Buying or Selling Latest Buzz, Rumors From 2023 NFL Offseason Workouts
It's official, we've hit the quietest part of the NFL offseason.
The biggest free agents have long been signed. The draft has concluded and minicamps have already given those rookies some opportunities to start building buzz.
From here until July, it's OTA SZN.
That means the NFL news cycle is going to be peppered with glowing reports and rumors surrounding what's going on in these early practices. From coaches trying to dish out praise to beat writers highlighting what they are seeing at team workouts to players offering positive reviews of new coaches, there's a lot to sift through.
It can also be hard to decipher how much any of it means. It's a great time for positivity, but how much of it actually translates to what goes down during the season is up for debate.
Let's examine some of the early buzz and see if it holds any water.
Sell: Russell Wilson Is Looking Sharp with Sean Payton
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The Denver Broncos 2023 campaign will pretty much rise and fall on how much new head coach Sean Payton can get out of Russell Wilson.
The mega trade to bring Wilson to Denver was a flop last season. Wilson ended up finishing 27th in total QBR, the Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett before he even finished his first year as head coach and Denver went 5-12.
They traded for Sean Payton in hopes of proving Wilson's down year was an aberration and Payton seems to be impressed with his new quarterback early on.
"He's picking it up, the timing and all of those things that are required," Payton noted about his new quarterback, per Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. "For the first five weeks, we were just lifting and running. So now we're getting into some football activity, and we're ahead of schedule on the practice, but, yeah, he's picking it up. Looks good, looks sharp."
It's going to be impossible to know if Wilson is really looking sharp until we see him in live game action. At 34 years old, Wilson is in the danger zone of regression. Not everyone ages the same way as Tom Brady.
Payton has no choice but to be as positive as possible. Wilson's contract is an albatross with no clear outs until after 2025. After the disaster that was 2022, Wilson is going to have to prove it in games before any hype can be believed.
Buy: Davante Adams Is Happy as a Raider
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There's some logic behind speculation that Davante Adams could be on the way out in Las Vegas. The Raiders traded for him last year, reuniting him with college teammate Derek Carr and handing him a five-year, $140 million contract.
Now Carr is gone and Jimmy Garoppolo will be in his place. Adams raised some eyebrows with a comment in a piece from Mirin Fader of The Ringer. The star receiver said, "We don't see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now."
Given some time to reflect and see the reaction those comments caused, he walked back the comment.
"At the end of the day, like I said a couple times now, I'm ecstatic to get to work with the new guys," Adams said, per Nick Shook of NFL Media. " Jimmy ( Garoppolo) is a great guy.Love him to death. I didn't know him very well before he got here, but getting to work together a little bit, being around each other, getting to know him, he's a great guy. Definitely excited about getting to work with him and everybody else that's in here."
The bottom line is that McDaniels showed how much he values what Adams brings to the offense in the role that he gave him. The former Packer saw a career-high 180 targets which led to another All-Pro season.
Garoppolo has his limitations. Ultimately, he's good enough to get Adams the ball, though. The Raiders added Jakobi Meyers which is a nice addition but isn't cutting into Adams workload. That's going to be enough to keep him happy in Vegas.
Sell: Lamar Jackson Will Run Less in Todd Monken's Offense
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Lamar Jackson finally got paid. Now the question becomes what he has been paid to do.
According to Jackson, it's run the ball less and throwing the ball more. With former Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken taking over Greg Roman's former post, Jackson says he'll become more of a passer from what he's seen in Monken's offense in OTAs.
"Running can only take you so far," Jackson said, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN. "And I feel like with this new era of teams and offenses in the league, I feel like we need that. Coach Todd Monken, what I'm seeing in his offense so far, is looking tremendous."
Not only did they bring in a new offensive mind, but they brought in better receivers too. They signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year contract and drafted Zay Flowers in the first round of the draft.
That should all work to give the Ravens a more effective and efficient passing game, but Monken still understands the importance of the run game.
"I first started watching (film), and I'm like, 'Wow, they do really good stuff in the run game. Like, holy cow, that is very creative,''' Monken said, per Clifton Brown of BaltimoreRavens.com. " Obviously, the better you run the football, the better you throw it, so it starts with an excellent run game and then go from there."
Monken's offense is still going to be built around Jackson's unique traits and qualities as a runner. They'll be better at passing the ball, but the volume is likely to remain the same or comparable to last season.
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Buy: Elijah Moore's Strong Start in Cleveland
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Last year, Andrew Berry pulled off a steal when he traded for then-Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper. He may have done it again with the deal that brought Elijah Moore to Cleveland.
