Category: NFL News

Prognosticating which division is going to be the best in the NFL heading into the season is a tough chore, yet it was clear the best division last season was the AFC North. The only division where every team finished over .500 since the 1935 NFL West, the AFC North lapped the field in 2023.

Will that be the case in 2024? The AFC North still has two of the league’s powerhouse teams in the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals (who actually finished last in the division last season). Other divisions are slowly catching the AFC North based on moves made in free agency and the draft, making the race for the NFL’s best division even more intriguing heading into 2024. 

Who are a biggest challengers to the AFC North? What divisions aren’t expected to be good this season? 

1. AFC North

2023 combined record: 43-25

This division is still the best in football, just based on three teams making the playoffs and the only division with three teams having 10+ wins. The Ravens lost a few key players on the defensive side of the ball (Geno Stone, Jadeveon Clowney, Patrick Queen), but added Derrick Henry to a roster that won 13 games. 

The Bengals got Joe Burrow back, the Browns have the majority of their roster intact, and the Steelers revamped their roster with Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Patrick Queen and Donte Jackson in free agency. Pittsburgh also had an impressive draft class, revamping the offensive line with Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier as the top two picks and adding linebacker Payton Wilson in the third round. 

The AFC North will be a battle all season, as the division winner remains one of the biggest wild cards in the league. 

2. NFC North

2023 combined record: 35-33

The rise of the Lions and Packers certainly boasted this division last season, with Detroit reaching the NFC Championship Game and Green Bay becoming the first No. 7 seed to beat a No. 2 seed in the postseason. Detroit…

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Foerster explains why 49ers don’t need first-rounders on O-line originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers did not draft an offensive lineman until the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and run-game coordinator Chris Foerster agrees with the philosophy.

While public opinion might be that San Francisco should have taken advantage of the offensive linemen depth in the draft, Foerster, who also serves as the offensive line coach, believes in the earliest rounds of the draft, teams should select players who will have a bigger effect on the game.

“This is my personal opinion,” Foerster said Wednesday at 49ers OTAs. “If they ask me, invest in guys that touch the ball, guys that can touch the ball and score touchdowns. And then there’s a range of guys, second, third, fourth round, fifth round even, that we will find starting offensive linemen in.”

The 49ers’ entire starting lineup of offensive linemen from 2023 are set to return, including All-Pro Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Jon Feliciano and Colton McKivitz. Foerster believes only players that would be considered franchise-type players like Williams should be taken in the early portion of the first round.

“Yeah, you draft Trent Williams,” Foerster said. “You pick a draft where you’re getting a difference maker. But there’s guys that can make a difference, that touch the ball, well into the second, third, fourth rounds, or second and third rounds, at least. And definitely in the first round. That guy that touches the ball, it makes a huge difference in the game.”

Historically, Foerster is right. Over the past several seasons, the 49ers have not had the best success rate on offensive linemen in the first two rounds. While some have played successfully and many remain in the NFL, a skill player taken at the same spot might have made a bigger impact on the game.

Here’s a list of offensive linemen drafted by the 49ers in the first two rounds over the past two decades:

2021…

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USATSI

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are hoping new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith can bring some excitement to the Steel City. While his tenure as lead man of the Atlanta Falcons didn’t go according to plan, Smith did find success as an offensive coordinator with the Tennessee Titans. Back in 2020, Tennessee had the No. 3 offense and No. 4 scoring offense under his leadership.

With Smith being a former tight ends coach, Pat Freiermuth is optimistic about what his role in this new offense will look like. 

“It’s very exciting,” Freiermuth said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “With Arthur here, there’s a lot of stuff for the tight ends, situations where you want to make those plays.

“I’m excited for that. I’m ready to roll.”

Under Smith, Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts became just the second rookie tight end in NFL history to cross 1,000 receiving yards, and the first rookie tight end to make the Pro Bowl in…

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Here’s when the NFL could announce the next subject for HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

NFL fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of this offseason’s subject for HBO’s “Hard Knocks” documentary.

The documentary goes deep into storylines surrounding the team, gaining insider access to the subject’s training camp to provide quite an insightful and interesting product.

When will NFL and NFL Films announce the next offseason subject of the show?

There’s no surefire answer to the question. But it’s certainly coming soon.

Last year, news broke of the Jets’ participation in the offseason documentary on July 12. In 2022, the NFL announced their selection of the Lions to participate on March 28. The Cowboys’ 2021 selection was announced on July 2.

The Rams and Chargers volunteered to participate in 2020, which was announced on April 7. The Raiders were selected for the 2019 version on June 11. And the Browns’ 2018 announcement took place on May 17.

The previous announcement dates are quite volatile. But seeing as we’re teetering at the beginning of June, the announcement is surely coming soon. But there’s no way of knowing for certain.

The Giants will appear in an all-new version of the documentary on July 2. No, this is not the notorious “offseason” version of the show. This series version aims to go behind the scenes with the Giants from the end of the 2023 regular season leading up to the summer.

Usually, teams show strong disinterest in participating in the offseason version, as they view the documentary as a distraction during training camp. But the NFL has a clause in their contract with HBO to force a team to participate based on their qualifications to certain criteria.

To force a team to participate, a team must meet these three criteria:

1) The team does not have a new head coach

2) The team has not made the playoffs in the previous two seasons

3) The team hasn’t been on “Hard Knocks” in the past 10 years

The three teams who fit the…

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For those who may not have their finger on the pulse of player movement in the NFL, let me be the first to tell you that it’s been a whirlwind of an offseason at the running back position. Several household names are now with new teams, which not only is poised to shake up your fantasy football drafts later this summer but should have an impact on the league itself in 2024.

