By: Khari Demos

In one of the surprise moves in an already topsy-turvy offseason, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians left his post behind, ending a coaching career that spanned 40-plus years throughout the NFL and college football.

Arians is most notably known for his time as the Bucs head coach, as he joined forces with Tom Brady to win the franchise’s second Super Bowl title following the 2020 season. He also guided the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-17, taking the team to the NFC Championship Game in 2015.

But some things people may have forgotten are his prior stints as an assistant coach. He was able to elevate some of the most talented arms in league history outside of Brady ”” Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Andrew Luck, and Carson Palmer.

His NFL head-coaching life may have been short-lived, but so was the late great John Madden’s. But the big question now; is Arians a Hall of Famer? It’s something that needs to be discussed.

For starters, we should discuss Arians’ Super Bowl rings. Yes, he did claim one as head coach of the Bucs, but he also contributed to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ most recent title teams (2005, 2008) as a wide receiver coach and offensive coordinator, respectively.

But his biggest selling point may be his work with some of the game’s best QBs. Arians worked with Manning as his QBs coach in his first three seasons in the NFL (1998-2000). After a shaky rookie year, the future Hall of Famer had two Pro Bowl seasons with Arians, which also included two second-team All-Pro nods, as Manning led the NFL in TD passes (33) and passing yards (4,413).

In both the 1999 and 2000 seasons, the Colts had top-five ranked offenses (4th in ’99, 3rd in ’00).

Wondering what Manning did after Arians left for Cleveland? He regressed a bit, amassing 42 interceptions over the next two seasons, and going 16-17 record-wise (including the playoffs).

While as OC of the Browns, Arians did not have a ton of offensive talent during his stint there (2001-03), but he was a major factor in the franchise getting back to the playoffs for the first time in since its return to the NFL in 1999. The Browns’ loss to the Steelers in the 2002 Wild Card round would prove to be Cleveland’s lone postseason appearance until 2020.

Arians would then join the division-rival Steelers, as they went 15-1 in their first season with him on the staff. The team ultimately lost in the AFC Championship game to the eventual-Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, but Pittsburgh would get it back with the Super Bowl XL win over the Seattle Seahawks.

As a WRs coach in Pittsburgh, Arians mentored Hines Ward to a Pro Bowl season in ’04, as well young future Super Bowl heroes in Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes. And once he took over as OC, that’s when the Steelers began to see the emergence of Roethlisberger into superstar territory.

In 2007, Arians’ first season as Steelers OC, Big Ben had his first 30-TD pass season. While working with Arians (2007-11), the Miami of Ohio product was named the ’07 Comeback Player of the Year and earned his first two career Pro Bowl nods.

Arians helped names like Willie Parker and Heath Miller become fan favorites while with the Steelers. He also groomed Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown to become Pro Bowl-level receivers. The former Temple head coach also was instrumental in Pittsburgh making a run to Super Bowl XLV ”” the proud franchise’s last appearance in the big game.

After leaving Pittsburgh to go back to Indy, the 2012 season may be Arians next-best achievement on his resume. With head coach Chuck Pagano having to step away from the team after four games due to his cancer treatments, Arians nobly stepped in as interim HC, lifting the Colts to a 9-3 record at the helm (11-5 overall) and a berth in the Wild Card round.

Arians was acknowledged as the 2012 Associated Press COY due to his contribution’s in Pagano’s absence.

Just like he did so many years prior for Manning, Arians was a key figure in Luck landing his first Pro Bowl selection and setting several NFL and Colts records for a rookie QB.

Then as head coach with the Cardinals, Arians had a record of at .500 or better in four of his five seasons with the team and won his second Coach of the Year honors there (2014). Arizona had two playoff berths under Arians and in 2016 won its first division title since going back-to-back in 2008 and 2009. The loss to the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFC Championship game was only the second conference championship appearance for the team since moving to AZ in 1995, and was just the fourth time in team history that the Cardinals made back-to-back postseason appearances.

BA’s 50 wins in AZ (including the postseason) are the most in franchise history.

Arians’ run in Arizona was notably coupled with the revival of Palmer’s career. The former No. 1 overall pick had a 91.1 passer rating and averaged 279.7 passing yards while working with BA. But the 2015 was Palmer’s finest ”” the Heisman Trophy winner led the league with a 76.4 QBR, had a 104.6 passer rating, 35 TD passes, 11 INTs, and 4,671 passing yards in leading the Cardinals to a 13-3 record.

