Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK The Detroit Lions have a positional battle still happening at WR. Who will win out the job? We discuss in our Week 1 mailbag. While most of the Detroit Lions roster is set, there is one position that remains a bit of a mystery. Despite coach Dan Campbell’s pleas for a big-bodied wide receiver to step up in training camp, it never ended up happening, and now the Lions simply don’t have one on their 53-man roster. That said, they are still on the hunt. Detroit quickly added veterans Tim Patrick and Allen Robinson to the team to compete with Donovan Peoples-Jones for that role—with all three of them currently on the practice squad. Patrick comes with a lot of hype from Denver Broncos fans, but two serious injuries in the past two years have put a damper on his career, and leave many justifiably wondering if he still has it in him. Robinson is the eldest of the group, and while he has three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt, he only has 1,029 yards in the last three years combined. Peoples-Jones had his chance at the job and couldn’t win it in camp. So who will come out on top of that competition? Will any of them end up signing to the 53-man roster? Could more than one make their way onto the gameday roster? And who will take on the role for Week 1? That’s our (Jeremy Reisman and Erik Schlitt’s) big topic in this week’s Midweek Mailbag podcast. For the Los Angeles Rams game, it’s easy to see why Peoples-Jones may be the favorite to play. He’s been around the offense longer, knows the system better, and has had more in-person work with Jared Goff. But Goff explained on Tuesday how impressed he was with Patrick and Robinson, as their veteran status has helped them pick things up quickly. “It’s fun to work with vets like that where that learning curve seems to be a bit shorter, and you can kind of speak a language they can understand,” Goff said. We expand upon that conversation in the podcast below. Here’s a look at every topic we discussed, along with the timestamp you can find that conversation: 3:30 — What will the Lions do with the 53rd spot on their roster? 8:30 — Which practice squad WR will be on the field in Week 1 (if any)? 13:10 — How will they treat the WR-X position all season? 16:45 — What will Isaiah Williams’ role be in Week 1? Could he be the kick returner? 20:00 — Will we see more packages with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs on the field at the same time? 25:00 — Are we buying the Bears and Packers hype? What about them is a legitimate threat? What is noise? 31:30 — Will Derrick Barnes play much with the Rams in 11 personnel so often? 35:00 — Can the Lions exploit the loss of Rams LB Ernest Jones with Texas routes from Gibbs? 39:00 — What will Sione Vaki’s role on offense be this year? 42:20 — Will the Lions DBs hold up against a tough early schedule against good passing offenses? You can listen to the show below, or re-watch the live stream over on YouTube or Twitch.
Mailbag: Which Lions practice squad WR will win a spot on the 53-man roster?
2024 Detroit Lions season preview: Breakout Player of the Year prediction
Eric Seals / USA TODAY NETWORK Who will be the Detroit Lions’ Breakout Player of the Year? Our 2024 season preview and predictions continue here. Normally during our 2024 Detroit Lions preview, this would be where we predict the team’s Rookie of the Year. However, that’s a little anticlimactic this season, with only first-round pick Terrion Arnold set to take over a starting role this year (unless you include Hogan Hatten). What is a much more interesting question is figuring out which player will break out this season. There are a handful of players who have either flashed during last season, or shown something in training camp season. So let’s take a look at our predictions for 2024 Detroit Lions Breakout Player of the Year: Previously: Offensive MVP prediction Defensive MVP prediction 2024 Detroit Lions Breakout Player of the Year Morgan Cannon: Jameson Williams Give me all of the Jameson Williams stock. He is coming off of a Spring and Summer where he got a ton of praise from this coaching staff, including being called, “A man on a mission,” by coach Dan Campbell. During his post-preseason press conference, general manager Brad Holmes also talked about how far he thinks Williams has come as a person as well as a football player over the course of the last two years. At the end of the day, a lot of this offense is still going to flow through the running game, St. Brown, and LaPorta. But if Williams can take the steps many are hoping for in 2024—watch out. This offense could reach new levels of terrifying for opposing defenses. Jeremy Reisman: Jack Campbell After splitting time at the MIKE position with Derrick Barnes last year, Campbell is expected to take over full time, and if training camp is any indication, he’s ready for the role. With his rare combination of size, speed, and smarts, I expect Campbell to be a force in three phases of the game: pass rush, run defense, and—perhaps the biggest jump he’ll take—in coverage. Meko Scott: Levi Onwuzurike This really came down to Jameson Williams and Levi Onwuzurike for me. And while Jamo will have more opportunities and would be the more exciting answer, I can’t help but be excited about everything we’ve heard about Levi this offseason. As a former 2nd round pick, Onwuzurike has dealt with a number of setbacks in his young career due to injuries. Getting through camp and playing meaningful snaps last season