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Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

By | at February 14, 2022 8:57 am

With Super Bowl LVI finished, the final two places in the 2022 Draft have been finalized. The Bengals’ top pick is locked into 31st, while the Rams will not have a selection until the third round. For the rest of the league, the focus has already shifted to free agency and the draft, of course, so now all eyes will be on the offseason maneuvering teams do to reshape their rosters.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

Pending trades, here is the final first round order of the 2022 Draft:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-13
  4. New York Jets: 4-13
  5. New York Giants: 4-13
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-12
  7. New York Giants(via Bears)
  8. Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
  9. Denver Broncos: 7-10
  10. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  11. Washington Football Team: 7-10
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 8-9
  14. Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
  15. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  16. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
  17. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
  18. New Orleans Saints: 9-8
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
  21. New England Patriots: 10-7
  22. Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
  23. Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
  24. Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
  25. Buffalo Bills: 11-6
  26. Tennessee Titans: 12-5
  27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
  28. Green Bay Packers: 13-4
  29. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
  30. Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
  31. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7
  32. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
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Saints Not Planning Michael Thomas Trade

By | at February 12, 2022 3:55 pm

To say the Saints’ Michael Thomas extension has not worked out is probably putting it mildly. The star wide receiver missed all of last season and, due to injuries in 2020, has not been on the All-Pro level in the past two years.

Despite Thomas upsetting Saints brass by delaying an offseason ankle surgery last year, he remains in the team’s 2022 plans, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). After spending extensive time in New York rehabbing, Thomas has returned to New Orleans and has been in communication with the team. While this does not necessarily guarantee the veteran pass catcher will be with the Saints next season, the team could certainly use him.

The Saints struggled for most of this past season at receiver, having cut Emmanuel Sanders and seen Thomas suffer a setback that prevented him from playing at all during the year. Thomas, who will turn 29 in March, has two first-team All-Pro seasons on his resume. Both, of course, came during Drew Brees‘ New Orleans tenure. The Saints are entering a second straight offseason with uncertainty at quarterback, but a Thomas return would do a lot to help the team’s passing attack — if the former second-round pick can stay healthy.

Thomas led the league in receptions in 2018 and ’19, breaking Marvin Harrison‘s single-season record by catching 149 passes during the latter season, but has missed 26 games since the start of the 2020 campaign. He is attached to a $15.35MM base salary in 2022. Thomas’ cap number is also set to spike from $10MM to more than $24MM next season.

The Saints are once again on their own tier in terms of cap compliance, or lack thereof, sitting more than $70MM over the projected 2022 cap. Thomas already converted part of his 2021 salary into a bonus to help New Orleans’ cap situation, moving more money onto the final three years of his five-year, $96.25MM deal. The only way a trade would not crush the Saints in terms of dead money would be if it came after June 1, a la the Falcons’ Julio Jones deal last year. New Orleans would save $15.8MM by trading Thomas after that key date.

With or without Thomas, the receiver position figures to be one the Saints target early in the draft. New Orleans did not see any of its pass catchers top 700 yards last season, with Marquez Callaway‘s 698 leading the team.

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NFC Coaching Notes: Bears, Vikings, Giants

By | at February 10, 2022 10:47 pm

The post-Sean Payton era has started in New Orleans, with Dennis Allen officially taking over as the Saints new head coach. When speaking about his promotion, Allen mentioned the value of continuity within the franchise.

“I think that was one of the unique things about this job is that this was not a broken job. This is a job that’s a desirable job. This is a job that has a foundation and culture of winning that’s already been built,” Allen said (via ESPN’s Mike Triplett). “I don’t see this as something where we need to have a ton of change.”

While Allen acknowledged that he’ll preach a lot of the lessons he learned from Payton, he also intends to put his “own spin” on the job.

“I want to take the lessons that I’ve learned, I want to build upon those lessons, and I want to create my own legacy here with the New Orleans Saints,” the coach said.

More coaching notes out of the NFC…

  • Andre Curtis is the Bears new safeties coach, the team announced. The 45-year-old has spent the past seven years with the Seahawks, including the past four years as the defensive passing game coordinator. Per the Bears’ website, the Seahawks had six defensive backs earn at least one Pro Bowl nod during Curtis’s stint with Seattle.
  • The Vikings are expecting to hire Chris Kuper as their offensive line coach, reports Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network (via Twitter). Kuper had an eight-year playing career with the Broncos, and following a three-year coaching stint with the Dolphins, he joined the Broncos as their assistant offensive line coach in 2019. He ultimately spent three seasons in Denver.
  • The Vikings are also hiring Chris Rumph as their defensive line coach, per Wilson (on Twitter). The 50-year-old spent the 2021 season in the same role with the Bears, and he’s also had an NFL coaching stint with the Texans.
  • The Giants are hiring Mike Groh as their wide receivers coach, according to Pro Football Talk. Groh spent the past two years as the WRs coach with the Colts, and he had a previous stint with the Eagles that saw him getting promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
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Saints To Interview Robert Prince For OC Job