Once BA got to Tampa, he had another reclamation project with Jameis Winston, and although people will remember that the fellow former Heisman winner threw for a league-high 30 INTs, he also led the league with 5,109 passing yards and 33 TDs. That cleared the way for Brady to come in, as he won his seventh ring with the team in his first year there, before claiming the Bucs’ first divisional title since 2007.

And even with the great Brady under center, Arians took him to heights he’s never been. The GOAT had never had back-to-back 40-TD pass seasons in his career before coming to Tampa and he also set a new career-high for passing yards last season (5,316).

Outside of that, BA also was the oldest HC in NFL history to win the Super Bowl (68). He also has the highest winning percentage in Buccaneers history (.651), nine seasons as an HC/OC where he had top-10 scoring offenses, and another seven with top-10 total offenses.

Now Arians’ regular season winning percentage is tied with Paul Brown for 18th all-time (.624). And his 80 career wins in the regular season are also intriguing, as he’s tied with fellow Super Bowl winners Jimmy Johnson and Brian Billick. But Arians has the nod over both in career winning percentage, as they’re both tied at .556%.

Billick may not get into the Hall due to such a short time working in the NFL, but Johnson did just get inducted in 2020, which was most likely due to his two Super Bowl wins in 1992 and 1993.

Speaking of the postseason, Arians’ postseason record may be another feather in his cap. BA’s .667 playoff winning percentage is tied for 15th all-time for NFL head coaches. That’s a higher figure than a bevy of HOF coaches ”” Hank Stram, Curly Lambeau, Bill Parcells, Marv Levy, Bill Cowher, John Madden, Tom Landry, and Dick Vermeil, to name a few.

Arians is also one of only 12 coaches all-time to be named AP Coach of the Year on multiple occasions, joining Don Shula (4), Chuck Knox and Bill Belichick (3), George Halas, Allie Sherman, Mike Ditka, George Allen, Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, and Ron Rivera (2).

The biggest drawback to BA’s head coaching career would be the length of time. He only had eight seasons as a head coach, which would be on the lower end for an HOF coach. But that should not be the end all be all for Arians. Other Super Bowl era coaches have made it to the Hall after short tenures.

Madden, Johnson, Vince Lombardi, and Bill Walsh all made it in with 10 or fewer seasons as an HC. And although each may have a certain piece of their respective resumes that elevates them above Arians’, BA’s achievements aren’t that far behind.

Three Super Bowl wins in total, two COY awards, and holding respective wins and winning percentage records with two franchises that have losing records all-time in the NFL. When you stack it all up, Arians’ case is stronger than you’d realize.

The Bucs have already announced BA will be inducted into their Ring of Honor this coming season. And that honor could be coming at any moment for the Cards to do the same. So do those add to his already stellar resume? Yes.

But do they make him a sure-fire Hall of Famer? That’s up for debate. All I know is, if I had a vote, I’d have no problem sending Arians on his way to Canton.

The post Is Bruce Arians a Hall of Fame-worthy head coach? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Khari Demos

Now that the Cheetah is off to join the Dolphins this season, there will be a major void open for Kansas City to replace. Since Patrick Mahomes started lighting up the league in 2018, Hill’s 43 touchdown receptions are tied with Mike Evans for second in the NFL in that span, trailing only Davante Adams (47).

Hill also ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards (4,854) and sixth in targets (520) in that time frame. His 22 TDs of 40 yards or more are also above any other player in the NFL since being drafted in 2016.

As one of the league’s true weapons, things will look a bit different with Hill out of the fold. But it looks like the team may be just fine even without him. Just look at Mahomes’ five career outings without the Cheetah (8 TDs, 1 INT, 347.4 passing yards per game, 103.1 passer rating).

But it’ll be hard to quantify what those numbers could look like over a full season. It must also be considered that in addition to Hill, DeMarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle are both gone as well, so KC’s passing attack will surely still revolve around Travis Kelce at tight end.

Not only has Kelce gone for six straight 1,000-yard seasons, he’s also garnered over 100 targets in each of the last seven years for an average of 129.6 per season.

So how does JuJu Smith-Schuster fit into this all? For starters, he should benefit greatly from having a true No. 1 target opposite him in Kelce, even if the latter is lining up at TE. Just look at how strong the USC product played in 2017 and 2018 when he had Antonio Brown hitting on all cylinders with him in Pittsburgh.

Smith-Schuster’s 111-catch, 1,426-yard, seven-TD season in 2018 earned him a Pro Bowl nod. It has been tough for him to hit those numbers since, but a lot of that can be pinned on the up-and-down play of Ben Roethlisberger and other Steelers QBs.

