Justin Simmons A Ballhawking Safety

Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons was only targeted 44 times in 2019, but he was very effective when he was the nearest defender on a target. His 34.1 percent ballhawk rate -- the percentage of targets where the nearest defender made a play on the football -- was the best among those meeting NFL.com's […]

Baker Mayfield Working On West Coast Footwork

Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has been impressed by quarterback Baker Mayfield's leadership during the offseason virtual program. “He’s done everything I’d expect from him as a starting quarterback," Van Pelt said. Mayfield also hosted a throwing session for around nine teammates in Austin, Texas. Van Pelt said that Mayfield has quickly grasped […]

J.C. Jackson Excelled When On The Field

New England Patriots defensive back J.C. Jackson posted excellent coverage numbers in 2019 despite starting only six games. His overall numbers were slightly better than teammate Stephon Gilmore, but Gilmore had almost twice as many targets (96 versus Jackson's 58). Jackson allowed the lowest passer rating (21.8) as the nearest defender in coverage among all […]

Stephon Gilmore The Best Coverage Cornerback In 2019

New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore earned the top spot as the best defensive back in coverage in 2019, according to NFL.com's Nick Shook. He was the only player who faced 85 or more targets and didn't allow a single touchdown, and he also picked off six passes. Gilmore allowed the lowest passer rating (38) […]

Chris Carson Has Tackle-Breaking Explosiveness

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson used his explosiveness to shed defenders and turn upfield in 2019. He had 50 15-plus mph runs and averaged 4.3 yards gained after a defender closed within one yard of him last season. It helped him gain 1,230 yards on the ground despite not playing a full season because […]

Christian McCaffrey Is A Stud

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey comes in ranked ninth on NFL.com's Nick Shook's top-10 explosive runners of 2019, but he'll still be the No. 1 player selected in the vast majority of 2020 fantasy drafts. He reached 15-plus mph on 96 touches last season, which was the most in the NFL, with 52 of […]

Todd Gurley II Still Has Juice In The Tank

Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley II had a down year by his standards in 2019 with the Rams, but he still placed No. 8 on NFL.com's Nick Shook's top-10 explosive runners of last season. Only one of his 10 fastest touches over the last two years came in 2019, but he still reached or […]

Marlon Mack Was Colts Most Explosive Runner In 2019

Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack was the team's running game in 2019, which is why his broken hand in the second half of the season coincided with their late-season descent. He broke 15 mph on 51 runs (fourth-most among running backs) and had 28 runs of 10-plus yards. While Mack was an underrated explosive […]

Phillip Lindsay Remains An Explosive Back

Denver Broncos running back Phillip Lindsay wasn't as good in his second season as he was in his rookie campaign, but the former undrafted free agent still had 1,011 rushing yards in 2019 despite playing with three different quarterbacks. He had 48 runs of 15-plus mph last year despite defenses keying on him in the […]

Devonta Freeman Too Expensive For Bucs Taste

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been interested in free-agent running back Devonta Freeman, but head coach Bruce Arians said that Freeman is asking for more money than the team is looking to spend given their current salary cap situation. Tampa has just over $6.4 million in cap space entering the 2020 season. Freeman reportedly declined […]

Aaron Jones Succeeds Inside The Tackles

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones saw most of his success in 2019 between the tackles, as he tied for the league lead with 10 touchdowns on inside runs and averaged 4.1 yards per rush on runs inside the tackles in the red zone, which was the most in the NFL among those with […]

Kenyan Drake Brings Legitimate Speed To Cardinals Backfield

Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake enjoyed plenty of success in the desert in 2019 after being traded from the Dolphins. He nearly doubled his 15-plus mph rush rate when he came to the Cardinals, going from 14.9 percent of rushes in Miami to 26.8 percent in Arizona. Drake rushed the ball 123 times in […]

12 Personnel Is Buccaneers Base Offense

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said that 12 personnel, featuring two tight ends on the field, is "our base offense" heading into the 2020 season. Arians also likes 13 personnel with a third tight end in the mix. This doesn't come as a surprise at all after Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement […]

Allen Robinson II Not Concerned About New Contract

Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson II is a candidate for a contract extension, but he's not really worried about that amid the coronavirus pandemic. Robinson is still due $15 million against the salary cap in 2021 as well. And because of COVID-19, things could look different for the salary cap, which could mean less […]

Raheem Mostert An Elite Ball-Carrier?

