Quarterbacks: Kirk Cousins is the focus of the Falcons.
- Details of the deal: $180 million over four years, with a guaranteed $100 million
To finish this, the Falcons had to go above and above.With the quality on the roster, Atlanta was perhaps too excellent the previous offseason to select one of the top QB prospects in this year’s selection. The only veteran available who has demonstrated over several seasons that he can provide quarterback play far above replacement level is Cousins.
This season, Cousins wasn’t just the Falcons’ best quarterback prospect—he was their only hope.
QB – ATL
Despite being far into his forties and recovering from an Achilles injury, Cousins still has his share of warts. He is, however, ideal for this offence at quarterback if he stays healthy. He’s known Raheem Morris since their time together in Washington. What Kevin O’Connell requested of Cousins in Minnesota and what former Rams passing game coordinator Zac Robinson will implement with the Falcons have a lot of similar schematics.
In Atlanta, we’ll at the very least witness an adult NFL passing game.
Every player in the Falcons’ roster is a tremendous success.Drake London possesses the abilities to be a quintessential No. 1 star-caliber wide receiver. London is the top wide receiver on any breakout list with the arrival of Cousins, after two seasons of coping with subpar quarterback play. The desire of the cousins to work across the centre and target wideouts in tight coverage fit London perfectly.Although Bijan Robinson was always going to be a high choice in the fantasy draft, having a top-notch quarterback in his lineup only makes him even more optimistic. You may even give Kyle Pitts some hope after a number of seasons hampered by injuries. For the Falcons offence, the improving ecology might be the rising tide that lifts all boats.
Once more, Cousins carries some risk at this point in his career, and a lot of new guys need to settle in around the excellent skill-position players. We may need some time to arrive at the intriguing ceiling hypothesis that this action now highlights. But it’s a refreshing change of pace that that ceiling is even achievable.
Russell Wilson and the Steelers are a good fit, but it’s not a given.
Details of the deal: $1.2 million for a year.
Wilson was able to accept a very modest salary as a free agent and still be able to collect the remaining $39 million that Denver owed him this season thanks to the offset wording in his contract. Because of this, he was an ideal addition to any team looking for a genuine rival to take on and, more often than not, a replacement for a young, underperforming incumbent.The Steelers were the ideal choice. Pittsburgh made a riskless move in signing him, even though you would prefer that they aim for a greater ceiling at quarterback given what they are paying him.
Wilson’s 2023 raw numbers appear strong in some cases, but when you look closer and see how extremely straightforward his task was, they fall short.Joe Dolan draws an excellent parallel between some of the remarks made about Carson Wentz during his one-year stint with the Colts and those notes.
Nevertheless, I believe Wilson can play quarterback at a level suitable for a starting quarterback. Although it’s not a particularly impressive ceiling, it’s better than what the Steelers have gotten from Kenny Pickett over the last two seasons. Wilson has never been a reliable thrower across the middle of the field, so new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith of the Steelers will need to make some adjustments to his offence. But Wilson needs the safety net at this point in his career, and that comes from the under-center, deep play action drop concepts.
QB – PIT
All in all, I anticipate that Wilson will lead the Steelers in a run-heavy offence that aims to win by the slimmest of margins. Thus, not all that different from what they’ve hoped to be the past four years, but at least Smith will replace Matt Canada’s high school offence with a legitimate NFL style. Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris will both see a lot of rushing workload; however, Wilson’s quick trigger on check-down passes over the last two seasons (a league-high 18.6% of his throws in 2023) will be especially helpful to Warren. George Pickens in the receiver room matches Wilson’s ideal straight-line X-receiver profile—a ball-winner—in the later stages of his career. If the rumoured Diontae Johnson trade happens, Pickens will have an advantage against Wilson’s targets.
Naturally, all of this is presuming that Wilson starts the first game of the season for Pittsburgh, let alone all 17 of them. Don’t think for a second that either is a guarantee, based on the films he’s released over the last two seasons.
- The Raiders’ quarterbacking scheme shouldn’t include Gardner Minshew too often.
