Cleveland Browns

The Browns have spent a fortune to go get their guy in Deshaun Watson, and so far it hasn’t worked out. For now there is still hope, Watson has no better chance than now to rekindle the 2018 flame he had when he led the Texans to the divisional round.

The pressure is on for Watson but with that 1st ranked defense (270.2 YPG) and a healthy Nick Chubb, the turnaround in Cleveland could definitely happen.

New Orleans Saints

Maybe the most likely scenario listed, the Saints have all the pieces to make a run. After firing OC Pete Carmichael Jr. and making a complete overhaul of their offensive staff firing multiple position group coaches and even some advisors the message seems to have been made clear in New Orleans. Not enough offense.

The hiring of former 49ers passing game specialist, Klint Kubiak could provide the spark the Saints have needed badly for the past few years. In terms of the defense, Marshon Lattimore’s potential departure could be something to keep an eye on. If all goes right New Orleans could seriously make a run.

Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis has been a very under the radar team the past few years. But for a few weeks at the start of last year, everyone was paying attention. Anthony Richardson was shocking the world with his insane running ability and absolute cannon of an arm. Cam Newton comparisons were circulating and everything seemed trending upwards.

Then Richardson had season-ending shoulder surgery and just as fast as Indianapolis’ spark came, it left. With the draft coming up in a few weeks a new WR to pair with Michael Pittman Jr. would be a luxury for Richardson and potentially a deciding factor in the Colts’ season.

The post Which NFL Team Could Shock the World? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

A major team to watch not mentioned is the Carolina Panthers. With no first round pick do not be surprised to see them sell one of their major defensive players to grab some capital in the early rounds. With that being said, let’s take a look at some trades to make this next NFL season more exciting.

Brandon Aiyuk to Kansas City for Their 2024 First Rounder

This would be a blockbuster for lack of a better term. With KC’s lackluster wideout group not putting up much production and making an offense with the best quarterback in the league look lost in need of a spark, Aiyuk would certainly provide it. The compensation for the star studded wideout would give Kyle Shanahan all the flexibility in the world to potentially pick his next boy wonder if Purdy proves not to be the guy in the playoffs or fill up a tackle spot with Trent Williams being out the door soon.

The main reason Aiyuk would not stay a 49er would be his extension is extremely pricey leaving the 49ers with more than 45 million dollars invested in Aiyuk and Samuel. For KC, this would be unstoppable and Aiuyk would quickly raise the rankings of WR’s.

Saints CB Marshon Lattimore to Philadelphia for Their 2024 First

If you’re a fan of football this guy is not a stranger to you. He’s one of the best at his position and potentially could be available this off-season. After missing 7 games this season with a high ankle sprain Saints GM Mickey Loomis restructured Lattimore’s contract by giving him an option bonus instead of a signing bonus. This essentially gives the team less dead cap in case of a trade. With good corner depth and the assets to replace him who else better to deal the DB to than the Philadelphia Eagles.

GM’s Mickey Loomis and Howie Roseman are extremely familiar with each other making 2 trades in the last 3 years. Lattimore would quickly improve this abysmal secondary and make the Eagles contenders again.

Davante Adams to NYJ for the 72nd Overall Pick and Conditional 2025 5th

What a story this would be, Davante Adams to the New York Jets to reunite with his old pal Aaron Rodgers. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter the Jets are expected to pursue a trade for the star WR. The Jets have invested a wagon of draft picks into Rodgers and coming off what is known as one of the worst football injuries, an Achilles tear, they will make sure Rodgers has everything he needs to succeed.

On the flip side, the Raiders need as much capital as they can get after firing head coach Josh McDaniels and the Garrapolo experiment all but failing Adams most likely wants no part of Las Vegas. The only thing stopping this trade from happening is the wideout’s 44M dollar cap hit (would likely be restructured, but you get what you pay for.

Justin Fields to Atlanta for the 43rd Overall Pick

This is one of the biggest wild cards of the NFL off-season. The Justin Fields conversation. Do the Bears keep Fields and decide to pay him in the coming years? Do they draft a generational talent in Caleb Williams and ship Fields off for more capital? It is a debate you could talk about for hours on end, well in this case the bears decide to reset the clock and go with Williams. Fields likely would go for a mid second which the QB-needy falcons certainly are willing to give up for a guy like Fields.

Fields is now coming off his best statistical year completing 61% of his passes throwing 16 TD’s and 9 INT’s but rushing for 4 more TD’s and 657 more yards. The Falcons could certainly be real contenders with Fields, especially in such a bad NFC South making this trade a win-win for both teams.