The 23-year-old is already establishing chemistry with quarterback Deshaun Watson according to observers and Moore himself.
Anthony Poisal of the Brown's website noted that Moore, "was a constant target for Watson in the 7-on-7 periods and is clearly a player Watson will look to throw plenty of passes to in the spring practices."
Moore himself talked to Poisal about adjusting to a new quarterback.
"Different quarterback, different arm, seeing what he sees and just the communication around the team," Moore said. "Everyone communicates differently, but I feel like it's going to go well, so I can't complain."
Reading between the lines, that's a polite way of saying that Deshaun Watson is not Zach Wilson. Moore struggled to find his role with the Jets last season, was in and out of the coaching staff's good graces and eventually made a trade request.
Watson struggled last season but the Browns receiving options were limited and he had a lot of rust to shake off after an 11-game suspension and not playing in the 2021 season.
Moore didn't really have an opportunity to showcase his skills in New York. Wilson's play at quarterback capped the passing attack and his usage was inconsistent.
In Cleveland, he has a clear path to becoming the No. 2 option in the passing attack and having a breakout season.
Sell: Darren Waller Can Transform the Giants Passing Game
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The Giants decision to trade for Darren Waller was a solid one. They only gave up a third-round pick and got a veteran tight end to bolster a group made up mostly of young players who haven't done much yet.
But it's best to temper expectations. Waller is 30 years old, has only played in 20 games over the last two seasons and averaged just 43.1 yards per game this season, his lowest total in four years.
That hasn't stopped the Waller hype train from going full steam ahead as he joins his new team in OTAs.
"Waller made a strong first impression with four catches from Jones. He added another long catch over Holmes, although it should be noted that defensive backs were instructed not to aggressively contest deep balls," The Athletic's Dan Duggan noted at practice.
Duggan also got a quote from Daniel Jones heaping praise on his new tight end.
"It feels like you hear about most guys or you see them in the program and they're listed at 6-6, and they're really like 6-4 or 6-5. He's a true 6-6. He's a true 250, 260, and can fly, can run, can run all the routes. He's just an impressive athlete."
The Giants are going to need everything they can get out of Waller. The receiving corps remains a question even after they added Parris Campbell and Jamison Crowder through free agency and Jalin Hyatt in the draft.
There's ample evidence Waller could be on the downswing, though.
Buy: Dolphins May Need to Add Help at Linebacker
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Not all reports and buzz coming out of OTAs was positive. Longtime Dolphins observer Omar Kelly noted some concern for Miami's linebacking corps.
Writing for Sports Illustrated, Kelly noted that free agent Aubrey Miller went undrafted because of size concerns at 5'11", 227 pounds. However, he noted that Miller is similar in stature to Jerome Baker and free agent addition David Long.
Then he made a concerning observation about a 2022 draft pick. "After watching Channing Tindall [he was invisible on Tuesday] it's clear that the Andrew Van Ginkel move to inside linebacker was a move made out of necessity," he wrote.
It's one thing to rely on speed and athleticism on the inside. It's another to have a room completely made up of undersized players.
There are some bigger linebackers who are available on the free agent market. Jaylon Smith started 11 games for the Giants last season and stands at 6'2", 245 pounds. Bringing back 6'3", 250 pound Kyle Van Noy is an option too.
Buy: Desmond Ridder's Accuracy Issues Are a Concern
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Coming out of Cincinnati, Nate Tice made Desmond Ridder the No. 1 quarterback on Bleacher Report's big board. Even with his glowing review of the player, there were some accuracy issues that were worth noting.
"His main blemish is some inaccurate throws at the beginning of games when he seems to be too amped up. But he settles in as the game goes along and is a player who steps up in big moments," Tice wrote.
Fast-forward a year and those accuracy issues are still showing up in OTAs.
Ridder himself acknowledged the accuracy issues and that it comes down to his mechanics.
"Today it was just stay balanced in my shoulders, not have too much weight on my back foot, and just stay balanced on my feet and base," he said, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic. "Tomorrow could be something new. It's just about getting better every single day, continuing to battle."
The "buy" in this instance is that the accuracy is a real issue. It showed up on his Cincinnati Film, it showed up in his rookie year where he had an 18.2 percent bad throw rate according to Pro Football Reference.
There's still quite a bit of time for him to figure things out, but it's a legitimate concern that could limit the Falcons offense this year if he doesn't find an answer in his preseason work.
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