By: Jake Rajala

The former Green Bay Packers cornerback Kevin King plans to skip the 2022 season and return in 2023, per Pro Football Rumors. If King uses this time to get sharper and stronger, he could be a great value pick-up for a squad.

King is infamous for being a slouch in the 2020 NFC Championship contest, but let’s not forget that he has had top-tier performances in his career. He impressively recorded five interceptions and a whopping 15 pass deflections in 2019.

The Pack opted to bring back King in the 2021 FA period. PFF handed him a modest 70.6 grade for his 2021 performance. With that said, should the Packers bring back the 6’3 CB?

The Packers have one of the most gifted CB groups in the league. However, the Packers could use an old sage in at their CB spot. King (28 years old next May) isn’t exactly the same age as Clay Matthews (37 years old next May). I’d honestly love to see the Packers give a golden ticket to King in FA – as it could be a win-win for each side.

The post Kevin King will skip 2022: should the Packers bring back Kevin King in 2023? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers display a Prometheus-like wide receiver group. The mighty Mike Evans, elusive Chris Godwin, and underrated Russell Gage are expected to be major receiving weapons for Tom Brady. PFF ranked the Bucs WR group as the second-best WR unit in the league. It’s clear that the almost 45-year-old Brady should feel thrilled about his weaponry – as he chases Michael Jordan and seeks one more Super Ring in the near future.

Evans is the only WR in NFL history to have registered eight straight 1,000+ receiving yard seasons. He will turn 29 in August, but it seems clear that he should unveil a few more Pro Bowl-caliber seasons in Tampa. Meanwhile, his sidekick, Godwin, unveiled 1,103 yds in his last 14 games, while garnering an 81.3 grade by PFF.

Antonio Brown may be an enemy of the Florida State, but he certainly was an x-factor for the Bucs offense in their recent Super Bowl victory. Russell Gage (averaged 778 receiving yds in past two seasons combined) needs to excel with his match-ups as the WR3.

The Bucs have numerous underrated wideouts after their big-three WRs. Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman, and Scotty Miller will be quality depth pieces. Johnson ousted 360 yds with the Brady bunch last season. Perriman knocked out a career-high 645 receiving yds and 6 touchdowns in 2019. He could be a productive deep-threat weapon and perhaps he can help the Bucs crack a long, surprising touchdown against the stingy Saints defense. Kevin King’s worst enemy, aka Scotty Miller, may honestly spend his last season in Tampa in 2022. He hasn’t been able to keep a quality role in the Bucs offense and it will be quite difficult for him to be involved with the Bucs current talent at WR.

The post Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver outlook right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Green Bay Packers extended their star cornerback Jaire Alexander to a four-year contract worth $84 million dollars this off-season. Alexander leads a Packers CB unit that displayed three faces in PFF’s Top-32 CB rankings. In fact, the Packers CB1 was impressively ranked as the second-best CB in the league (right after Jalen Ramsey).

The new utterly wealthy CB has expressed personal motivation and hope for the Packers young CB group. He talked about his lack of production and presence in the Packers recent playoff loss. Per PFT, he stated, “It was super bitter, man. I was only in for less than 10 plays, and I missed a tackle. I was so upset that missed tackle.” He elaborated that the missed tackle fueled that motivation. Vince Papale was famous for finding motivation by keeping a cruel note from his ex-wife, while Alexander nicely gained fire by reminiscing about a weak tackle.

The Packers opted to not bring back Kevin King/Scotty Miller’s alter ego this off-season (yet), as they feel confident in Eric Stokes and Rasil Douglas. Stokes was a glue-like CB as a rookie, yet he has plenty of room to grow. He dropped five potential interceptions a season ago. Meanwhile, Douglas (ranked three spots behind Stokes by PFF) was a delightful surprise and a rock star in 2021. He had a whopping five interceptions (including two pick-6s). The late-blooming CB in Douglas still has two years left on his Packers contract, but he may earn a massive extension in 2023.

The Packers defense could really feel more confident against the likes of Tampa Bay and Los Angeles if Stokes can grow in his second season and Douglas continues to be Jackrabbit 2.0. The Packers are pushing for a Super Bowl and they could benefit from adding a familiar face or a veteran presence. The Packers could reunite with Kevin King on a team-friendly deal. Below are other FA CBs still available:

• Joe Haden
• Chris Harris Jr.
• Trae Waynes
• Janoris Jenkins
• Josh Norman

The post Green Bay Packers CB outlook in 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Casey Hayward-less pass defense in Las Vegas could surely benefit from more talent at their cornerback position. Rock Ya-Sin and Trayvon Mullen haven’t quite cemented themselves as consistent, starting CB options in Sin City. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three CB targets (and likely upgrades) for the Raiders.

Joe Haden

It may seem like wishful thinking for any team to believe they can scoop up a talented free agent in June. Although, I believe the talented Raiders squad with a need for CB talent could join forces with Pro Bowl CB Joe Haden. The former Steelers CB has expressed that retirement isn’t on his mind. He could play with a defense that will have a terrific pass rush led by Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones while having a realistic opportunity to win a Super Bowl in the near future.

