George Kittle A Master Of Yards After The Catch

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle had just 5.7 air yards per target in 2019, as the 49ers looked to get him the ball early and often to utilize his yards-after-the-catch skills. He racked up 641 (60.9 percent) of his 1,053 receiving yards after the catch. Kittle's average yards-per-catch mark of 12.4 was better […]

Hunter Henry Excels In The End Zone

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry caught 72.4 percent of the passes intended for him last year in his first season after tearing his ACL in 2018. He had a positive catch-rate difference of over eight percent and caught 60 percent of his targets in the end zone for three of his five total […]

Amari Cooper Makes Dak Prescott Better

While opposing defenses often pressed Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper at the line of scrimmage last year, he had an average of 2.6 yards of separation by the time the ball arrived. He also had a tight-window percentage of 25.2, but for the most part, Cooper was able to successful beat press coverage. Quarterback […]

Luiz Gohara Among Angels Cuts

The Los Angeles Angels released 39 minor leaguers last week, according to the official minor league transaction pages. They released 29 minor leaguers from March to May of 2019 and 19 from the same time frame in 2018. Pitchers Luiz Gohara, Luis Pena and Jeremy Rhoades were among those cut in the process. Gohara, a […]

Calvin Ridley Shined Through Double Coverages

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley had a catch-rate difference of plus-8.7 percent last year and did it while seeing double teams 5.4 percent of the time. Ridley also had a nice cushion on his routes, with an average of 6.6 yards at the time of the snap. Because of his 4.43-second speed, opponents rarely […]

Marvin Jones Jr. Made The Most Of His Opportunities In 2019

Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. only had 779 receiving yards last season, but NFL.com's Nick Shook lists him as the fourth-best wide receiver from a year ago. Despite only having quarterback Matthew Stafford for half the season because of an injury, Jones had a catch rate of 68.1 percent and an expected catch […]

Stefon Diggs Listed Among 2019's Top Pass-Catchers

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs caught just 63 passes in his final season with the Vikings, but he had a yards-per-reception rate of 17.9 on his way to 1,130 total yards. Diggs' catch rate of 67 percent wasn't as high as the top performers on NFL.com's Nick Shook's list, but Diggs had a plus-10.7 […]

Tyler Lockett Has A Knack For Making Tough Catches

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett is ranked second by NFL.com's Nick Shook among the best pass-catchers of 2019. Lockett had a catch rate of 74.5 percent and an expected catch rate of 61.9 percent. His catch-rate difference was nearly equal to Michael Thomas, who was ranked No. 1 on the list. Lockett had more […]

Manny Banuelos Among Mariners Minor League Cuts

The Seattle Mariners have released seven minor league players in the last week, which makes eight total players from March and May. The Mariners released 38 total minor league players in that time frame from 2019. The seven players released this week were outfielders Eliezer Alvarez, Ryan Ramiz and Luis Veloz, starting pitcher Manny Banuelos, […]

Cardinals Sign Dylan Cantrell

The Arizona Cardinals signed former Chargers wide receiver Dylan Cantrell to an undisclosed deal on Monday. Cantrell played for Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech, and it sounds as though he might move to tight end with his new team. Cantrell was 6-foot-3, 226 pounds coming out of college and will be a […]

MLB Discussing Even Shorter Season, Prorated Salaries

Major League Baseball is discussing a shorter schedule in 2020 in which it would pay members of the Players Association their full prorated salaries, according to sources familiar with the situation. The possibility of a schedule of around 50 games that would start in July has been considered by the league as a last resort […]

Edwin Jackson, Travis Snider Among D-Backs Cuts

The Arizona Diamondbacks have released more than 60 minor league players over the last couple of weeks amid the coronavirus pandemic, with veteran right-handed pitcher Edwin Jackson and outfielder Travis Snider among them. Some of the other names include outfielder Dalton Pompey and pitchers Aaron Blair, Mauricio Cabrera, Damien Magnifico, Michael Tonkin and David Huff. […]

Henry Ruggs III OK After Off-Field Injury

Las Vegas Raiders first-round rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (thigh) was involved in an off-the-field accident while helping a friend move, but sources say "he's OK." Ruggs was cut and received a puncture, but the wound isn't serious and it sounds as though he'll be completely fine for whenever teams are allowed to meet […]

Colts Have Respect For Marlon Mack's Veteran Standing

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich discussed whether running back Marlon Mack should have a lead on retaining the starting running back spot over rookie Jonathan Taylor in 2020. "There’s definitely inherent respect for the starter returning. And that’s the way I see this….I see it as a 1-1 (punch)," Reich said. Mack and Taylor […]

Michael Thomas The Cream Of The Pass-Catching Crop

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas set the single-season receptions record in 2019 with 149 catches. Thomas was also one of just four wideouts with at least 50 targets who posted a catch percentage that was 10 percent above expectation, according to Next Gen Stats. He also had the highest target total of 185, […]