It was not as much about Big Ben and others not passing a ton, but more so the inability to strike downfield. From 2018-19, Smith-Schuster’s average depth of target was 9.3 yards, while in the last two seasons it’s simmered down to six. And yes the Long Beach, California native has been oft-injured over the past few years (33 games played since 2019), so he may not have the same explosion, but he’ll be joining an offense that is much more downfield-oriented and he figures to slide right into Hill’s varied deployment from 2021.

Hill was almost equally out wide (520 snaps) as he was in the slot (508 snaps) last season, so JuJu figures to be used in a similar role this coming season. And in Mahomes’ first three seasons, he averaged 8.8 intended air yards per attempt in that span.

That number dipped to 7.3 in 2021, but that’s still a full yard above what Smith-Schuster has seen in his depth of targets over the last two years.

One thing I’d like to bring into account here too is that in JuJu’s two full seasons played, he garnered 166 targets in 2018, as well as 128 in 2020. We can’t anticipate that he’ll play a full 17-game slate this year, but for the sake of this exercise let’s assume that he will.

Considering Smith-Schuster averaged 147 targets in those two seasons, as well as Hill receiving 130 or more in three of the last four seasons, it’s safe to say he should get anywhere from 120-150 this coming year. Maybe he won’t be able to take the top off the defense the way Hill did, but JuJu does figure to be a sure-handed target for Mahomes.

I’m predicting that Smith-Schuster will go from anywhere between 75-90 catches and he should be hovering near the 1,000-yard mark. The touchdown numbers do figure to be the most unpredictable here. JuJu has scored seven or more TDs on three occasions in his career, including a career-best nine in 2020. But in his two injury-riddled campaigns (2019, 2021) he combined for three scores in 17 games.

But I think this is where the Mahomes effect takes place. Since taking over for Alex Smith full-time in 2018, the Texas Tech product has more TD passes (151) and passing yards (18,707) than any other signal caller. So Smith-Schuster figures to get a boost playing with the best QB he ever has, sorry Big Ben.

So I’m predicting JuJu goes for an 89-catch, 1,061-yard, eight-TD stat line. Those numbers put him in the WR2 category amongst the top fantasy wideouts. This should put him in the range of players like Keenan Allen, Christian Kirk, Amari Cooper (figuring Deshaun Watson gets suspended), as well as Jaylen Waddle, who figures to come down from some of his 2021 numbers with Hill’s arrival.

I figure that Smith-Schuster will be the Chiefs’ 1B behind Kelce due to the other receivers on the roster. And unless the Chiefs draft another viable receiver with one of their massive load of 12 picks, the only other KC wideout that should challenge him for targets will be Mecole Hardman, who’s coming off a career-best 693 yards and 59 catches. He has not received 100 targets yet (83 in 2021) but he should creep towards that mark in 2022.

But he is still not the receiver that Smith-Schuster is. And even though he’s a more natural fit in the offense, JuJu’s skill set is something that KC showed it could evolve to if pushed to do so, like it was last season.

The post What is JuJu’s fantasy outlook with the Kansas City Chiefs after the Tyreek Hill trade? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Khari Demos

And just like that, the AFC West might be the best division in the NFL. I mean, maybe even ever. Just look at how deep the division is at quarterback alone.

Absolute superstars, Pro Bowlers, and dare I say multiple Hall of Fame-level players. Russell Wilson was brought in to revive the Broncos. Justin Herbert seems poised to take the crown with the Chargers. Patrick Mahomes has had it since starting in 2018. And don’t forget the tough-as-nails Derek Carr, who just got his best friend to join him in supreme wideout Davante Adams.

So the only thing to do was to build elite pass-rushing units to stop them. First LA traded for 2016 Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack. Then Denver stole away Randy Gregory from the Cowboys. KC was able to bring back Frank Clark to play next to three-time Pro Bowler Chris Jones. Then it was Chandler Jones, as he joined the silver and black in Las Vegas ”” just days after the Raiders inked Maxx Crosby to a $94 million extension.

Things got spooky there over night. There are so many names of note here and they all should be feared. But who has the best duo to get after the QB? Here’s how I’ve got them ranked:

4. Denver Broncos

While I do like Gregory and all the talent he possesses, I’m not too sure if his $70 million price tag isn’t a little rich. In five seasons played (across seven years, due to suspensions), the Nebraska product has never topped more than six sacks in a season. In 2021, he had career-highs with 17 QB hits and 29 total pressures.

I know stats don’t mean everything, but it’s hard to ignore Gregory’s lack thereof. He might be more of a presence than the numbers would show, but he also should be producing similarly to players in his pay range. Gregory’s average annual salary ($14 million) is just behind Danielle Hunter ($14.4 million) and right above Yannick Ngakoue ($13 million).

