By: Austin Ebersole (@EbersoleAustin)

One thing that’s for certain with the NFL is that no team is perfect. There’s no doubt that every team has at least one weak spot on their roster, and most casual fans are able to watch a game and identify where a certain team can improve. For the Chiefs though, they have the luxury of being able to go out and add certain types of players thanks to their generational quarterback.

Now for everyone who watched the Superbowl back on February 7th, we all can agree that the Chiefs need to do a much better job at keeping Mahomes upright and protected in the pocket. Which is why it is surprising to see that they went on to cut former number one overall pick, left tackle Eric Fisher and the All-Pro right tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

With these surprising cuts to their offensive line, it not only proves how unique this off-season is thanks in part to the salary cap being much lower than expected, but where the Chiefs have to focus their efforts. For this exercise though, let’s take a look at a few dream targets for Kansas City’s offense and how they can make their team even more dangerous and explosive than it already is.

Running Back – Aaron Jones

First off, just stop what you’re doing for a second and imagine how unstoppable this offense would be with the Pro Bowl tailback. His 5.2 yards per carry average, 131 career receptions, and 43 total touchdowns is exactly what I call a dream fit for the Chiefs. It’s not a knock on Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the rest of that running back room by any means, but we are dreaming here and I would love to see what Jones could do with Mahomes in that backfield.

However, the most obvious reason for why this won’t happen is the lack of salary that the Chiefs have to spend. Even after cutting both of their starting tackles, Kansas City only has around $12.2 million available and they won’t be using that to sign a veteran running back after drafting “CEH” last year at the end of the first round. The elusive running back might not be in their plans, but Chiefs Kingdom would no doubt welcome him with open arms if he decided that it wasn’t all about the money.

Wide Receiver – Emmanuel Sanders

In regards to dreaming of a perfect fit and not taking a major hit in the wallet, the ten year veteran would be an ideal acquisition for the Chiefs. At this point in Sanders career, money shouldn’t be the driving force to keeping him on the field and running routes. Throughout his career, the two-time Pro Bowl receiver has earned nearly $51 million.

With the Saints being in salary cap purgatory, it’s not surprising that they released the electric receiver this week which helps them to save about $6 million against the cap. It’s not that he’s not worth that price tag, but even after all of their recent releases, New Orleans still finds themselves about $11 million over the spending limit.

If you didn’t notice, Sanders actually led the Saints last season in receiving with 61 receptions for 726 yards. Superstar Michael Thomas had an injury plagued season, but Sanders was able to help move the chains for this offense. Even though he will be 34 years old for the 2021 season, the all around receiver would fit in nicely in the Kansas City passing attack.

Wide Receiver – Antonio Brown

There’s starting to be a trend here, and it’s not that all three of these players have exceptional hands and catching abilities. Like Sanders, the former Pittsburgh Steelers great, Antonio Brown would be a major upgrade over Sammy Watkins for the Chiefs receiving core. He comes with an exceptional amount of baggage, but his play making ability at the position is top 10 all time.

What makes this a realistic possibility is that AB is no longer looking for a big pay day, but just an opportunity to stay in the league as shown by his 1 year, $1 million contract with the Buccaneers last season. This plays right into the Chiefs hands and should allow for them to reach out to the talented receiver’s camp and test his interest in joining them.

Brown may not be the receiver he once was, but the should be future hall of famer can still make an impact on any offense and against any defense. In 2020 while on a roster with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, AB was able to haul in 45 grabs for 483 yards and 4 scores. That’s a productive season given everything surrounding Browns image at this point, but a one year deal with Kansas City may be a dream fit for both parties.

The Kansas City Chiefs number one priority for this off-season will be to address the offensive line especially at both tackle positions, but they should still search for ways to add more weapons to their offense. It’s impossible to shut down both Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill in a given week, but adding one of these three players would be a match made in heaven. Chiefs Kingdom should be excited about the possibilities that this off-season brings.