- Details of the deal: $25 million over two years, with a guaranteed $15 million
For Minshew, this is top-tier backup quarterback compensation. Thus, there’s no reason to get too worked up over the quarterback matchup between Aidan O’Connell and Minshew. There must be more in store for the Raiders than this, am I correct?
LV – QB
LV – QB
Although Minshew is a capable backup quarterback, anyone who claims he was unnoticeably excellent for the Colts the previous season was not following the games. He sets a rigid ceiling on your offence in terms of overall processing and vertical passes. While Minshew was 21st in a well-planned offence, O’Connell, who appeared like a man who could stay in the league as a rookie, finished 23rd in EPA per dropback last season.
The Raiders are a talented offensive team that might provide a good environment for a budding passer. This is okay as long as Minshew’s arrival serves only as a stopgap until they select a rookie quarterback in April.
Baker Mayfield is retained by the Bucs
- Details of the deal: $100 million, three years
Any other course of action would have been illogical for both parties. After his success with the 2023 Bucs, it would be foolish for Mayfield to start over somewhere else given his history of switching clubs and offensive schemes. Beyond Mayfield, there was no way ahead for the benefit of the team. His deal is exactly the same as what Gene Smith received from the Seattle Hawks following his incredible 2022 campaign. It looks like we have the middle-class quarterback contract fixed in stone for a league that desperately needed that clarification.
QB – TB – #6
With Mayfield back, it’s much easier to forecast any of the Bucs’ proven offensive weapons, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rashaad White. One factor in all of this is that the Bucs did lose offensive play-caller Dave Canales to the Panthers. Even if Tampa Bay might not produce quite as much this season, we can feel somewhat confident knowing that Mayfield will be in charge.
Jacoby Brissett rejoins the Patriots
- Details of the deal: $8 million for a year
I will always remember Brissett’s time as the Browns bridge starter, when the team was a top-12 passing EPA unit before Deshaun Watson returned. He also had a very brief taste of fantastic football with Washington last season. Reuniting with New England seems like the best option ever. Brissett can start the season with a straight face while you try to construct the roster around a passer you acquire the next season, or you can simply stick with the current quarterback. For the duration that he is starting, Brissett should at the very least keep the offence running.
With Sam Darnold, the Vikings enter the post-Kirk Cousins era.
- Details of the deal: $10 million for a year
The Vikings have their possible backup plan set up in case Kirk Cousins leaves. In astute football media sections, there are some seasoned, card-carrying Sam Darnold fan club members. I’ve been wary about that potential benefit. The Vikings will probably want Darnold to perform as an effective but low-volume caretaker, as he did for the 2022 Panthers in the closing stages of the season. Although Justin Jefferson might be receiving throws from Darnold in September, Minnesota will select a quarterback in the April draft.
Ray Winston signs with the Browns
- Details of the deal: $8.7 million, “up to” one year
The play of Deshaun Watson and his durability concerns made it imperative for the Browns to seek quarterback insurance this season. Although a Joe Flacco reunion seemed improbable, Winston has some of the same eye-catching charm. As quarterbacks, Winston and Flacco have some of the same “devil may care” aggressiveness ingrained in them. Winston needs to provide a lot of output to players like David Njoku and Amari Cooper if Watson is hurt.
QB Marcus Mariota and commanders agree on a one-year, $6 million contract.
- Details of the deal: $6 million for a year
Mariota, the backup quarterback the Commanders choose with the second overall pick, is competent. Some may interpret Mariota’s choice to be the backup as a sign that Jayden Daniels is being preferred by the club due to his style of play. Right now, I’m not really convinced about that. This does, however, suggest that the team might be open to trading Sam Howell.
At last, running backs Ravens and Derrick Henry unite
- Details of the deal: $16 million, two years
It was simply too good to be true. During the previous season’s trade deadline, the Ravens made inquiries about Derrick Henry and eventually signed the star when he returned to free agency. Henry, 30, has had 1,645 touches during the course of a demanding workload since 2019. He makes sense for a team that needs to win now like Baltimore, though, and hasn’t displayed any overt indications of declining.
