Category: NFL News

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Poona Ford is heading to a new NFL team. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Ford has agreed to a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills.

Pelissero had the following thoughts on what Ford’s signing means to the Bills franchise and its 2023 prospects for contention.

“One of the top free agents still available, Ford turned down more money elsewhere to try to win a ring in Buffalo. A big (literally) post-draft addition for Sean McDermott’s defense.”

McDermott earned the head coaching position with the Bills after coaching a dominant Carolina Panthers defense in 2015. Now he has a chance to field a strong defense in Buffalo for his high scoring offense led by quarterback Josh Allen.

In the case of Poona Ford, the undersized defender has a chance to shut down the inside of the line of scrimmage for a championship contending team. He could be a piece that helps catapult the Bills past the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason.

Story originally appeared on Longhorns Wire

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The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and there is plenty to break down. The Philadelphia Eagles selected every University of Georgia defender available, the New England Patriots became the first team in 23 years to draft both a kicker and a punter and a record-breaking amount of quarterbacks were selected in the first 150 picks. It was truly a wild weekend. 

There are 259 total picks to break down, but let’s try to identify the best, worst and most interesting picks for all 32 NFL teams. The best and worst picks will be decided by the best and worst grades assigned to those selections by our CBS Sports NFL Draft experts: Pete Prisco, Chris Trapasso and Josh Edwards. (For the CBS Sports draft tracker, click here.) 

Here are the rules of the game: 

The “best” player in a class may not be the “best” pick, because of the value at the selection number. Not every team made a “bad” pick per se, and some of the picks that are declared the “worst” for a class have grades as high as a “B.” If there are multiple picks with the same grade, Jordan Dajani stepped in and determined the verdict. Dajani also decided which pick was the most interesting for each team. Ready? Let’s go.  

AFC East

Best pick (A): OG O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida (Round 2, Pick 59)

Enormous human being who actually plays with more foot quickness than his size would indicate. Masher in one-on-one scenarios. Must utilize his length better at next level but already very good anchoring skill. More help for Josh Allen is smart for Buffalo. (Chris Trapasso)

Worst pick (C): CB Alex Austin, Oregon State (Round 7, Pick 252)

Good size at CB but not lengthy. Tackling issues appear often on film. Not a burner down the field or high-caliber athlete overall. Found the football often on the perimeter. Natural in that regard. (Chris Trapasso)

Most interesting pick (C): TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah (Round 1, Pick 25)

Trading up for this…

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Florida football was represented in the first round of the NFL draft by quarterback Anthony Richardson when the Indianapolis Colts used the fourth overall pick to select the former Gator. The Gainesville native gives the Orange and Blue a first-day pick for the third-straight year and also continues a streak of having an alumnus taken in every draft of the common era.

On Friday following the first round, The Athletic’s Scott Dochterman put together his grades for the 31 players selected on Thursday, including Richardson. Here is what he had to off on the pick along with his grade.

The Colts finally got off the veteran Merry-Go-Round after opening the season with a different quarterback for five consecutive years. This fall marks the sixth, and nobody has more physical potential than Florida’s Anthony Richardson, whose combine numbers were off the charts. Not only does he have great size (6-4 ¼, 244) with big hands (10 ½ inches), but he ran the 40 in 4.43 seconds and posted a 40 1/2-inch vertical. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry on 654 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. His former teammates rave about him and his character.

But for every “wow” play there was a “whoa” moment. GMs and coaches get fired when potential doesn’t produce, and Richardson is the riskiest first-round quarterback in draft history. Richardson is a one-year starter at Florida who completed 53.8 percent with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions for 2,549 yards. He was the only Power 5 quarterback in the last three seasons with at least 300 attempts who completed less than 54 percent of his passes.

Richardson is the ultimate catnip. With his generational talent, he could lead the Colts to the Super Bowl multiple times. If he busts, everybody is getting fired.

Grade: C

The NFL draft continues on Friday night starting at 7 p.m. EDT and can be followed on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.

More Football!

This former Gator among best remaining in 2023 NFL draft

Dooley’s Dozen: 12 best players…

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Texas running back Bijan Robinson is one of the most intriguing players in what promises to be an unpredictable draft. CBS Sports’ No. 5 prospect rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2022, and is considered to be a first-round pick on Thursday despite the fact that he plays a position NFL teams don’t seem to value as highly as they once did. 

CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Chris Trapasso has Robinson being selected No. 5 overall by the Atlanta Falcons, while CBS Sports NFL Insider Pete Prisco has the 21-year-old going with the second-to-last pick in the first round, No. 30 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles. While pundits may disagree on how long Robinson will have to wait to hear his name called on Thursday night, he’s called the draft process a “blessing,” pointing out to CBS Sports this week that God doesn’t gift everyone this kind of opportunity. 

“Not at all man,” Robinson replied when asked if it matters to him whether he’s drafted high or not. “I know that I’m gonna be blessed to be at the right team and the best team that God has for me. Wherever I go, I’m gonna embrace the city, embrace the teammates, embrace everybody anywhere I’m at. For me, it’s just an exciting opportunity to be able to get to play on a team and bring your skillset and your personality to the coaches, to the teammates and to the city as well. I’m excited to go wherever. Whoever picks me up, I’m ready to go and I’m ready to be there.”

AUSTIN, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 03: Bijan Robinson #5 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a rushing touchdown in the third quarter against the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 03, 2022 in Austin, Texas.
Tim Warner / Getty Images

Just nine running backs have been selected in the top 20 picks of an NFL Draft…

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Chiefs G.M. Brett Veach recently said that, after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert do new deals, the Chiefs will take another look at the contract signed three NFL seasons.