was a big step in the right direction, and it’s sounding like this upcoming season we could finally season the type of player that nearly had Brad Holmes ready to trade up for him. So yeah, I’m rooting like hell for Levi and I believe we could see him make some big plays has a key rotational player on the defensive line. Ryan Mathews: Terrion Arnold Terrion Arnold could be a popular candidate considering he’s slated to be the starting outside cornerback opposite of Carlton Davis, but just because he’s the popular choice doesn’t mean he shouldn’t be the pick here for the Lions player to breakout in 2024. An opportunity like this for a rookie is about as high stakes as it gets in the NFL, and from all indications, Arnold looks ready for the challenge. If his learning curve isn’t steep and Arnold helps improve the Lions pass defense from being just an average unit from a year ago (16th in pass defense DVOA, 6.5%), he’s likely going to be an important piece to the overall improvement of that unit. Erik Schlitt: Levi Onwuzurike The Lions have several players who could find themselves in the “breakout player” category, but based on what I saw at training camp, Levi Onwuzurike should run away with this award. Now fully healthy, Onwuzurike has been sensational on the field and finally looks like the player we were expecting to see coming out of Washington. If you haven’t been out to training camp this offseason, buckle up, he’s been a lot of fun to watch. Brandon Knapp: Jameson Williams Jamo is going to pop off this year, as I even wrote about him hitting a 1,000-yard season. He took a few weeks last year to move into the WR2 role and he still missed time due to his suspension. This year he’s had another offseason to grow and improve and he’s looked good in a lot of training camp practices. With the offense having him, St. Brown, and LaPorta being the main targets, I don’t think teams will respect him enough to start the year to worry about him until he starts breaking out. Also, with his speed he can be used on jet sweeps, reverses, and other trick play ideas that he’ll be used creatively at times and get wide open. Hamza Baccouche: Levi Onwuzurike When I look up and down the Lions roster, it’s hard to see anyone competing with Levi Onwuzurike for this title, assuming reports out of Allen Park aren’t an exaggeration. We’ve heard nothing but phenomenal stuff all preseason, and I’m excited to see it with my own eyes come regular season. Onwuzurike is an established veteran with several offseasons under his belt, so I’m expecting to play like a force to be reckoned with from Week 1. John Whiticar: Derrick Barnes With Alex Anzalone as the leader of the linebacking corps and Jack Campbell as the heir apparent and partner in crime, Barnes might be forgotten by many. As the projected starting SAM linebacker, it is unclear how many snaps he will see during the 2024 season, but I think he could make a serious impact when he is on the field. He quietly had a great season at linebacker last year, and this year he will get to channel his college pass rushing skills at SAM. The Lions have pass rushers like Marcus Davenport and James Houston, but I think it could be Barnes that emerges as one of the Lions’ best weapons
NFL Week 1 power rankings: Giants considered one of league’s worst teams
Daniel Jones | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images The Giants are projected as one of the worst teams heading into the 2024 season. Well, not much has changed since the preseason began. The media doesn’t have much faith in the New York Giants heading into Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season, as the franchise is ranked in the lower half of every team ranking leading up to this weekend’s opening kickoff. While one media outlet has a little more faith in the Giants, the majority believe they’ll finish within the bottom four spots of the league standings. If you average the eight mainstream media poll rankings we’ve included, the Giants sit at an average of No. 29 overall (just percentage points above the No. 30 overall spot). Yikes. SI.com– No. 24 Depending on what happens with the Eagles and the Cowboys, I withhold some optimism that the Giants can make a run at second place in the division and possibly find themselves in a wild-card game. I have them currently projected for eight wins—with or without Daniel Jones at the helm—with my main questions being the efficacy of this offensive line and the maturity of the secondary. These are big, big questions but the Giants also have new coaches for both units. CBS Sports– No. 29 This might be a win-or-else season for Brian Daboll. It’s going to be a challenge to win in a good division with quarterback questions. NFL.com– No. 30 There’s only so much room for growth imaginable here until we see Daniel Jones perform somewhere close to the level he did in 2022, when he was good but hardly transcendent. Helping his cause are a legitimate WR1 in waiting in Malik Nabers and an offensive line that added several parts this offseason — and there’s absolutely nowhere for that group to go but up. The Giants addressed the pass rush by trading for Brian Burns, which was a must; they blitzed relentlessly last year and were near the bottom in sack rate. Yet, with the loss of Saquon Barkley, as well as the reality of Jones and a very young secondary facing the fire this season in a division that features two heavyweights and a suddenly intriguing Commanders team, my optimism for the 2024 Giants thriving is fairly limited. Yahoo! Sports– No. 