RB – BAL
Henry is a good fit for this power-run offence as well, and he should gain from Lamar Jackson’s wider running lanes. With Henry, it’s important that he be able to gain momentum and advance to the next level. A special kind of run game exists in Baltimore that can produce a back like him.
Although the Ravens finished third in both rushing EPA and success rate the previous season, this approach is similar to what I talk about in the section below on Saquon Barkley. Indeed, the Ravens ought to have enough faith in their scheme to start any running back and develop a passable to excellent run game. However, putting a physically strong, extraordinarily talented player like Henry in this offence weaponizes that ecology. Both teams have won big, and I’ll probably be considering picking Henry in fantasy football this year.
Texans acquire Joe Mixon in a trade to bolster their backfield.
- Details of the trade: Texans send Bengals a seventh-round selection
Devin Singletary, the top rusher for Houston, joined the Giants in free agency, and Dameon Pierce doesn’t fit in with the system. This team had to address the running back position when they entered free agency, and Mixon offers a novel approach to their issues.
RB – HOU
Given that the Bengals had planned to dismiss Mixon following their acquisition of Moss before the Texans made their move early the next day, we can accurately assess where he stands in his career. Mixon had the eighth-best zone rushing success percentage (52.6%) of all 23 backs with 200 or more carries during the previous campaign. Compared to gap runs, he did significantly better on those plays. He therefore fits in perfectly as a veteran with the Texans’ conventional Shanahan-style run game.
Nevertheless, Mixon is at a point in his career where we should be concerned about his trajectory, particularly in light of the fact that his long-standing team was so eager to move on. The player may split nearly evenly with Mixon if the Texans get more running back support in the draft. With the way C.J. Stroud performed as a rookie, this is still as nice of a landing location as you can imagine for any veteran running back available. Given the current state of the depth chart, Mixon has a lot of upside.
Austin Ekeler moves to Washington, but is it a good place for fantasy football?
- Deal specifics: Up to $11.43 million over two years
Ekeler, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 1, will play for a new team coming off a disappointing season. This is a perfect match because he is somewhat acquainted with Anthony Lynn, the run game coordinator for the Commanders. Although offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s passing schemes have frequently been a cause of aggravation, as the head coach of the Cardinals, he did have some effective run games. Furthermore, Ekeler might be in a prime receiving-down position behind a porous offensive line for a rookie quarterback.
RB – WAS
You can persuade yourself that this is a nice place for Ekeler to land, but ultimately, it depends on how much of Ekeler is left. Ekeler discussed how tough it was to recover from that high-ankle sprain on our programme a lot last year, and he even expressed interest in playing a receiving specialist in the season finale. That seems reasonable to me as he enters a new stage of his career and considers incumbent Brian Robinson of Washington to be the perfect early-down banger back.
The way the Commanders offence fits together around these two backs will determine whether or not I become interested in them.
Fantasy value abounds with the Eagles and Saquon Barkley duo.
- Details of the deal: $37.8 million over three years
A couple decisions have challenged and changed my perspective on running backs in the midst of endless hours of discussion on how the position has been regarded recently. There were two instances where a team had concrete proof that its ecology was strong enough to drop in any replacement-level back and have quality production: the 49ers dealing for Christian McCaffrey and the Lions drafting Joshmyr Gibbs. Nevertheless, both teams (headed by astute brain trusts) decided to invest significant money in acquiring difference-making running back talent in order to weaponize the ecology, rather than merely upgrading mediocre players in this position.
My guess is that the Eagles have seen what has worked for those NFC rivals and identified Saquon Barkley as their means of copying the method.
RB – PHI
Barkley isn’t as dynamic or fresh as Gibbs, nor is he quite at McCaffrey’s level as a player. He might be Howie Roseman’s cheap imitation of those manoeuvres, though. The Eagles have every reason to think that they have an ecosystem worth exploiting behind a strong offensive line, even without Jason Kelce, and the matchups that Josh Hurts offers as a rusher.