By | at February 10, 2022 6:06 pm

The Saints have already revamped their offensive coaching staff, and it sounds like they’ll consider adding an offensive coordinator to a grouping that includes Pete Carmichael and Doug Marrone. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter), the Saints will interview Cowboys wide receivers coach Robert Prince for their OC job.

[RELATED: Saints To Hire Doug Marrone; Pete Carmichael Ticketed For Non-OC Role]

Prince literally finalized his contract with the Cowboys yesterday, and he could already be on the move. The 56-year-old has been coaching since the 1980s, with his first NFL gig coming with the Falcons in 2004. He served as Boise State’s offensive coordinator between 2012 and 2013 before a long stint with the Lions.

Prince served as the Lions WRs coach for seven seasons, and he had a one-game stint as acting head coach in 2020. The veteran coach moved on to Houston in 2021, serving as the Texans wide receivers coach.

Carmichael was the Saints offensive coordinator for the past 13 years, and he is on track to stay on the staff under Dennis Allen. The veteran coach will serve in a different role, however, with Carmichael requesting the change. The team also added Marrone in an unknown role yesterday, and there were rumblings that they were eyeing ex-Jets OC John Morton.

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Saints Interview Aubrey Pleasant For DC

By | at February 9, 2022 6:48 pm

Aubrey Pleasant continues to generate interest on the defensive coordinator market. After interviewing for the Vikings’ DC post, Pleasant met with the Saints about their new vacancy Wednesday, Steve Wyche of NFL.com tweets.

The Lions hired Pleasant as their defensive backs coach last year, but the former Rams cornerbacks coach has been on the DC radar for a bit. The Bengals interviewed him for the job that went to Lou Anarumo in 2019. Pleasant is the first name connected to New Orleans’ new DC vacancy.

Dennis Allen rising from his DC post to replace Sean Payton left a void, and the Saints are moving quickly to fill their staff. They added Doug Marrone on Wednesday and are planning to move longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael to a new position. While New Orleans’ OC job now takes on greater importance, Allen’s presence minimizes the Saints’ DC post to some degree.

The Vikings appear to be zeroing in on Ed Donatell for their DC position, though Pleasant did work with expected Minnesota HC Kevin O’Connell with the Rams last season. Pleasant was the Rams’ corners coach during Sean McVay‘s first four Los Angeles seasons; that was the young assistant’s first position coaching gig.

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Saints To Hire Doug Marrone; Pete Carmichael Ticketed For Non-OC Role

By | at February 9, 2022 3:39 pm

After a year back in the college ranks, Doug Marrone has landed a new NFL gig. He is set to join Dennis Allen‘s Saints staff, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This will be a return for Marrone, who was part of Sean Payton‘s original Saints staff. Payton hired Marrone as his offensive coordinator in 2006, and he stayed three seasons — before heading to Syracuse to be the program’s head coach. This will be Marrone’s first NFL job since the Jaguars fired him after four-plus seasons.

[RELATED: OC Pete Carmichael Declines Saints HC Interview]

Marrone, 57, has been an NFL HC in Buffalo and Jacksonville. While his 2017 Jags team nearly became a surprise Super Bowl entrant, the following years featured a steady decline that ended in a 1-15 season in 2020. Marrone spent last season as Alabama’s O-line coach, joining ex-Texans HC Bill O’Brien on Nick Saban‘s staff.

It is unclear if Marrone is being considered for the Saints’ OC job. Carmichael has held that position for the past 13 years, but NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes Payton’s longtime lieutenant is not expected to remain in that role. Carmichael is on track to stay on under Allen, but in a different role. Carmichael requested the change, per Duncan.

New Orleans would not be permitted to name Marrone OC without complying with the Rooney Rule first, however. OC interviews should be expected in the near future. Post-Payton, New Orleans’ OC role will take on greater importance due to Allen’s status as a defensive-minded coach. The Saints’ next OC will be in line to call plays.

In addition to adding Marrone, the Saints are considering hiring ex-Jets OC John Morton, Duncan adds. Morton, 52, served two tenures under Payton in New Orleans. The most recent one came from 2015-16, when Morton worked as the Saints’ wide receivers coach. Morton spent the 2017 season as Jets OC but was fired soon after. He worked on Jon Gruden‘s Raiders staff for three years following that ouster.