30 The Giants are banking heavily on two things this season: Their defensive line might be one of the best in the NFL, and Malik Nabers could step right into a 100-catch season. The rest? It might not be very pretty. This is a tough task for Brian Daboll, who is likely on the hot seat. Fox Sports– No. 31 I started the preseason thinking that Daniel Jones wouldn’t be the Giants’ quarterback in 2025, and I’m not moving off my spot. I think the hope in New York this season is that Malik Nabers and this offensive line will grow into promising pieces that can help the Giants’ next QB. New York Times– No. 31 Preseason vibes: Feisty at least The Giants were fined $200,000 for a series of fights during joint practices with the Lions. Detroit was fined, too. The difference is that might be the most competitive the Giants are this season. The Athletic’s win projections have New York at 6.7, the fourth-lowest total in the league. Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers, who was right in the middle of the practice fights, at least looks like the real deal, so he’ll make New York interesting. ESPN.com– No. 32 The Giants have won six or fewer games in six of the past seven seasons, and arguably the league’s worst overall roster suggests they will make it seven of eight in 2024. If Daniel Jones doesn’t make a big leap after returning from an ACL tear, there’s a good chance the Giants will choose his replacement with the first pick in April’s draft. USA Today– No. 32 Any optimism that might have been engendered by the offseason version of “Hard Knocks” pretty much went out the window as soon as QB Daniel Jones reverted to his worst professional self during his preseason return.
Giants news, 9/4: Daniel Jones uses the ‘P’ words, more headlines
Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images New York Giants headlines for Wednesday Good morning, New York Giants fans! From Big Blue View Giants’ RB Devin Singletary ready for challenge of replacing Saquon Barkley Brian Daboll finally admits what we already knew — he will call plays Lawrence Taylor, of course, voted No. 1 player in New York Giants franchise history Fantasy Football ‘24: 15 not-so-bold predictions Giants-Vikings, Week 1 storylines: 5 things to watch this week More headlines After terrible 2023, revamped Giants O-line cautiously optimistic entering new season – nj.comThe Giants’ line was historically bad in 2023 as they allowed 85 sacks, which was the most allowed by an NFL team in 37 years. Giants QB Drew Lock Earns Respectable Ranking in New Backup Quarterback RankingLock can win a team games, that is if his decision-making is on point. Dismal Giants O-line derailed last season. Will it be a ‘hell of a lot better’ this year? – The AthleticCompetency up front will go a long way in the Giants’ uphill climb toward redemption. 2024 NFL predictions, odds: Malik Nabers, Byron Murphy II win Rookie of the Year | New York PostThis would be good for the Giants. How the Jets and Giants can give their fans hope again in 2024 | New York Post This time a year ago, there was genuine giddiness on either side of New York’s football aisle. Jets fans were drinking in every ounce of Aaron Rodgers’ weekly adventures on “Hard Knocks,” dreaming of all the possibilities to come. Giants fans were basking in the glow of 9-7-1 and a playoff win, bursting with belief in the partners of the football dream factory of Schoen & Daboll. It took four plays for the Jets’ optimism to go belly-up, at precisely the moment that Rodgers’ Achilles folded up like a lampshade and he staggered to the turf. And even as bad as that was, Jets hopes of a charmed season lasted longer than the Giants’ did, since just over 24 hours earlier on the same field, the Cowboys had toyed with Big Blue on the way to rolling them, 40-nil. One more football season that felt like it died before the last day of summer. The two teams combined for 13 wins. By the end of the season it was hard to remember even one of them. By the end of the season, Giants fans were left to root for the Jersey kid, Tommy DeVito, to try to keep his Jeremy Lin imitation going as long as he could. Rookie receivers are coming to the NFL ready to dominate. Is Malik Nabers next? | New York Post This year, three rookie receivers entered the league with great expectations. Marvin Harrison Jr. went to the Cardinals with the No. 4 overall pick. Malik Nabers went No. 6 to the Giants. And Rome Odunze went No. 9 to the Bears. There are top prospects at this position most years but these three are considered to be elite, as far as their potential as Day 1 playmakers. The best thing you will watch today One night only… ManningCast: The Musical pic.twitter.com/M6Zjm0BeAv — Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) September 3, 2024 BBV mailbag Have a Giants-related question? E-mail it to [email protected] and it might be featured in our weekly mailbag. BBV YouTube You can find and subscribe to Big Blue View YouTube from the show’s home page Follow BBV BBV on Twitter: Follow @BigBlueViewEd Valentine: Follow @Valentine_EdBBV on Facebook: Click here to like the Big Blue View Facebook pageBBV on YouTube: Subscribe to the Big Blue View YouTube channelBBV on Instagram: Click here to follow our Instagram page EDITOR’S NOTE: What happened to the podcasts? A number of people have asked why Big Blue View podcasts have stopped updating. SB Nation recently made the difficult decision to shut down the podcast network across all of our sites. Big Blue View is continuing to offer that content via our YouTube.