Barkley being dropped into this offence is an intriguing fantasy option. Any talented back linked to a strong offence is desirable, particularly if that offence under new offensive coordinator Kelen Moore leans more towards running plays. This summer, Barkley ought to wind up being a good second-round pick.
Vikings land Aaron Jones, mine divisional rival for new RB
- Details of the deal: $7 million for a year
Later in their career, Jones becomes the most adored Packers player to wear purple for the Vikings. It all makes perfect sense, this one. Although Jones is still capable of playing, it makes sense that the Packers sought to replace him with a younger player since they believed they could no longer count on him to be available all the time. In his final five games of the previous season, Jones scored 100 yards on the ground five times while averaging 5.7 yards per run. He was a real game-changer for the Packers in 2023.
Last year, Minnesota attempted to revamp their run game in the post-Dalvin Cook era, but their efforts were unsuccessful. As they continue to develop for the future, Jones provides them with some competence and initiative. Jones’ explosive skill set shares some similarities with that of veteran Ty Chandler, so if he loses time, Minnesota might not see the same kind of sharp decline as the Packers experienced. To be honest, I’m not sure how interested I am by this environment just now because there are a lot of uncertainties regarding the Vikings offence as a whole now that Kirk Cousins is gone. My willingness to make an investment in the backfield will depend on that.
Using their momentum, the Packers select Josh Jacobs to replace Aaron Jones.
- Details of the deal: $48 million over four years
After a plethora of successful selections at tight end and wide receiver, the Packers’ development plan for Jordan Love paid off in 2023, and they found themselves with a wealth of pass catchers. It also demonstrated the extent to which a run game influences this unit’s performance. When Aaron Jones led a powerful ground game and was on the field, this was a very different offence. The offensive was unable to keep up with Jones’ decline.
GB – RB
MIN – RB
In the end, it appears the Packers lost confidence in Jones’ capacity to be available on a regular basis since they want to sign Jacobs and cut Jones.
When healthy, Jacobs is a proven high-end rusher for the Raiders who can be used in both gap and zone situations. With a back like Jacobs, the Packers can trust his contributions in the passing game and can throw out any run plan they want. They can afford to pay a running back to lock down their backfield since there are so many young pass-catchers on rookie contracts.
With his strong passing ability and potential for workhorse-level touches, Jacobs is going to be one of my top fantasy football running back targets.
I’m more thrilled about the Green Bay Packers’ offence than most others.
Unexpectedly, Titans give priority toTony Pollard
- Details of the deal: $24 million for three years
In an attempt to unseat club legend Derrick Henry, the Titans have added Pollard to their backfield with Tyjae Spears. Admittedly, this one surprised me.
TEN – RB
TEN – RB
This upcoming season, Spears was expected to be at the top of the fantasy football breakthrough chart, but it’s possible that Tennessee was always considering adding a supporting player. Upon initial observation, Pollard’s skill set seems to slightly overlap Spears’s rather than complementing hers. Because of this, figuring out this backfield split will be challenging. Anyone who speaks so strongly about how this rotation will pan out here in March—or indeed, at any time before training camp opens—should raise suspicions in my eyes.
When Pollard was recovering from an injury sustained in a 2022 playoff game, he told me last month that he didn’t feel like his normal self until about Week 11 of the previous campaign. As a rookie, Spears was a ball of energy. I firmly believe that both are fantastic and highly effective choices for this season. They work together on an offence where we already have questions, so it seems like we should be prepared for a committee that may be mysterious but may be very successful.
The Bears move quickly on D’Andre Swift as part of their offensive makeover.
- Deal duration: three years for $24 million.
Swift would not have been my pick as the first running back off the board in this free agency market.The speed with which the deal was disclosed indicates that Chicago’s front office made a deliberate and focused decision. Swift’s deal is marginally greater than Miles Sanders’ from Carolina in free agency last year, both in terms of per-year compensation and guarantees (reportedly $15.3 million).
