Author: nfltalk

The Denver Broncos entered 2022 with high expectations due to the partnership of new quarterback Russell Wilson and new head coach Nathaniel Hackett. With Hackett’s background with Aaron Rodgers and Wilson’s success in Seattle, the Broncos’ six-year playoff drought appeared to have an end in sight.

Until it wasn’t.

The Broncos will enter the 2023 NFL season with the second-longest playoff drought in the NFL, as last season marked their seventh consecutive season without a playoff birth. Their last playoff appearance? Their 2015 NFL season which culminated in the franchise’s third Super Bowl win. Denver is proceeded by the New York Jets, who have a 12-year drought. New York’s last playoff appearance was in 2010. 

The Jets have it even worse, though. After the Sacramento Kings finally snapped their 17-year playoff drought, the Jets officially have the longest playoff drought among teams in the “Big Four” sports in the United States — the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL (the Broncos are tied for fifth on that list). 

Fans in Denver can only hope the arrival of Sean Payton will help the Broncos end their playoff drought this fall. 

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Story originally appeared on Broncos Wire

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A new turf field has been installed at MetLife Stadium, a change that comes after several injuries took place on the old turf at the stadium. According to ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan, the new playing surface is an improved synthetic turf that is expected to reduce the number of injuries at the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets.

The teams will play on a new form of FieldTurf called FieldTurf Core system, which is made with dual-polymer monofilament fiber. The turf was tested over 200,000 cycles via a fiber wear test by Penn State’s Center for Sports Surface Research, ESPN reported.

Giants owner John Mara confirmed to the media that the new FieldTurf had been installed at MetLife Stadium, as well as at the team’s practice facility. Mara also stated that he hopes that MetLife Stadium eventually installs a grass or hybrid field.

“Installation of the new FieldTurf CORE system reinforces the commitment we have to providing the best playing surface for our teams,” president and CEO of MetLife Stadium Ron VanDeVeen said in a statement on Thursday. “The research that FieldTurf has put into the heavyweight infill design for this new field system will equip MetLife Stadium with one of the premier surfaces in the league.”

The previous turf field at MetLife Stadium had received a large amount of criticism over the past few seasons. During the 2020 season, five members of the San Francisco 49ers suffered lower-body injuries in one game against the Jets. Defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas both suffered season-ending knee injuries in that contest.

During the 2022 season, Baltimore Ravens cornerback Kyle Fuller tore his ACL during a Week 1…

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The Carolina Panthers will have not one, but two decisions to make on fifth-year options this offseason—and neither should be particularly difficult.

Pro Football Focus salary cap analyst Brad Spielberger recently predicted each impending yay or nay for the 2020 draft class. So, where does he see the Panthers going with theirs?

Well, he gives a yay to defensive tackle Derrick Brown—the seventh overall selection from that spring.

Spielberger writes:

Brown took a major step forward in 2022, finishing the season as one of just six interior defenders with 75.0-plus grades as a run defender and pass rusher, and joining elite company in that club: Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones, Aaron Donald, Quinnen Williams and Cameron Heyward.

Brown’s 31 defensive stops and 10 tackles for loss or no gain were both top-15 marks at the position in 2022. This will be an easy decision for Carolina, much like it was last offseason with edge defender Brian Burns.

The 6-foot-5, 320-pounder had a career campaign—posting highs in combined tackles (67), quarterback hits (12) and passes defensed (seven). Those 67 tackles, in fact, now stand as a single-season franchise record for a defensive tackle.

Carolina will also have to address the option for cornerback CJ Henderson, who likely won’t meet the same fate as Brown.

The Jacksonville Jaguars traded Henderson just a year after using a top-10 pick to draft him, and it’s not hard to see why. Henderson logged a career-high 765 snaps in 2022 but earned a second consecutive sub-50.0 coverage grade.

With Donte Jackson extended last offseason and 2021 No. 8 overall pick Jaycee Horn starting to look like a potential star, it’s hard to envision the team exercising Henderson’s option.

Henderson, who was drafted ninth overall by Jacksonville, has played in 27 games for the Panthers between 2021 and 2022. He, however, has yet to live up to that billing—even with the opportunity he got after Jackson was lost for the season.

Story…

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Given his under-the-radar persona, it’s no surprise that Joe Burrow and the Bengals have mutually agreed to keep their contract talks close to the vest. The Bengals and Burrow’s reps have agreed on a “vow of silence” as the two sides work toward a long-term deal for Cincinnati’s Pro Bowl quarterback. 

Given their pact, don’t expect any leaks to come out regarding Burrow’s contract. Furthermore, don’t be surprised if an extension for Burrow is announced without much of a heads-up. 

“I don’t know the pace but we hope that there’s something that can get done,” Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said from the NFL Annual League Meeting, via the team’s website. “We sort of said we won’t talk about it much until there’s something to talk about.”

Blackburn added that the two sides have had preliminary talks on an extension. Burrow has one year remaining on his rookie contract that will carry an $11.5M cap hit in 2023. He’s set to become a free agent in 2025, but is expected to receive a long-term extension before the start of the 2023 season. 

The 2022 season was a highly successful one for Burrow, who was selected to his first Pro Bowl after helping the Bengals match the franchise record of 12 regular-season wins. He helped the Bengals win eight consecutive games after the team slogged to a 4-4 start. Burrow was one of five finalists for the 2022 MVP award. 

“Fortunately, I don’t have to put that on paper, in terms of what that is,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Burrow earlier this offseason when asked about the quarterback’s value, via Pro Football Talk. “That’s just the business we’re in right now. He’s everything we want to be about. He’s a hard worker. He cares about his teammates. He cares about where he’s from — Ohio. This fanbase, I think he represents us the right way.

“And so, we take a lot of pride in having Joe Burrow as our quarterback.”

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The Jacksonville Jaguars almost made a splash in free agency, tossing their hat in the ring for Calais Campbell. That reunion didn’t come to fruition, though, as the 36-year-old defensive lineman instead chose to sign with the Atlanta Falcons.

Where that leaves the Jaguars is still in need of help when it comes to the task of applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks.

Only six teams recorded fewer sacks than Jacksonville last season, and losing Arden Key in free agency will only exacerbate the issue.

Adding a veteran pass rusher on a short-term deal to give the team a boost seems like a no-brainer given the lack of depth behind Travon Walker and Josh Allen. Current options on the market that’d instantly upgrade the Jacksonville defensive front include Jadeveon Clowney, Bud Dupree, and Leonard Floyd, among others.

So why haven’t the Jaguars snatched one up yet? Compensatory draft picks may be part of the reason.

For the first time in over a decade, the Jaguars are likely to get additional draft picks for lost free agents. Jawaan Taylor’s massive contract with the Kansas City Chiefs will probably net the Jaguars a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and Key’s deal with the Titans is projected to yield a sixth-rounder.

The only way those picks don’t land in Jacksonville is if the team made a big addition that cancelled out one of its losses. While the third-rounder for Taylor is probably safe, a deal with a veteran pass rusher would likely erase the sixth-round compensation for losing Key.

Unless … the Jaguars wait another month.

As of the Monday after the 2023 NFL Draft (May 1), free agent signings no longer factor into the compensatory formula. No matter how much money the Jaguars spend in May, June, July, and August, their compensation for Taylor and Key will be locked in.

While there are more than a few veteran edge rushers on the market who could help the Jaguars right away, those aging players aren’t exactly flying off the shelf. There isn’t…

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