WATCH: Ravens will honor Jacoby Jones and Joe D’Alessandris with helmet stickers
WATCH: Ravens will honor Jacoby Jones and Joe D’Alessandris with helmet stickers glenn erby The Baltimore Ravens are looking to get back to the Super Bowl, and the organization will be motivated by the passing of two key franchise members. Legendary Ravens Jacoby Jones and Joe D’Alessandris passed away this summer, and on Tuesday, the team announced that they’ll honor both with helmet stickers. D’Alessandris was hospitalized about 11 days ago and diagnosed with an acute illness. A 45-year coaching veteran, D’Alessandris had entered his eighth season as Baltimore’s offensive line coach. The Ravens hired George Warhop as interim coach. Warhop has 40 years of coaching experience, including 27 years in the NFL. A New Orleans native, Jones was named first-team All-Pro in 2013 and helped Baltimore defeat the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. He returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers for the longest play in Super Bowl history. He also became the first player to catch a touchdown and score on a return in the same Super Bowl. Jones finished his career with 203 receptions for 2,733 yards and 14 touchdowns with 7,628 return yards and nine scores on special teams. Jones played for the Texans from 2007 to 2011 before signing with the Ravens as a free agent after being released by the Texans in 2012, playing in Baltimore for three seasons.
Colts-Texans opening odds: Colts open as 2.5-point underdogs
Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images The NFL season is underway, but they aren’t favored to start. The Indianapolis Colts are set to open the 2024 NFL season right where they left off against the Houston Texans at home from Lucas Oil. The teams and venue remain the same, but Colts fans are hoping for a different outcome. The Texans ended an unexpectedly exciting season for the Colts in dramatic fashion. A failed conversion on fourth and short sent the Texans to the playoffs with the division championship. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Colts as 2.5-point underdogs, so they will have an uphill battle to start. The current money line sits at +132 with the over/under at 49.5. The Colts are returning nearly their entire roster from last year. One change that stands out, however, is a major one. The return of Anthony Richardson will echo throughout Lucas Oil, and when he runs out of the tunnel, it will be electric. He is a difference maker. That is why the Colts drafted him fourth overall. He has the ability to take a franchise all the way. The Texans can only partially plan for him in preparation for the matchup. He has athletic gifts that quarterbacks dream of. He is the ultimate duel threat. Couple that with Jonathan Taylor and it becomes a triple threat…right? The Texans are going to have to pick their poison in this one. Meanwhile, the Texans are coming off a great 2023. Their rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, looked incredible while taking his team to the playoffs. Not only did they make the playoffs, but they advanced to the Divisional Round. The Texans used the offseason to reload and acquire top talent in Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter. The team that beat the Colts in January looks even better in September. It isn’t hard to make the prediction that they have the best shot to repeat as AFC South champs. The season is just around the corner. Sundays will be football Sundays for the next twenty plus weeks. I expect a rocking atmosphere in Indianapolis on Sunday morning and hope it continues through the night after a Colts win. It won’t be easy. The Texans are a formidable opponent, but if the Colts want to get back to the greatness of old, it starts on Sunday.