1st Overall Pick to the Atlanta Falcons

This trade is between the same two teams as the trade above only Chicago makes the other decision. The Bears stick with Fields and get another huge haul for the first overall. The Falcons give up the 8th overall, 43rd overall, a 2025 first rounder and 2025 second rounder and DL Grady Jarrett. The Bears have made it known they want to beef up their d-line by trading for Montez Sweat earlier in the year.

Grady Jarrett is coming off an ACL tear but was a monster before that and I doubt that would change much. Chicago is in a tougher division with the Vikings looking to make a splash and the Dan Campbell led Lions looking unstoppable will want to draft and receive win now guys. For the Falcons they get their franchise guy in Caleb Williams almost mirroring what their division rival the Carolina Panthers did last year with Alabama QB Bryce Young.

The post 5 Potential League Changing Offseason Trades appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Week 1 NFC South showdown between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons was certainly a dandy. The Atlanta Falcons had a fourth-quarter lead of 26-10 until the Saints marched back and finished with a miraculous 27-26 victory. It was simply none other than a Thriller —- by Michael Jackson (yes, you need to watch the catchy, generational video below).

With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the contest that made each fan base wear an oxygen mask in the last quarter. Let’s begin.

• Michael Thomas!

Cantguardmike looked rusty and potentially less effective in a Sean Payton-less offense throughout the first three-quarters of the Saints-Falcons game. Nonetheless, it was safe to say he arrived in the fourth quarter by hauling in a pair of critical touchdown catches. I still don’t believe he is 100% just yet.

• Grady Jarrett

The Atlanta Falcons two-time Pro Bowl DT Grady Jarrett certainly showed up on Sunday — as he notched 1.5 sacks. He had his way with the Saints OL that was missing the rookie LT Trevor Penning, to say the least. It’s vital that he continues to shine for a front seven that has Deion Jones on injured reserve.

• Marshon Lattimore

The gifted Marshon Lattimore may have told fellow elite CB Jalen Ramsey, who allowed a perfect passer rating on Thurs. night, to hold his beer. Lattimore made a terrible mistake by holding rookie WR Drake London late in the game and he managed to have an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Falcons last offense drive — which led to the Falcons having a chance to convert a 64-yard field goal.

• Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson did his best Steven Jackson impression today by mowing down the Saints front seven and unveiling 22 attempts for 120 rushing yards. Patterson also had a bull-dozing TD score – as it was clear that he wasn’t going to be stifled by the talented, yet undersized Saints LB Pete Werner.

• Jarvis Landry

I loved the clutch ability by the legendary slot wideout Jarvis Landry today. Landry registered a potent 114 receiving yards on 7 catches. He is clearly going to hurt defenses when they spend a lot of their focus on MT.

The post 5 takeaways from the Saints-Falcons showdown appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints have a very admirable cornerback group heading into the 2022 season. Their alpha cornerback Marshon Lattimore is gunning for his first All-Pro season. It should also be stated that the days of the New Orleans struggling to find talent at CB2 and CB3 have eroded – as the Saints exhibit the ascending Paulson Adebo and the 2021 surprise performer P.J. Williams. After the top three CB faces, the Saints will anticipate production from Alontae Taylor and Bradley Roby.

Lattimore had a personal best of 19 pass-breakups last season (which ranked third in the league), 3 ints, and a career-high 68 tackles (and this led him to make his fourth Pro Bowl trip). The Saints showed their commitment to Lattimore’s excellence by inking him to a five-year contract extension worth $97.6 million dollars. PFF gave Lattimore a 77.3 grade for his 2021 season.

The biggest story of the training camp is arguably the rise of the former Stanford CB. Nick Underhill of NOF stated on Twitter, “Paulson Adebo might be having the best camp of any player on the team.” Ross Jackson of Locked On also stated the following today, “Paulson Adebo is a beast in one on ones right now.” Finally, Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate, expressed that Adebo shined today – as he referenced Day 5 of camp as “The Paulson Adebo Show” for his latest piece. The Saints signed the Honey Badger this off-season and it seemed like he would be hogging the spotlight at this point. It’s certainly an amazing surprise that Adebo is playing lights out alongside Lattimore and the gifted Tyrann Mathieu. If Adebo can consistently play like a Pro Bowl-caliber CB and Lattimore “stays healthy”, the Saints may just have a Top-5 CB duo in 2022.