Ngakoue has had six seasons with eight or more sacks in his career, while Hunter has gone for six or more in each of his six seasons, including three seasons with 12.5 or more. Gregory, on the other hand, tied a career-best with six last season. Gregory could argue for being a more complete player than Ngakoue, but he has not been nearly as consistent as Hunter, even after he missed 10 games last season.

Now Gregory’s new pass-rushing partner, Bradley Chubb, is an extremely talented player in his own right. The 2018 first-round pick came out blazing hot to start his career, tallying 12 sacks as a rookie. After tearing his ACL in 2019, Chubb put together a Pro Bowl 2020 campaign where he recorded 7.5 sacks, 19 QB hits and 34 pressures.

But the injury bug bit Chubb again in 2021, as he missed 10 games due to an ankle injury.

As consistent of a performer as the NC State product is on the field, his availability has hampered his status ”” since 2019, Chubb has played 23 games for an average of 7.67 per season. So health permitting, Chubb could build a great tandem with Gregory. But thinking about their lack of availability ”” Gregory has only played in 22 games since 2019 ”” this unit may have the most question marks coming in.

3. Kansas City Chiefs

The KC pass rush starts and ends with Jones, as he’s posted four straight seasons at 7.5 sacks or more. In fact, amongst all players since 2018, the three-time All-Pro ranks fourth in the NFL in terms of sacks. Jones’ 41 trail only Aaron Donald (59), Myles Garrett (51.5), and Cameron Jordan (47.5) in that span.

That type of production is unique, especially for a defensive tackle. The former Mississippi State Bulldog only trails Donald in terms of sacks from players at the position since ’18. Jones is also the king of pushing the pocket from the interior ”” not only does he have 29 career pass deflections, Jones has totaled 154 pressures since 2018 as well.

But as a DT, Jones needed a formidable counterpart with him on the edge. Enter Clark, as he’s made three consecutive Pro Bowls since coming in from Seattle. Now he may not have the sack totals (18.5 since 2019), but his pressure rates overall are tremendously high.

With 46 QB hits over the past three seasons, Clark has also compiled 81 total pressures in that stretch. But the Michigan product really turned up the heat in postseason play ”” while with the Chiefs, Clark recorded a sack in five of his first six playoff games for a total of eight.

But both Clark and Jones had their struggles last postseason, as they both were held sackless in games against the Steelers, Bills, and Bengals. Ironically, Jones has yet to earn a postseason sack throughout his career.

Jones may be one of the top DTs overall in the league, and Clark may be one of the biggest disruptors in the game coming off the edge. But being able to send double teams Jones’ way inside, and Clark’s inability to top double-digit sacks since 2018, this duo does seem to have a bit of a ceiling in terms of being the go-to pass rush in the division.

2. Las Vegas Raiders

Jones and Crosby, in my opinion, bring the most flash as a tandem. Mad Maxx is coming off his first All-Pro selection this season, as he netted eight sacks, 30 QB hits, 19 QB knockdowns, and 42 total pressures.

The 2021 season may have been a coming out party for Crosby nationally, but he’s been superb throughout his Raiders tenure. He’s recorded seven or more sacks in each of his three seasons, as well as 31 or more total pressures in each of those seasons. Not to make light of the situation, but that’s amazing considering the struggles Crosby had with his addiction early on in the league.

For Jones, he was stellar in Arizona once again ”” with 10.5 sacks in 2021, the Syracuse product recorded his seventh double-digit sack season in his career. Jones also added 26 QB hits, 17 QB knockdowns, and 36 total pressures.

Not to hate on a player I have rooted for as a native of Western New York personally (just down the road from his home of Rochester), but Jones’ 2021 season is a bit inflated with the sack numbers. You must remember, the four-time Pro Bowler registered five against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1, so that means he had 5.5 in his final 14 games played.

And that’s not to diminish him for his ’21 season, that’s just the facts of the matter. Maybe this was a byproduct of Haason Reddick joining the Panthers last season. But that’s definitely not a sight you like to see for a player who’s entering the twilight of his career at age 32.

I struggled so much with this one so much because I believe so much in this duo. Ironically, I think what held me back from making them #1 was because I think they’re more complete, dominant edge players, rather than just elite in the pass rush part of things. Yes, they both are known to get after QBs, but I believe their biggest strengths show in the run game as well.

So with that being said, we have our last duo to crown.

1. Los Angeles Chargers

Bosa and Mack have the potential to be one of the greatest edge rushing duos ever. Bosa tallied 10.5 sacks last season, the fourth time he’s gone for double-digits in his six career seasons. The two seasons he didn’t? He was on pace to do so, but he missed 15 total games of action to slow him down a bit (2018, 2020).

