Buying or Selling Latest Offseason Workout Buzz

Finding a negative headline during the thick of the NFL's offseason is nearly impossible. The odd lull between organized team activities and training camps produces nothing but good news—fitting after a draft in which the majority of teams look like winners and aren't afraid to tell their fans about it. 

The ability to cut through the noise and buy or sell the buzz is key.

Some buzz is justified. A player could truly be more comfortable under a new head coach, for example. Some of it is not. Everyone is going to look good in shorts with no contact, so further analysis is necessary.

So goes the challenge fans face this time of year.

Let's assist by rounding up the latest buzz and breaking it all down. 

Dak Prescott-Cowboys Talks Going Well: Buy

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Understandably, Dak Prescott is priority No. 1 for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. 

And that's likely not an easy decision to work toward in the first place. Prescott isn't the only guy who needs an extension. Amari Cooper is also on the final year of his deal, and it couldn't hurt to lock up Ezekiel Elliott now even though he has two seasons left on his current contract. 

But considering the two sides have already exchanged proposals, Prescott is first up, and those involved like how things are moving. 

"We never really know where we are with anybody until we get one done." Jerry Jones said Thursday, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. "But we're moving along satisfactorily with all of our contract negotiations."

All things considered, this is an easy buy.

The Cowboys clearly consider Prescott a franchise quarterback, and while getting his surrounding pieces locked down long-term is a priority, contracts for passers are far more complicated. 

Provided the Cowboys are willing to reset the market, a deal between the two sides will likely occur over the summer. 

Raiders Getting More Vertical: Sell

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Head coach Jon Gruden really wants the Oakland Raiders to stretch the field this season, which makes plenty of sense.

He committed to quarterback Derek Carr without saying so by avoiding a trade at the position and ignoring it with each of his three first-round picks. But Carr must get more efficient throwing down the field if the offense is to take another step in 2019. Last year, he threw for 4,049 yards but only recorded 19 touchdowns while taking 51 sacks. 

The goal is clear on paper given additions such as Antonio Brown and Tyrell Williams. 

"A lot of football today is run-pass options where you stretch the team laterally. You're running bubble screens and fly-sweeps. But you also got to stretch 'em vertically." Gruden said during a press conference. "If you can stretch the field vertically and horizontally, you become a much more difficult offense to defend, and that's a goal that we have had here as we put together our team."

One problem: The offensive line has to give receivers time to get down the field.

The Raiders are still counting on Kolton Miller to rebound from his bust of a first season and signed Trent Brown to a big-money deal so he can play the right edge. But he's coming off one solid year under elite coaching, so nothing is a guarantee. 

Given the shaky outlook for the offensive line, the idea the offense will make a leap vertically is a tough sell. 

Montez Sweat Putting on a Show: Buy

Nick Wass/Associated Press

Some players look good in shorts and without contact during OTAs, and they're easy sells. Some just look good regardless. 

Montez Sweat falls into the latter category, and he's already turning heads at Washington Redskins camp.  Head coach Jay Gruden went as far as using the "monster" classification in a nice way, according to Kyle Stackpole of the team's website:

"He's a monster, man. ... I have no doubt that he's going to play a lot. The skill set that he has is quite evident. You see his length and then you watch him run after practice and he's faster than anybody we have probably right now. He eats up ground when he runs. It's like three strides and he's all the way across the field. It's crazy."

No great shock here.

Sweat is the 6'6", 260-pound force who had one of the best modern combine performances, running a 4.41 40-yard dash and putting up 36 inches on the vertical jump, to name a few measurements. 

Sweat seemed like a consensus top-10 pick before a potential medical flag came up, which was perhaps a misdiagnosis. The Redskins made one of the draft's biggest moves by trading back into the first round for him.

So far, the investment is paying off, and the storyline here shouldn't change much once pads go on and Sweat gets to prove himself again.  

Mitch Trubisky Making Leaps in OTAs: Sell

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky seems like one of the more polarizing players at his position these days. 

Non-Bears fans seem to swear Trubisky is nothing more than a mere game manager right now, whereas Chicago supporters insist he's better than the national perception. Either way, head coach Matt Nagy is adamant the third-year passer is making leaps in important areas, per The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain:

"To me the growth right now that's really neat to see is his ability to come out here and take [control]. Last year, I kept talking about 101. Now, without a doubt, I can say with pure conviction we're in 202 right now. And we don't need to have a live game to see mentally where he's at with calling the plays. I mean, he's doing things in the last two days that last year at this time he wasn't even close to. So that's exciting."

