By: Jake Rajala

The New England Patriots may honestly be cursed in their fights against the Miami Dolphins. The Phins have impressively (and surprisingly) won the prior four match-ups against the usually well-prepared Pats team. Today — Mike McDaniel and his squad defeated the hooded Pats head coach, Bill Belichick, and his squad by a score of 20-7. With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the Patriots loss to the Dolphins.

• Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa didn’t play like a vintage Tom Brady, but he did unravel to be the best QB on the day. The Phins signal-caller had a passer rating of 104.4, 270 passing yards, 1 passing TD, and a potent 69.7% completion percentage. Tagovailoa made a few clutch throws (as shown below) and took care of the football. It was simply a successful start for the Phins QB with his new creative HC.

• Devante Parker

Devante Parker, where art thou? It was a sexy image when the Phins were able to acquire the former Phins WR Devante Parker. Well, the crowd that moved from waiting for the answer to the universe into the Devante Parker fan section was disappointed today. He must have told the illustrious WR Allen Robinson, who ousted a catch for 9 yards on Thurs. night, to hold his beer. Parker recorded a mere one catch for 9 yds against his former squad today.

• Tyreek Hill

Jaylen Waddle had the beautiful touchdown grab on fourth down, but I liked Hill’s production a tad more (he had a modest eight catches for 94 yds). *It was more important that he was in sync in the first game, which was clearly executed. The Tua-Hill combo will begin to turn up the heat moving forward.

Of course, Hill was literally a magical WR on one play for his beloved QB.

• Melvin Ingram and Brandon Jones

The Dolphins made an underrated move to acquire Melvin Ingram on a one-year deal worth $4 million dollars this off-season. Ingram should begin to practice his touchdown celebrations after having a scoop and score today. Let’s not forget that Brandon Jones created the opportunity (strip sack) for his LB pal.

• Mac Jones

After making the Pro Bowl as a rookie, Mac Jones surely didn’t have an exciting beginning to his sophomore campaign in Week 1 of 2022. The Pats QB finished with 213 passing yards, 1 passing TD, and 1 interception. To make matters worse – he sadly suffered a back injury in the Pats loss. Hopefully, he isn’t MIA for a few contests.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs may not need Alex Honnold to climb their mountain in 2022, but they surely need Patrick Mahomes to play lights out in their fifth-most challenging schedule next season. The Chiefs will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4. Outside of the Super Bowl LV re-match, the Chiefs will also face the Buffalo Bills in Week 6, per 670 The Score’s Danny Parkins.

Of course, the Chiefs will also face an improved AFC West division. Profiles like Russell Wilson, Khalil Mack, Chandler Jones, J.C. Jackson, were all introduced to the wild AFC west. The Chiefs went 5-1 in their division last season, but it will be quite difficult for the Chiefs to win 5 or 6 games next season.

The Chiefs witnessed their ex-star safety Tyrann Mathieu sign with the Saints and announce that the Chiefs didn’t make an offer to him, as well. Although, they were able to sign the talented, 25-year-old Justin Reid early in the free agency frenzy. Among the current free agents, it would make sense if they target a pass rusher. They drafted DE George Karlaftis 30th overall in the 2022 draft, but it would be wise for them to bring in a stout veteran DE. Arrowhead Addict pointed out that Melvin Ingram should be more expensive for the Chiefs after Jerry Hughes signed with the Houston Texans. If they miss out on a reunion with Ingram, there are many other quality FA pass-rushing options.

Here is a closer look at the FA pass rushers available (excluding Ingram):

Jason Pierre Paul

Carlos Dunlap

Jadeveon Clowney

Justin Houston (former Chief)

Alex Okafor (former Chief)

The Chiefs may sign another proven FA, but it will definitely be exciting for fellow Chiefs fans to witness new Chiefs players like Ronald Jones, Josh Gordan, and JuJu Smith-Schuster grow with Patrick Mahomes this off-season. Odds Checker also gave the Chiefs the third-best odds to win the Super Bowl after the draft. The Tyreek Hill-less Chiefs are still built like a tank and they are absolutely prepared for the frigid season ahead.

The post Kansas City Chiefs rumors right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Justin Houston might be 33, but he’s still a productive player at this stage in his career. Houston unleashed 4.5 sacks in 2021 and 8 sacks in 2020. Here is a closer look at how productive Houston has been in his career.