San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert hit 20-plus mph on four rushes last season, putting him in elite company among ball-carriers, as only seven players reached that benchmark. And Mostert did it with fewer total carries than anyone. He averaged a maximum speed of 13.75 mph on his touches in 2019, which is the […]

Lamar Jackson Listed As 2019's Most Explosive Runner

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was the most explosive runner in the league in 2019 based on runs of 10-plus yards (47), 10-plus run percentage (26.7) and 15-plus mph percentage (52.8). He did that on 176 total carries. Jackson was named the 2019 MVP in large part because defenses just couldn't stop him when he […]

Coaches Can Return To Facilities Beginning Friday

A memo sent out to NFL teams on Thursday stated that, "Beginning tomorrow, June 5, coaching staffs may be among the employees returning to your facility." While this is a big step, NFL players still won't be allowed at team facilities, and it remains to be seen if they will be allowed to return at […]

Eugenio Suarez, Nick Senzel Doing Well

Cincinnati Reds general manager Dick Williams said that third baseman Eugenio Suarez (shoulder) is 100 percent healthy and that outfielder Nick Senzel (shoulder) is also doing well. Suarez had surgery in January and has benefited from the delay of the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 28-year-old (29 in July) should be ready […]

MLB Rejects Players' 114-Game Plan

Major League Baseball has rejected the players' offer for a 114-game regular season this year with no additional salary cuts and told the union it doesn't plan on making a counterproposal, according to sources. The owners offered an 82-game regular season last week. MLB has no interest in extending the season into November, when they […]

Panthers Release Seth DeValve

The Carolina Panthers released tight end Seth DeValve on Wednesday, citing a non-football injury, according to a league source. DeValve was a fourth-round pick by the Browns in 2016 out of Princeton. He played in 12 games (six starts) for the Jaguars last year, totaling 12 receptions on 18 targets for 140 scoreless yards. In […]

Von Miller Still Made An Impact In 2019

Denver Broncos outside linebacker/edge rusher Von Miller had his first single-digit sack season since 2013 and only had 46 tackles last year, but while he wasn't as dominant, he still made an impact in his 791 defensive snaps with a disruption rate of 14.4 percent. His 52 quarterback pressures were 29 more than his next […]

Adrian Clayborn Makes The Most Of His Pass-Rushing Chances

Cleveland Browns defensive end Adrian Clayborn had more sacks in one game in 2017 with the Falcons than he did in all of last year (four), but he was still very effective and made the most of his pass-rushing opportunities (282) in 2019. Clayborn tallied 35 quarterback pressures on his 282 chances, and he added […]

Dont'a Hightower A Sneaky Pass Disruptor

New England Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower isn't your typical pass-rushing linebacker, but he had a 15 percent disruption rate in 2019 despite rushing the passer only 253 times last year. He finished with 71 combined tackles, 33 stops -- tackles that result in a successful play for the defense based on yards to go by […]

Shaquil Barrett Was A Constant Problem For Offenses

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett, 2019's NFL sack leader with 19.5, had 5.5 more sacks in his first year with Tampa than he did in 61 games with the Broncos. He had 78 total disruptions last season and capitalized on his opportunities more often than anyone else. Barrett also played a ton of snaps […]

Charges Against DeAndre Baker Could Be Dropped

New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker's attorney, Patrick G. Patel, said he still expects charges against Baker to be dropped, possibly by the end of the week. The 22-year-old cornerback is out on bail after being arrested in connection with an armed robbery in early May. In the meantime, Baker continues to train on his […]

Aaron Donald Remains Highly Effective

Even though Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ranked sixth on NFL.com's Nick Shook's top-10 pass disruptors of 2019, the five-time All-Pro is still one of the best all-around pass-rushers in the league. He played more total snaps (882) than anyone else on the list, which is why his 15.7 percent disruption rate is […]

Giants, Jets Reopen Team Facilities

The New York Giants and New York Jets resumed operations at their headquarters on Wednesday in a limited capacity amid the coronavirus pandemic. A "small number of employees" returned to the Giants facilities. New York and New Jersey are among the states that have been most affected by COVID-19. New Jersey governor Phil Murphy didn't […]

Josh Allen Will Face More Of A Test In 2020

Jacksonville Jaguars edge-rushing linebacker Josh Allen had an incredible rookie season in 2019, being selected to the Pro Bowl with 54 total disruptions and 10.5 sacks. He had a disruption rate of 16.2 percent and a sack rate of 3.1 percent, but how much of his success had to do with fellow pass-rushers Calais Campbell […]

Nick Bosa Already Elite Going Into Second Season

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa made the Pro Bowl and was named the 2019 Defensive Rookie of the Year while racking up the fourth-most quarterback pressures in the NFL (60) while finishing with a pressure percentage of 13.9, good for fourth-best in the league. The younger brother of Chargers pass-rusher Joey Bosa, Nick […]

Robert Quinn Looks To Stay Successful In Chicago

Chicago Bears defensive end Robert Quinn earned his five-year deal on the free-agent market with an excellent season in 2019 with the Cowboys. Working opposite of DeMarcus Lawrence, Quinn pressured the quarterback on 14 percent of pass rushes, the third-highest rate in the NFL with a minimum of 250 pass rushes. He had 49 QB […]