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Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown quietly has become one of the best young receivers in the NFL. He intends to get even better.

As explained by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, St. Brown intends to become more a deep threat in 2023.

Receivers coach Antwaan Randle El believes it can happen.

“He can get in and out of cuts so easily, like he doesn’t have to give all that extra stuff cause he can just get out of it so fast,” Randle El said recently, via Birkett. “So I just want [him] to just run that smooth route. Like, you don’t have to give any extra at the top of it, just, pop-pop, come on out of it and he’s been doing it in OTAs so that’s been a growth for him. So no extra movement, just get in the route, come out of it because he gets in the route so fast.”

Fast is the key word, if St. Brown wants to stretch the field. He has a career average of 10.6 yards per catch, a number that went up last year largely due to what he did after getting the ball. Becoming a deep threat is all about what happens before the player gets the ball. It’s about having the ability to get free at the line of the scrimmage and run past the corner, forcing help over the top and, in turn, opening up the rest of the offense.

St. Brown has already overachieved in three NFL seasons. But a 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds doesn’t scream out that he’s destined to become the deep threat he aspires to be.

Still, what he lacks in raw speed he can make up for with the kind of polish in his route-running and raw determination to get the ball once it’s in the air.

Anyone who has bet against St. Brown through two seasons has lost. It probably would be wise to not bet against him again.

Amon-Ra St. Brown hopes to become more of a deep threat in 2023 originally appeared on Pro Football Talk

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Dalvin Cook’s release from the Vikings this offseason had to do with money. Ever since the Pro Bowl running back hit the open market, he’s reportedly been set on landing something in the ballpark of $10 million per season. Now there’s reason to believe Cook will wait another month — and perhaps all the way into late summer — to finalize his next team.

Echoing previous reporting from the Miami Herald about Cook being “willing to wait a while” for what he deems an appropriate offer, ESPN said Monday that July 17 “could be a factor” in Cook’s plans to hold out for a bigger deal.

That is the deadline for players under the franchise tag to reach long-term contracts with their respective teams. And with three big-name backs — Josh Jacobs (Raiders), Saquon Barkley (Giants) and Tony Pollard (Cowboys) — currently tagged, Cook should have three different contract benchmarks from which to negotiate.

It’s possible several or all of those RBs could remain unsigned beyond July 17, however, if they don’t strike a long-term deal and then wait or refuse to sign their $10M tags. That could leave Cook without an updated look at the RB market until closer to the start of the 2023 season. Jacobs and Barkley have already hinted at skipping games in an effort to secure longer-term security.

In any event, it’s a safe bet Cook will take his time exploring opportunities — and waiting for a better one to emerge. And it’s no surprise, then, he told ESPN this week he’d embrace a team-up with fellow free agent DeAndre Hopkins. The latter has visited the Patriots and Titans since his release from the Cardinals, which was also prompted by contractual issues. But “training…

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We know that the Carolina Panthers want Brian Burns and we know that Brian Burns wants the Carolina Panthers. What we don’t know, however, is when a deal between the two will be done.

ESPN’s David Newton recently gave his take on the tango. He believes this dance, albeit a somewhat intricate one, should be done before Week 1.

Newton writes:

Getting a deal done, however, might take some time. The two sides are talking, but Burns wants to be among the league’s highest paid at his position. The four highest-paid edge rushers average $23.75 million per year, led by T.J. Watt at more than $28 million.

Burns has made the case with 38 sacks over his first four seasons, and his production should only go up in Ejiro Evero’s new 3-4 defensive scheme. Getting something done by training camp, or at least the start of the season, seems likely.

There is a bit of added pressure on Carolina’s end given what they reportedly refused in exchange for their two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher. According to a report from CBS lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones back in early November, the Los Angeles Rams offered an outrageous package of draft picks—a 2024 first-rounder, a 2025 first-rounder and a 2023 second-rounder—for Burns.

So the stakes, as well as the money the 25-year-old is looking for, are pretty high.

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Story originally appeared on Panthers Wire

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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is back as the best player in my ranking of the NFL’s top 100, and if he keeps up at his current pace he will be in the conversation for No. 1 all time.

Mahomes led his Chiefs to his second Super Bowl title last February, beating the Philadelphia Eagles and winning both the regular-season and Super Bowl MVPs in the process. The man is on a roll. In the past four seasons, he has two Super Bowl victories and one loss in the Super Bowl. He also has two regular-season MVPs in the past five seasons.

Oh, and he’s only 27. That should scare the heck out of the rest of the NFL. He isn’t even in his prime yet. Tom Brady, he’s coming for you. 

But Mahomes isn’t alone when it comes to quarterbacks at the top of my player rankings. In fact, it’s 1-2-3 for the quarterbacks. It’s Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills in the No. 2 spot and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 3. These guys are razor-thin close in my book. Those three quarterbacks are the current elites of the position as we head into the 2023 season.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was my No. 1 player last year, but he slipped down to the ninth spot this year in part because he was hurt last season and his production waned. But it wouldn’t be a shock to see him back closer to the top next season.

Putting together the list is a real challenge. There are so many talented players, and after the stars at the top it’s tough to separate the players who land from 20-45 or so. So before you get worked up about my list, which you will, try to put one of your own together. It isn’t easy.

The middle class is tough to divide. As for guys who just missed, some did so because of injury and some did so because they might be on the rise or on the decline. Some of the just-missed players were in the top 100 at one point, but eventually they fell out.

The top is easy. It’s…

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