By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Deforest Buckner (who could also play Amleth in The Northman) made first-team All-Pro in 2020 & garnered a Pro Bowl nod last season. He sincerely has been a crucial member of the Colts defense and a well-respected defender around the league.

However, chunks of the 2021 season and 2022 have told a different tale about his worth on the Colts squad (as he hasn’t ousted a QB hit or sack in 2022 thus far). Furthermore, he holds an average salary of $21 million dollars per season. With that said, it has been speculated that Indy may ship away the Colts DT. Hence, I’m going to untwine several potential trade destinations for Deforest Buckner.

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos need more guns (not from Nicholas Cage) if they want to thrive in the cruelest NFL division (AFC West). They have the resources (fourth most cap space) & a need for more muscle on their defensive front. DEN brought over Randy Gregory to join Bradley Chubb, but Buckner would still be the most dominant DL on their team.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Let’s face it — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all in on Tom Brady’s likely last season in the league. It may be wise for the Brady bunch to acquire a large profile, such as DEFO. I am a big fan of the current talent on the Bucs defensive front: Shaq Barrett (aka Shaq Attack), Vita Vea, Joe Tryon, Lavonte David, and Akiem Hicks. It would be quite scary for opposing QBs if the Bucs brought in Buckner.

Los Angeles Rams

“The Joker’s got no rules”

Sean McVay and Les Snead have managed to bring in freak profiles in each of the past few seasons. They have a defense that showcases Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, and Leonard Floyd. Of course, they’ve had great success when pairing Donald with an elite DL (whether it was Von Miller or Ndamukong Suh). I’d love to see the Rams be aggressive to land the Colts DT.

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are riding high after starting 2-0 & Mike McDaniel truly won’t take his foot off the pedal. The Phins inked the veteran Melvin Ingram this off-season, but I’d still like to see them acquire a shiny toy for their front seven. Buckner may be a significant difference maker for the Phins battles against the Buffalo Bills.

New York Jets

I would really like to see the New York Jets make a move for DEFO. Buckner and Quinnen Williams would be a mighty DT duo, to say the least. The Jets also have a dangerous group of weapons on offense — which is arguably led by rookie WR Garrett Wilson (8 catches for 102 yards and 2 TDs in Week 2).

The post 5 potential trade destinations for Deforest Buckner appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Indianapolis Colts defense had a modest 2021 outing (21st in touchdowns allowed and 10th in rushing YPG allowed), but they certainly had a couple of weaknesses. The Colts ranked 18th in passing yards per game and 25th in sacks. With that said, they should absolutely feel more comfortable with their pass defense and pass-rushing ability than in 2021.

The Colts brought in the explosive edge rusher Yannick Ngakouye, who registered 10 sacks and 23 QB hits with the Raiders last season. Ngakoyue and Deforest Buckner should be a cream of the crop DE-DT tandem. Buckner earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2021 and garnered All-Pro honors in 2020. PFF also gave him a nice 71.9 grade for his performance a season ago.

The 2021 first-round pick Kwity Paye should also blossom in his sophomore season (4 sacks, 10 QB hits, and 3 TFLs in 2021). Nick Shook of NFL.com believes that Paye will benefit from Ngakoyue and Buckner on the same DL — which should propel him to snag his first Pro Bowl spot in 2022. Paye and the rest of the impressive Colts pass rushers should benefit from an improved Colts passing offense with Matt Ryan. Matty Ice should surely force opponents to try and keep pace with him, so the Colts pass rush will have countless opportunities to pin their ears back against opposing QBs.

The Colts pass rush in 2022 will glow up from their 2021 pass-rushing force, but their secondary could be the unit that improves the most from last season. I loved the addition of Stephon Gilmore — who is still a very good football player. The former DPOY had a quality grade (77.1) by PFF. Gilmore can absolutely be the x-factor against AFC juggernaut teams that have top-end WRs.

The Colts will reap lots of benefits from new faces on their defense, but they will also anticipate growth from Darius Leonard. The Colts OLB is coming off his best season and third All-Pro season. He recorded 8 FFs, 4 Ints, and 122 combined tackles. He will try and defy the thought that a pure OLB in a 4-3 can’t win DPOY.

The spotlight in Indy could be on the 2016 MVP Matt Ryan and the Top-5 RB Jonathan Taylor, but the Colts defense can certainly be stingy and able to help the Colts be strong AFC contenders sooner than thought.

The post Why the Colts defense will really improve in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons released Dante Fowler Jr. and it’s clear that Fowler Jr. has had a disappointing career after being selected third overall in the 2015 NFL draft. The former Top 3 draft pick had a career season in 2019 as a Los Angeles Ram, as he recorded 11.5 sacks. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to reclaim stardom in 2020 (3 sacks) or 2021 (4.5 sacks).

