No team is doing more due diligence on Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield than the Carolina Panthers.
Find someone who loves you as much as the Carolina Panthers seem to love Baker Mayfield.
Though still technically employed by the Cleveland Browns, Mayfield is playing on an expiring contract this fall, albeit an incredibly expensive fifth-year option. Despite having just drafted Matt Corral out of Ole Miss, as well as trading for his 2018 NFL Draft classmate Sam Darnold, the Panthers just cannot seem to quit Mayfield. David Tepper clearly wants a Heisman Trophy winner.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson reported on Friday afternoon “the Panthers are still doing its due diligence in terms of looking into (quarterback) Baker Mayfield — the football player and the person.”
I’m told the #Panthers are still doing its due diligence in terms of looking into QB Baker Mayfield —the football player and the person, per league source.
— IG: JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 17, 2022
Carolina Panthers are kicking the tires on Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield
Though Corral is certainly an interesting prospect, Cleveland did take Mayfield No. 1 overall out of Oklahoma for a reason. He was utterly sensational playing in Lincoln Riley’s Air Raid offense at OU. While he lacked the physical attributes to truly be a star in the NFL, there was some belief Mayfield’s personality could be a point of great gravitation inside of a professional locker room.
However, Mayfield quickly fell out of favor in Cleveland, especially after how his fourth year with the club went. He is still on the roster, mostly because of the financial implications of his fifth-year option. Could a team like the Panthers be willing to eat more of that one-year contract than any other team? There is also the giant red elephant in the room known as the Deshaun Watson case…
Frankly, Mayfield is good enough to start somewhere this season, but whether that is in Cleveland, Charlotte, or somewhere else entirely, remains to be seen. What is important though is if Mayfield is able to bounce back from an injury-plagued season. We all knew he was totally beat up, but that did not stop the toxicity from taking over the entire Cleveland locker room last year.
If the Panthers are going to trade for Mayfield, they need to do so well before training camp starts.
The Cleveland Browns traded for Deshaun Watson and gave him a monster contract despite his off-field allegations. Now, they’re expecting a huge suspension.
The more time that’s passed, the more indefensible the Cleveland Browns‘ decision to trade for Deshaun Watson and sign him to a contract worth $230 million of guaranteed money looks. And as more news pours out that paints the situation in a more negative light, the on-field ramifications look worse as well.
According to multiple reports throughout the offseason, the expectation from the team has been that Watson will be suspended for a long time.
As it turns out, though, a “long time” could equate to the entirety of the 2022 season. Numerous Cleveland insiders have reported that the Browns are expecting for Watson’s suspension to span the entire year.
Browns: Deshaun Watson expected to be suspended for entire season
Given that Watson faces 24 civil suits for sexual misconduct and sexual assault and is the subject of a New York Times investigation that revealed he visited more than 60 massage therapists while with the Texans, the length of the suspension is not shocking in the slightest.
What it does keep showing, though, is how misguided the Browns were with their quarterback. Outwardly, the team has remained supportive of Watson and maintained their belief in the decision to trade for him and re-sign him to a lucrative contract. But it’s hard to give up that money and make the deal they did and think they aren’t a little worried that, if he is suspended for the entire season, will be getting a quarterback who hasn’t seen the field in two full seasons.
Expect to hear something official about the Deshaun Watson suspension prior to the start of the preseason.
The Green Bay Packers should be concerned about the health surrounding David Bakhtiari.
Green Bay Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari has played in one game for the franchise since tearing his ACL in practice on New Year’s Eve two seasons ago.
ESPN’s Rob Demovksy revealed how the injury rehab process is going for a few key players on the team, including Bakhtiari. While Kylin Hill, Elgton Jenkins and Robert Tonyan seem to be progressing well from their torn ACLs suffered last season, the same thing does not apply to Bakhtiari. He has not taken part in a single practice for the Packers at any point this offseason.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur provided some update on if Bakhtiari will be ready for camp.
“Time will tell,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur on if Bakhtiari will be back in time for the start of training camp. “We fully anticipate him being ready to go, but we did last year, as well. So I think time will tell. But we feel good about the work that he’s put in and where he’s at.”