• 102 career sacks
• 22 sacks in 2014
• Four time Pro Bowl selection
• eight seasons of 7.5+ sacks

It’s clear that Houston has been one of the best pass rushers of all time. Houston is still seeking to add a Lombardi trophy to his legacy. With that said, which team could look to obtain Houston? Here are a few squads that would make a ton of sense.

• Kansas City Chiefs

It wouldn’t only be poetic if Houston returned to Arrowhead Stadium, but they desperately need him. The Chiefs inked Melvin Ingram, but they won’t be head over heels to bring him back after his earth-shattering 1 sack in 2021. They were aching for pass rush help in the AFC Championship matchup against Cincy and they get a pass rush boost from an old friend in Houston.

• Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens mistakenly let Yannick Ngakouye and Matt Judon leave the building and they can’t afford to let Houston leave, too. The Ravens really need Houston in their lineup, especially after they finished 24th in sacks last season. The Baltimore Ravens and not the Cleveland Browns were last in the AFC North last season. They can’t allow Lamar Jackson, who received the torch from Tom Brady, to miss the playoffs for the second season in a row.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will likely lose Chandler Jones this offseason, but they can replace him with a cheaper veteran edge rusher in Houston this offseason. Houston and J.J. Watt can wreak havoc on opponents next season. It may not be 2015, but the two pass rushers can still be stars on the big stage in 2022. The Cardinals would be a nice fit scheme-wise, plus he can really pursue a Super Bowl trophy with Watt and Kyler Murray.

The post Potential landing spots for Justin Houston appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Chris Thomas

In recent memory, it is hard to recall so many extremely talented free agent players still available at this point of the offseason. The reasoning may be that teams wanted to wait till after the draft to see if they could fill the remaining needs on their roster in the early rounds. Teams may also want to wait till training camp to see if the players on their roster have developed to a point where they could fill that need. On top of that in recent years veteran free agents have decided to wait till after the draft and training camp to sign with teams so they can look at a team’s overall roster before signing and skip training camp and get ready for the season with their own personal trainers.

One of the deepest positions in this free-agent class is edge rusher. Multiple former Pro Bowl edge rushers are still on the market. There are a couple of teams around the league who could still use another pass rusher off the edge. Here is where the top free agent edge rushers could land.

Justin Houston to Baltimore Ravens

Before free agency started in March, Justin Houston was viewed as one of the best free-agent edge rushers. However, due to his age and slight decline, teams may have been hesitant to give Houston a long-term big money contract. But that being said Houston showed last year that he is still capable of being a player opposing offenses need to plan for. After racking up eleven sacks in his first season in Indianapolis, Houston had eight sacks this past year after the Colts traded for DeForest Buckner in the offseason. The pairing of Houston and Buckner was disruptive enough to give Indianapolis one of the better defenses in the league last season.

A team that has not done enough to replace the pass rushers they lost in free agency is the Baltimore Ravens. During free agency, the Ravens lost both Yannick Ngakoue and Matthew Judon who both signed large deals with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots. Ngakoue and Judon had 9 of the teams 39 sacks last season. Along with Jihad Ward, they were three of the six payers that had three sacks or more for Baltimore last season.

They did manage to resign situational pass rusher Pernell McPhee and former second-round pick Tyus Bowser. But neither McPhee nor Bowser has shown the capability to play like a true number one pass rusher on a playoff team. The Ravens did use their second first-round selection (31st overall) on Penn State edge rusher Odafe “Jayson” Oweh. The hype around Oweh as a prospect was his athletic testing and high ceiling, but in year one he will likely be better in a rotational role.

Baltimore hasn’t been a stranger to signing veteran defenders over the years. Houston would arguably be the Ravens’ best pass rusher next season depending on how Calais Campbell plays. His eight sacks from a season ago would have led the Ravens last year and he could very well lead the team in that category if he were to sign there. The transition to Baltimore’s defense wouldn’t be that large considering Houston was largely looked at as just a 3-4 outside linebacker before landing in Indianapolis. Actually, the reason why Kansas City let him go was because of the fear that he would not be able to fit in with Steve Spagnuolo’s 4-3 defensive scheme. Bringing in Houston could be more than a bridge until Oweh can take on a full-time role. Houston could be what boosts this defense to play at a top-10 level this season. He has Pro Bowl upside and could very well make people question why he didn’t land with a team earlier in the offseason.