Williams, aka Tom Brady’s worst nightmare, will look to build off his 2021 season (3 ints, 2 sacks, and 42 combined tackles). He garnered a modest 70 grade by PFF for his last season’s performance. He reunited with DA on a one-year deal worth $5 million dollars. The Saints 2022 second-round pick out of the University of Tennessee also hasn’t been a slouch. Brooke Kirchhofer, who is a reporter for WWLTV, noted that Adebo “stood out” on the first day of pads (today). Let’s not forget that the Saints still Roby, who also played at Ohio State, and he made flashes last season (such as his int against Josh Allen). The Saints also made an underrated move in extending Roby – so he will be a FA in 2024. All in all, it’s safe to say that the Saints may have numerous top-end CB profiles and that they will be loaded at the CB spot for quite some time.

The post New Orleans Saints cornerback outlook appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The New Orleans Saints simply have one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL. They arguably have a Top-5 cornerback in Marshon Lattimore — who made his third straight Pro Bowl last season. The former DROY and kryptonite to Mike Evans also signed a five-year contract extension worth $97.6 million dollars in September of 2021.

The Saints CB2, also known as Paulson Adebo, could be the x-factor on the Saints defense. The former Stanford CB ousted three interceptions and eight pass deflections last season. He really showed promise in the back-end of last season. He particularly stood out against the Bucs in their second match-up — as he allowed zero catches.

The Saints will also feature the rook Alontae Taylor in their secondary. Per Saints Wire, Dennis Allen has been impressed with the rookie thus far. Allen expressed that he’s further along than expected and that he’s excited about his ability in 2022.

P.J. Williams was an underrated re-signing by the Saints, to say the least. Williams absolutely had a personal-best season in 2022 — as he recorded three interceptions (including a pick-six), 2 sacks, and 42 combined tackles. He will look to be a ball-hawk and a big hitter in 2022.

The Saints display one of the top safety groups in the NFL with Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye (who is somewhat in the shadow of Mathieu), and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Of course, the shiniest DB on the Saints is the Honey Badger. The former Chiefs DB has been named All-Pro in two of the past three seasons. Per New Orleans.Football, he was standing out in OTAs earlier this off-season.

The former Jets safety Marcus Maye was arguably the Jets best player in 2020 and then took a slight dip in performance last season. Maye has a similar skill-set as Mathieu and it’s clear that Allen will enjoy utilizing the two new safeties. Last but certainly not least, the Saints will have their chippy, ascending safety in Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (3 ints, 2 sacks, and 4 QB hits in 2021). CGJ might just be the key ingredient in finishing off Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in their next battle.

The post What is the outlook for the Saints secondary? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

Every individual that has heard of the sport called American Football predicted the Green Bay Packers to win their Week 1 matchup against the “rebuilding” New Orleans Saints. Many analysts even suggested that Packers would win and it wouldn’t even be a close matchup.  Well, what exactly happened? 

The Saints, who were without Michael Thomas, Bradley Roby, and Will Lutz, went into the matchup and absolutely mopped the floor against the loaded NFC favorite in the Green Bay Packers. The Saints wounded up unveiling 38 points and allowing a mere three points against the 2020 MVP Aaron Rodgers. 

So, does that mean that the Saints team was very underlooked heading into the matchup and it’s time to give them a boatload of credit? The answer to that is apparently not. Instead of handing the Saints its true due, countless national sports outlets just state the Saints “played well” or the “Saints were the more prepared team”. They will go on to state the narrative that Rodgers was sluggish and just happened to have the “worst game of his career” because he didn’t show up until training camp. At the same time, many of these analysts believe/admit A-Rod will quickly turn things around in Week 2. 

I don’t see the national crystal ball reasoning behind Rodgers’s absence as a major factor in his horrid performance. It’s fun and easy to poke at Rodgers’s new mantra and the fact that he was reluctant to be a Packer for much of the offseason. However, it wasn’t like Rodgers took a plane from Hawaii to Jacksonville in early September. The former MVP has been in sync with the Packers for many weeks already. Also, this new idea of “not showing up until training camp” correlated with a disastrous Week 1 performance didn’t become a thought until Aaron Rodgers came along. I believe many people are taking the combination of taking the opportunity to jab at the polarizing QB and not admitting they were wrong about the Saints. It also could be said that the Saints couldn’t have played any better against Aaron Rodgers to garner the large praise they deserve, simply because they couldn’t have played any better.

