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ESPN put together their list of the 50 biggest NFL draft steals of the last decade. They laid out a very clear set of rules as to what qualifies a player to be a steal which included not having any first-round picks. So that means Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt can’t qualify despite being the No. 30 overall pick.

But two former Steelers did make the cut. Checking in as the No. 20 biggest steal of the last decade was running back Le’Veon Bell. Here’s what they had to say about Bell:

The first rookie to lead the Steelers in rushing since 1989, Bell provided a major boost in both the passing and run games right out of the gate. His notable “slow to/fast through” running style was somewhat new to the NFL; Bell could come to nearly a complete stop and then suddenly explode up the field. It helped him become a three-time All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler during his six seasons in Pittsburgh.

Then at No. 41 ESPN has defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. Pittsburgh drafted Hargrave at pick No. 89 in the 2016 NFL draft. Here’s what they had to say about Hargrave as the pick:

Hargrave was knocked hard in the NFL draft process for short arms, small hands and an FCS level of competition at South Carolina State. But he has emerged as one of the premier defensive tackles in the game, adding 11 sacks and 30 pressures to his résumé in 2022 alone. Hargave just cashed in with an $84 million contract with the 49ers, further solidifying his status as a legendary draft steal.

It’s an interesting comparison to see how two guys who were drafted and took their careers in very different directions as well as how they were handled by the Steelers. Bell was the star for Pittsburgh yet it wasn’t enough and his greed pushed him out of the league too soon. Hargrave was never treated with the respect he deserved with the Steelers but he bided his time and cashed in as a free agent.

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Indianapolis Colts veteran cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, Colts defensive end Rashod Berry, and free agent defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor have all been given indefinite suspensions as part of the NFL’s latest investigation into gambling allegations a league press release announced Thursday. The league found Rodgers, Berry, and Taylor were all found to have bet on NFL games during the 2022 season. They are all eligible to petition the league to be reinstated once the 2023 season ends. As a result, the Colts waived both Rodgers and Berry shortly after the news broke.

Rodgers’ wagers included a $1,000 prop bet on the Over/Under of rushing yards of a Colts running back, per ESPN.

Tennessee Titans offensive lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere was also suspended Thursday for six games instead of indefinitely because he bet on non-NFL sports while at the Titans facility. Part of the league’s gambling rules state that no NFL employee can gamble in any club or league facility/venue including a team’s practice facility. 

A year after former Falcons and current Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for all of 2022 due to bets placed on NFL games, the NFL has now suspended nine additional players this offseason, including Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. Earlier this month, reports indicated the NFL was preparing for a second wave of suspensions, with Rodgers among players implicated.

A fourth-year cornerback and kick returner for the Colts, Rodgers took “full responsibility” for his alleged gambling shortly afterward, apologizing via social media. Now he’s set to miss all of 2023 for what Sports Handle reported as “pervasive wagering activities.” There is reportedly evidence that Rodgers used an acquaintance to place some bets on his own team during the 2022 season.

The NFL does not permit players to bet on any NFL games, to place bets on any other sports from team facilities or…

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We found another thing Brock Purdy would’ve been atop the NFL at in 2022 had he scraped together a larger sample size.

NFL analytics guru Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis put together a list of the best completion rates by quarterbacks inside the 10-yard line last season. His qualifying number was at least 20 pass attempts, which left a list of 26 quarterbacks.

Atop that list was Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, who completed 68 percent of his throws inside the 10. The worst in the group was Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who managed to connect on only 33 percent of his attempts within 10 yards of the end zone.

Purdy didn’t get an opportunity to make 20 throws inside the 10. He only had eight such chances, but he completed all six of them for touchdowns. His 75 percent completion rate would’ve been the best in the NFL last season:

That sample size is, of course, very small. However, even a regression over more attempts puts him on track to continue to sit near the top of the league in completion rate when the windows get smaller.

Part of the reason Purdy was so good inside the 10 (and inside the red zone in general) is because of his ability to extend plays. It’s also helpful to have a player like Christian McCaffrey to find out of the backfield in those spots.

Converting red zone trips into touchdowns will be essential for Purdy to continue having success in 2023. Having an efficient QB near the goal line gives head coach Kyle Shanahan a ton of options with how he can call plays down there. If Purdy maintains his level of efficiency on those throws it’s going to be really tough to stop the 49ers when the get deep into the red area.

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Training camps will be here in around month, which means the blur that is the NFL offseason — the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, pro days, the NFL Draft as well as organized team activities and minicamps — are all in the past. That makes right now a great time to evaluate which teams crushed the offseason and which ones fell behind after the league’s wheeling-and-dealing period. The rankings below are weighted on which teams did the best to position themselves as Super Bowl contenders while also having a coherent vision going forward given the cap space and draft capital each team had entering the 2023 offseason.

The latter part of the equation, the plan forward and actions executed to pave the way forward on the respective roster-building paths, is critical in how these rankings panned out. The Detroit Lions had some of the best draft capital of any team in the league, four picks in the first two rounds, but their team isn’t that much more improved after the draft than it could have been. Meanwhile, the top of this list is led by contenders who maximized their cap space and draft picks to become more formidable going into 2023 and beyond. Now that the table has been set, dig into the CBS Sports cumulative offseason rankings from best to worst. 

We begin with teams ranked 17-32 in our list. To see 1-16, click here.

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