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Author: Ely Allen

2022 NFL Draft Results By Position

By | at May 20, 2022 9:00 pm

The 2022 NFL Draft set many historical benchmarks. The festivities started with a record-breaking nine trades in the first round. We saw an historical wait for quarterbacks. We saw the Georgia Bulldogs set an NFL record with 15 players selected and the Texas Longhorns fail to see a player selected for the first time since the Draft’s third iteration in 1938.

After breaking the Draft down pick by pick and team by team, here’s a look back at the 2022 NFL Draft, position by position:

Quarterback: 9

Running Back: 22

Fullback: 1

Wide Receiver: 28

Tight End: 19

Offensive Tackle: 21

Offensive Guard: 21

Center: 7

Defensive Tackle: 20

Defensive End: 24

Linebacker: 29

Cornerback: 38

Safety: 18

Kicker: 1

Punter: 4

6 comments 2022 NFL Draft

Contract Details: Landry, Ingram, Bradberry

By | at May 20, 2022 9:00 pm

Here are some of the details on deals recently agreed to around the NFL:

  • Jarvis Landry, WR (Saints): One-year, $3MM. The contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates, is completely guaranteed with a $1.88MM signing bonus and a base salary of $1.12MM. The deal will have a maximum value of $6MM due to some lofty incentives. One incentive is based on his receptions total, paying out $250,000 if he reaches 55 catches, $500,000 if he reaches 65, and $1MM if he reaches 75 receptions. The receptions bonus does not compound. If he reaches 75 receptions, he will only receive a $1MM bonus, not $1.75MM. Other incentives include $500,000 if he catches five touchdowns, $500,000 if he plays 48.5% of the team’s offensive snaps, $500,000 if he records 60 catches and the team makes the playoffs, and $500,000 if he reaches 607 receiving yards and the team makes the playoffs.
  • Melvin Ingram, OLB (Dolphins): One-year, $4MM. The deal, also reported by Yates, has a guaranteed amount of $3.32MM composed of a $1.65MM signing bonus and a base salary of $1.67MM. The remaining $680,000 is the potential season-total for Ingram’s per game active bonus of $40,000. Ingram can earn up to $750,000 of additional incentives based on playtime, sack total, and team defense. A Pro Bowl bonus of $250,000 pushes the maximum potential value of the contract to $5MM.
  • James Bradberry, CB (Eagles): One-year, $7.25MM. Bradberry’s deal, once again reported by Yates, is fully guaranteed with a signing bonus of $6.22MM and a base salary of $1.04MM. Bradberry can earn an additional $2.5MM due to incentives, giving his deal a maximum potential value of $9.75MM. The Eagles continue to divvy up the cap hit with voidable years, spreading Bradberry’s cap number through the 2026 season. The result sees his $7.25MM contract only do $2.28MM-worth of damage to the 2022 salary cap.
7 comments Miami Dolphins New Orleans Saints Philadelphia Eagles

Colts, Foles Getting Close To Deal

By | at May 20, 2022 8:08 pm

After reports that Indianapolis was open to adding a veteran quarterback to their roster, behind recent addition Matt Ryan, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports that a deal is in the works for the Colts to bring in Nick Foles. The move would reunite Foles with Colts head coach Frank Reich, who served as his offensive coordinator during their Super Bowl run with the Eagles. 

At the Colts’ rookie minicamp a week ago, Reich was asked specifically about the possibility of signing Foles, who was released by the Bears at the end of April. “We’re always looking at who makes this team better, at every position,” Reich said. “Who are the available veterans? Who can we still sign? [GM] Chris [Ballard] is very methodical about that process. We’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.” 

Foles and Reich have a strong relationship, and Foles recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have.”

Foles’ subsequent stints with the Jaguars and Bears were eminently forgettable, but he would certainly represent a qualified backup for Ryan. And that could be critical for a team that saw firsthand in 2021 how an inexperienced backup can negatively impact a season

In a close game against the Rams in Week 2 of the 2021 campaign, Jacob Eason replaced starter Carson Wentz, who had suffered two sprained ankles. Eason, a 2020 fourth-rounder who was seeing his first regular season action, promptly threw a crippling interception and finished the game 2-for-5 for 40 yards and the pick. He was waived a month later.

