NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • 2023 NFL free agency: Cowboys signing RB Ronald Jones to one-year deal after adding OL Chuma Edoga

    2023 NFL free agency: Cowboys signing RB Ronald Jones to one-year deal after adding OL Chuma Edoga

    Life moves fast in the NFL. On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys had three players stop by for a visit: running back Ronald Jones, linebacker Travin Howard, and offensive lineman Chuma Edoga. Come Tuesday afternoon, two of them — Edoga and Jones — signed with the Silver and Blue. The team announced both of their deals. 

    The Cowboys will be Edoga’s third team after beginning with the New York Jets (2019-2021) and spending last season with the Atlanta Falcons. The soon-to-be 26-year-old was the Jets’ third round pick (92nd overall) in the 2019 NFL Draft. Edoga has totaled 13 starts in 26 career games played, including starting half of his games with the Jets (12 of 24). A knee injury limited him to two games played with the Falcons in 2022. Given Tyron Smith’s (32 years old) advancing age, Edoga could be a decent backup in case of injury to him or any of the others Cowboys’ offensive line starters. 

    More NFL free agency

    Just five days after releasing the franchise’s No. 3 leading rusher in Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys brought in a younger running back with less tread on his tires in the 25-year-old Ronald Jones, per the league’s transaction wire. Jones has been a part of two of the past three Super Bowl champions, suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season and the reigning champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, in 2022. Now, he will likely serve as the franchise-tagged Tony Pollard’s backup. 

    The 38th overall pick (second round) in the 2018 NFL Draft out of USC, Jones has amassed 2,244 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns on 505 career carries. His best season was at age 23, season three, with the Buccaneers en route to their Super Bowl LV title when he totaled 978 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on 192 carries. In 2021, Jones was beaten out by Leonard Fournette as the Buccaneers’ lead back, so his productivity declined. He…

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  • Garrett Riley is fueling Clemson’s next offensive evolution as Tigers eye return to national title contender

    Garrett Riley is fueling Clemson’s next offensive evolution as Tigers eye return to national title contender

    For the more than half of the College Football Playoff’s existence as a four-team format, few teams were as consistently present as the Clemson Tigers. Coach Dabo Swinney’s ascent with the program he first joined in 2003, and later took over as the full-time coach in 2009, coincided with the sport’s evolution into a new era. First came snapping a 20-year ACC championship drought in 2011; then, in 2013, came the program’s first top-10 finish in the AP poll. 

    Recruiting was improving, and Swinney had sparked real change on the field thanks to the hires of offensive coordinator Chad Morris and defensive coordinator Brent Venables. When the playoff era began, the Tigers were peaking as a program. Clemson won six straight ACC championships from 2015-2020, appearing in the CFP in each of those seasons. The Tigers reached the national championship four times, twice winning it all against Nick Saban and Alabama. At points during a 29-game winning streak that spanned the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Clemson’s status at the top of the sport seemed unshakeable. 

    But then the razor-thin margin for high-level success in college football was revealed. After losing just three regular-season games combined from 2015-2020, the Tigers lost five times across 2021 and 2022. After six straight top-four finishes in the AP poll, Clemson found itself finishing the year outside of the CFP and outside of the top 10. 

    The causes for this stumble came from many places, including a devastating series of injuries in 2021. However, the one area where fans and analysts alike could easily focus their criticism was the offensive side of the ball. Clemson ranked dead last in the ACC and No. 103 nationally in yards per play in 2021, with a slight improvement to 8th in the league and No….

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  • Breaking down the Steelers picks in the new TD Wire mock draft

    Breaking down the Steelers picks in the new TD Wire mock draft

    Our friends over at Touchdown Wire have a new three-round mock draft out and with excitement building for the 2023 NFL draft, we decided to take a look. We have to admit, this one went way off script and took us completely by surprise.

    First round – CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia

    News Joshua L Jones

    Second round – TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame

    Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

    Second round – C Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin

    Third round – OT Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse

    (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

    Breakdown

    OK, there is a lot to unpack here so let’s start at the end and work backwards. I like Matthew Bergeron and think he will be a very good starting right tackle. But I’m not sure he’s ready to contribute as a rookie so making him your single offensive tackle pick in the first three rounds means the team is planning to address the need via free agency.