As these clubs get together over the next few weeks and months for the offseason workout program including mandatory minicamp, it’s a good time to take stock of all these backfield changes and stack them against one another. Below, we’ve collected every backfield in the league and slotted them into one of seven tiers ranging from the “Thoroughbreds” to the “Work In Progress” section. 

Tier 1: Thoroughbreds

Not only will you find stars in this tier, but what separates these teams is the depth behind their stars as well. While Christian McCaffrey is arguably the top back in the league, the 49ers also have capable backs like Elijah Mitchell Jordan Mason, and rookie Isaac Guerendo in their stable along with fullback Kyle Juszczyk. 

As for the rest of the teams in this top tier, they’ve all gone through seismic change this offseason with some of the biggest signings in free agency. Baltimore added Derrick Henry to headline a backfield that also sports Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell (recovering from a torn ACL). On top of their impact out of the backfield. Meanwhile, the Eagles added Saquon Barkley and the Packers signed Josh Jacobs, who are both capable of leading the league in rushing if fully healthy. The Ravens and Eagles also have the luxury of having quarterbacks (Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts) factoring into the rushing attack. 

Tier 2: Quality depth

This is a group that may not have the top-end star power as the group above but possesses plenty of depth to make them a formidable unit. The Lions are knocking…

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The Steelers lured linebacker Patrick Queen from the Ravens in free agency. They apparently didn’t do it by making Queen the best financial offer.

In a recent appearance with Steelers_DB, Queen said he turned down more money elsewhere to sign with the Steelers.

“From all the 15 teams that I was talking to, it came down to like five at the end,” Queen said, via NFL.com. “It was just like five teams in the mix. Some of them were offering some $17 [million per year]. After that it was like, I have a chance to either go win or I have a chance to get paid. For me, the difference was like $4 or $5 million. I’m looking at it like, I’ve never been on a losing team before, and then I also don’t want to be a part of anything being rebuilt because I’m trying to win now. . . . I’m really just trying to win right now, get that out the way and then get paid later.”

Queen signed a three-year, $41 million deal with the Steelers. The first year, at $13.84 million, is fully guaranteed at signing.

The deal has no guarantees beyond 2024. Instead, there’s an early roster bonus in 2025 ($6.67 million) and 2026 ($2.5 million) to force the Steelers to make a decision on whether to extend the relationship.

So it’s basically a one-year deal with a team-held option for 2025 and then 2026. Which means, frankly, a one-year deal would have been better. Especially if the Steelers win a Super Bowl this year. Then, Queen could have gotten paid as soon as next year.

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The NFL is ever-expanding and has made a concerted effort over the last few decades to bring the game onto an international stage. This year, the league is set to play games in England, Germany, and Brazil, and it sounds like more countries and cities are being eyed for future regular season games. 

Henry Hodgson, general manager of the NFL’s UK office, told the Irish Star that Dublin and Paris are two European cities. that the league is looking into for potential games. 

“There’s a feasibility study, as we would call it, in a number of different European cities and Dublin is one of those,” Hodgson said. “Looking at the stadiums, taking local meetings … we’ll take away all of that information, digest it and determine what the next steps are.”

He added: “That’s something that’s happening in Dublin, it’s happening in Paris for example, and a number of other cities around the world as well.”

Hodgson noted that the NFL is planning to specifically evaluate Croke Park and Aviva Stadium for games in Ireland. Croke Park previously hosted the Bears and Steelers for a preseason game in 1997 and can seat 82,300 fans. Meanwhile, Aviva Stadium has hosted college football games in the past and has a capacity of 51,700. 

This season, the NFL is slated to have five international games (three in London, one in Munich, and one in São Paulo) in 2024. On top of Ireland and France, the NFL has previously looked into having an international game in Spain as well. 

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Where Purdy ranks among NFL QBs on third-, fourth-down conversions originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

NFL quarterbacks are judged on their ability to execute in high-leverage situations on third and fourth down — an area where 49ers star Brock Purdy excelled during his first full season as the starting signal-caller in San Francisco.

Purdy finished second among all NFL quarterbacks in 2023 when it came to regular-season third- and fourth-down conversion rate on passing attempts, as shared Saturday by Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis.

The only player Purdy trailed was Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who went toe to toe with the 49ers’ defense in San Francisco’s thrilling divisional-round win in January. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Philadelphia Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Atlanta Falcons’ Kirk Cousins rounded out the top five behind Love and Purdy.

The 49ers finished the 2023 season ranked fourth in the NFL in third-down conversion rate, a testament to the highly efficient numbers Purdy posted when San Francisco threw the ball in those situations.

Clutch conversions on third and fourth down isn’t the only area Purdy shined in 2023, as the 24-year-old led the NFL in a number of statistical categories including passer rating (113.0), yards per attempt (9.6) and touchdown percentage (7.0 percent).

Purdy’s 4,280 passing yards in 2023 broke the 49ers franchise single-season record previously held by Jeff Garcia. The impressive campaign Purdy posted earned him Pro Bowl honors, becoming the first San Francisco quarterback selected to the prestigious event in over 20 years.

As the 49ers gear up for another season, they can enter it confidently knowing they have a dynamic talent under center who figures to be the franchise quarterback for years to come.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

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