The Ohio State product has been downright scary over the past three seasons ”” since 2019, Bosa has posted 54, 45, and 43 pressures in those respective campaigns.

Now comes in Mack, a four-time All-Pro and 2010s All-Decade performer. From 2015-20, Mack had 8.5 sacks or more in each season, including a career-high 15 in 2015. That streak ended in 2021, but the numbers lie a bit on that.

Mack only totaled six sacks on the season, but he did that in only seven games played after going through foot surgery in November. My former UB teammate also wrecked havoc in terms of pressures before the ’21 campaign, posting 47, 45, and 31 in 2018, 2019, and 2020, respectively.

The case I really want to make for these two is that they’ve played some of their best ball when they had another formidable rusher with them. Whether it was Mack having 21.5 sacks in 2016 and 2017 playing across from Bruce Irvin, or his 12.5 with a healthy Akiem Hicks inside in Chicago in 2018, as well as Bosa’s 47.5 sacks in his first five seasons playing the opposite side of Melvin Ingram, the numbers bear proof.

So I’m taking the tandem that has a former NFL DPOY and has combined for 10 Pro Bowl selections. There’s a lot of different ways you can look at this argument, but Mack and Bosa seem to be just a notch above when it comes to getting after QBs, in my opinion.

But above all, we get to watch them all chase Russ, Herbert, Carr, and Mahomes all season. Man oh man, get your popcorn ready.

The post Ranking the pass rushing duos in the AFC West appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Khari Demos

On arguably the toughest day in franchise history, the Seattle Seahawks parted ways with first Russell Wilson, then Bobby Wagner, on March 8. Those two moves marked the end of an era, as they were the last two Seahawks from the team’s Super Bowl XLVIII victory to close the 2013 NFL season.

The Wilson trade almost seemed inevitable ”” just a year after Russ’s camp released a list of teams he’d prefer to be sent to if he were to be traded. The move with Wagner came out of the left field. I mean even for Wagner, the move even caught him by surprise.

How could Seattle let that happen? The franchise’s all-time leading tackler, a team co-captain, and one of the cornerstones for a team that played in back-to-back Super Bowls. The Seahawks should have done better. So now a soon-to-be 32-year-old Wagner will hit free agency for the first time and he’ll have a huge chip on his shoulder. Coming off a second-team All-Pro selection (his eighth consecutive All-Pro nod) and his eighth straight Pro Bowl campaign in 2021, Wagner compiled a career-high 170 tackles last season.

There’s no question Wagner has built up a case for the Hall of Fame already in his 10 NFL seasons. But how does he rank all-time amongst the game’s best middle linebackers?

According to Pro Football Reference’s Pro Football ILB Hall of Fame Monitor, Wagner is currently 10th on the list with a career score of 101.33, as the average HOF score is said to be 109. The top 10 on that list are also the only MLBs in NFL history that have compiled a score of 100 or more. There are only four players above him on the list that have not made the HOF yet, but they all figure to do so ”” Zach Thomas, Brian Urlacher, Luke Kuechly, and Patrick Willis.

Also of note, Wagner is one of only five players within that top 10 that has won a Super Bowl.

Despite only playing 10 seasons thus far, Wagner’s six first-team All-Pro selections (he also has two second-team selections) are tied with Pittsburgh’s Jack Lambert for second-most all-time for an MLB, trailing only Ray Lewis and Mike Singletary who each have seven, respectively. His eight Pro Bowl selections are tied for the fourth-highest MLB total of all-time, as he’s matched Urlacher, Dick Butkus, Nick Buoniconti, and Willie Lanier.

Two of the coolest stat rankings, in my opinion, for Wagner are his combined tackles and QB hits. Coming in at third all-time with 78 QB hits, the Utah State product only needs 20 more to surpass Ahmad Brooks for the most ever for an MLB since it became a stat in 2006. As for the combined tackles, he’s already ninth all-time with 1,383, as he’s one of three players to rank inside the top 10 that has played no more than 10 seasons, joining Kyle Clifton and Chris Spielman.

Moving up on the all-time tackles list should not be a problem for Wagner. Averaging 138.3 tackles per season, if Wagner were to hit that average mark next season he’d place himself sixth all-time ahead of Clifton and right behind Hardy Nickerson (1,586). And if he keeps on this pace, Wagner should be a top-five tackler of all-time before the end of the 2023 season.