RB – CHI
The Bears needed a running back, and Swift adds a dimension to their lineup that they lacked previously. He’s an explosive runner who has had some standout performances in the Eagles’ zone-heavy run scheme. There is also some latent passing-game talent that Philadelphia, given their offensive system, did not seek to exploit. Holdovers Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson are NFL-caliber role players, but neither is a definite starter. I’d anticipate them to collaborate with Swift to some extent, but Swift to be the clear favourite to lead the team in touches.
The team aims to build a strong roster around future No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Swift is the first, and most likely not the last, step in Chicago’s efforts to accomplish this.
Sanders’ 2023 story, however, serves as a warning tale, both against utilising contract terms as a major argument in favour of a running back in fantasy and about the perils of projecting former Eagles backs outside of that ecosystem. Swift will slip somewhere in the always murky middle rounds of fantasy drafts this season, and I don’t expect to take a strong stand on him.
After trading for Mixon, the Bengals signed Zack Moss to a two-year, $8 million deal.
- Deal terms: two years for $8 million.
The Bengals saved $6 million by moving on from Mixon and chose to give a significant portion of that to Moss. Essentially, the Bengals are swapping these two backs almost one-for-one, and given how they both performed in 2023, it’s difficult to blame them.
RB – CIN
Moss was extremely prolific on zone run concepts (78% of his attempts, per Fantasy Points Data) for the Colts last season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry, five touchdowns, and a 50.3% success rate. He showed to be an efficient lead rusher in the appropriate environment.Cincinnati is a suitable place for this purpose. Moss was also ranked as the 10th-best running back on true pass-blocking sets by Pro Football Focus last season, while Mixon, who has long lost snaps on third down for this reason, finished 66th out of 74 eligible backs.
With this transaction, I believe the Bengals will gain a younger, less expensive, and maybe superior running back.
Moss is going to be a hotly contested fantasy player this summer. He’ll presumably train alongside Chase Brown, a promising rookie from last year. Moss is expected to lead the offence to a top-five finish assuming Joe Burrow remains healthy. That sounds like a purchase to me.
The Patriots have acquired Antonio Gibson, a pass-catching back.
- Deal duration: three years, $16.5 million.
RB – NE
I did not expect Gibson to get a deal on the first day of the legal negotiating period. The Patriots are starved for pass-catching talent and overall juice on offense. Gibson isn’t a bell-cow back but can assist in those pursuits. Rhamondre Stevenson isn’t ever going to be a workhorse back and this, along with the Ezekiel Elliott move last year, seems to confirm that idea. Stevenson should still be the lead back but Gibson will work in on both early and late downs.
Giants begin backfield transition with Devin Singletary addition
- Deal details: Three years for $16.5 million
RB – NYG
Singletary is a solid role player who can be a change-of-pace back in the NFL. He’s not the sole Giants answer for the post-Saquon Barkley era but he can be a part of the equation. Singletary had some really nice moments for the Texans in their zone-run-heavy offense and played under Brian Daboll in Buffalo. Nonetheless, New York will add to this room before the offseason ends.
Chargers make power move, land Gus Edwards
RB – LAC
Los Angeles had a desperate need for running backs with both Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley hitting free agency. Edwards makes sense as an addition given his familiarity with offensive coordinator Greg Roman. The Chargers certainly are not done at the position and are a lock to add to the room via the NFL draft. Edwards is a nice power-based complement and could end up siphoning goal-line carries.
The Chargers also brought in Will Dissly on a three-year deal after the previous staff featured one of the all-time unserious tight end blocking rooms the last two seasons. Both moves signal that the Chargers want to prioritize adding some beef and being a legitimate rushing operation.
Wide Receivers
Panthers finally make a WR splash, trade for Diontae Johnson
- Deal details: Steelers get CB Donte Jackson and sixth-round pick; Panthers get Johnson and seventh-round pick
The Steelers had been listening to trade offers for Johnson, who is in the final year of his contract and was not part of their future. They address their need for secondary help with the addition of Jackson while the Panthers get a desperately needed boost in the wide receiver room.