Prediction: Justin Houston signs with the Baltimore Ravens for one year $7.5 Million

Melvin Ingram to Pittsburgh Steelers

Throughout his career, Melvin Ingram has been a player who is good for about just under ten sacks a season who is capable of playing at a Pro Bowl-caliber level and put up double-digit sacks. Going into this season it seemed unlikely that Ingram would play his way into another huge contract. He was likely going to land somewhere as a veteran secondary pass rusher. However, a season riddled with injuries limited Ingram to seven games. He also did not have a single sack on the season. The knee Ingram injured that put him on IR twice is likely the reason why he remains unsigned. If Ingram’s knee heals, he could be a valuable addition to a defense.

The Pittsburgh Steelers arguably had one of the worst offseasons last year. Not only did they lose four of their five starters along their offensive line, but they also lost two starting cornerbacks, and edge rusher Bud Dupree. To replace those players Pittsburgh is betting on the players they have drafted in the middle rounds over the years that have shown the ability to potentially become starters for them. 2020 third-round pick Alex Highsmith is expected to take over for Bud Dupree this coming season. After Dupree tore his ACL last year, Highsmith was thrusted into the starting lineup. He had 48 tackles and two sacks in five starts. But since Pittsburgh believes they are in a win-now mode they should try to bring in a veteran to compete with Highsmith for the job starting opposite T.J. Watt.

Ingram appears to be the perfect veteran for Pittsburgh to bring in to compete with Highsmith for one of their starting edge rusher roles. Over the course of his career, Ingram has been very consistent over the last couple of seasons averaging 8.6 sacks a year between 2015-2019. That type of production is good enough to take away attention from premier edge rusher T.J. Watt and keep this defense playing near an elite level. At the worst, Ingram and Highsmith rotate rough out the season, and as the year progresses Highsmith develops into a full-time starter while Ingram reverts into a situational role. If Ingram signed to a low-risk contract he could be the real difference-maker this upcoming season.

Prediction: Melvin Ingram signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one year $5.5 million

Olivier Vernon to Dallas Cowboys

One of the forgotten free agents that hit the market this offseason is former Cleveland Browns edge rusher Olivier Vernon. He had nine sacks in 14 games this past season which is his highest total since he had 11.5 during his second season in the league in 2013-14. It was so unfortunate that during Week 17 Vernon tore his Achilles. Vernon was a vital part of the Browns’ defense this past season and could have gotten a large payday. His Achilles injury may be a large part of why he remains unsigned, but the fact that he has not been able to stay healthy and finish a 16 game regular season since 2017-18 may have derailed his market.

The Dallas Cowboys are one of those teams that could finish near the top or bottom of the league this year. It is hard to predict how they will finish the season. They are expected to have an elite offense but may be held back by their defense. Besides replacing Mike Nolan with Dan Quinn and drafting a couple of defensive rookies early, what else has Dallas done to improve their defense this offseason? How much better is Dallas’ defense this season compared to last year? After evaluating their roster, the answer is not much better.

The one position Dallas did not address this offseason is pass rusher. Since getting his huge contract from the Cowboys, DeMarcus Lawerence has been extremely inconsistent putting up five sacks in 2019 and six and a half sacks this past year. A trend Dallas has had the past couple of seasons has been adding a veteran pass rusher later in the offseason to pair up with Lawrence. In 2019, Dallas traded for Robert Quinn who had a borderline Pro Bowl season and got a huge payday after that. Last year Dallas signed Pro Bowler Everson Griffen to a deal but dealt him once it became clear that Dallas would not be contending after Dak Prescott’s injury. Dallas could do the same by adding Oliver Vernon this offseason. If Vernon is healthy and added to Dallas’ defense it gives them an extremely athletic pass-rushing duo who are dynamic enough to put up between 15-20 sacks combined next season.

Dallas desperately needs a veteran player opposite Lawerence because there is uncertainty whether Randy Gregory, Dorance Armstrong, Bradlee Anae, or third-round pick Chauncey Golston could fill that void.