Amari Gainer’s preseason performance makes Raiders optimistic about his future
Amari Gainer | Photo by Louis Grasse/Getty Images Undrafted free agent might be a special teamer this year but could have a big role on the defense moving forward Linebacker Amari Gainer was the star of the preseason for the Las Vegas Raiders, and the last month played out like the script of an underdog movie for him. Gainer went from being an undrafted free agent and longshot to make the roster to the Raiders’ best player during the preseason and earning a spot on the team’s 53-man roster at the end of training camp. While the fanbase wasn’t able to see what he could bring to the table until August, it sounds like the rookie made a strong impression on Las Vegas’ coaching staff as soon as he stepped into the building. “Listen, when he came in the door day one, it was like, ‘Wow, this is a pretty sucker here,’” head coach Antonio Pierce said of Gainer. “He looks good and you saw the movement with him in college from Florida State to North Carolina, but there was always like, ‘Man, there’s more to him.’” Pierce’s quote highlights one of the reasons why Gainer slipped through the cracks of the NFL Draft. He spent his first four years in college at Florida State where he began as an edge defender before lining up more as an off-ball linebacker during his last three years at Tallahassee. Then, a Week 1 injury sidelined the former Seminole for several games in 2022, and his playing time significantly decreased upon returning, recording just 77 snaps that season, per Pro Football Focus. So, he transferred to North Carolina for the 2023 campaign and returned to his original spot on the edge. Flipping back and forth between positions is likely a big reason why Gainer’s true talent was never able to shine through in college. But the Raiders kept him as an off-ball linebacker during OTAs, minicamp and training camp and the results were immediately noticeable. The undrafted backer only played 19 snaps in Las Vegas’ first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings but he made the most of them, surrendering just one completion on four targets for four yards while breaking up a pass to earn an elite 90.6 PFF grade. Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty ImagesAmari Gainer He got more playing time the following week—25 snaps—versus the Dallas Cowboys and continued to shine by adding another PBU to his stat line while recording an impressive 75.5 grade. Finally, everything fell into place for Gainer in the Raiders’ last matchup of August against the San Francisco 49ers where he was on the field for 75 defensive snaps and led the team with 13 total tackles. More importantly, that performance locked in his spot on the 53-man roster. “I think the best thing that happened for him was that last game,” Pierce said while recapping the linebacker’s preseason performance. “He went out there and played 90-plus snaps. 70-plus on defense and another 15 or so on special teams. And all you saw throughout the game, and we’ve been seeing it all preseason, is a guy just getting better and better. “But more importantly, somebody that just was playing his heart out. And it meant something to him. Even to that last play where the 49ers were throwing the ball around, if you look at it, I mean, he’s on the ground three times, tackling people, and when the ball ends up at the two-yard line, he’s right there finishing it. So, I thought he did an excellent job.” As the entire NFL transitions to the regular season, Gainer’s role on the Silver and Black’s defense will diminish. Barring an injury, it’s unlikely that he’ll make any starts at linebacker in the fall. But, like most players on the backend of the roster, he’ll have a role on special teams as a rookie and the organization is optimistic about his future. “[Gainer has] put himself in position, not just at linebacker, but also on special teams, to be one of the core guys for us,” Pierce said. “There’s still some development there at the linebacker position that will take place over the course of the season, but he gives us a lot of flexibility because of what he’s able to do both on the line of scrimmage, off the ball linebacker and special teams.” “Amari Gainer had a really good training camp,” general manager Tom Telesco added. “He’s got size and speed, and he shows up. I mean, he really does show up in the passing game really well. And again, [he is] going to have to have some special teams value,…but he’s a young guy with some upside there.” Las Vegas’ two starting linebackers—Robert Spillane and Divine Deablo—are both impending free agents, so the club could use a long-term solution on the second level of the defense next season. Gainer still has plenty of work to do between now and then, and making the most of his limited opportunities in 2024 will be paramount. However, don’t forget his name around this time next year…
![Stefon Diggs sounds disgruntled about the Bills & wanting to be traded: ‘I forgot how to play [expletive] football?’](https://i0.wp.com/billswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/65/2024/01/USATSI_22347046.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Stefon Diggs sounds disgruntled about the Bills & wanting to be traded: ‘I forgot how to play [expletive] football?’")
Stefon Diggs sounds disgruntled about the Bills & wanting to be traded: ‘I forgot how to play [expletive] football?’