I actually believe that Rodgers isn’t a large portion of the blame and that the Saints defense will go down as the top unit that Rodgers will have faced this season (barring a second matchup). Here is why the Saints defense deserves a significant approval rating and why the unpopular Rodgers truly faced a wall in Week 1. 

• Marcus Williams and Marshon Lattimore

Remember the Saints historically great draft class in 2017? Well, profiles like Marshon Lattimore, Alvin Kamara, Marcus Williams, and Trey Hendrickson were all taken by the great organization. Well, I believe some of these players that actually found great success early on in their careers, are just evolving into their prime selves in year five. Most notably, the Saints CB Marshon Lattimore and Saints FS Marcus Williams seemed to have transformed into more talented studs. 

Marcus Williams had one of the best plays of his career in Week 1 against Aaron Rodgers. The Packers future Hall of Fame QB actually got Williams to play towards Adams’s side of the field on a deep passing route, which led to Rodgers quickly turning and unleashing a bomb to Marquez Valdes – Scantling. Williams managed to allow Rodgers to believe he had him falling for a pass intended to Adams, but managed to see Scantling go deep down the field and trace back to make a great play on the field. In live-action, it seems like Rodgers just threw a prayer, but it was a route combination that GB practiced and Williams truly made an outstanding play on the football field. This is the same Willams that Payton has called a very smart football player and safety that showed his athletic ability at the NFL combine (top vertical jump, third in broad jump). 

We know Williams had a great Week 1 showcase, but Marshon Lattimore was also very stout in a day that would also turn to be a huge payday. On a 4th downplay, Lattimore beautifully broke up a pass against one of the top WRs in Davante Adams. Lattimore routinely shut down Adams and when he missed a drive, his value to the defense showed, as GB marched up and down the field. Thankfully, Lattimore returned and his value resurfaced in the game. Saints will also have the prominent CB Bradley Roby in the fold moving forward.

• Saints LB tandem 

The Saints found one of the all-time FA (free agent) gems in Demario Davis a few years back and he continues to make the case as one of the game’s best LBs. Davis has been ranked as the top LB by PFF in the past and he’s arguably the best LB against the run in the league. He’s a huge reason why the Saints can play two safeties on the back end against elite passing offenses and hold up against the run. He now also introduces the pre-game speeches with Brees out of the locker room. 

We know Davis is a Top 100 football player in the NFL, but re-signing Kwon Alexander to pair with him was a very underrated move. If the Saints didn’t acquire one of the fastest LBs in the league, there may have been a few more first downs picked up last week by the Packers offense. Then who knows what the Packers could have done with a stronger rhythm. Alexander was able to chase down not only Jones from a few yards away and hold him from picking up a first, but he was making great plays on WRs in the open space. When Alexander is healthy, the Saints have one of the best 1-2 punches at the LB position. 

• DL Depth

The Saints didn’t have David Onymeta and no longer have Sheldon Rankins (despite Rankins usually being MIA), but the DL had a strong performance against Rodgers. Sure, the Packers were missing interior OL and didn’t really attack the Saints DTs. Yet, when the Saints DL was tested at various spots and on occasion, the Saints held up in defensive trenches. As mentioned, the Saints are reaping the benefits of already solid young players taking that next step. It was easy to witness 2018 first-round draft pick Saints DE Marcus Davenport growing into full form, as he had a sack and TFL against GB. Davenport will miss a few weeks with an injury, but he will be back for the majority of the season, and for the crucial game matchups against Tom Brady. 

Outside of Davenport taking the next step, the Saints have numerous playmakers on the DL. The veteran Cam Jordan showed he still has a lot of gas left in the tank as he essentially quickly pressured and forced Aaron Rodgers into throwing his first INT of the game. The Saints also reaped benefits from first-year Saint Tanoh Kpassagnon, who managed to get home on a pass rush when the Saints just sent three down linemen at the QB. Then there is even one other pass rusher that is left to attack QBs: Saints 2021 first-round draft pick Payton Turner. The Saints will undoubtedly have the best edge-rushing rotation when Turner sees the field moving forward and when Davenport returns from his minor injury for the large chunk of the season. The Saints ferocious pass rush will truly continue to prove to complement the back end quite well in all of 2021.

The post Saints defense is really an elite unit appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The New Orleans Saints are entering a 2021 offseason with lots of question marks. Saints are not only expecting Drew Brees to retire, but they will find themselves deep in with the money sharks.