The post Top 3 Dream Targets For Kansas City Chiefs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Austin Ebersole (Follow me @EbersoleAustin)

With free agency rapidly approaching in less than two weeks, one thing for certain is that this is a great off-season to find help for your secondary. This upcoming free agent group of safeties is a great one, and a few of these guys may be exactly what some teams need to help turn their teams from good to great for next season. Anthony Harris from Minnesota and Justin Simmons from Denver may be the two biggest names available in a few weeks, but Strong Safety Kareem Jackson is right there with them.

Turning 33 years old on April 10th, the veteran out of Alabama has plenty of gas left in the tank to improve a teams defense for next Fall and beyond. In 2020, the impressive safety was able to turn in one of his best seasons in his career. Jackson finished the season with 89 combined tackles (77 solo), four passes defensed, and one sack. When all was said and done, the strong safety finished the season as the 7th best among all safeties.

Now I mentioned above that Justin Simmons may be the biggest household name available at the safety position, but it shows you how impressive Jackson is in his own right to finish the season ranked ahead of the Pro Bowl free safety. It’s crazy to see that Denver had potentially the best safety duo in the league in 2020, but unfortunately money will be why they are unable to keep both players. While expecting Kareem to be a cap casualty with his $12.9 million cap hit, let’s look ahead to see where the should have been pro bowler ends up.

Jacksonville Jaguars

This take has a lot to do with the fact that the Jags have the most cap space available to spend this off-season and a desire to start winning now. With over $82 million available, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Jacksonville show some interest in the stud safety. After finishing the 2020 campaign with the 30th ranked secondary, there’s a lot to be desired with this unit.

Though it may not be ideal to sign a soon to be 33 year old safety while in the early stages of a rebuild, I don’t believe that Urban Meyer anticipates it taking long for his Jags to challenge for a playoff spot. They have 12 picks in this years draft that are expected to be highlighted by the highly touted Quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.

With the most salary to spend, a bottom three secondary, and a new head coach and quarterback wanting to turn the franchise around, it makes a lot of sense for the Jags to bring in the veteran safety. Jackson would bring leadership and experience to their locker room, and would instantly be one of their best defensive players. I’m not sure that this is his best spot to win a Super Bowl, but it’s one of his best chances to get paid.

Dallas Cowboys

If Kareem Jackson misses the state of Texas, then the Cowboys give him a viable option to return to the state where his NFL career started. Even though he was drafted by the Texans, the strong safety would be a perfect addition for the Boys and their horrible secondary. The 29th ranked unit in 2020 needs a major upgrade, and they have the funds to get this done.

The Cowboys have about $19.4 million available to spend this off-season, and it’s safe (see what I did there?) to say that no one knows how they are going to spend it. If they were smart though, they would use it to sign the hard hitting safety to help their secondary that gave up 16 touchdowns of 15 plus yards in 2020. This was the third worst in the NFL last season, and it shows how bad this unit was against the deep ball.

With Dak Prescott expected to be back and putting the Cowboys in a position to challenge for a playoff spot, they will have to sure up their secondary to prevent shootouts every week. There’s no doubt that Dem Boys will be in plenty of clsoe games, but adding the tackling machine gives them a much better chance at winning the NFC East next season. I mean, adding a guy who can make open field tackles like this is definitely beneficial for your team.

Arizona Cardinals

With the Cards signing J.J. Watt earlier this week, their cap space definitely took a big hit. However, this move shows us that they aren’t afraid to sign quality veteran players and that they are trying to win now. Knowing that they had one of the worst secondaries last season, adding Kareem Jackson makes a lot of sense.

One thing that I love about Jackson’s game is his ability to play both safety and corner. While in Houston, Kareem played his entire 7 years there on the outside. After signing with Denver in 2019, he transitioned to safety and found a lot success as noted above with his high grade at the position. Last season, Arizona struggled against receivers as their top two corners finished the season with coverage grades of 53.1 and 46.1, both worse than 83rd among all corners.

The all around defensive back would bring flexibility to this unit, and help tighten up things on the back end. I’m not sure if he’s going to be willing to sign for anything less than market value, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Watt reaches out to his former teammate to try and convince him to join him out in the desert.