Prediction: Olivier Vernon signs with the Dallas Cowboys for one year $5 million

Everson Griffen to Kansas City Chiefs

At this point last season one of the best available free agents was former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Everson Griffen. Late in the offseason, Griffen signed a one-year $6 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys. He had 2.5 sacks in his seven games with the Cowboys but then was traded to the Detroit Lions for a conditional sixth-round pick. Griffen started two out of seven games with the Lions and had 3.5 sacks for them. So overall in 14 games, Griffen had six sacks which is solid for a secondary or rotational pass rusher.

The biggest theme for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason was upgrading the trenches after their loss in the Super Bowl. Kansas City primarily focused on adding to their offensive line but has made some upgrades to their defensive line as well. They retained former first-round pick Taco Charlton and made the extremely underrated signing of former Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed. The Chiefs have an elite group of defensive linemen including Frank Clark, Chris Jones, Jarran Reed, and great run defender Derrick Nnadi. According to NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, the Chiefs are planning to use Jones as an edge rusher this season opposite Frank Clark while playing Reed and Nnadi primarily in the middle. Jacob Lang of the St. Joseph News-Press reported that Jones has wanted to play defensive end for the Chiefs, but played in the interior because they had Justin Houston and Dee Ford at the time off the edge. Over the last four seasons, Jones has developed into one of the elite pass-rushing interior defensive linemen in the league. Jones has averaged 9.6 sacks a season since 2017.

So if Jones has been so dominant rushing the passer from the interior, why would the Chiefs try to move him around the line instead of keeping him at his natural position on the interior and finding another player to put opposite Frank Clark. Jones deserves the right to lineup at defensive end in a couple of packages a game, but it may not be the best thing for him to move all over the line.

Very few defensive linemen are able to play on multiple spots across a defensive line. It seems like almost every season a star defensive lineman signs with a large money deal with a new team and that team tries to play him in a different role than he is accustomed to and that player struggles. Jones may be one of the few players who can transition to a different role on the defensive line. But signing a veteran like Everson Griffen could give Kansas City a security blanket at edge rusher in case Jones is unable to transition well to his new role and lines up in the interior for a majority of the season. Griffen showed last year he is still capable of producing at a starting level and could rotate with Taco Charlton off the edge opposite Frank Clark. If he can mimic the production he had last season on this dominant defensive line it could be well enough to not consider this a major need or hole on the roster until they address it the following offseason.

Prediction: Everson Griffen signs with the Kansas City Chiefs for one year $4.5 million

The post Where the best available edge rushers could sign before Week 1 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Reese Nasser

Nine-year veteran Melvin Ingram has had a successful NFL career but is still out to prove that he has more to give. He is still unsigned and is looking for a team. An injury-plagued season saw Ingram appear in just seven games for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020. 

Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs could be the perfect home for Ingram, specifically due to the gaps that they have on their defense. 

Third-year edge rusher Tim Ward currently had the starting spot on the left side of the defensive line. He has appeared in just one game in his career: the final regular season game of the 2020 season for the Chiefs. In that game he recorded five tackles and one sack. 

The other side of the line will be held down by longtime edge rusher Frank Clark. Outside of Clark, there is a clear lack of depth. The next man up will be Taco Charlton who played in seven games for the Chiefs last season but had zero starts. He recorded just four tackles but also added two sacks. 

Ingram could potentially thrive in Kansas City. They need another player that can get to the quarterback, which Ingram has proven he can do. He has 49 career sacks and could tack on even more in this scenario.

The risk of signing Ingram could greatly benefit both teams. The Chiefs need help on the defensive side of the ball and Ingram is looking to show that he can still be a high level player. 

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins have slowly built their defense with a combination of both younger and older players. In recent drafts, they have chosen to address the defensive line. 

2019 first round pick Christian Wilkins has played well in his two seasons with the team. He has racked up over 100 tackles and missed just two games. The rising edge defender has solidified his role as a starter on this defense but other positions are still up in the open.

Ingram could find himself at multiple spots along this defense. The other defensive end spot is currently occupied by Zach Sieler. Sieler appeared in all 16 games last season and tallied 48 tackles and added 3.5 sacks. 