Now let’s get into some comparisons. As an NFL 2010s All-Decade performer, let’s start with the team’s other MLBs, Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis. One thing to keep in mind with both Kuechly and Willis is that their careers were cut short ”” both players only stuck out in the league for eight seasons.

Let’s start with Kuechly vs. Wagner. The former Carolina Panther superstar did win the 2012 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award over Wagner, but he also has a nod over Wagner by claiming the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year, an honor Wagner has yet to achieve. Wagner does, however, have more All-Pro nods (8 total vs. 7 total).

With Wagner having outplayed Kuechly for 33 more games, it’s hard to evaluate some raw totals. Wagner wins the combine tackles (1,383 vs. 1,092), sacks (23.5 vs. 12.5), defensive touchdowns (3 vs. 1), and in QB hits (78 vs. 31). But Kuechly was much more of a ballhawk, surpassing Wagner in picks (18 vs. 11), pass deflections (66 vs. 60), as well as in tackles for loss (75 vs. 68). Both players tied with nine career fumble recoveries and they both led the NFL in tackles twice each.

Now looking at the Willis vs. Wagner debate, the former played in even fewer games than Kuechly (112 total, 39 fewer than Wagner). Wagner’s eight All-Pro nods outpaced Willis’ six total (5 first-team, 1 second-team), and his eight Pro Bowls were one more than Willis’ seven, but it’s almost unfair to pit the two against each in raw totals. Wagner’s career numbers are higher than Willis in the categories of combined tackles, INTs, pass deflections, sacks, TFLs, QB hits, and defensive TDs. But amazingly, Willis does have the advantage in forced fumbles, edging Wagner by a margin of 16-6.

Willis also matched Wagner by leading the league in tackles on two separate occasions.

Now another MLB I believe Wagner stacks up to comparatively is a fellow All-Decade performer, and that’s 2000s selection, Zach Thomas. Most known for his tenure with the Miami Dolphins, Thomas also led the league in tackles twice (2002, 2006). Wagner’s eight All-Pros are just one more than Thomas’ seven (5 first-team, 2 second-team). Wagner also has the edge in Pro Bowls over Thomas, coming in at an 8-7 margin.

Thomas has played a few more games than Wagner (184 vs. 151), and the latter had that advantage in the other comparisons. Thomas has a clear lead in tackles with his 1,734 combined total (fourth-most ever), but he also takes it with INTs (17 vs. 11), forced fumbles (16 vs. 6) and tackles for loss (74 vs. 68) even though that did not become a stat until Thomas’ fourth year in the league. Wagner has outperformed Thomas in some areas though too, including in sacks (23.5 vs. 20.5), fumble recoveries (9 vs. 8), and pass deflections (60 vs. 48), although it must be noted that PDs were not a stat until Thomas’ fourth year as well.

Another name that I want to compare Wagner to is Thomas’ fellow 2000s All-Decade MLB, Brian Urlacher. In a dominant career with the Chicago Bears, the former New Mexico Lobo tied Wagner with eight Pro Bowl selections and was named the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Urlacher does hold the DPOY over Wagner, but his five All-Pro nods (4 first-team, 1 second-team) just fall short of the former ‘Hawk’s total.

This may be the most back-and-forth debate of them all. Wagner outpaced Urlacher in terms of seasons leading the league in tackles (2 vs. 1) and has more career tackles (1,383 vs. 1,361), despite playing in 31 fewer games. But Urlacher has the advantage in INTs (22 vs. 11), fumble recoveries (16 vs. 9), forced fumbles (11 vs. 6) pass deflections (90 vs. 60), defensive TDs (4 vs. 3), and TFLs (138 vs. 68).

All of these figures are great, but one that was not mentioned was playoff statistics. All the players mentioned above were tremendous, but they may not stack up to Wagner here. The former Seahawk has 153 combined tackles in the postseason, the second-most in NFL history only behind Lewis (218).

Overall historically, Wagner would need two more first-team All-Pro selections to tie Bruce Smith, Lawrence Taylor, Joe Schmidt, and Bill George for the most ever for a player that plays defense primarily (8). In terms of active players, only the great Aaron Donald (7) has more first-team nods than Wagner.

So it’s safe to say Wagner should end up with a gold jacket once he hangs up the helmet. But the question now will be what team will he be adding to his HOF resume with next season?

The post Is Bobby Wagner a future Hall of Famer? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Khari Demos

There’s no denying the pure talent and production Kyle Hamilton has. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, the former Golden Domer helped Notre Dame get to the College Football Playoffs as a sophomore during a first-team All-ACC season, then was named a Consensus All-American in 2021. In 31 career games, Hamilton piled up eight interceptions and 16 passes defended.