Clelin Ferrell Bulks Up

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell bulked up this offseason amid an 18-week workout regimen in Miami to put on 13 pounds after a disappointing rookie season that saw the fourth overall pick finish with 4.5 sacks, five deflected passes and 24 solo tackles. Ferrell was considered a reach in the top five of […]

Mo Alie-Cox To Play More This Season

Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich said that tight end Mo Alie-Cox will play even more in 2020 as a key run blocker and an emerging pass-catcher, despite the offseason addition of Trey Burton. "Sometimes you might think the basketball guy is a finesse guy. Mo is not a finesse guy — he is a […]

Nick Bitsko Has Huge Upside In 2020 Draft

Nick Bitsko, a 17-year-old right-handed high school pitcher out of Pennsylvania, could have the most upside of any pitcher in the 2020 MLB draft, according to many scouts. Bitsko's high school season was canceled due to COVID-19, but he's been rising on some draft boards because he's impressed in Zoom interviews and hit 98.5 mph […]

Cardinals Offense Could Be Explosive Under Kliff Kingsbury

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has had plenty of time to get more creative while designing new offensive plays during the COVID-19 pandemic this offseason. “Kliff is one of the more mad-genius, offensive-minded guys in this league because of how he can put players in different positions to go out there and be successful […]

Mitchell Trubisky Taking QB Competition Head-On

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said that quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who is in a QB competition with Nick Foles, has handled the situation with aplomb and expects the two QBs to compete for the job whenever offseason workouts begin. "(Trubisky) has been really, really good in the fact that he's taken this head-on," Nagy […]

Shohei Ohtani, Griffin Canning Throwing Live BP

Los Angeles Angels starting pitchers Shohei Ohtani (elbow) and Griffin Canning (elbow) have each thrown three live batting practice sessions and are up to around 55 pitches. Both pitchers will remain at that level for now while the Players Union and MLB owners negotiate salaries and health concerns for a potential shortened 2020 season. Ohtani […]

No Evidence Of Progress Between Union, MLB

There has been no evidence of progress in talks between the Players Union and the owners, so there is no realistic hope to meet the "soft" deadline of Monday, June 1, for a deal. However, the hope remains to start a shortened season on July 4 weekend, and that is still a possibility if a […]

Melvin Gordon III A Better Fit With Broncos?

Denver Broncos running back Melvin Gordon III had 6,000-plus scrimmage yards and two Pro Bowl selections in five seasons with the Chargers, but he thinks the Broncos running scheme is better suited to his strengths as an explosive, downhill runner. Gordon had 2,587 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in his final year in college in […]

Baker Mayfield In Position For Bounce-Back Year?

NFL.com's Bucky Brooks thinks that Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is primed for the best season of his career in new head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense. Cleveland's 12-personnel packages featuring tight ends Austin Hooper and David Njoku, along with receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and running back Nick Chubb, will be hard to […]

Lane Taylor Agrees To Reworked Contract

Green Bay Packers left guard Lane Taylor agreed to rework the last year of his deal, freeing up around $3 million in 2020 salary cap space. Taylor is now due $1.5 million this year, including a $100,000 signing bonus. He was scheduled to make around $4.55 million in 2020, according to OverTheCap. The 30-year-old has […]

Deshaun Watson Optimistic About Extension

Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, a first-rounder in 2017, is under contract through 2021 after the Texans picked up his fifth-year option, but he expects to reach a long-term extension with the team that will keep him around for a while. He's not stressing about a timeline, but Watson is optimistic that something will get […]

49ers, George Kittle Far Apart In Extension Talks

The San Francisco 49ers and tight end George Kittle are far apart in negotiations on a contract extension, and Kittle's agent said that a "tight end deal" is a non-starter in talks. Kittle has 3,016 career receiving yards, including the playoffs, which is the most by a tight end in his first three seasons in […]

Jake Butt Back To Full Health

Denver Broncos tight end Jake Butt (knee) said he is back to 100 percent health heading into the 2020 season. Butt was drafted in the fifth round in 2017 out of Michigan, but he's played in just three games (all in 2018) and has had four pretty serious knee surgeries since 2014. As he heads […]

Cam Newton May Wait To Sign

With free-agent quarterback Cam Newton's market cooling over the last month, according to sources, he is expected to take his time before joining a team. Newton could wait until teams resume regular activity following the coronavirus shutdown. It would give teams a chance to check on Newton's health and meet with him in person. But […]

Matt Rhule Praises Teddy Bridgewater

Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule had great things to say about quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's character and influence on Around The NFL on Friday. Rhule has been able to familiarize himself with and strengthen his bond with Bridgewater during the virtual offseason program. "The best players in the world bring out the best in their […]