    Moving to the second pick of the second round, again like Bergeron, we like Joe Tippmann. Hard-nosed and very much a Steelers type of player. But with the addition of Herbig and Seumalo, I’m not sure what they do with him this year. Mason Cole will be back as the starting center and if he isn’t, it will be because James Daniels moves over and the new guards will take over the starting spots.

    Now we come to the big one. Giving the Steelers a tight end, even a really good one with the No. 32 overall pick might send the entire city of Pittsburgh a heart attack. There are a dozen guys who are taken after Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer who can help this roster more. Not to mention he’s the third tight end taken. Complete lack of value there.

    In the first round, I don’t hate Kelee Ringo as a pick. His man-coverage skills are great and he’s a ridiculous athlete. He needs a lot of coaching and is quite raw but again this is more about value. Ringo is the fourth cornerback on the 2023 roster. Is that how you use the No. 17 pick for a team on the verge of returning to the playoffs?

    Let us know in the comments what you think of this…

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  • Sophomore WR target planning April visit with Florida

    Sophomore WR target planning April visit with Florida

    Pensacola Catholic wide receiver Koby Howard is one of the top players at his position in the class of 2025, and he’s not short on offers heading into his junior year of high school. To wrap up his sophomore year, Howard has a ton of visits lined up throughout the spring, and Florida’s should come in the middle of April at the latest, according to Gators Online.

    “Right now, it’s looking like April 15. It’s set; I will most definitely be there for that one,” Howard said to GO. “I may get down there sooner to catch a practice; I just don’t know if I will have enough time to fit in a visit to catch a spring practice before the 15th.”

    LSU and Miami are the teams that have hosted him so far in the spring. Howard also has plans to stop by Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M and TCU before the end of the month. Auburn, Clemson, Colorado, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Tennessee are all on the schedule with Florida in April.

    Howard most recently stopped by the Swamp in January for one of the team’s Junior Days, but that was before wide receiver coach Keary Colbert left the team. Metting the new position coach, Billy Gonzalez, is one thing he’ll have to look forward to for this upcoming trip.

    Florida State is currently the favorite to land Howard with 21.0% odds, according to the On3 recruiting prediction machine. Florida is a close second though at 18.4%. Tennessee (11.9%) and Miami (9.9%) are also still in the race.

    Howard is ranked No. 69 overall on the On3 industry ranking and is No. 11 among wide receivers in the class of 2025. He’s also ranked the 10th-best player in the Sunshine State.

    More Football Recruiting!

    Gators to host Colorado DB commit on two future visits

    Blue-chip teammates set to visit the Swamp next weekend

    Gators to get visit from this legacy 2025 ATH on his spring college tour

    Florida…

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  • Titans at crossroads with Kevin Byard after approaching safety about pay cut, per report

    Titans at crossroads with Kevin Byard after approaching safety about pay cut, per report

    USATSI

    The Tennessee Titans are in the midst of an offseason of change, as new general manager Ran Carthon has already parted ways with several notable names such as left tackle Taylor Lewan and pass-rusher Bud Dupree. Tennessee is not done making moves, however, and now, all eyes have turned to star safety Kevin Byard.

    According to ESPN, the Titans approached Byard about a pay cut, but Tennessee’s leader on defense does not believe his play warrants him taking less money. The Middle Tennessee State product has wanted to ultimately retire a Titan, but ESPN reports the two sides are at a crossroads. Turron Davenport reports that Byard has not requested his release.

    Byard recorded 108 combined tackles, six passes defensed and four interceptions in 17 games played last season. With a defense that has suffered injuries at every position over the past couple seasons,…

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  • Wisconsin football ready to evolve with Luke Fickell setting out to alter identity of Badgers program

    Wisconsin football ready to evolve with Luke Fickell setting out to alter identity of Badgers program

    What an interesting time it is for the Wisconsin Badgers. The program has become a model of consistency over the last 30 years. Wisconsin was mostly an afterthought in the Big Ten when Barry Alvarez took over the program in 1990 but has since become one of the conference’s stalwarts, even as the Big Ten has undergone massive changes itself.