His range and explosion are a rare blend for a player of his size. Hamilton is far and away considered the top defensive back in the class, as he patrols the secondary as a do-it-all safety. Whether it’s coming downhill in the run game, or covering the back end from sideline to sideline, he has a similar skill set and frame to All-Pros Derwin James and Kam Chancellor.

Then he went to the NFL Combine and showed out. The soon-to-be 21-year-old leaped with a 38-inch vertical, measured 10-feet, 11-inches in the broad jump, as well-timed at 6.90 in the three-cone drill and 4.59 in the 40-yard dash. When a player with elite tape couples that with elite physical tools, you have the makings of a can’t miss prospect. Hamilton is a true prototype player and projects as a safety that can move fluidly in many assignments throughout a defensive backfield.

But the issue for Hamilton in this draft class comes down to value; playing a role on the field that is considered lower in positional value (safety), the Notre Dame product is not a lock to go within the top five because of it. A team like the Detroit Lions, however, should at least ponder over bringing in a player who could be a plug-and-play starter and Pro Bowler.

During Dan Campbell’s first year at the helm, the Lions showed progress but ultimately finished at the bottom of the NFC at 3-13-1. Posting the 29th overall defense in the league last season, Detroit also ranked 24th in pass D, tied for the third-most TD passes allowed, and tied for the fifth-least picks in the NFL.

The Lions did have solid safety play from Tracy Walker last season, but he’s set to hit free agency next week. The team’s other starting safety, Will Harris, is still under contract but he is coming off a rough go in 2021 (42.6 PFF grade). So if selected, Hamilton could upgrade the secondary in an immediate fashion.

Detroit has been trying to figure out its secondary for some time now. The Lions traded former All-Pro Darius Slay in 2020, then took Ohio State corner Jeff Okudah with the No. 3 pick that same year. But through two NFL seasons, the former Buckeye has struggled on the field and has only played in 10 games. Even more directly at Hamilton’s position, the Lions also traded safety Quandre Diggs to Seattle in ’20, and he’s picked up two Pro Bowl selections since then.

And let’s be honest, who would you even consider Detroit’s best defensive player? Amani Oruwariye? Alex Anzalone? Trey Flowers? Charles Harris is coming off a 7.5-sack season, but he too will be heading to the free-agent market. The Lions need an absolute difference maker on D and selecting Hamilton could bring in that caliber of player.

It will be a major move if Detroit selects Hamilton at No. 2. The highest a safety has gone in recent years was when the Jets picked Jamal Adams No. 6 overall in 2017, and the last to go top five was Eric Berry in 2010. And historically, only two others (Eric Turner at No. 3 in 1991, Sean Taylor at No. 5 in 2004) have gone in the top five. Those are some great names to be in conversation with, and Hamilton deserves to be in the same breath as them as the next great safety prospect.

There could be a push to add edge rushers, Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux, especially for the former as a Michigan native that dominated just 45 minutes away in Ann Arbor as a Wolverine last fall. And I’m sure as a former tight end Campbell would love to add a presence in the trenches. But Hamilton, in my opinion, is an even more coveted prospect, so the Lions should seriously mull overtaking the ND product.

The post Why the Lions really need to draft Kyle Hamilton appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Khari Demos

The Miami Dolphins always seem to be an intriguing place for evaluating quarterbacks. With the selection of former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft, it looked like the Dolphins had found their next best thing under center since Dan Marino.

But after two seasons, the jury may still be out on Tua. By comparison to his fellow 2020 draft mates, Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow are considered to be in the elite QB club. Herbert was the 2020 NFL Rookie of the Year and followed that up with a Pro Bowl selection in 2021, while Burrow just led Cincinnati back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1988 season.

Meanwhile, for Tua, he’s had far more struggles and had similar numbers this season to players who may be considered lesser at the position.

But even with all the smoke and rumors about Tua, the Dolphins have brought in head coach Mike McDaniel, who similarly to owner Stephen Ross, has vowed to help get the best out of the southpaw QB. Just take a look at what the new HC said about Tua on Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine:

“I’m really excited moving forward because the guy has some skills that I think are untapped. I think it’s important that you empower the quarterback with the rest of the players around him and the scheme you bring forth. So, I think his best days are in front of him. And that’s a really cool piece of the process to be part of as a coach.”

Tua’s subtle athletic ability should fit well in McDaniel’s zone-run, bootleg-based system. The 38-year-old coach comes from the Shanahan coaching tree, having worked under both Mike and Kyle throughout his career. The movement and misdirection should work well for Tua as he enters Year 3.

