Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I don't want to get everyone all excited going into the weekend, but I have some big news: Football season is almost here. I know, that sounds like a lie, but trust me, it's not. Next week will likely be the final dead week on the offseason calendar, and it might not even be a dead week because we could see the "Hard Knocks" team get announced or we could see a franchise tag player agree to a long-term deal.
Anyway, even if next week is dead, that might be for the best, because it will allow you to mentally prepare for the arrival of football season. After that week, the NFL calendar looks like this:
- Monday, July 17: Deadline for teams to negotiate a long-term deal with franchise tag players
- Tuesday, July 18: First batch of rookies report to training camp
Basically, it's all downhill from here. You just have to make it through the next seven days. That being said, I might not make it because I'll be moving and no one hates moving more than me.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. We'll be delivering NFL news here all summer. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here.
1. Today's show: Breaking down the Raiders offseason and predicting how they'll do in 2023
Once again, it's time for another episode of our "All 32" series, and for today's show, we're focusing on the Las Vegas Raiders. It's a good thing I wasn't on the podcast today, because the only thing in Vegas that I want to talk about right now is that sphere and I would have spent 45 minutes talking about it. How is it real? Also, I don't trust it. If you haven't seen the sphere, you can see it here, but be warned that it might brainwash you.
Anyway, to talk about how things are going in Vegas, we brought on Qiant Myers, who hosts the "Locked on Raiders" Podcast.
Here are a few topics host Katie Mox and Will Brinson covered with Myers:
- What's going to happen with Josh Jacobs? After leading the NFL in rushing last season, Jacobs is looking for a raise, but the Raiders have yet to give it to him. Instead, they hit their star running back with the franchise tag, which he definitely was not happy with. Jacobs has skipped every portion of the offseason so far and since he's not technically under contract, he could also sit out training camp. So what's going to happen? Myers admits that Jacobs might miss some time in training camp, but he thinks the running back will definitely be on the field for the Raiders' opener against the Broncos. "I don't see him holding out, I just really don't," Myers said. "Now, there are reports that he could hold out until Week 1 or something. I feel like when they fly to Denver in Week 1, he'll be there. He'll be ready to roll."
- How many games can the Raiders win?Josh McDaniels' first season with the Raiders was an ugly one with his team finishing 6-11, and it appears the oddsmakers don't feel much better about 2023. For the upcoming season, the Raiders' over/under has been set at 7.5 wins. Myers likes the over, but he doesn't like that the Raiders season is likely going to hinge on the health of a player who has had trouble staying healthy (Jimmy Garoppolo). "I think they can definitely get to eight wins with the ability and the talent they have on the team," Myers said. "But a lot of that is going to be led by the offense, which is going to be led by Jimmy Garoppolo. ... When I talk about Jimmy G, I always have to put in the asterisk, 'If he's healthy, I think they can be good.'" Garoppolo has missed a total of 17 games due to injury over the past three seasons.
Qiant spent nearly 25 minutes talking about the Raiders, and if you want to hear everything he had to say, you can listen to today's show here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Ranking the NFL's top 10 tight ends heading into the 2023 season
For the past two weeks, we've been ranking every positional group in the NFL, and the end is finally in sight. After finishing off our defensive positional rankings yesterday, we'll be heading to the other side of the ball to close out offensive position rankings today, and we'll be going out with a bang by ranking the top 10 tight ends (After today, we only have kickers and punters to rank. We're obviously saving the best for last).
Anyway, today's ranking is coming to you from CBSSports.com's Tyler Sullivan.
Let's check out his list.
Top 10 tight ends for 2023
1.Travis Kelce, Chiefs
2.George Kittle, 49ers
3.Mark Andrews, Ravens
4.Dallas Goedert, Eagles
5.T.J. Hockenson, Vikings
6.Darren Waller, Giants
7.Pat Freiermuth, Steelers
8.David Njoku, Browns
9.Dalton Schultz, Texans
10.Kyle Pitts, Falcons
I probably should have put a giant gap between Travis Kelce and everyone else, because he's way ahead of the rest of the pack. To give you an idea of how dominant Kelce was last season, just consider this: He finished the year with 1,338 receiving yards in a season where no other tight end even topped 915.
If you want a detailed explanation of Sully's rankings, be sure to click here so you can check out his entire story.
3. One underappreciated player on each AFC team
If you look around the NFL, every team definitely has some unsung heroes on their roster, and since those players rarely get recognized, we decided to recognize them this week by making a list of the most underappreciated players in the league. Yesterday, we went through the NFC side of things, and today, we'll be taking a look at the AFC.
Cody Benjamin went through every roster in the AFC to find each team's most underappreciated player. Here's what he came up with for five of the teams:
- Bills:LB Matt Milano
- Jaguars:WR Zay Jones
- Bengals:DE Trey Hendrickson
- Chargers:TE Gerald Everett
- Titans:DT Denico Autry
If you want to check out Cody's full list, which includes all 16 AFC teams, then be sure to click here.