Ingram, being in this defensive rotation, could help all players involved. Ingram has experience not only at defensive end but also at outside linebacker. Rookie linebacker Jaelen Phillips spent a majority of his time in college as an edge rusher. The Dolphins have stated that they would like for him to play linebacker. Ingram, who has played both sports, could not only help Phillips learn both positions at an NFL level, but could also play at whatever spot they choose to not play Phillips. 

Baltimore Ravens

This Baltimore Ravens defense will be relying heavily on veteran players. Many of the starters have at least four years of experience. With this veterean presence, the addition of Ingram could help this defense. 

As time progresses, some players may want to take a step back and have a solid rotation. Edge rusher Derek Wolfe will be entering year 10 just, like Ingram. Linebacker Pernell McPhee will be going into year 11. Ingram has spent time at both their positions and would be a solid rotation, either playing behind or in front of either of these players. None of these three were able to play a full 16 games last season and the addition of Ingram could help keep fresh legs on all three players. 

Los Angeles Chargers

A homecoming could be in Ingram’s future. Ingram has spent his entire career with the Chargers and is one the better edge players in the teams history. 

Los Angeles has not necessarily made any effort to replace Ingram either. The current options at edge are somewhat mediocre and the verdict is still not yet out on how they will perform for the Chargers. Ingram knows the defensive system and would be able to hold down the edge, opposite Joey Bosa.

Ingrams lack of production, even while playing with Bosa, can’t be ignored. The lack of production may be due to neither player appearing in all 16 games. It can be difficult to build a rhythm along the defensive front when the players aren’t on the field together. 

Even with a lackluster 2020 season for Ingram in Los Angeles, a return would just make sense. Ingram would be thrown back into a defense that he has helped create, except this time he will be healthy again. Injuries derailed last season but Ingram will be all systems go come kickoff for 2021. The deal could also be cheap. The Chargers signing him to a one-year deal could allow for Ingram to show that he can still perform. If the signing pays off, the Chargers are able to bring a high-caliber player back to their defense. 

The post Top remaining fits for Melvin Ingram appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Reese Nasser

The Miami Dolphins are slowly building a defense with limitless potential. They have shown a clear interest in building from the top down with their secondary being the best part of the defense. The secondary also just happens to be where most of their veteran defenders are as well. Both their defensive line and linebacker cores are full of young players with a few veterans to fill the gaps.

This is where Melvin Ingram could fit in on this roster. It is being reported that Ingram has visited with the Dolphins and he could potentially sign with them in the near future. At 32-years old, Ingram could be a solid contributor to this defense and could also be a mentor to the younger players on this squad. Here are three reasons why the Dolphins should sign Melvin Ingram. 

Veteran Presence

Ingram has had a nine-year career where he has reached three pro bowls. He has appeared in 113 games and has the stats to back up his play. While the Dolphins have other rostered linebackers that have been in the league for some time, none have played to the level of Ingram. The knowledge that Ingram has would benefit the younger linebackers on the team, specifically someone such as rookie defensive player Jaelen Phillips. 

Phillips didn’t play the linebacker position in college but instead lined up almost exclusively on the edge. Ingram there to educate a young player like Philips could help the Dolphins develop him into a top-tier linebacker. 

Still able to Perform 

Ingram has shown that he can still play at a high level with his 2019 pro bowl nod. He has accumulated 49 sacks in his nine-year career with seven coming in both 2018 and 2019. After a knee injury that limited him to just seven games in 2020, Ingram will look to show that he can still play and play at a high level. He could also pair nicely next to Jerome Baker, who is a very high volume tackler unlike Ingram who is utilzied as more of an edge threat. If Ingram is still able to play at the level that he did prior to his 2020 season, this could be a signing that helps solidify this Dolphins defense. 

Depth at the Position 

As noted, the Dolphins linebacker core may be the weakest spot on their roster. While they have established players at the position, there is also a lack of depth. The signing of Ingram, if nothing else, would bring an extra body to a group that could potentially need it somewhere down the line. Outside of linebacker Jerome Baker, who has proven to be the the clear #1 of this group, the rest of the spots could be up for grabs. 

The addition of Ingram would also allow for Jaelen Phillips to slide back down to edge if the Dolphins preferred him there. The flexibility that would come from this addition could prove to be very beneficial to this group and defense as a whole.

The post 3 reasons why the loaded Dolphins should ink Melvin Ingram appeared first on Pro Football Mania.