Fowler Jr. didn’t live up to his three year, $45 million dollar contract, but the Falcons are also striving to open up lots of cap space. They hold a talented quarterback in Matt Ryan who will be the NFL’s highest paid player this offseason. The Falcons could decide to free up cap space, restructure Ryan’s deal, and be contempt with keeping him.

The next chapter of Fowler’s journey won’t be on the Falcons, nonetheless. The 27 year old will be on the search for a new home. Fowler Jr. may be we wise to chase a prove it deal with a talented team. With that said, what are the top landing spots for Fowler Jr.? Well, here are a few teams that would make a ton of sense to ink the former Falcon.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs and AFC West champions need more juice from their pass rush. Melvin Ingram (1 sack in 2021) is not the partner in crime Chris Jones deserves. The soon to be 33-year-old edge rusher is also facing free agency in 2022. The Chiefs will likely not have the money to strike big on Von Miller or Chandler Jones (20th in cap space), but they could have a great value player in the former Top 3 draft pick.

Fowler Jr. would have plenty of opportunities to chase QBs that are forced to match points with Patrick Mahomes. He would also have a lot of opportunities playing next to Chris Jones and it’s safe to say that Fowler played at his best next to the elite Aaron Donald in LA.

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley was Dante Fowler Jr.’s coach in Jacksonville, so he has strong familiarity and interest in the FA edge rusher. Bradley could really use pass rush help on his team that ranked 26th in sacks last season and 17th in passing YPG allowed. DeForest Buckner (7 sacks in 2021) needs more explosion next to him.

The Colts could look at pass rush help next to Kwity Paye (four sacks in 2021) and Al-Quadin Muhammed (six sacks in 2021) this offseason. The Colts are also seventh in cap space, so they could really afford to take a sharp look at Fowler Jr. and other free agents of interest.

Los Angeles Rams

The LA Rams could call their ex-pass rusher and see if he wants to return to Sean McVay’s lab and chase another Super Bowl trophy. Fowler Jr. could return to the dreamy city and really aim to build off an impressive Rams tenure. The Rams could lose free agent Von Miller (two sacks in Super Bowl LVI/115.5 career sacks) this offseason. It would seem like a smart fit for Fowler Jr. to fill in the shoes of Miller and return to wrecking havoc next to Aaron Donald.

The Rams present a strong destination to Fowler due to the familiarity aspect, fit, and winning attitude that attracts any professional football player.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints are honestly in cap hell, but I love the idea of Fowler Jr. playing in New Orleans. They have Tonah Kpassagnon behind Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport, but I believe the ceiling of Fowler Jr. is too tempting for Mickey Loomis to overlook.

The insanely talented and injury prone Davenport will be a pricey free agent in 2023 and the regular Pro Bowl Jordan will be 33 years old this offseason. They lost Trey Hendrickson to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021, so the three headed monster broke up. Fowler Jr. wouldn’t only help the Saints create a lethal pass rushing combination, but he could very likely be a long term starter in New Orleans. If Fowler Jr. has a modest season, they could elect to not bring back Davenport in 2023, or cut ties with Jordan in 2023. In reality, the cap-strapped Saints will have to get creative with free agent targets this offseason. Fowler Jr. could be a fantastic addition, as they look to win a Super Bowl with their many stars in their prime together.

Honorable mentions:

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders were sixth in passing YPG in 2021, but 21st in sacks last season. They need more help with from Mad Max (Maxx Crosby) and Yannick Ngakoue. Crosby and Ngakoue are also free agents in 2023. It would seem unlikely that they can afford both pass rushers will should likely demand monster deals. They could be excited about the possibility of adding a talented and highly motivated Fowler Jr. on a short term deal. It would be a lower risk and cheaper acquisition from Josh McDaniel’s view.

The Raiders play Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert four in four matchups a season for a long time. They could have Fowler Jr. helping their pass rush get more takedowns on the young quarterbacks if he turns around his performance in 2022.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The 2021 Defensive Player of The Year T.J. Watt showed that even he needs more help to slow down Patrick Mahomes in the playoffs. The Steelers got poured on by Mahomes in both matchups this past season. The KC Chiefs beat the Steelers 36-10 in their first regular season matchup and then continued their dominance in the second battle royal, as they won 42-21 in the wildcard weekend.

The Steelers are ranked 10th in cap space (roughly $31 million), so they can get creative with targeting a much needed QB and pass rush help opposite Watt. If they don’t bring back JuJu Smith Schuster, they could especially target a defender in the front seven. Fowler Jr. would have to be mouth watering at the idea of playing across from Watt and Cameron Heyward on the inside. The Steelers won’t be an ideal landing spot for some of top free agents at pass rusher or any position, but they could benefit from talent profiles on prove it deals.