4. Ranking the top defensive position groups
From safeties to corners to linebackers to pass-rushers to defensive linemen, we ranked the top 10 at every defensive position in the NFL over the past two weeks. Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on to an even bigger ranking: Jeff Kerr decided to rank the 10 best defensive position groups in the NFL.
Here's a look at his top five:
1. Eagles EDGE rushers. "The Eagles had three edge rushers who finished with 10-plus sacks last year -- Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham -- and these three will be back for 2023, along with first-round pick Nolan Smith and veteran Derek Barnett. This is the deepest position group in the NFL, and they have the production to back it up."
2. 49ers interior defenders. "Javon Hargrave and Arik Armstead haven't played a game together yet, but Hargrave is expected to make an instant impact as the interior presence the 49ers have sorely missed in the Nick Bosa era."
3. Ravens off-ball linebackers. "Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen have played just nine games together and have already emerged as the best off-ball linebacker duo in the league. ... A full season of Smith and Queen could spell trouble for opposing offenses -- and gives Baltimore an excellent opportunity to get to the Super Bowl."
4. Eagles corners. "Darius Slay and James Bradberry made their statement as the best cornerback duo in football last season, which should have the Eagles excited since they'll be running it back for 2023."
5. Browns pass-rushers. "Myles Garrett finally has a complementary edge rusher who can help him out in Za'Darius Smith, a huge upgrade over what Jadeveon Clowney brought Cleveland last year."
You can see Kerr's full top 10 list by clicking here.
5. Bill Belichick on cusp of breaking an NFL record he probably didn't think he'd break this soon
If Bill Belichick coaches for at least two more seasons, there's a good chance that he's going to set the record for most wins by a coach in NFL history. However, before he breaks that record, there's a possibility that he could end up breaking another mark first: the record for most losses by a coach.
That is not a typo. The most successful coach in NFL history is likely going to also go down as the coach with the most losses. As things currently stand, Belichick has 152 career losses, which puts him in fifth place on the all-time list for most losses by a coach in the regular season.
Here's a look at the current list:
T-1. Dan Reeves:190-165-2
T-1. Jeff Fisher:173-165-1
3. Tom Landry:250-162-6
4. Don Shula:328-156-6
5. Bill Belichick:298-152-0
As you can see, Belichick is just 13 losses away from tying Reeves and Fisher for the most losses in history. If you include playoff losses, Belichick is also fifth on the all-time list while still being just 13 losses away from tying the all-time record.
Most losses (including playoff games):
1. Tom Landry:270-178-6
2. Dan Reeves:201-174-2
3. Don Shula:347-173-6
4. Jeff Fisher:178-171-1
5. Bill Belichick:329-165-0
As weird as it sounds, the fact that Belichick will likely become the coach with the most losses in NFL history is actually a testament to his success and his longevity. If you're in the NFL long enough, no matter how successful you are, you're definitely going to fail at times.
It's just crazy to think that Belichick could theoretically set the losses record this season. Although it's unlikely that the Patriots will go 4-13 in 2023, they are arguably the worst team in the AFC East, so the upcoming season could be a difficult one for them. If they go just 8-9, Belichick will move up to No. 2 on the all-time list (including playoff games) and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see them finish with that record.
If you want to know how close Belichick is to setting the all-time wins record, you can check out our full story here.
6. Extra points: DeAndre Hopkins still talking to three teams
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- DeAndre Hopkins free agency update.It's now been more than a month since the Cardinals cut DeAndre Hopkins and since becoming a free agent, he's met with exactly two teams: Tennessee and New England. According to multiple reports, those two teams are still the front-runners to land the All-Pro receiver, but don't count out the Chiefs, who are still talking to the 31-year-old.
- Long-time Bengals punter calls it quits.Kevin Huber, who spent his entire 14-year career with the Bengals, has announced his retirement. The Cincinnati native was selected by the Bengals in the fifth round of the 2009 draft and he ended up being a steal for the team. Huber played in 216 regular-season games with the Bengals, which is the most of any player in franchise history.
- Mark Ingram II might be done with football.The veteran running back hasn't announced his retirement, but he might be done with football after accepting a job with Fox Sports this week. The Saints' all-time leading rusher will serve as an analyst on the network's "Big Noon Kickoff" that airs on Saturdays before college football. If this is it for the three-time Pro Bowler, he'll end his 12-year career with 8,111 rushing yards and 75 total touchdowns.
- Cowboys add former MLS player to kicking competition.The Cowboys added some serious spice to their kicking competition on Thursday with the signing of Brandon Aubrey. The 28-year-old was selected in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft in 2017 after playing soccer for four years at Notre Dame. His only football experience has come over the past two years when he starred for the Birmingham Stallions of the USFL. For more on this unique signing, be sure to click here.
- Super Bowl XXV champion dies at age 64. Johnie Cooks, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, passed away on Thursday. After being selected by the Baltimore Colts, Cooks ended up spending 11 years in the NFL. In 1990, the linebacker played in 14 games for a Giants team that ended up winning the Super Bowl. Bill Belichick was his defensive coordinator that year. Belichick must have liked something about Cooks, because he brought him to Cleveland in 1991 when Belichick was hired as head coach. You can read more about Cooks' life here.