Foles will be competing for the backup spot with second-year quarterbacks Sam Ehlinger out of Texas and James Morgan out of Florida International, as well as rookie undrafted free agent Jack Coan out of Notre Dame. According to Garafolo, the deal is expected to be finalized early next week.

2 comments Indianapolis Colts Transactions

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/20/22

By | at May 20, 2022 6:39 pm

Here are the day’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

0 comments Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Las Vegas Raiders Seattle Seahawks Transactions

RB Tarik Cohen Appears To Suffer Leg Injury

By | at May 17, 2022 7:24 pm

7:24pm: An MRI has confirmed that Cohen ruptured his Achilles, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

5:54pm: After missing most of the 2020 NFL season with a torn ACL and MCL, as well as a tibial plateau fracture, and missing the entire 2021 season recovering from those injuries, former-Bears running back Tarik Cohen may be looking at another unfortunate setback. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Cohen looks “to have suffered a serious lower-leg injury during a workout (that he was) streaming on IG Live.” 

Cohen was a fourth-round draft pick for Chicago in 2017 after an outstanding career at the HBCU North Carolina A&T. Splitting carries with now-Eagles running back Jordan Howard as rookie, Cohen worked mostly as the team’s receiving back. In his sophomore year in Chicago, Cohen blossomed in his assigned role breaking out for 725 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns, in addition to his 444 yards rushing and 3 rushing touchdowns. He also threw two touchdown passes in his first two years with the Bears.

In his third year, Cohen was only able to see three games of action before suffering his major knee injuries. They sidelined him for the rest of the year and he sat out the following year, as well, in an effort to work back to full health.

Cohen was released by the Bears two months ago and was working towards finally making a comeback from his injuries as a free agent. Unfortunately, if the reports are accurate, it appears that Cohen’s comeback bid may have to wait a bit longer.

10 comments Chicago Bears Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/17/22

By | at May 17, 2022 5:14 pm

Here are the latest draft pick signings around the NFL:

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

0 comments Chicago Bears Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions Indianapolis Colts Transactions

NFC Rumors: Cowboys, Falcons, Saints, Trask

By | at May 15, 2022 9:11 pm

Going into the 2022 offseason, the Cowboys knew that they needed to bolster their defensive line. Early reports rumored that Dallas had interest in adding a former rival in Jason Pierre-Paul, who spent eight years as a Giant before going to Tampa Bay.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Cowboys’ interest in Pierre-Paul seems to be waning, as Dallas believes they have “at least six capable edge rushers.” In the offseason, they added Dante Fowler through free agency and drafted Sam Williams out of Ole Miss last month. They’ll find themselves in the pass rushing rotation with the likes of Dorance Armstrong, Tarell Basham, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Chauncey Golston.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC, starting with a few more rumors from Jeremy Fowler’s article:

  • Atlanta selected Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round, over every quarterback in the Draft, besides Kenny Pickett who was the only passer off the board at that point. Fowler reports that Ridder’s biggest competition for the pick was Liberty’s Malik Willis, but the Falcons felt that Willis lacked the signature moments at Liberty, even though he had incredible talent. Ridder, on the other hand, had a more complete body of work, in their opinion. It didn’t hurt that Ridder reportedly came to interviews with a plan on how to unseat a veteran starting quarterback wherever he landed.
  • Another team that was long rumored to be looking at quarterbacks in the Draft, New Orleans instead drafted wide receiver Chris Olave with their first round pick. According to Fowler, the Saints had no plans to draft a quarterback. They had Olave in their sights and, upon seeing Drake London and Garrett Wilson come off the board at Nos. 8 and 10 overall, they knew they needed to make a move to ensure Olave would be available. New Orleans apparently did an outstanding job of keeping their plans a complete mystery to the rest of the NFL.
  • With Tom Brady coming out of retirement to quarterback the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay has been evaluating their backup quarterback position. According to Greg Auman of The Athletic, Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen doesn’t see Kyle Trask competing with Blaine Gabbert for the backup job. This shouldn’t put Trask’s roster spot in jeopardy, though. Gabbert is one of the better backup quarterbacks in the league, but the plan for Trask was always for a post-Brady team. Tampa Bay is happy with Trask’s progress so far and will likely keep developing the 24-year-old for the future.
5 comments Atlanta Falcons Dallas Cowboys New Orleans Saints Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Drew Brees Acknowledges Potential Return To NFL

