Eagles QB Jalen Hurts said Wednesday, "I'm good now" after undergoing left ankle surgery on February 2. We'll keep an eye on it this spring and summer, but it shouldn't be an issue by the time Week 1 rolls around. With WR A.J. Brown added to his arsenal, Hurts has easy top-5 QB upside this year.
The Athletic's Nick Kosmider wonders whether Albert Okwuegbunam or Greg Dulcich will lead Broncos TEs in targets this season. "That battle will be one of the more interesting subplots in training camp," Kosmider writes. Okwuegbunam has flashed in spurts over the last 2 seasons. But Denver spent a 3rd-round pick on Dulcich, who was actually picked 38 spots higher than Okwuegbunam. Our early money is on Albert O leading this group in 2022 simply because it usually takes TEs at least a year to produce in the pros. But this will certainly be a situation to watch this summer.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin confirmed that 1st-round QB Kenny Pickett will be given a chance to start Week 1. “Yeah, he certainly has a chance,” Tomlin said. “We felt he came ready made and hopefully that’s an asset to him being ready — if performance dictates.” We’d call Mitch Trubisky the favorite to start come September, but he’ll likely be on thin ice.
The 49ers selected LSU RB Tyrion Davis-Price in Round 3 of the NFL Draft. The 6'0, 219-pounder ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the Combine, giving him an 89th-percentile speed score among NFL RBs. He turned that into just 4.6 yards per rush across 3 seasons with the Tigers, though. Davis-Price took over the backfield in 2021, carrying 211 times for 1,003 yards and 6 TDs. He added just 10 catches, though that number did lead LSU RBs. San Francisco selected him in the same round it chose RB Trey Sermon a year ago. We'll see about the planned role for Davis-Price in his rookie season.
Former Georgia LB Nakobe Dean came off the board in the 3rd round of the NFL Draft. Dean totaled just 71 and 72 total tackles over the past 2 seasons. He exploded in the big-play categories on last season’s national-champion defense, though, tallying 10.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 2 INTs and 5 passes defensed. Dean checks in small for a LB, at 5’11, 229. But he brings the movement skills and coverage upside that most defenses are looking for these days. Dean might have slipped for injury issues. He lands in a Philadelphia defense with immediate opportunity available, and Dean has been lauded for how quickly he can learn the playbook.
The Steelers grabbed QB Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pickett spent 5 years at Pittsburgh, starting most of the past 4. It wasn’t until 2021 that he broke out, though, throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 TDs. That more than doubled his career total for TD tosses. Pickett brings above-average mobility (72nd-percentile speed score for the position), but he has drawn comparisons with Andy Dalton and Teddy Bridgewater. We see limited fantasy football upside here, but Pickett stands a good chance to beat out QB Mitchell Trubisky this summer. That’s a situation to avoid in early fantasy drafts.
The Commanders added Penn State WR Jahan Dotson with the 16th overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. He notably goes ahead of Arkansas WR Treylon Burks. Dotson might have the best combination of route-running ability and hands in this year’s WR class. He has the quickness and technique to defeat press coverage and the suddenness and efficiency to create separation. That’s earned him comparisons to Diontae Johnson and Emmanuel Sanders. Dotson also boasts a surprisingly large catch radius and posted a career 5.2% drop rate, according to Pro Football Focus. He didn’t break out until his junior year at Penn State, although he did post big market shares in both 2020 and 2021. Size is the most notable wart on Dotson’s profile. He’s just 5’11 and 178 pounds with 18th percentile arm length and a 22nd percentile wingspan. That figures to limit Dotson to mostly slot duties in the NFL and puts a cap on his fantasy upside. It’ll be interesting to see how Washington deploys Dotson alongside WR Curtis Samuel, who’s played plenty in the slot.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Titans are trading WR A.J. Brown to the Eagles. We'll see about the terms of the deal. The move doesn't look great for Brown. He goes from a Tennessee pass offense he would have dominated to a Philly offense that went even more run-heavy in 2021. Devonta Smith's presence also gives Brown arguably(?) the most talented WR he has played with since hitting the league. We'd bet on the Eagles throwing much more often in 2022. We'll see what the Titans add to an offense that now sports a recovering Robert Woods as its top WR.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapport reports that Philadelphia is giving Brown a 4-year, $100 million extension (with $57 million guaranteed).
The Eagles traded a 4th-round pick and two 5th-rounders to move up and select DT Jordan Davis in the 1st round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Davis is an athletic freak, running a 4.78-second 40-yard dash at 6'6 and 341 pounds. There's some question about his conditioning. Davis played less than 30% of the defensive snaps for the national-champion Georgia Bulldogs in 2021. His college numbers don't suggest much IDP impact in his future. Davis had just 11.5 tackles and 7 sacks across 4 seasons.
The Eagles traded the 16th, 19th and 194th overall picks of this month's draft to the Saints in exchange for the 18th, 101st and 237th overall picks, plus a 2023 1st-rounder and a 2024 2nd-rounder. The big takeaway here is that New Orleans is evidently higher on the top of this year's class than Philadelphia. The Saints now have 3 of the first 49 picks of this year's draft. The Eagles still hold the 15th and 18th overall picks -- plus a pair of 1st-rounders next year. That's notable because next year's QB class looks much stronger than this year's. "The Eagles' actions this offseason continue to suggest that while they like quarterback Jalen Hurts, they're not married to him as the long-term starter," ESPN's Tim McManus writes.
