BS Meter: Buying or Selling Latest NFL Rumors and Buzz Ahead of 2023 OTAs
Peak free agency and the draft might be over with on the NFL calendar, but that doesn't bring the rumor mill to a halt.
Plenty is still up in the air as organized team activities get into full swing this spring, and it's always fun to assess the buzz and speculation on the table.
Here, we do exactly that.
No Long-Term Deal Coming for Saquon Barkley?
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With quarterback Daniel Jones wrapped up long-term, there's been plenty of chatter in recent weeks regarding running back Saquon Barkley's future as a New York Giants franchise-tag recipient.
Last month, Fox Sports' Ralph Vacchiano reported that the G-Men didn't "have much of an interest" in signing the 26-year-old to a long-term deal, while general manager Joe Schoen told reporters that nothing had changed since team and player talked at the owners meetings earlier in the offseason. Contract talks were set to resume last week, Schoen said, but the latest from Vacchiano suggests a long-term contract for Barkley is not "particularly close."
So it's a roller-coaster ride of reports, which isn't atypical when the tag is in place and teams are somewhat distracted by nearer deadlines while players grow frustrated. The good news is the July 17 deadline to sign tagged players is starting to appear on the horizon, but you sure get the vibe the Giants know Barkley's long-term value could be limited by his fragility at a devalued position.
This could very well be a rocky, and final, season for Barkley in New York.
Buying or selling no long-term deal for Barkley? BUY
Titans Could Turn to Will Levis by November?
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As a well-paid veteran with a decent resume, Ryan Tannehill remains the obvious No. 1 quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. But Tennessee has used a Day 2 draft pick on a signal-caller in each of the last two offseasons, and the 34-year-old Tannehill's numbers have declined in recent seasons.
It's fair to wonder how much patience the team will have for him, especially as it can pocket $27 million by releasing or trading him after June 1, according to Spotrac.
That still seems a bit far-fetched considering that rookie second-round pick Will Levis is expected to require some time to develop at the professional level, while 2022 third-rounder Malik Willis struggled mightily with a 42.8 passer rating in limited action as a rook. However, Peter King of NBC Sports suggests Levis could start by November in the event of a slow start for Tennessee, which aligns to an extent with Ben Arthur of Fox Sports writing that Willis could be the "odd man out" on that QB depth chart.
The Titans weren't a great team with Derrick Henry pretty much on top of his game last season, so it's hard to imagine them competing in the increasingly strong AFC in 2023. Don't be surprised if this indeed becomes a rebuild year and they move on from both Tannehill and Henry in favor of Levis and other youth relatively early in the season.
Buying or selling Will Levis in the starting role by November? BUY
Kadarius Toney the Top Receiver in Kansas City?
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Tyreek Hill is long gone, JuJu Smith-Schuster has departed more recently, and as a result, the Kansas City Chiefs' No. 1 wide receiver role appears to be up for grabs yet again.
The primary focus, though, is on last year's trade deadline acquisition, former Giants first-round pick Kadarius Toney, who played a role as a peripheral contributor during KC's Super Bowl run this past winter.
It looks as though the 24-year-old will take priority this spring and summer over Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, Richie James and rookie second-round selection Rashee Rice.
"He's predominately been a guy that is a slot receiver, returner, runner—a gadget guy, if you will—but I don't know if there is a limit on his game because he has a vertical game,'' Chiefs general manager Brett Veach said recently, per ESPN.com's Adam Teicher. "I don't know if [his collegiate team at Florida was] one that vertically pushed the ball down the field, and his time early on in New York, I don't know if they were a team that really vertically pushed the ball down the field.
"It's a fair question to [ask]: 'Has he ever played with a quarterback that likes to push the ball down the field?' We have a lot of high hopes for him. He was a first-round pick for a reason. There's a reason why we traded for him and we felt like he was first-round talent."
Toney has the edge in terms of that combination of talent and (albeit still limited) pro experience. Don't be surprised if Patrick Mahomes leans a little more on MVS early before Toney emerges as the top target not named Travis Kelce as the campaign wears on.
Buying or selling Toney as the Chiefs' top receiver? BUY
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Bills to Use Dalton Kincaid 'More Like a Wide Receiver'?
