Author: nfltalk

Matt Corral has a new home and Mac Jones has some company at his position on New England’s 53-man roster.

The Patriots have claimed Corral off waivers, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport. That gives New England two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster after the Patriots waived Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham.

Carolina dropped Corral — a third-round pick in the 2022 draft — this week. He completed 60 percent of his passes in the preseason for 249 yards with an interception. He also tallied 47 yards on four carries.

After Carolina selected him at No. 94 overall out of Ole Miss last year, Corral was sidelined for his entire rookie season with a foot injury. Of course, the Panthers now have Bryce Young at QB1 after trading up to select him at No. 1 overall.

While Corral is on the 53-man roster, the Patriots could still call up Zappe or Cunningham off the practice squad to be the No. 2 quarterback three times each. We’ll see how New England elects to handle the situation behind Jones when the Patriots host the Eagles on Sept. 10.

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Now that NFL cutdown day has come and gone, it’s time to highlight the underrated youngsters ready to contribute to the respective teams they made this summer. 

Let’s highlight the rookies, who went either undrafted or were selected on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, you’ll want to keep tabs on throughout the season. They’ll make an impact. 

McLaughlin could be the next Pierre Thomas. Remember him, an undrafted runner out of Illinois who snuck his way onto Sean Payton’s Saints roster way back in 2007 who ultimately became a reliable checkdown, screen, and swing-pass option for the Super Bowl-winning Saints. 

McLaughlin isn’t nearly as sizable as Thomas was — he is more explosive. After a dazzling career at FCS powerhouse Youngstown State with a bulky career yards-per-carry average of 6.4 across more than 530 attempts with 30 scores and countless highlight-reel jukes and hurdles in space, McLaughlin was a nifty, twitched-up stud this preseason for the Broncos with 113 yards on 21 rushes with three ground-game touchdowns and 33 extra yards on seven catches. Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine are built like traditional feature and No. 2 backs. McLaughlin can be the third-down lightning bug when needed, and you better believe Payton — one of the early adopters of the running back-by-committee approach — will creatively use him in 2023. 

Pace was the talk of Vikings camp, and his ultra-aggressive style at inside linebacker translated to splash plays in the preseason. On just 46 snaps, the former Miami of Ohio and Cincinnati star made eight tackles and had a pressure of the opposing quarterback. The thing with Pace is, he’s short. Not small. Just short with limited length. There aren’t many off-ball linebackers who stand less than 5-foot-11 in today’s NFL. 

On film, Pace plays like he’s 6-foot-3. And at 231 pounds, he has plenty of mass to deal with enormous blockers climbing to the…

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Five players who were cut by the Denver Broncos earlier this week have found new homes, including one landing with a division rival.

After being released on Tuesday, kicker Brett Maher has signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Maher will now get a fresh start in L.A. after the Broncos brought in Wil Lutz through a trade with the New Orleans Saints.

Meanwhile, running back Tony Jones is expected to land on the practice squad of the New Orleans Saints, where he played from 2020-2022.

Elsewhere, the Minnesota Vikings are signing ex-Broncos offensive lineman Henry Byrd to their practice squad, and the Atlanta Falcons signed ex-Denver offensive lineman Isaiah Prince to their active roster.

Finally, the fifth and most disconcerting signing — the Kansas City Chiefs are expected to sign former Broncos receiver/returner Montrell Washington to their practice squad. Washington eventually making KC’s active roster and burning Denver would be quite a disappointment for Broncos Country.

Rams: Brett Maher (active roster)

(Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports)

Saints: RB Tony Jones (practice squad)

(Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

Vikings: OL Henry Byrd (practice squad)

(Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

Falcons: OL Isaiah Prince (active roster)

(Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)

Chiefs: WR Montrell Washington (practice squad)

(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Story originally appeared on Broncos Wire

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It was an offseason of major change for the Washington Commanders. Some changes — like Josh Harris becoming owner and rejuvenating a long-frustrated fan base — are all but guaranteed to be major positives. Others — like starting quarterback Sam Howell, a re-made offensive line and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy — are far less certain.

Washington released its initial 53-man roster Tuesday, three days after topping the Bengals in the preseason finale to finish 3-0 in the games that don’t really count. Ron Rivera said before the game that “probably six or seven” slots were still open, and injuries between then and Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline also muddied the picture a bit.

While this roster is the “final” roster in one sense — the Commanders can’t go over 53 until next offseason — it’s also the initial roster, and for good reason: Things can look very different between now and Sept. 10, when Washington hosts Arizona in the season opener. General manager Martin Mayhew even admitted it’s a “very fluid process” and that the team will scour the waiver wire.

Still, this is what the Commanders have for now, and here’s Washington’s projected depth chart for its current roster.

Offense

* Rookies

The Commanders’ decision to keep a combined 11 wide receivers (seven) and tight ends (four) was a bit of a surprise, considering that number easily could have been six and three, respectively. At wide receiver, the top four on the depth chart were never in doubt, and Pringle emerged as the fifth. Milne, meanwhile, made it for his special teams contributions, and Tinsley was perceived as right on the bubble. Rivera, however, said he liked the undrafted rookie from Penn State from “Day One,” and a three-catch, 89-yard, one-touchdown preseason finale didn’t hurt.

If Tinsley’s considered a mild surprise, Hodges is a big one, literally and figuratively. The 6’8″, 240-pound tight end went…

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Why NFL execs prefer 49ers’ Nick Bosa over Cowboys’ Micah Parsons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons finished one-two in Defensive Player of the Year voting in the 2022 NFL season, but which one would executives around the league rather have on their teams?

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler had executives and coaches audit their list of the NFL’s top 100 players. Among the questions Fowler posed was who these front office members would prefer between Bosa and Parsons.

The majority chose Bosa, with one NFC exec telling Fowler, “He finds a way to make winning, game-changing plays seemingly every week.”

It comes as no surprise, as Bosa is coming off an 18.5-sack season that saw him earn Defensive Player of the Year honors.

His ability to make pivotal plays in crunch time also has been unmatched, with Bosa leading the NFL with 13 sacks in the fourth quarter or overtime since 2021, per Pro Football Focus.

As talented as Bosa is, Parsons does offer a level of financial flexibility that the 49ers star cannot match, as the Ohio State product is due for a massive contract extension.

Still in the third season of his rookie deal, Parsons’ $4.7 million cap hit in 2023 might be the best bargain in the entire NFL.

One front-office member from an unnamed AFC team was high on Parsons’ versatility but also stated that he had some concerns about his durability in a full-time pass-rushing role.

“As a pass-rusher and overall chess piece, I could see Parsons,” an AFC personnel evaluator told Fowler. “But Bosa is probably better against the run, and Bosa will probably hold up a little better. Because of Micah’s background as a linebacker, he could have durability issues as a full-time rusher.”

You can’t go wrong with either choice, as both players figure to battle over the title of best defensive player in football for the foreseeable future. However, for now, Bosa holds the advantage in the eyes of these executives.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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