WR – PIT – #18
Johnson is one of the best route runners in the NFL and has been a top-level separator since he was drafted by the Steelers in 2019. The Panthers’ outside wide receivers were among the worst at getting open last season. That is Johnson’s specialty. Adding Johnson at the top of the wide receiver room will allow the team to get a real evaluation of Bryce Young in Year 2. The Panthers will likely continue adding to the pass-catching corps in the draft as well.
Despite playing in Matt Canada’s high school offense for most of his season, Johnson has been a productive receiver who garners a ton of volume. New head coach Dave Canales did some brilliant work mixing up Mike Evans’ route tree in Tampa Bay last year and that will be a welcome development for Johnson. Young’s ability is certainly still in question but Johnson is a quarterback-friendly wide receiver because of his ability to separate. At worst, this is a lateral move for Johnson in terms of quarterback quality.
You have to love this creative solution made by Carolina to address its wideout issues and the target projection headed Johnson’s way in 2024.
Falcons add to offense again, this time with Darnell Mooney
- Deal details: Three years, $39 million
WR – ATL
The only wide receivers on the Falcons’ depth chart beyond Drake London heading into free agency were Josh Ali, Chris Blair and Austin Mack. So, the wide receiver position was a crucial need on this roster. Mooney is best as a No. 3 wide receiver and Atlanta will add to this spot in the NFL Draft. However, he brings much-needed speed to this room and can play flanker or slot in 11-personnel. Outside of some splash games, he won’t be on the weekly fantasy football radar but he will fill an important role on the offense.
Jerry Jeudy gets a fresh start with Browns
- Deal details: Browns trade 2024 fifth- and sixth-round picks to the Broncos for Jeudy
I have been much lower than general consensus on Jeudy as a route runner and as an overall player for quite some time. However, I like this move for Cleveland, which justifiably believed it needed more wide receivers. The Browns have shown a genuine willingness to be creative to acquire talent at a premium position, mining distressed-asset wideouts in each of the last three offseasons. It’s not a perfect room but they’ve now amassed a trio of Jeudy, Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore for two fifth-round picks, a sixth-rounder and a move back from the second to third round. Considering what other teams pay for this position, that’s not bad.
Top of Browns WR room
| Player | Yds | Tgt | Rec | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 A. Cooper
CLE – WR |
1,250 | 128 | 72 | 5 |
 J. Jeudy
CLE – WR |
758 | 87 | 54 | 2 |
 E. Moore
CLE – WR |
640 | 104 | 59 | 2 |
Jeudy needed a change of scenery but do not listen to anyone who tells you his disappointing start to his career is purely the function of a dysfunctional Denver offense. He is not the consistent separator he was billed to be coming out of school and is extremely volatile as an individual player. Hopefully, he can build some new momentum rotating between the slot and flanker position with Moore in the Browns’ vertical play-action passing game.
As a rule, I don’t love to invest in offenses with major quarterback questions that also look like they could be in for a target squeeze. We could be heading there in Cleveland with Jeudy and Moore fighting for looks behind Cooper and David Njoku. The fact that I still have major questions about Jeudy’s ability to play to his talent consistently just gives more credence to the fade.
I haven’t been willing to take the plunge on Jeudy in fantasy football the previous two seasons and I doubt that will change with his move to Cleveland.
Jaguars shouldn’t be done at WR after bringing in Gabe Davis
- Deal details: Three years for $39 million
My evaluation of Davis as a player has never changed over his four-year career, even as the fantasy football industry has ridden a roller coaster of emotions for how they perceive him. Davis is not consistent enough as a separator to be a true No. 2 wide receiver to whom you give significant volume. However, he brings value as a downfield X-receiver who can uncover on scramble drills. As long as you have other viable high-volume players, Davis can fill a role in a passing game.
WR – JAX
The Jaguars did need a vertical X-receiver, and at $13 million per year, Davis isn’t an offensive overpay in the current wide receiver market. He shouldn’t out-target superior players like Christian Kirk or Evan Engram. Frankly, his presence alone shouldn’t preclude the Jaguars from adding more wide-receiver help, especially since this move signals a Calvin Ridley departure.