Green Bay should be the favorite to win the NFC North again this season, but not having one of their better players on the field for another extended stretch could make things challenging for them.
Green Bay Packers should be very concerned about David Bakhtiari’s knee injury
When Bakhtiari is out there, he is one of the very best left tackles in football. He has been an All-Pro at the position and a perennial Pro Bowler. Tasked with keeping NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright, his emergence as a book-end had been a huge part in the Packers’ return to prominence under LaFleur. However, any extended absence makes the offensive line a tad worse.
In theory, Bakhtiari’s return would allow Jenkins to kick back inside, where he was a Pro Bowler. It would take more pressure of Tonyan as a blocker to be a bigger part of the receiving game. Of course, Green Bay should be a strong offense this fall anyway, regardless of how much Bakhtiari is able to contribute. If this injury continues to linger, perhaps retirement is a real discussion point?
Ultimately, the Packers are going to take every precaution to help get Bakhtiari on the field. Even if he does not participate in a single drill during the offseason program, he is a no-doubt starter at left tackle if he is physically good enough to be out there. Then again, for the money, Green Bay may have to look to move off him if it is yet another injury-plagued season for the former All-Pro.
Green Bay is a considerably better football team when Bakhtiari is starting games at left tackle.
HENDERSON, Nev. — Hunter Renfrow is coming off a 103-catch season for the Las Vegas Raiders. Darren Waller caught a franchise-record 107 passes two years ago. And Davante Adams, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Green Bay Packers in March, has at least 111 receptions in three of the past four years.
A good problem for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to have this season? Perhaps. But are there enough balls to go around to keep everyone happy?
Renfrow nodded, before speaking of Waller and Adams.
“Two very, very unselfish guys that … put the team before themselves,” Renfrow said. “That’s got to be a focus for all of us — that team success is far superior to individual success.
“It doesn’t matter if we have 50 catches this season apiece, as long as we’re winning. That’s the ultimate goal. That’s all that matters. And I think if we have that mentality, then it’s pretty easy to go and do.”
Easy for Renfrow to say, right? After all, he joined Carr and defensive end Maxx Crosby in signing multi-year contract extensions this offseason, while Adams inked a massive deal with Las Vegas (to be fair, Renfrow did make that statement before being extended).
Conspicuous by his absence from the list, though, is Waller, a top-3 tight end in the league who is paid far below market value and, yes, is also hoping for an extension. It’s just … he’s not about to make a scene yet, or a stink about it.
“I just focus on enjoying while I’m here, whether I’m here 10 years or who knows how long,” Waller said. “My agent’s job is to do that stuff and I just focus on the football part. Because if you don’t focus on football and your mind’s elsewhere …”
Waller wandered a bit.
“You’ve got to be locked in as a professional,” he continued. “So I try to be a professional every day.”
And therein lies the rub.
Because Waller, who turns 30 two days after the Raiders open the season at the Los Angeles Chargers, could potentially see his production dip with the ascent of Renfrow in the slot and the addition of Adams on the outside. And if it does, that could have a negative effect on negotiations, should an extension not be completed before the season.
Especially on the heels of knee and back injuries that limited Waller to 11 games, 55 catches and two TDs last season (he had a combined 197 catches, on 262 targets, for 2,341 yards and 12 TDs in 2019 and 2020, when he was named to the Pro Bowl).
Catch-22, much?
Consider: Waller’s four-year, $29.8 million extension in 2019 makes him just the 17th-highest paid tight end in the NFL in terms of AAV. And no money is guaranteed for 2022 or 2023.
More salt? The Cleveland Browns recently gave unproven David Njoku a four-year deal worth up to $56.75 million, and the San Francisco 49ers‘ George Kittle, who has a tight end-high AAV of $15 million, has exceeded 85 receptions once in five seasons.
Maybe that’s why, when asked about Adams joining him, Renfrow and Carr in coach Josh McDaniels’ offense, Waller was pragmatic.
He referenced the Miami Heat‘s “Big Three,” when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in 2010.
“The first year, it may not have clicked like the way they wanted it to because it takes chemistry,” Waller said, referencing the Heat falling to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. “It works great on ‘Madden’ and ‘2K,’ but guys got to accept roles and, ‘OK, this is the situation I do best in,’ and then just bring a certain level of unselfishness to the table. And know that everything we do is about the time.”
