look for potential upgrades from younger reserve linemen pushing for playing time or potential outside additions, if they present themselves, but right now, the team’s roster may be set after the recent additions of free agent Greg Van Roten and undrafted rookies McClendon Curtis and Dalton Wagner.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC:
- The Bills made a number of moves within their scouting department this offseason. Formerly the team’s pro personnel director, Malik Boyd has been named senior personnel advisor in Buffalo. The former Vikings defensive back and veteran scout with personnel experience for the Colts and Cardinals will work as an executive scout in both pro and college mediums. Additionally, Chris Marrow and Curtis Rukavina have both been named co-directors of pro scouting. The two remain entwined after joining the team as pro scouts in 2017 and both working as assistant directors of pro scouting until their recent promotions.
- With a new general manager in Ran Carthon, the Titans, too, have begun to make some front office adjustments, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Max Curtis has been named as the team’s new player personnel coordinator, being from promoted from dual roles last year as coordinator of football administration and executive assistant to the executive vice president and general manager. Bryce Wasserman will now be the Titans’ director of team strategy after serving last year as staff counsel. Lastly, a football development coordinator last year, John Streicher will now be in the role of director of football administration.
- Finally, the Steelers have poached a scout from the in-state Eagles, according to Colin Dunlap of 93.7 The Fan, Pittsburgh. After five years as an area scout for Philadelphia, Jim Ward will cross the state to serve a similar role in Pittsburgh.