Other Potential Landing Spots for Kareem Jackson

• Denver Broncos
• Cleveland Browns
• Las Vegas Raiders

The post Top Landing Spots for Kareem Jackson appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

With one of the most dynamic receiver groups in the entire National Football League, the San Francisco 49ers are going to be an exciting team to watch in 2021 and beyond. Even though we are unsure at this point who will be under center out in the Bay next season, we do know that he is going to adore the plethora of play makers that will be surrounding him.

Wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are looking to set the league on fire next season. After just playing in five games together in 2020, the hope for the 49ers is that both players will be healthy and ready to terrorize defenses next Fall. Not only are the Niners excited about their wide receiver duo being on the field at the same time, but “the Faithful” get pumped up when they are on the field together as well.

As the rest of the world is excited about these two studs, dynasty football managers should be as well. Both players are young, capable of running the entire route tree, and possess the ability to score every time they touch the ball. Looking ahead, I want to share with you all why I believe you should buy or sell these dynamic receivers in your dynasty leagues.

Tyshun Raequan “Deebo” Samuel

DEEEEBO is not only a fun name to announce, but one hell of a football player. Selected in the 2nd Round of the 2019 draft out of the University of South Carolina, the all around receiver has been a joy to watch. In his rookie season, Deebo brought excitement to his fantasy owners by finishing as the 32nd ranked reciever in PPR leagues.

With a WR3 finish in his rookie campaign where he played in 15 games, Samuel has shown that he can be productive. From Weeks 8 to 16 in 2019, Deebo averaged 14 points per game in full point ppr. Even in 2020, the five games where Deebo was healthy and played over 60% of the offensive snaps, he averaged 14.5 ppg.

Now I understand that there’s a lot of concern about Deebo’s durability as he was limited to just seven total games in ’20, but his consistency when he plays as shown above and talent makes him a buy for me. And if there’s one thing that every good dynasty owner knows, is that you buy low and sell high. There’s no better time to buy a young, stud receiver than when he misses some time the season before.

Other than only being 25 years old and a great buy low candidate after a disappointing season, the wide receiver in a running back body is tough to bring down. Since 2019, Deebo averages 9.8 yards after the catch which is the best across the NFL in that span. With this league leading ability, it’s easy to see why the Niners also get the swiss army knife receiver involved in the running game as he averages 8.4 yards per rush in his career.

I can’t say that I don’t blame managers for wanting to move on from the big bodied receiver after this past season, but the return you would get doesn’t match the potential that he still possesses. I view Deebo as a “poor mans” AJ Brown, and honestly there’s a real chance that he finishes as a top 24 WR in 2021. Buy now while you still can, and before we know who will be throwing him the ball next season.

Brandon Aiyuk

Out of Arizona State University, the former Sun Devil showcased his talent in 2020 and showed football fans why the 49ers moved up in the first round to draft him. In his rookie season, the 6’1 receiver finished as the 35th ranked wide out in in ppr leagues, and 33rd in standard. His 12.5 yards per reception and 12.8 yards per carry are big time numbers, and justify why his owners are excited for his future.

What is exciting about Aiyuks outlook, is that he was still productive last season when all three of the 49ers top receiving options saw the field. Weeks 4 through 7 saw Kittle, Deebo, and Aiyuk play together, and the first round pick saw 21 targets while hauling in 13 of them for 189 yards and a score. When you throw in his 38 yard touchdown run in week 4, he averaged 12 ppg.

However, I find myself struggling to want to buy Aiyuk in my dynasty leagues. Even though he finished as WR5 among the rookie receivers, I have concerns about him always being the third option in San Francisco’s passing attack. The Niners finished last season as the 16th highest team in regards to pass attempts, but that was with a 6-10 record. I don’t expect them to pass the ball as much as they did this past season as the defense will be healthy again putting them in more winning situations.

As you can see above, the impressive rookie receiver is capable of helping out his fantasy owners, but a few dominoes have to fall for him to be the weekly starter you may want him to be. When both Kittle and Deebo play, Aiyuk’s production was that of a WR3, but those numbers may be hard for him to sustain as his team will be vastly improved in 2021.