Side note: Waller has been represented since last September by James’ agency, Klutch Sports Group.
“As guys, we’ve accomplished individual things on our own,” Waller said, “and now it’s, you know, maybe sacrifice that a little bit to help the collective achieve what they want to achieve.”
All of which sounds good to McDaniels.
“Darren, he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and more,” McDaniels said. “He’s obviously a good player. We love having him here. It’s really a pleasure to coach the guy. He comes with a great attitude and mindset every day. Works really hard. Here early, stays late, does extra, takes care of his body. Does a lot of the things that you would want any player to do, and obviously he’s been productive with his opportunity. So, love having him here and looking forward to coaching him.”
Plus, he’s had Waller watching tape of former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski to show Waller what should be in store for him in McDaniels’ scheme.
As Waller, who endured trade rumors this spring, put it, the tape should be called Gronk Running Wild.
“Up the seams, over routes, short passes and blowing through people, fade passes on the outside,” Waller said. “He’s lining up everywhere and doing everything, really.
“It’s exciting to see a lot of ways I’ll be used. It’s a challenging system, but I love a good challenge. I think it’s bringing the best out of us.”
But will it force the Raiders to bring out the check book, again?
New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport looks to finally put to rest his finger problems after having a portion of one amputated.
Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport is struggling with his left pinkie finger, but after having a portion of it amputated this offseason, hopefully, it’s all up from here for him.
This issue has been around for a long time for Davenport. According to ESPN’s report on the situation, it began in 2016 when he tore ligaments in it.
More on Saints’ defensive end Marcus Davenport having the top portion of his left pinkie finger amputated this offseason after breaking a plate from a previous surgery and experiencing an infection, via @MikeTriplett:https://t.co/zk2LrFYUGR
He had to amputate because he broke a plate and got an infection from it, which can be extremely serious if not taken care of immediately. Those kinds of things can go from being something small to being life-threatening, so thankfully, they got it handled before it did get any worse.
Saints: Marcus Davenport has finger amputated
Davenport could have likely been back for training camp after having shoulder surgery in January, but with this amputation, it seems he will be out for longer.
However, a longer rehabilitation time is a far better outcome than what could have happened if he didn’t take care of this pinkie finger.
Once he can get back on the field, Davenport shouldn’t miss a beat, and his production shouldn’t be too affected.
Now, if it were another one of his fingers, that could have been an issue, but the pinkie finger is kind of like the toe — people can make adjustments without skipping a beat. Davenport can shine without it, and without it causing pain, it’ll be even better for him.
He missed 18 games because of various ailments, so getting healthy has been a top priority. Now that he is on that track, he can get back on track and make the Saints realize he is someone to keep around.
Even with his fifth-year option for this upcoming season, he needs a good one to stick around New Orleans. Hopefully, he will be able to prove himself, or Davenport will be hunting a new team.
Super Bowl champ got the Raiders to make $1 million donation to Uvalde.
Vann McElroy hasn’t played for the Raiders for more than 30 years but clearly, he still has pull with the men paying the bills.
According to Chron.com, McElroy, who is Uvalde native, spoke to Mark Davis and told him the city was in need and Davis delivered to the tune of $1 million going to the school district.
“I told Mark that I talked to (Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District superintendent Hal Harrell) and he told me we needed about $1 million to be able to implement some measures to make our schools here safer,” McElroy said according to the Uvalde Leader-News. “Mark, said, ‘Let’s do it.’”
The school district will use the donation towards making the schools safer including “stronger doors, cameras and more fencing.”
“In all the years that I played for the Raiders, this organization took care of me and my family, and has looked out for the players and all members of the Raiders family,” McElroy said.
Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Training camp begins in mid-July, meaning there will be competitions for starting roles. Here are three players on the Green Bay Packers fighting for their jobs.
NFL minicamps are reaching their conclusion, which means that there will be a break before the start of training camp in mid-July. From there, players on 32 teams will be fighting for increased reps for the 2022 season.