    Things will look quite a bit different in 2023, however. While Wisconsin changed from Alvarez to Bret Bielema and then to Paul Chryst — with an odd Gary Andersen experiment thrown in — the formula essentially stayed the same. Wisconsin was big beefy boys doing beefy boy things. This was a program of multiple tight-end sets, 220-pound battering ram running backs and ferocious defensive fronts. It wasn’t 3 yards and a cloud of dust as much as it was 3 yards and a world of hurt.

    But, for whatever reason, the blueprint that had long been successful lost steam in 2022. After a 2-3 start to the season, Paul Chryst was fired following a 34-10 home loss to Illinois. Jim Leonhard, the former Badger and defensive coordinator long assumed to be a head coach in waiting, was named interim. Leonhard did not get the full-time job, however. Instead, Wisconsin went outside the family and brought in Luke Fickell, the former Ohio State linebacker who led Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff.

    After three decades of knowing what we would get from Wisconsin, this spring offers a lot of questions we don’t have the answers to yet.

    Offseason changes

    It’d probably take less time to write about what hasn’t changed. Paul Chryst is gone, as is most of his staff. Fickell has arrived, and he’s not only bringing in a new staff, but a new approach. The ground-and-pound style associated with Wisconsin football is gone. The…

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  • Colts to sign former Jaguars starting QB Gardner Minshew

    Colts to sign former Jaguars starting QB Gardner Minshew

    The Indianapolis Colts are expected to target a quarterback early in the 2023 NFL Draft after parting ways with Matt Ryan, but the team added to its depth chart Thursday by agreeing to terms with Gardner Minshew, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

    Minshew, 26, will reportedly sign a one-year, $3.5 million deal with Indianapolis and may have a real chance at a starting role with the Colts only currently having Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles at the position.

    Earlier in the offseason, the Colts hired former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as their new head coach. Minshew spent the last two seasons as a backup for the Eagles after he was traded to the team by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

    Minshew was the Jaguars’ sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, but was thrust into a starting role early in his rookie season after Foles suffered a collarbone injury.

    In two years with Jacksonville, Minshew started 20 games and compiled a 7-13 record in those starts. He threw 37 touchdowns and 11 interceptions during his time with the Jaguars and is the franchise’s all-time leader in passer rating among quarterbacks with at least two starts.

    More NFL news!

    Former Jaguars LB Myles Jack cut by Steelers after 1 season

    Chargers ask for rule change to tweak playoff home-field rules

    How to watch 2023 NFL Honors show: TV channel, time, stream

    Story originally appeared on Jaguars Wire

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  • Tennessee makes top-12 for All-District wide receiver Josiah Martin

    Three-star wide receiver Josiah Martin announced his top-12 schools on Wednesday.

    Tennessee, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Penn State, Baylor, California, Purdue, TCU, Houston, Boston College and Mississippi State are Martin’s top-12 schools.

    The 6-foot, 160-pound wide receiver is from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas.

    Martin is the No. 559 overall prospect in the class of 2024. He ranks as the No. 85 wide receiver and No. 99 player in the state of Texas, according to the On3 Sports industry rankings.

    He earned first-team All-District honors last season. Martin finished his junior season with 61 receptions, 886 receiving yards, nine touchdowns and averaged 14.5 yards per reception.

    Martin was named wide receiver MVP at the Next Level Athlete Texas Top-100 in Dallas, Texas during the offseason.

    More Recruiting!

    Tennessee football recruiting: Vols’ notable upcoming March visits

    4-star edge rusher Kameryn Fountain schedules official visit to Tennessee

    Vols make top-eight for 4-star tight end Brady Prieskorn

    Tennessee makes top 10 for 4-star offensive tackle Marques Easley

    Vols make top-10 for All-American offensive lineman Jimothy Lewis

    Follow @VolsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Tennessee news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Zach McKinnell on Twitter @zachmckinnell

    Story originally appeared on Vols Wire

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