So who should Miami target to back him up? I like it when teams add players who have similar skillsets to their starters, as well as guys who may have played under a coach before or in a similar scheme.

Also to consider, Chris Streveler is the team’s only other QB under contract for 2022, as the Dolphins enter free agency with a league-high $61. 2 million in cap space, according to Spotrac. Plus, with Tua’s injury history that includes a fractured hip at ‘Bama, as well as missing four games this past season, Miami needs a viable backup just in case he misses anymore action.

With all things considered, here are three names the Dolphins should highly consider bringing to their QB room.

Tyrod Taylor

One of the more experienced QBs on the market, Taylor no question fits the same mold as a player like Tua. Not only does he have high-level athleticism for the position, running a lot of play-action and boot game will be similar to what he did while in Buffalo. His 1,575 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns helped the Bills finish as a top-five rushing team twice in his three years as a starter, including his 2015 season where he was a Pro Bowl alternate.

Last season also showed that Taylor can still play, even in a limited fashion. Even with what many considered arguably the worst roster in football with the Houston Texans, the Virginia Tech product had a strong showing in a Week 1 smackdown of the Jacksonville Jaguars, before going 10 for 11 in Week 2 against the Cleveland Browns before injuring his hamstring.

Once healthy, Taylor then helped Houston knock off the AFC’s eventual No. 1-seed in the Tennessee Titans in Week 11.

Similar to Tua, Taylor’s biggest issue seems to be health, as he’s missed action in three of the last four seasons. But that’s why he could make the perfect backup for Tua and something else to consider with Taylor is his recent history with young QBs.

Whether it was Herbert, Baker Mayfield, or Davis Mills last season, Taylor has been more mentor than impact player over the last few seasons. He did have his days in the sun leading Buffalo back to the playoffs in 2017, but his days as a starting QB are likely behind him.

But as a QB with a dual-threat skill set and prior experience as a starter in the NFL? That sounds like the perfect type of backup for a young signal-caller.

Colt McCoy

The former Texas Longhorn QB has had more downs than ups throughout his NFL career, but the 2021 campaign was his best yet, as he helped the Arizona Cardinals go 2-1 in a stretch without Kyler Murray. Even in a small sample size, his 101.4 passer rating, 54.5 QBR and 74.7% completion rate were some of the best marks of his career.

His best showing of the year came in a Week 11 win over Seattle. McCoy went 35 for 44 with 328 passing yards and two TDs.

So like Taylor, McCoy’s undersized stature (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) and movement ability would not only present similarly to Tua’s, but would also fit perfectly in McDaniel’s spin on the Shanahan system. The biggest issue here may be Arizona letting McCoy walk, as the Cardinals have noted how crucial it’ll be to bring him back for his 12th NFL season.

Marcus Mariota

This might be the zestiest name of the group for several reasons. First off, there’s still a lot of high hopes for a player that was selected No. 2 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

Another dual-threat player at QB, Mariota could also be a fit for McDaniel’s system with his ability to roll out and get the ball out in a West Coast scheme. The former Oregon Ducks QB rushed for over 300 yards on three occasions as a Tennessee Titan.

But over the last three seasons, the 28-year-old has not put much tread on his tires, as he’s only played in 18 games since 2019 (including six starts). Things did not end well for the 2014 Heisman Trophy Winner in Nashville, so he had to find a different role in a different place, eventually landing with Las Vegas to back up Derek Carr.

Mariota did not see much action during his time with the Raiders, but he drew a ton of buzz for his performance against the Dolphins late in the 2020 season after Carr bowed out due to injury.

I think one other very underrated factor here is Mariota and Tua’s relationship. As two Hawaiian born signal callers, it has been stated how much the Dolphins’ starting QB has looked up to Mariota over the years, so there’d be a natural, mutual respect if he were to come to Miami.

So that may give the Dolphins an upper hand in terms of signing Mariota. But what could be the biggest roadblock for this deal is his desire to return to the starting QB ranks in the league. Here’s what he said during training camp last year in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Adam Hill.

“Absolutely,” Mariota said when asked if he keeps an eye on other QB situations throughout the NFL. “It is my goal (to be a starter), so I do keep tabs on what’s going on. For us as players, it’s kind of important to see what the landscape is. That being said, I enjoy this team. It’s a great organization to play for.”

That may be the biggest issue here for Miami. But if the Dolphins are able to convince Mariota to mentor a player in Tua that he’s mentored since the latter was in fourth grade, they could have a great QB insurance policy on their hands down in South Beach.

The post 3 veteran QBs the Dolphins should target this offseason appeared first on Pro Football Mania.