The Dolphins traded WR DeVante Parker and a 2022 5th-round pick to the Patriots for a 2023 3rd-rounder. Parker was on the outs after Miami traded for WR Tyreek Hill and signed WR Cedrick Wilson. In New England, Parker will battle for outside snaps with WRs Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne. Parker has the most raw talent of that trio but has mostly disappointed since the Fins selected him 14th overall in the 2015 draft. Also hurting Parker's 2022 fantasy outlook is that the Patriots ranked 28th in pass rate and 27th in situation-neutral pass rate last year. They figure to throw more in QB Mac Jones' 2nd season, but this will still likely be a run-leaning offense.
After listening to new Giants HC Brian Daboll speak at the NFL owners' meetings on Tuesday, insider Zack Rosenblatt came away believing that RB Saquon Barkley will be a bigger part of the passing game this season. "Saquon is a unique guy," Daboll said. "If you go back I’ve watched all of his tape all the way back from his rookie year when he had (91) catches. He’s a versatile player ... I’m excited to work with him.” After averaging 5.7 catches per game as a rookie, Barkley has sunk to 3.5 per game over the last 3 seasons. Look for that number to rebound this season, assuming good health for Barkley.
Giants GM Joe Schoen emphasized Monday from the NFL owners' meetings that he is "not shopping Saquon Barkley." The new GM drew headlines at the Scouting Combine by saying he'd listen to calls on all players. He acknowledged that "a couple of teams have reached out" on the veteran RB but added, "I haven't called one team about Saquon Barkley." It doesn't sound like we should expect Barkley to move this offseason. (We'll see whether that changes.)
New Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett said Monday morning (during NFL meetings) that he's "very excited" to get the ball in the hands of TE Albert Okwuegbunam. He said the plan is to use Okwuegbunam as a "move" TE, calling him "more of a receiver right now" who will train further as a blocker. Okwuegbunam lingered until the 4th round of the 2020 draft, but his profile points to a player with much more talent. The 6'6, 258-pounder ran a 4.49-second 40 ahead of the draft, giving him a 100th-percentile speed score for the position. The arrival of QB Russell Wilson and departure of TE Noah Fant (in the same trade) presents tremendous opportunity in 2022. Okwuegbunam sits 16th at TE in our current PPR rankings but presents upside into TE1 territory.
The Titans are releasing WR Julio Jones, according to multiple reports. The move saves some cap space but also leaves behind $8.4 million in dead cap, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine ranked 2nd among Titans (behind A.J. Brown) in targets, receptions, receiving yards and TD catches last season, and stands as the most immediate beneficiary. But we'd be shocked if this offense doesn't make at least a couple of significant pass-catching additions -- either in free agency or the NFL Draft. Jones turned 33 in February and will be heading into his 12th NFL season this fall (assuming he continues playing).
Asked about the possibility of trading RB Saquon Barkley this offseason, Giants GM Joe Schoen said Tuesday in Indianapolis, "I'm open to anything." NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, however, says a Barkley move "doesn't seem realistic." Why? Primarily money. According to Spotrac, the final year on Barkley's deal carries $7.2 million in guaranteed salary. That's not an enormous number, but it's significant money for a RB. We'll see what happens here, but whether Barkley stays or goes might not matter for fantasy purposes. If the Giants keep him, he'd likely operate as the clear lead back. And if another team acquires him, it would likely be doing so to feature Barkley.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts will have surgery today on the left ankle he injured in Week 12 against the Giants, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The injury was reported to be a high-ankle sprain, though Hurts missed just 1 game (with the bye week mixed in). Hurts suffered a similar injury to his right ankle in 2018 at Alabama, requiring "tightrope" surgery to address it, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. It's not yet clear whether he'll have the same procedure this time. Pelissero reports that Hurts is expected to be ready for OTAs, and he returned to play Philly's final 5 game. So it appears the ankle should not be an issue going forward.
The Giants have hired Brian Daboll as their new HC. Daboll has been a hot name in coaching circles for a couple of years and was reportedly also drawing strong interest from the Dolphins. The 46-year-old has worked his way through 3 different colleges and 6 different NFL teams to get here. He most recently served as Buffalo's OC and play caller for the past 4 seasons. The Bills struggled in those first 2 years but ranked top 5 in total yards and points in the last 2. Daboll, of course, won't have a Josh Allen in New York. QB Daniel Jones remains a big question mark. But Daboll does have skill-position talent in RB Saquon Barkley and WRs Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney. New York's offensive line still needs a lot of work. Daboll's arrival at least adds upside to this offense.
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni called WR DeVonta Smith “a number 1 WR” on Thursday. No surprise there, as Philadelphia just took Smith 10th overall. Sirianni praised Smith’s hands, competitiveness and ability to win 1 on 1s. While his 2021 usage proved inconsistent, Smith ultimately finished with a promising 103-64-916-5 line in 17 games. He's coming off the board as a high-end WR3 in early 2022 fantasy drafts.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman threw his support behind QB Jalen Hurts as the team's starter in Wednesday's end-of-season press conference. "We talk about Jalen and the growth he had, really as a first-year starter and second-year player and leading this team to the playoffs," Roseman said. "I’m tremendously impressed by his work ethic and his leadership. The last time we talked was during camp and we said we wanted to see him take the bull by the horn, and he certainly did that." Hurts completed 61.3% of his passes and averaged 7.3 yards per attempt with 16 TDs vs. 9 INTs in 2021, ranking 22nd among 31 qualifiers in QB Rating. He also led all QBs with 782 rushing yards and 10 TDs to finish 10th in fantasy points. We'll see if Philly's actions this offseason match Roseman's comments. If Hurts enters 2022 as the starter, he'll be a lower-end QB1 in fantasy drafts.
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