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Odell Beckham Jr. Nearly Signed With Patriots, Saints

By | at February 8, 2022 1:41 pm

Odell Beckham Jr. is squarely focused on the upcoming Super Bowl with the Rams, but he was very close to ending up elsewhere when he was briefly a free agent. According to a pair of tweets from PFF’s Doug Kyed, the wideout nearly joined the Patriots, as well as the Saints, after he cleared waivers earlier this season. 

The 29-year-old’s time in Cleveland came to an end in November, after increasing tensions with other members of the team, in particular quarterback Baker Mayfield, came to a boiling point. After a disappointing two-and-a-half-year stint with the Browns, he ultimately signed with the Rams in an attempt to go on a championship run, filling in admirably for the injured Robert Woods along the way. His time in LA. has been so successful to this point that the team wants to keep him there beyond this season.

However, things very nearly turned out much differently for Beckham. According to Kyed, he was “close” to signing in New England after speaking with Bill Belichick. He adds that Beckham believes the fit would have been “ideal” a few years earlier, when Tom Brady was still with the Pats.

Another receiver-need team was the Saints, with whom Beckham came “very close” to signing. He added, “It just didn’t feel like the right time. Right place, wrong time”. In large part due to injuries to new starting QB Jameis Winston and top WR Michael Thomas, the Saints finished dead last in the league in passing yards per game in 2012 with 202.2.

Ultimately, Beckham clearly made the right choice up to this point. After the end of the season, though, the Patriots and Saints may represent destinations he is familiar with, not to mention ones that could benefit from the caliber of play he has put forth with the Rams.

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Latest On Saints RB Alvin Kamara

By | at February 7, 2022 6:45 pm

Saints running back Alvin Kamara finished with four carries for 23 yards in yesterday’s Pro Bowl…and after the game, he was arrested by Las Vegas police and booked for battery resulting in substantial bodily harm (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).

Per ESPN’s Mike Triplett, Kamara was accused on injuring someone at a Las Vegas nightclub on Saturday evening. The player was taken into custody without incident following yesterday’s game. Curiously, some reports out of Las Vegas indicate that police were aware of the assault allegations and still allowed Kamara to play in the Pro Bowl (as detailed by Jason Cole on Twitter).

The star running back was later released from custody after posting bond. Per Triplett, a conviction “could result in a sentence of one to five years in state prison.” Regardless of the outcome, Kamara will also be subject to discipline from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy. Kamara’s court date is set for March 8, so we’ll surely get more clarity on the severity then.

The five-year veteran earned the fifth Pro Bowl appearance of his career in 2021. Despite finishing the season with a career-high 287 touches, Kamara finished with 1,337 yards from scrimmage, the second-lowest total of his career. Kamara also finished with nine touchdowns in his 13 games (10 starts). Kamara inked a five-year, $75MM extension prior to the 2020 campaign.

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Saints To Name Dennis Allen As New Head Coach

By | at February 7, 2022 5:19 pm

The final head coaching vacancy has been filled. The Saints have informed defensive coordinator Dennis Allen that he’ll be the team’s new head coach, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

Allen was thought to be the favorite for the gig considering his familiarity with the franchise and the continuity he’d provide in a post-Sean Payton era. As SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan reports (on Twitter), Allen isn’t expected to make many (if any) changes to the coaching staff, while Albert Breer of TheMMQB notes (on Twitter) that the new HC also has a strong relationship with the scouting department.

The 49-year-old’s coaching career started in Atlanta, but he took on a bigger role once he moved to New Orleans, eventually becoming their secondary coach (which saw him earn his lone Super Bowl ring). He later became the Broncos defensive coordinator before getting hired as the Raiders head coach in 2012.

His tenure with Oakland didn’t last very long. Early on in his third season in charge, he was fired, and he finished his tenure as head coach with an 8-28 record. Allen ended up returning to the Saints, and after a brief stint as a senior defensive assistant, he became their defensive coordinator in 2015.

In his seven seasons in the role, Allen rehabilitated his image. He was on the HC radar last offseason, and he was a candidate for the Bears head coaching gig this cycle. Once Payton left New Orleans, he seemed like a natural replacement for the Saints. While he received some strong competition from the likes of Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, and former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter), Allen was ultimately chosen as the 11th full-time head coach in franchise history.

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2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at February 6, 2022 10:15 pm

Last year, seven NFL teams opted to make a head coaching change. Sean Payton stepping away from the Saints created nine full-time vacancies available this year.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-7-22 (1:45pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

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