By | at May 15, 2022 7:47 pm

In a tweet Sunday night, former Saints quarterback Drew Brees addressed the future of his professional career, namely, the uncertainty of said future career. To be very clear, Brees did not tease or hint at a return, he merely acknowledged it as one of several options, which is the most we’ve heard from him on the subject in some time. 

Following his retirement at the end of the 2020 NFL season, Brees joined NBC Sports to serve as a color analyst on Football Night in America, the network’s pre-game show before Sunday Night Football games, as well as the network’s Notre Dame football games, paired up with play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico. It was announced two months ago by Andrew Marchand of NY Post that, after one year in the studio, Brees would not return to NBC.

When Brees’ replacement for the 2021 season, Jameis Winston, went down with a torn ACL and MCL damage, ending his season after eight games, Brees joked with his NBC coworkers, intimating that he had no plans to return and save the Saints’ season. When Winston’s backups, Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian, both found themselves on the COVID-19 list, the Saints’ reportedly asked Brees to come out of retirement. Brees’ response was once again in jest, as he replied with a picture of himself golfing, hinting that he was content in his post-football activities.

With Brees deciding against returning to NBC Sports, there has apparently been some media speculation about what comes next. His most recent tweet addressed those rumors.

“Despite speculation from the media about my future this fall, I’m currently undecided,” Brees said. He continued, “I may work for NBC, I may play football again, I may focus on business and philanthropy, I may train for the pickleball tour, senior golf tour, coach my kids or all of the above. I’ll let you know.”

While “all of the above” would certainly be entertaining to see, football fans are obviously most interested in the potential for more football in his future. Brees turned 43 this past January, which would make him the second oldest player in the NFL behind Tom Brady, should he return. There would also be much intrigue about where he might return. Would Brees have interest in playing in his long-term home? Or would we see him follow the leads of Brady, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre, spending the last few years of his career in a new setting?

Regardless, anything guessed is pure speculation, as Brees has made clear his decision has not yet been made. He says he’ll let us know, and we’ll be watching closely for a decision.

32 comments New Orleans Saints

Contract Notes: Hughes, Walker, Boyle

By | at May 14, 2022 9:31 pm

Here are some details on a deal recently reached in Houston:

  • Jerry Hughes, DT (Texans): Two-year, $10MM. The deal , reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, has a guaranteed amount of $4.5MM comprised of a $2.5MM signing bonus and Hughes’s 2022 base salary of $2MM. The contract has two different per game active bonuses for each year. In 2022, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $29,411 for a potential season total of $500,000. In 2023, Hughes will receive a per game active bonus of $58,823 for a potential season total of $1MM.

Here’s an interesting detail in the contract of the 2022 NFL Draft’s No. 1 overall pick:

  • Defensive end Travon Walker‘s first NFL contract currently has a detail that no other rookie contract from this year holds: the deal contains no offset language, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. Offset language usually pertains to what will happen to a player’s salary if he should be cut in his first four seasons (the duration of each drafted rookie’s contract). Breer reports that it’s currently the only such deal this year. He also points out that it only occurred with two players from last year’s Draft: Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Jacksonville has clearly started a trend of being uniquely generous to their first-round picks.

Here are some details from a contract recently restructured in Baltimore:

  • Nick Boyle, TE (Ravens): Two-year, $13MM. According to Yates, Boyle agreed to rework his contract, lowering his 2022 salary from $5MM to $1.12MM with a signing bonus of $2.63MM and possible incentives of $1.25MM. His 2023 salary was lowered $1MM with that money being converted to a roster bonus for that year. The deal creates $2.57MM of new cap space for the Ravens to work with.
3 comments Baltimore Ravens Houston Texans Jacksonville Jaguars
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