Davis doesn’t look like someone who should be any kind of priority fantasy pick this summer. And from Jacksonville’s sense, the team continues to collect narrow-application role players to fill out an overall average set of pass-catchers around Trevor Lawrence.
Tee Higgins requests a trade from the Bengals
A predictable move in the dance between a disgruntled franchise tag player and their team. Perhaps nothing comes of this request but Higgins quietly playing on the franchise tag — when he and his agent know with certainty that there are many other teams out there willing to pay him on a long-term extension — always reeked of a pipe dream.
The way I’ve understood this situation is that the Bengals do not have any hopes of keeping Higgins long-term but specifically structured their salary plans to keep him with the tag in 2024. Higgins doesn’t have much leverage in the situation to alter those objectives unless he is willing to sit out a season, which I’ll believe when I see it. However, this is the mechanism in place for Higgins to put public pressure on the Bengals and send up the signal for other teams to get in a “too good to refuse” offer. I always assumed Cincinnati would be willing to listen to said proposals and move Higgins, even if in an ideal world it’d rather have him this year.
WR – CIN – #5
If I had to bet on it right now, I’d say it’s 70/30 that Higgins plays for the Bengals this season. Despite the siren song of a promotion to a true No. 1 wide receiver role elsewhere, Higgins’ best spot for pure production is probably in Cincinnati.
For starters, there aren’t many places Higgins would be matched with a better quarterback than Joe Burrow. I doubt a trade for Higgins is in the plans for the Chiefs or Bills, not to mention the Bengals would hang up the phone on their top conference rivals in less than 15 seconds. I also think there should still be outstanding questions regarding whether Higgins can be a legitimate No. 1 wideout or if he’s topped out as an elite No. 2.
If I’m plotting some realistic landing spots, the Panthers and Titans would be near the top of my list. Then there are less likely spots that can’t be ruled out like the Jaguars, Texans and Lions. All three of those landing spots would present their own set of pros and cons if we’re projecting out Higgins for 2024 alone.
This situation bears monitoring. My guess is we either get a trade resolution with haste in the next week or a frustrated Higgins will report sometime in training camp after losing a stare-down with a front office that’s been through these fights before.
Patriots re-sign WR Kendrick Bourne to a three-year, $19.5 million deal
- Deal details: Three years, $19.5 million
Bourne was off to a nice start last season as an outside receiver before tearing his ACL. That injury makes him a wild card returning next season but New England’s entire offensive roster is barren so it makes sense for them to hang onto a solid player they know. The Patriots aren’t done adding pass-catchers.
Tight Ends
Bengals’ next TE reclamation project: Mike Gesicki
- Deal details: One year, $3.3 million
The Bengals tried to revive the careers of tight ends in back-to-back seasons with Hayden Hurst in 2022 and Irv Smith in 2023. One worked out, one not so much. They’ll go for a three-peat here with Gesicki and hope to get results closer to Hurst’s 2022 campaign. I like the move as a low-risk deal. Gesicki can also run routes out of the slot, where the Bengals are likely losing Tyler Boyd. With Higgins’ future with the team also in flux, the Bengals may have to get more creative with how they have split up targets in their offense than in years past.
Rams get a new TE in Colby Parkinson
- Deal details: Three years, $22.5 million
Parkinson has flashed as a pass-catcher and can function in both phases. Tyler Higbee is coming off a major injury, so Parkinson may have to play a big role alongside Davis Allen this year. Parkinson’s addition in conjunction with the re-signing of Kevin Dotson and addition of Jonah Jackson at guard for a combined $99 million is a clear sign the Rams intend to double down on their power-man and duo-heavy rushing game from 2023.
Seahawks re-sign TE Noah Fant
- Deal details: Two years, $21 million
Fant is the type of tight end I’d like to bet on as a physically gifted player going into his second contract. The fact that a new coaching staff elected to hang onto him and let several other tight ends walk is a good sign they’re thinking along the same lines. Fant won’t crack the top three target-getters in Seattle but he’ll have some big weeks and make critical plays.
GET MORE NEWS HERE