It all sounds good, but fans always have to be wary of shorts-and-helmet season.

Trubisky's numbers took a jump last year, landing him at 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. But it's never so simple. Six of his touchdowns came against a miserable Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. The three games in which he threw more than two were against the Bucs, Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. 

Until offseason talk like this translates into a consistent year, it must be taken with a large dose of salt. 

Jared Cook Makes Waves with Saints Leaders: Buy

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

Jared Cook seems slated to serve as the potential missing piece for the New Orleans Saints passing attack. 

And he's starting early. 

"Really good. Really impressed," quarterback Drew Brees said about the new addition, per John Sigler of Saints Wire. "Comes across as a real savvy veteran, a real pro. I'd heard a lot of good things about him before he got here, but he's certainly impressed us these first couple of days. He's got a great feel for the game and I think he's going to fit very well in our offense."

Sigler also noted praise for Cook from Saints head coach Sean Payton, which says quite a bit about the first impression. 

Cook flew under the radar as one of the league's better tight ends for most of his career. He's averaged nearly 13 yards per catch and scored 25 times while rarely playing with a great quarterback situation since he entered the league in 2009. That was exemplified by the last two years, during which he played with the Oakland Raiders and still scored a combined eight touchdowns. 

Now 32 years old, Cook could end up having a career year as one of Brees' favorite targets. It's hard to fathom how this summer talk could be an exaggeration. 

Drew Sample Exceeding Expectations in Cincinnati: Sell

Gary Landers/Associated Press

The Cincinnati Bengals took some heat for their second-round selection of Washington tight end Drew Sample. 

Naturally, positive reviews have already started to seep out of the Queen City. 

MMQB's Albert Breer liked what he saw from Sample, and star wideout A.J. Green also jumped on the hype train, saying "The young tight end looked real good today," per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com.

That was to be expected. Sample catching the ball better than he did in college is likely the result of non-contact practices, not something much bigger. 

The Bengals grabbed a borderline top-50 player mostly known for his skill as a blocker who had minimal impact in the passing attack. One could argue the offense wasn't right or the quarterback struggled, but the facts are the facts: Sample looked the part but didn't produce, and production has to be part of the equation. 

Rookie tight ends usually have a tough transition to the pros, and this time of year won't prove Sample is an exception.

Eli Manning Underwhelms: Buy

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

It was almost impossible to predict how the New York Giants' quarterback situation would be initially received this offseason. Eli Manning has underwhelmed and been the subject of speculation for years, yet the Giants made one of the draft's more polarizing selections with Daniel Jones at No. 6. 

Now the fun begins. 

The court of public opinion already seems to have swung against Manning, with Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reporting "...Manning threw three passes out the back of the end zone and had the fourth intercepted by Jabrill Peppers after a Sam Beal tip."

The first team period saw him go 1-of-6 with two interceptions. 

Whether this snowballs and allows Jones to fight for the starting job is hard to say, but it isn't hard to buy. Manning did throw for 4,299 yards last year but managed just 21 touchdowns—up from only 19 the year prior when he was also benched for a game.

It isn't hard to see him continuing to struggle as a 38-year-old in camp against a rookie. 

Saquon Barkley Takes a Bigger Role: Sell

Gregory Payan/Associated Press

The Big Apple is clearly going to produce big stories all offseason. 

Thank the Giants, who dominated the offseason headlines courtesy of an odd process that saw the trade of Odell Beckham Jr., unexpected drafting of Daniel Jones and acquisition of Golden Tate in free agency, to name a few of the erratic moves. 

Yet another odd possibility has come up: Saquon Barkley handling an even bigger portion of the offense.

The Giants aren't explicitly denying it. 

"I don't know about more," head coach Pat Shurmur said, per Giants Wire's John Fennelly. "He had a big load a year ago. It makes sense for us to hand him the ball, and we can throw it to him as well. He will be involved, for sure."

But in all likelihood, his usage will likely trend back in the other direction. Barkley handled 261 rushes last year and scored 11 touchdowns while averaging five yards per carry. He also pitched in with 91 catches on 121 targets, which ranked first and second on the team, respectively. 

Beckham's 124 targets might be gone. But the Giants could work in Evan Engram more if he plays a full 16 games, and Tate will soak up the majority of those looks. 

Given the necessary long-term plan in New York, the Giants would be wise to ease off the workload to promote Barkley's longevity.