I do love Brandon Aiyuk the player, and I believe in his talent, but I’m willing to be bold and see what I could get for him. If I needed help at another position, I believe you could dangle the soon-to-be second year receiver out there to address your team’s needs. His first round pedigree and impressive rookie season warrants a nice return.

Please feel free to follow me on Twitter @EbersoleAustin

The post Buy or Sell? Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Austin Ebersole (@EbersoleAustin)

For ten seasons now, Justin Houston has been reeking havoc in backfields and destroying game plans. With 97.5 career sacks, multiple Pro Bowl selections, and a sack title, Houston would be a great addition for multiple teams this off-season who are looking to get after the quarterback more often.

At age 32, Houston still has plenty left in the tank, and there’s no doubt that he will easily reach the century mark in sacks next season wherever he ends up. Looking ahead, NFL free agents can begin signing their next contract on March 17th. Let’s look at a few spots where the star pass rusher could end up.

• Kansas City Chiefs

Is a reunion in the cards for the premier pass rusher? The Kansas City Chiefs might be the perfect landing spot for Houston. With the team coming off back-to-back Superbowl appearances, Justin may want his chance to help get his former team back to the big game for a third season in a row.

Even though it was the Chiefs who decided to release Houston after the 2018 season, they were reminded in Superbowl LV the importance of having a strong pass rush. They finished the season with 32 team sacks which was 19th best across the NFL. By adding Houston’s 2020 sack numbers to that total, the Chiefs would’ve finished in the top 12 of the league.

The biggest hurdle that the Chiefs may face if Houston wants to return to Arrowhead would be the impact he would have against their cap space. They are projected to be $18 million over the cap according to Spotrac, but Houston may be willing to come back on a team friendly deal if it means he gets a chance to finally kiss the Lombardi.

• Jacksonville Jaguars

Could it be possible that Jaguars new Head Coach Urban Meyer wants to come in and make a big free agent splash right away? The Jaguars are expected to have the most cap space which gives them the luxury of going out and signing whoever wants to come play in the Sunshine State.

Going to the Jaguars may not give Houston the best odds of playing in next years Superbowl, but there’s no doubt he would still get paid. In 2019, he signed a 2-year, $24 million deal with the Colts. If he’s looking for a similar deal in terms of money, the Jags are one of the best team fits for his services.

To sweeten the pot for the Jaguars, there’s always a chance that Justin wants to try and finish out the remainder of his career closer to home. After being born and raised in the state of Georgia, and playing for the Bulldogs in college, his hometown of Statesboro is only 174 miles from Jacksonville. A quick trip down I-95 gets his family and friends to the stadium.

• Indianapolis Colts

Now that the Colts have their next signal caller in Carson Wentz, one would have to believe that this team is now a true contender in the AFC. To win in the NFL, you have to be led by your quarterback and by the guys who get after the quarterback. Justin may see Wentz to Indy as a perfect reason to stay put.

For Indianapolis, they have the means to get a new deal done with Houston to keep him in town if they want him. They are projected to have over $50 million available this off-season, and after recording eight sacks for them in 2020 and another 11 sacks in 2019, Houston was worth every dollar that he received from them.

After being led to the playoffs in 2020 by their top-10 defense, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts bring Houston back on a one year deal. He’s played great so far in his tenure with the Colts, and keeping him on the same line as DeForest Buckner gives them one of the leagues best bookends.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Your Superbowl LV winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers may also be an ideal landing spot for Houston. We have all heard by now that Bruce Arians wants to “go for two,” but they have some interesting choices to make this off-season in regards to resigning their own players.

With Shaq Barrett hoping to get paid this off-season to set his family up for life, the Bucs may potentially have an opening on their defensive line. Tampa Bay may not have a lot of money to play with after trying to “keep the band together,” but this could be Houston’s best chance at winning a Superbowl.

If money is all that Justin Houston wants with his next contract, Jacksonville and Indianapolis are his two best landing spots. But if he’s willing to take a pay cut and strengthen his odds of playing in a Superbowl, Kansas City and Tampa Bay are where he may end up.

The post Top Landing Spots for Justin Houston appeared first on Pro Football Mania.