The post Dante Fowler Jr. released: Top destinations for Fowler Jr. appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Steph Sanchez

Due to the circumstances, Javon Kinlaw’s career may always be connected to DeForest Buckner. When the 49ers traded DeForest Bucker in March of 2020, it sent shockwaves throughout the league. Buckner had just completed his best season to date on the wave of the team’s Super Bowl birth. 

When the decision on who to extend came down to Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner, no one really expected the team to part ways with Buckner. However, making the money work was an issue. Buckner, being as impressive as he was, would demand top DE money. 

The 49ers are not averse to dishing out top dollar for top talent. But they spend their money meticulously and with eyes on the long term. So while they could have technically made a Buckner extension work, they would be strapped for cash for years to come with extensions for George Kittle, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa coming up.

That’s when the 49ers decided to trade DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in March of 2020, at the height of his career. The 49ers received a first-round pick in exchange for Buckner. 

Many 49ers fans were livid. The immediate reaction was that the 49ers made the wrong move. First round picks are great if you make the right pick with them. The pressure was immediately on for the 49ers to pick an absolute game changer. Even if it wasn’t reasonable, fans wanted a Buckner replacement to be at his level. Anything less would be a mistake.

The 49ers selected DT Javon Kinlaw with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 draft. It was clear that this kid was a baller but immediately people reviewed the pick through a certain lens: Is Javon Kinlaw a better prospect than DeForest Buckner? Hard to say so early but it seemed Kinlaw would have to go above and beyond to escape Buckner’s shadow.

The 6-foot-5, 324 pound Kinlaw had an impressive resume coming out of college. He finished a First-Team All American who tallied 82 total tackles, 17 for loss, 10 total sacks, 3 force fumbles, and 8 passes defended. It was clear right off the bat that Kinlaw had proven to be an impactful player before. It wasn’t crazy to think that he could step up into a similar role in the NFL and yield similar results.

The elephant in the room would remain, however. We can imagine the immense pressure that Kinlaw felt before even stepping into the 49ers facility. He knew he would not only be entering a new environment but one where he is expected to eventually fill the void of Buckner. He was expected to prove that he was the right move. The reports out of Kinlaw’s first camp were all positive and it did not seem as if the pressure would hinder his performance. 

As the long awaited and anticipated season began to get underway, injuries to the defense mounted. The biggest hit to the defense and Kinlaw’s growth may have been Nick Bosa who went down in Week 2. Bosa’s presence makes everything a bit easier for the rest of the defensive line as he garners a lot of attention from the offensive line. Buckner was a force in his own right, however, it can’t be overstated the impact that Bosa and even Dee Ford had on freeing things up for him. Kinlaw could have benefited from the same but it would not happen in his rookie season.

The defense still found a way to flash, including Kinlaw. He finished his rookie season with 19 total pressures, and 2 sacks on 341 pass rush snaps. He also made an impact in the run game with 20 stops. He showed he can do things on his own and help his teammates make plays with 24 total tackles and 8 assists.  Stats alone won’t tell the full story but having watched every game, you can see Kinlaw become more and more comfortable with himself, with the scheme, and with the level of competition with each week. So when you consider Kinlaw as a rookie, he did a great job and 49ers fans have plenty to look forward to as he continues to develop. He was no Buckner right off the bat but it’s important to remember that neither was Bucker. In fact, in Kinlaw’s first NFL game vs Cardinals, he was graded 81.4 by PFF. Buckner’s best rookie grade also just so happened to be 81.4. If PFF scores are any indication of what’s to come, Kinlaw is heading in the right direction.

With another year under his belt (and an offseason of hunting and eating squirrels), you have to feel good about Kinlaw having a potential breakout year. The 49ers defensive line bolstered their depth this offseason with the additions of Maurice Hurst, Arden Key and Zach Kerr. This will allow for a solid rotation that will help keep the line fresh. This will ultimately benefit every defensive lineman. It also gives first year defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans a full arsenal of players to execute his more “aggressive” scheme. 

The return of Nick Bosa should also do wonders for the line. Even if Bosa isn’t 100% back to his rookie form, he will garner enough attention to provide opportunities for Kinlaw and others. 

While we’ve been conditioned to no longer expect Dee Ford to be available, we have heard good things about his rehab this offseason. It sounds like he can contribute even if only a few pass rushing snaps a game. While it may not seem like much, it’s more support than Kinlaw had last season and I fully expect the 6’5” 319 pound pro to take advantage. 

With more experience, confidence and better supporting cast, the stars are aligning for Kinlaw to have a breakout year. Kris Kocurek and DeMeco Ryans will put him in winning situations. Opposing offensive lines will have their hands full with a stacked 49ers defensive front

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