As widely enunciated, the Saints are dead last in cap space. The team will likely lose star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in free agency, defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, linebacker Kwon Alexander, plus they could make some transactions to create cap space. One of these notorious Sean Payton blockbuster trades could be shipping talented, inconsistent Marshon Lattimore who’s contract expires in 2022.

Sean Payton has traded Jimmy Graham, Brandin Cooks, and he’s made overhauls of massive veteran cuts on defense in the past.

In an article by “Sports Illustrated”, Albert Breer explores the opportunity for the Jaguars to pull off a trade for the CB Lattimore. Breer states that the Saints could part ways with Saints No. one CB given their tight cap situation and the likelihood that Lattimore will seek a contract extension this offseason. Breer also states that Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer coached Lattimore at Ohio State University.

It’s unclear if the Jaguars have serious interest, but they portray as a realistic landing spot if the Saints fielded offers for Lattimore. Lattimore could get interest from many teams across the league given the value of the CB position and his combination of age and talent.

In this piece, I’m going to untwine strong candidates to land Lattimore. If the Saints did in fact try to create more cap space by pardoning a star, there wouldn’t be a stronger candidate than the Ohio State CB displaying a soon-to-be massive contract and inconsistent play beneath it.

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts just pulled off one blockbuster trade, why not make it two? The Colts pose an elite defense and now they just might have obtained a rejuvenated QB in Carson Wentz. They are quietly putting together a Super Bowl contending roster.

There are some flaws in the Colts — particularly at CB. Xavier Rhodes is a free agent and it seems like the 30 year old will cash in for a team elsewhere. Lattimore could fill in the shoes of Rhodes and line up across from CB Kenny Moore (four ints in 2020).

The Colts could also afford Marshon Lattimore if they chose to bring him in. According to NBC Sports, the Colts are still near the top in cap space after trading for Wentz. They are sitting at fourth in cap space even after obtaining Wentz.

Colts also boast a first-round pick that isn’t too high to cough up, or too low for the Saints to scuff at — 21st overall. Lattimore would be a significant upgrade over a fourth/fifth-ranked CB in the draft at that position for Indianapolis, while the Saints could use the draft stock to have multiple first-rounders and trade up for a QB or draft a LB and CB in round one.

New York Jets

The New York Jets could look to make a lot of moves entering the 2021 offseason. Looking to fill the needs of the secondary, has to be one of the highest priorities for Robert Saleh.

The Jets will have a few key free agents on the backend of their defense. S Marcus Maye and CB Brian Poole may be out of the big apple in the near future, as their contracts expire this offseason.

Luckily, the Jets are towards the top of the league in cap space ( 67 million/second in the league) and they could/should look to make a splash move at the CB position. If they decide to draft Justin Fields or Zach Wilson, it will be imperative that their pass defense is competitive — especially when a rookie QB will likely have his growing pains.

The Jets boast nine picks in the 2021 NFL Draft and two picks are in the first round (second overall and 23rd overall). There’s also a good chance that the Jets acquire more draft picks, keep Sam Darnold, and trade back from the second overall spot. According to NJ.com, there’s “a growing buzz” that the Jets trade back from the second overall pick and stick with Darnold.

Not only do the Jets have the firepower with nine draft selections to make a move for Lattimore, but they could boast even more capital to get creative with their options. If the Saints received a few early to mid-round draft picks, it may be wise for the Saints to trust their draft success and send the near hefty paid CB out the door.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals should in strong contention to the best team that didn’t make the playoff gauntlet in 2021. Their electric offense was displayed last year with new WR DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals were a step short of reaching the playoffs and being the second NFC West wildcard squad in the dance. The offense sputtered out towards the end of the season, but the defense couldn’t point any fingers.

The Cardinals pass defense gave up three passing touchdowns to CJ Beatheard in Week 16 and the Cardinals defensive unit allowed John Wolford to compile 288 total yards in Week 17. The defense was crumbling when it mattered the most — not to mention the horrid competition at QB performed against.

It won’t be easy for AZ to bounce back on the defensive side of the ball looking ahead. Long time legend Patrick Peterson is due to be a free agent. Even if the Cardinals keep “PP” around, the 30 year old has shown signs of slowing down and it doesn’t seem like he has a long window in a Cardinals uniform.

It could be a clever move to obtain a younger and more productive player at the CB position — Especially when the Cardinals are trying to get over the hump. Cardinals could deal the 16th pick in this year’s draft for Lattimore and potentially take a huge step in the right direction on defense.

The post 3 Teams That Should Trade For Marshon Lattimore: Colts Have The Money, Need, and Push appeared first on Pro Football Mania.