Xavier Rhodes

Xavier Rhodes can be the bully, man to man CB that the Raiders desire on the outside. Rhodes was a Top-10 CB per PFF in 2020 and I believe he still has some juice left. The former Vikings first-round pick is still 31 years old – which is the same age as Stephon Gilmore. His ability to blanket top-notch WRs (such as Deebo Samuel) at this stage in his career can nicely be seen below.

https://www.colts.com/video/highlight-xavier-rhodes-blankets-deebo-samuel-for-physical-int

Kevin King

The former Packers CB Kevin King, also known as the youngest CB on this list (27 years old), may be able to bounce back in LV. He recorded five interceptions in 2019, but it seems like he may be remembered better for getting torched by Scotty Miller in the NFC Championship. King may be able to prove his worth on a short-term deal behind a talented Raiders pass rush in 2022.

The post 3 CB targets for the Raiders right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New York Giants have ejected James Bradberry out of the Big Apple and it’s clear they could benefit from signing a free agent cornerback. There may not be a CB as talented as Stephon Gilmore available, but there are certainly free agent CBs that can aid the Giants pass defense at this point in time. With that said, I’m going to untwine three free agent CBs that would be the perfect fit for the NY Giants.

Kyle Fuller

Xavier Rhodes bounced back with the Indianapolis Colts and the Giants should hope to find a rejuventated CB in Kyle Fuller this offseason. The former Bears All-Pro CB (7 interceptions in 2018) could be a nice value pickup, as he would be more affordable than Joe Haden and still filled with modest up-side. The 30 year old should have some gas left in the tank.

Kevin King

Kevin King is the second talented CB that has underperformed on this list. Nonetheless, King did perform better in 2021 than his porous 2020 season. The former Packers CB quietly recorded 5 interceptions in 2019 and he could still be an impact player from a non-starting CB spot. The cheeseheads might want to still sacrifice him for giving up a big play to Scotty Miller in the 2021 NFC Championship, but he is still definitely one of the most popular free agent CBs.

Josh Norman

Josh Norman is truly like Rocky Balboa in the late stages of his career, as he refuses to quit. Norman has been a modest contributor for the 49ers and Bills over the past two seasons. It wouldn’t be sexy if he was pegged as a starting CB in 2022, but he could be a nice CB3 and veteran presence.

The post 3 cornerback free agent targets for the Giants right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Anyone who watched the NFC Championship last year can remember the poor play of Packers cornerback Kevin King. After that performance it was largely assumed by many King had played his final game for the Packers. However, late in March, the Packers and King reached a one year deal. The deal costs the Packers just under two million against the cap but is worth up to six million dollars in incentives and bonuses for King.

The Packers may not have had much of a choice in resigning King when we look into their salary cap situation. They were relatively priced out of grabbing any corners in free agency and a resigning of King was low risk with plans to address the position in the draft. The Packers did take cornerback Eric Stokes with their first round pick.

What can we expect from Kevin King in 2021? He can’t be worse than the last time we saw him on the field right? Right! King is better than that last performance and moving forward he will have a role with the Packers defense as we head into OTAs. The Packers front office has prioritized keeping homegrown talent and believing in these guys to get to the super bowl. King is truly on a prove-it contract this year as he advertises for the future of his career in the NFL.

With the belief of the front office, King has shown when healthy he is a good number two corner. The Packers have a true superstar corner in Jaire Alexander. Alexander is one of if not the best corner in the league.

In 2020, Kings numbers dropped all across the board, games played, pass deflections, and interceptions. He started 11 games for a top ten pass defense last year. Even though the numbers may not pop he was successful within the Packers scheme. In 2019 he played in 15 games and was tied for third in interceptions with five and had 15 pass deflections. King has showed when healthy he can be productive. This will be the first key to having success in 2021.

As a result of his injuries his tackling has suffered, his ball skills suffered and his athleticism suffered. Getting healthy will improve all of these. Not only does health physically show it will help mentally. When you know your body is healthy you play with much more confidence. The ability to play confidently can lead to aggressive play-making. Some of which King will need moving forward. If King can play confident and aggressive his playmaking will appear much more effective in tackling, challenging contested passes, and allow him to be a better athlete. This will all hopefully allow him to return to his average to above average form we saw in his best career season in 2019.

Kevin King will return with familiarity in the defense and perhaps a new game plan and role for him will help him succeed. We know Jaire Alexander will lockdown his side on defense. This leaves King with the opposing teams secondary receivers. King will provide stability at the position for the Packers and comfortability within the scheme will allow King to play without as much thinking. If he went to a new team he’d have to learn all new scheme signals and play style. King may even be tasked with some slot work with the addition of Stokes and given his performance pre-season.

Kevin King is a serviceable cornerback in the NFL. His success is directly related to his health. He’s only played just over 60% of career games since being drafted. He had a good season in 2019 when healthy. In a duo with one of the best corners in the game, King can have success on a good team with a good scheme. King can prove his ability this year and set up the rest of his NFL career.

The post How Kevin King can bounce back from a poor 2020 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.