The Green Bay Packers were a team that dealt with a ton of personnel turnover this offseason, highlighted by wide receiver Davante Adams being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders and linebacker Za’Darius Smith getting released from his contract. With the moves the team made, there will be openings on the starting lineup, which means that some players could lose reps and get relegated to the bench.
Here are three players on the Packers that are fighting for their jobs in training camp.
Packers: 3 players who could lose their job in training camp
3. Royce Newman, G
The Packers offensive line has taken a bit of a hit this offseason, as Billy Turner, Dennis Kelly and Lucas Patrick all signed with new teams. When it comes to the guard positions, they were slated to have Jon Runyan and Royce Newman as the starting guards. That can all change once the team is in the middle of training camp.
In the third round of this year’s NFL Draft, the Packers selected Sean Rhyan out of UCLA. This past college football season, Rhyan was named to the All-Pac-12 First team. He is slotted in as a guard, but he has experience playing tackle as well.
Sure, it is not ideal to start a rookie right away, but the starting guard positions are far from locked down. This past season, Newman surrendered six sacks and was called for five penalties, per Pro Football Focus.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was caught off guard by former wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s recent comments about Mahomes’ accuracy.
It’s been a rough day for Patrick Mahomes, who was recently reflecting on the “worst playoff football” of his career when the Cincinnati Bengals made an 18-point comeback and bested the Chiefs in the 2021 AFC Championship.
During a minicamp presser, Mahomes responded to the comments that former wide receiver Tyreek Hill recently made on Hill’s new podcast, “It Needed To Be Said.”
“As far as accuracy-wise, I’m going with Tua [over Mahomes] all day,” Hill proclaimed on his podcast.
Hill then validated a tweet from Robert Griffin III which argued that Hill wasn’t taking a shot at Mahomes, but he was trying to support his new Dolphins quarterback by arguing where Tua excels.
Mahomes said he was “surprised” by Hill’s comment, reiterating that the Chiefs “loved” Tyreek during his time in Kansas City.
“I’m surprised a little,” Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes admits on Tyreek Hill’s podcast comments.
Patrick Mahomes was “surprised” by Tyreek Hill saying Tua is more “accurate”
Hill’s loyalties may have shifted since leaving KC, but Mahomes remains true in his assessment of Hill. Rather than making his own player comparisons, Mahomes had nothing but nice things to say about Hill’s talents, labeling him a “one-of-a-kind player.”
“I still love Tyreek, he’s a one-of-a-kind player,” Mahomes said.
Then, being the team leader he is, Mahomes brought the conversation away from interpersonal strife and back to what every player brings to the team. Mahomes also reminded everyone that none of what Hill and Mahomes accomplished during their time together would have been possible with head coach Andy Reid at the helm.
“But as you know, in Coach Reid’s offsense, it takes the whole team,” Mahomes continued. “This offense was rolling before I got here, this offense was rolling when I was a young Cowboys fan watching the Eagles beat up on the Cowboys. It’s an offense that includes more than one player, and that includes myself.”
Joking around at the podium, Mahomes seemed to take Hill’s comments in stride — but they still caught him a little off-guard.
“I haven’t talked to him since the podcast came out, but I talked to him at Formula 1 in Miami in May and everything seemed fine,” Mahomes laughed.
Perhaps Hill really was just trying to defend his new quarterback, because he did agree with Griffin that Mahomes is “certified greatness.”
MIAMI — It’s easy to look ahead to training camp at this stage of the Miami Dolphins‘ offseason program. Their offense is in the process of installing a new system, and neither side of the ball has worn shoulder pads during organized team activities or mandatory minicamp.
But that hasn’t mattered to players in the trenches — especially a front seven that seems determined to maintain its status as one of the NFL’s best. Players say the level of competition without pads has been intense, and they expect it to remain so once everyone is in full gear next month.
“That’s what I can tell about this team, I think it’s a little different right now,” offensive lineman Robert Hunt said. “The guys are working without pads on and you can tell, guys are definitely fitting their gaps right, guys are coming off the ball, flying off the ball.”
The Dolphins hired head coach Mike McDaniel and added seven players expected to play significant roles on offense in hopes of reviving a unit that ranked 25th in the NFL last season. However, defense remains the team’s unquestioned strength. The unit led the league in defensive expected points added over the final nine weeks last season when Miami went 8-1, and the plan for the defense this offseason has been clear: run it back.