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In hopes of making their high-powered but sometimes stagnant offense more dynamic, the Buffalo Bills traded up in the first round for former standout Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.
That was a tad curious with Dawson Knox already on the roster, but the move makes a lot more sense when you consider ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg's recent report that the team plans to use Kincaid "more like a wide receiver."
And that adds up. Kincaid looks like an ideal "big slot," which is something the Bills lacked reliably with Jamison Crowder injured, Isaiah McKenzie mistake-prone and Cole Beasley off the roster for most of the year.
Kincaid has plenty of slot experience at the college level and is about as polished as an entry-level tight end/receiver comes.
Buying or selling Kincaid as Buffalo's primary slot receiver? BUY
Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask in an even battle for Bucs starting job?
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Somebody—or multiple bodies—in Tampa Bay will be charged with succeeding the legendary Tom Brady as the Buccaneers' starting quarterback, and right now that battle boils down to 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield and Bucs 2021 second-round selection Kyle Trask.
New Bucs quarterbacks coach Thad Lewis expects "even reps" between those two unaccomplished-at-a-pro-level former college stars as they battle this spring and summer for the starting gig.
Lewis is correct that competition is a good thing, but will the Bucs actually give Trask a fair shot against Mayfield? Team executive and former head coach Bruce Arians had extremely high praise for Mayfield recently when he compared him favorably to all of the elite quarterbacks in this year's QB class, and he's the got the bigger, more marketable name.
I get the feeling this remains Mayfield's job to lose, even if he failed in Cleveland and Carolina and didn't make much of an impression with the Rams. That is, unless Brady changes his mind again...
Buying or selling an even battle between Mayfield and Trask? SELL
Romeo Doubs over Christian Watson as Green Bay's Top Receiver?
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In the wake of Allen Lazard's departure, you might assume that 2022 second-round pick Christian Watson is slated to become the Green Bay Packers' most productive receiver after he put up 611 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie.
But The Athletic's Matt Schneidman actually believes the team's 2022 fourth-round selection, Romeo Doubs, will lead the offense in receptions in 2023.
It's an intriguing notion because Watson had a sizeable advantage over Doubs in terms of targets in the final four weeks of the 2022 campaign. That said, Doubs did catch more passes overall (42 to 41) and the offense will obviously be very different with Jordan Love under center in the post-Aaron Rodgers era.
Still, the gap in broad talent between Watson (who has the size and versatility to become a star) and Doubs (who isn't as polished) makes me doubt this hypothesis.
Buying or selling Doubs over Watson? SELL
Panthers Targeting 50 Catches for Miles Sanders?
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New Carolina Panthers running back Miles Sanders caught 50 passes as a rookie with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he hasn't recorded more than 28 receptions in a season since, and his 3.0 yards-per-target average ranked 51st among 51 backs with at least 25 targets in 2022.
With that in mind, it was interesting to see ESPN's David Newton write that the team's "goal" is to get Sanders "back to where he was as a rookie in 2019, when he caught 50 passes."
It's one thing to want to work him more into the passing game for rookie No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young's sake, but that dramatic increase in targets might be pushing it unless the Panthers are planning to baby the hell out of Young.
I'd expect Sanders to get more third- and fourth-down snaps in Carolina than he did with Kenneth Gainwell present in Philly, but an over/under of about 40 receptions seems more realistic.
Buying or selling 50 catches for Sanders? SELL
Joe Mixon on the Way Out in Cincinnati?
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Read between the lines in Cincinnati and it's easy to wonder if veteran running back Joe Mixon's days are numbered with the Bengals.
Not only did the team use a fifth-round pick last month on Illinois back Chase Brown, but head coach Zac Taylor indicated in his post-draft press conference that he expects 2019 sixth-rounder Trayveon Williams to play a key role as well.
Could the Bengals opt to roll with Brown and Trayveon Williams and cast aside Mixon? That'd leave a contender pretty low on pro experience considering that Samaje Perine has departed already, but Brown's final two seasons in the Big Ten were extremely productive and Williams has a career yards-per-attempt average of 5.1 (albeit with a small sample).
The clincher for me? The notoriously frugal but also forward-thinking Bengals are undoubtedly aware that releasing Mixon after June 1 can save the team $10 million in cap space.
This just might happen.
Buying or selling the end of Mixon in Cincy? BUY
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