They frankly shouldn’t have to wait that long.

The Mahomes deal was grossly team-friendly from the get go. Someone apparently wanted to be able to claim that Mahomes had signed the first half-billion-dollar deal in league history. To get there, other things were sacrificed.

Specifically, early-year cash flow was sacrificed.

With the Jalen Hurts contract signed and finalized, and with the numbers now available to be scrutinized, the major quarterback contracts can be compared as to one of the key factors for evaluating contracts — the amount of money actually paid to the player in the first three years of the contract.

Per a source with knowledge of the numbers, here’s the three-year cash flow for the current high-end quarterback deals:

1. Aaron Rodgers: $150.8 million.

2. Deshaun Watson: $138 million.

3. Dak Prescott: $126 million.

4. Matthew Stafford: $120 million.

5. Russell Wilson: $119 million.

6. Daniel Jones: $112.5 million.

7. Kyler Murray: $107.8 million.

8. Jalen Hurts: $106.3 million.

9. Josh Allen: $92.3 million.

10. Patrick Mahomes: $63 million.

Take a look at those numbers. Look at the names. With all due respect to the others, Mahomes should be at the very top of the list.

Whatever Burrow or Herbert will get doesn’t change that. It’ll only make it more conspicuous, because it likely will drop Mahomes to No. 12. If/when Lamar Jackson gets a deal with the Ravens, Mahomes will fall to No. 13.

Yes, Mahomes has every right to take whatever contract he wants. And, yes, he continues to have a great team around him, given the money he’s not taking. But to be tenth out of 10 and likely on his way to No. 12 or No. 13 of 12 or 13 on the list of quarterback cash flow, the Chiefs probably should fix this, regardless of whether Mahomes is banging on anyone’s…

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The Philadelphia eagles have a rare opportunity to capitalize on the 2023 NFL Draft, thanks to having two first-round picks in an offseason following a Super Bowl appearance. Philadelphia holds the No. 10 and No. 30 overall picks in the draft, the first team since the New England Patriots in 2008 to have a top-10 draft pick the year following a Super Bowl appearance. 

Philadelphia has interviewed plenty of offensive and defensive linemen amongst its top 30 visits in recent weeks, so that could be the direction the franchise will lean toward at No. 10. The Eagles have also conducted pre-draft interviews with running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, adding even more intrigue Philadelphia could take them 10th. 

With no picks from the fourth through sixth rounds, the Eagles are also candidates to trade down and acquire more picks for Day 3. Philadelphia has four premium picks on Days 1 and 2 (two in the first round, one in the second, one in the third) and five premium picks in 2024 (one first, two in the second, and two in the third — one is a projected compensatory). 

The Eagles will certainly be active in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here are their selections heading into Thursday night: 

More Eagles pre-draft stories

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As he does every year, general manager Andrew Berry sat down with the media to give his pre-draft press conference. With the 2023 NFL draft now less than a week away, the Cleveland Browns will be looking to maximize their eight draft picks despite not having a first or second round pick.

He discussed free agency, his philosophy on making trades, the Browns’ draft board, and more. What can we take away from Berry’s presser? We highlight five points that stood out as he and his team prepare to welcome another group of young players to the Browns.

We dive in here. All quotes can be found in the transcript provided for Berry’s presser.

The Browns are not looking for day-one contributors in the draft

“I think every general manager in this sport has to have a foot in the present and a foot in the future.”

Despite the public perception, the NFL draft is meant to add talent for the future. In some cases, teams even ease in first round picks into their starting lineup to make their transition from the college level to the NFL level stress-free. And for a team that does not have a single pick in the top 70 of the 2023 NFL draft, Andrew Berry is looking for players who can bring value to the roster further down the road than the 2023 season.

“Ideally, you want to be in a position as a roster where you’re not relying on rookies to have major roles… We really want to make sure that as we’re in this lifecycle of the team, we’re in a position where younger players can maybe intergrade into the NFL and develop in the NFL at maybe more of an appropriate pace.”

The Browns addressed their starting roles in free agency so that no rookie selected in the middle rounds is forced to start right away. A defensive tackle may find a rotational role. An edge rusher will contribute on a rotational basis, and a wide receiver will do the same if selected. However, outside of injuries, the Browns will not put a rookie in a position to see significant snaps like Alex Wright had…

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Legal representatives for NFL legend Tom Brady have sent a cease-and-desist letter to comedians Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen, threatening to sue them if they did not take down an AI-generated comedy special impersonating Brady. The hour-long special, titled “It’s Too Easy! A Simulated Hour-Long Comedy Special” had featured an AI version of Brady doing standup and telling jokes that were crass in nature. 

According to the cease-and-desist letter, Brady’s attorneys claimed that the special “blatantly violated” the seven-time Super Bowl champion’s rights and demanded that the hosts of the podcast either remove the video posted to their Patreon or face a lawsuit.

The pair acquiesced, but not without raising objections on their podcast, pointing out that the AI-generated impersonation of Brady was clearly satirical in nature and analogous to impersonations of celebrity on sketch comedy shows.

“Again, I think this is First Amendment, freedom of speech-type s–t that we’re dealing with here,” Kultgen said. “This is obviously a parody… This is what all impressionists do. You watch hours of tape of that person to get their mannerisms and stuff like this down. It’s literally the same.”

Interestingly, Brady seems to not have an issue with jokes being made at his expense in a certain context: Last May, it was announced that Brady would be the subject of a roast special on Netflix.

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