Miami agreed to a four-year, $65.4 million contract with defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah minutes before free agency began, re-signed its entire group of inside linebackers, drafted Georgia linebacker Channing Tindall in the third round and signed three-time Pro Bowl outside linebacker Melvin Ingram III.
Ingram didn’t practice with the team as it wrapped mandatory minicamp this month but was present on the sideline. He joins a pass-rushing rotation that includes Ogbah, who has led the team with 9.0 sacks in each of the past two seasons, linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jaelan Phillips — the No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft who set a Dolphins rookie record with 8.5 sacks last season.
“He definitely has a chance to be special,” Ingram said of Phillips. “He comes to work every day and he puts that work in. I definitely admire that.”
Last season, Miami was one of the more aggressive defenses in the NFL, blitzing on 38% of opponents’ dropbacks — the second-highest rate in the league. Its propensity for blitzing is part of the reason it played man coverage on 49.5% of its defensive snaps in 2021, the 12th highest rate in the league.
The Dolphins’ aggression up front forces quarterbacks to make quick decisions, which gives playmaking defensive backs such as cornerback Xavien Howard (15 interceptions over the past two seasons) and second-year safety Jevon Holland (13 starts, 69 tackles, 2 interceptions, 10 passes defended) opportunities to make plays on the ball.
The team believed keeping the defense intact was paramount as McDaniel deals with so much turnover on offense in his first season, and the decision was welcomed by defensive players craving stability on the sideline.
“I’m definitely happy. Just me personally, I always had different coaches,” linebacker Jerome Baker said. “Different linebacker coaches, different coordinators, going back all of the way to college. For me, [stability is] a good thing. … you know what you expect. You have a little understanding before you walk into the building. Now it’s just time to build off that.”
Also returning to Miami’s front seven are defensive linemen Christian Wilkins (first-round pick in 2019), Zach Sieler and Raekwon Davis (second round, 2020), who combined to form one of the league’s most underrated interior defensive lines.
Wilkins’ 89 tackles last season tied for the league lead among defensive linemen, and Sieler posted the fourth-best pass rush win rate as an interior defender (16.0%), per NFL Next Gen Stats. Wilkins (44.0%) and Sieler (42.0%) also posted the third- and fifth-best run stop win rates among defensive linemen, respectively.
Davis’ impact is harder to quantify statistically, but at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds, he is an undeniable presence in the middle of Miami’s defensive line who occupies space and blockers. He said the unit’s chemistry has kept it from becoming complacent entering 2022.
“Just keep pushing each other,” he said. “Keep trying to dominate every opponent, just getting better as a unit and getting better this offseason.”
ST JOSEPH, MISSOURI – JULY 28: Wide receiver Mecole Hardman #17 of the Kansas City Chiefs catches a pass against defensive back Deandre Baker #30, during training camp at Missouri Western State University on July 28, 2021 in St Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty Images)
Which Kansas City Chiefs players will be fighting for their jobs in training camp?
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of yet another playoff appearance (their seventh in a row and eighth in the last nine years) and another first-place finish in the AFC West.
The team won the 2019 Super Bowl, lost it in 2020 and was eliminated in a heartbreaking AFC Championship defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Chiefs 27-24 in overtime.
Kansas City will also be without otherworldly receiver Tyreek Hill who they traded to the Miami Dolphins in March for five draft picks. He will suit up for another organization for the first time in his professional career after making six consecutive Pro Bowls with the Chiefs.
In the upcoming season, the Chiefs will once again have their offense led by a deadly combination of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce with their defense led by Chris Jones.
Who are three players that will be fight for their jobs come training camp?
3. CB DeAndre Baker
The Chiefs’ front office wasted no time in this year’s draft when they took cornerbacks in the first, fourth and seventh round, only to trade for another corner in Lonnie Johnson after the draft.
One could make the assumption this corner-heavy approach means the Chiefs’ brass isn’t satisfied with their current group of cornerbacks. The addition of Johnson, a player with three years of NFL experience under his belt already, could signal the end for DeAndre Baker, who as of now has not really performed all that well for Kansas City.
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