Stefon Diggs sounds disgruntled about the Bills & wanting to be traded: ‘I forgot how to play [expletive] football?’ Nick Wojton Stefon Diggs is ready to start his career as a member of the Houston Texans… before then, he needed a let out a few thoughts on the Buffalo Bills first. In a surprise move, the Bills traded Diggs to Houston this offseason. Because of the massive $30 million dead cap hit Buffalo takes on their salary cap to get rid of Diggs, it was a shocking move. According to Diggs, all that happened because he wanted it to. Diggs told GQ Sports that he wanted out to leave Buffalo. It was known that he wanted to leave the Minnesota Vikings which led to his initial arrival with the Bills, but Diggs is now being pretty frank that he wanted out. “None of those teams wanted to get rid of me,” Diggs said. In terms of the Bills, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane was mostly coy about why the 30-year-old wideout was traded. But Beane did say it was what the team wanted, too. “It was made in what we believe was the best interest of the Bills. We can go round and round — I don’t think I could frame it any better,” Beane said. Now begs the question… why did Diggs want to be traded since, according to him, he made the first move here? Diggs has some specific finger pointing and Joe Brady is the one on the other end of it. Diggs said once Brady replaced Ken Dorsey as offensive coordinator in 2023 that he was not part of the game plan as much. He did not like that and was blunt. While a player can handle such a situation a bit better, Diggs does have a point. Over the first nine games of the 2023 season, Diggs appeared poised for a career year. Diggs had 70 catches for 834 yards and seven touchdowns during that spell, including going over 100 yards in four of the first five games of the campaign. Diggs only had 37 grabs for 349 yards in his final eight games. Much of that had to do with a larger emphasis on running the ball more under Brady’s watch… and that evidently led to Diggs’ departure and potentially a much spicier contest in Week 5 when the Bills visit the Texans. Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
Rams rookie OL praised as another day 3 steal
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger calls Rams’ Beaux Limmer “a physical presence in the middle” While Sean McVay debates whether or not his 2023 second round pick or L.A.’s most expensive free agent should start at center this season, the Rams real center of the future might be third on the unofficial depth chart: Sixth round rookie Beaux Limmer. Hailed as a steal for a sixth round pick for the Rams when it happened, Limmer’s preseason may have only solidified that narrative. Perhaps the only question will be, “How soon could Limmer even get into a game while the Rams still have Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson?” In a review of some of his preseason film, NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger praised Limmer as one of the best surprises of the year so far and highlighted his ability to push around 2023 first round pick Mazi Smith and putting him into place so that L.A.’s running backs could make their way to the second level. Baldinger praises Limmer’s movement, staying square, vision, reads, getting to the second level, and his ability to move people around to open running lanes. .@RamsNFL @beaux_knows_ showed throughout preseason that he belongs on the Rams 53. @RazorbackFB #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/A6a8YLACbC — Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) September 2, 2024 “Beaux Limmer is taking Mazi Smith right off the ball right here. It’s everything. The guy just looks like he knows what he’s doing: Pointing out the mike, understanding the blitz concepts, his eyes are in the right place, he’s got the movement to come over and just shove people to the ground. There’s a physical presence to him in the middle.” In the preseason there was a physical presence provided by Limmer. But in the regular season, will it be a long wait to find out what the Rams really have in Beaux Limmer?
Ravens restructure Nnamdi Madubuike’s contract to create extra salary cap space
Ravens restructure Nnamdi Madubuike’s contract to create extra salary cap space glenn erby We previously wrote about Baltimore’s need to become salary cap compliant before Thursday’s season opener against the Chiefs. GM Eric DeCosta has several options at his disposal. DeCosta used one on Monday, restructuring the contract of All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, freeing up $3.65 million in salary cap space. He did it again on Tuesday, restructuring All-Pro defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike. The 49ers restructured the contract of WR Deebo Samuel, creating $16.4M in cap space. The Ravens restructured the contracts of DT Nnamdi Madubuike, K Justin Tucker and LB Roquan Smith, creating $9.3M in cap space. The Jets restructured the contracts of LB Quincy Williams and… — Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 3, 2024 Madubuike improved greatly in his fourth season with the Ravens. He led the team with 13 sacks, 33 quarterback hits, and 12 tackles for loss, which earned him his first Pro Bowl honor. Madubuike had a breakout season in a contract year, setting himself up for a four-year, $98 million extension.
