The 2016 Saints draft picks included instant impacts like Michael Thomas, though it took longer for Vonn Bell and Sheldon Rankins to start.
Our 2021 NFL draft countdown continues with a recap of the 2015 Saints draft class, which was the first year Jeff Ireland really got to work with his own scouting department after rebuilding the group. It was also the last year Rob Ryan worked as defensive coordinator for the Saints, though he split responsibilities with his eventual replacement Dennis Allen. After another historically-worst defensive effort, the pressure was on for Sean Payton to make big changes, but it took time for that to happen.
The Arizona Cardinals signed free agents Ken Crawley and B.W. Webb, who started much of the 2016 season for the New Orleans Saints.
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Two former members of the New Orleans Saints ended up together again, when the Arizona Cardinals announced the signings of cornerbacks Ken Crawley and B.W. Webb. The moves followed a season-ending injury to starting cornerback Robert Alford, and preceded another veteran pickup in Dre Kirkpatrick. For their part, the Saints recently worked out two undrafted free agent cornerbacks, though neither has been signed just yet.
Webb appeared in 14 games for the Saints back in 2016, logging 8 starts and 587 combined defensive snaps. He’s continued to make a journey around the NFL since then, spending the 2018 season with the New York Giants and playing for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2019 (where he and Kirkpatrick were teammates).
As for Crawley: 2016 was his rookie season, and he initially played well in 15 games (starting 5 of them, totaling 502 snaps on defense). But his play trailed off with more exposure to NFL offenses, and he was released in 2019 after appearing in just one game. He played four games with the Miami Dolphins but wasn’t kept around over the summer, and now he has a chance to catch on with Arizona.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Webb and Crawley can carve out a role with the Cardinals. It also says a lot that players who once started frequently for the Saints have been pushed off the depth chart as the team upgraded over the years. It’s just another reminder that the Saints invested a lot of resources into overhauling their roster, and now they’re reaping the benefits.
The Atlanta Falcons moved on from their 2019 sack leader, Vic Beasley, but the decision felt like the logical move for both parties.
The Atlanta Falcons moved on from their 2019 sack leader, Vic Beasley, but the decision felt like a logical move for both parties. Beasley landed in Tennessee on a one-year deal, while the Falcons brought in free-agent defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. as a replacement.
Atlanta used the No. 8 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft on Beasley, and while he in no way can be considered a bust, his time with the Falcons was sometimes puzzling. The speedy EDGE had moments where looked like the next Von Miller during the 2016 season, recording 15.5 sacks and earning both Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selections.
That breakout year was what frustrated fans the most about Beasley, though. Was he an underachieving mega-talent, or a solid player that over-performed himself into unrealistic expectations?
Pro Football Focus recently released a one-year wonder team, with Beasley starting at defensive end. Check out what the feature had to say about Atlanta’s streaky former edge rusher:
Beasley also cashed in on a new contract this offseason, and part of that check stems from a 2016 season where he led the NFL in sacks. Beasley’s 79.9 pass-rushing grade in 2016 indicates he probably didn’t deserve to lead the NFL in sacks, but it was a strong showing as a pass-rusher nonetheless. His career looked to be on an upward trend. The last three seasons haven’t come close to reaching those heights, though. Eighty-eight edge defenders have 500 or more pass-rushing snaps since 2017. Beasley’s pressure rate of 8.9% ranks 75th among that group. That number doesn’t match up with the guy who led the league in sacks four seasons ago.
Even though he’s no longer in Atlanta, it will be interesting to see how the 27-year-old fares with the Titans in 2020. During his five seasons with the Falcons, Beasley racked up 37.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and 119 solo tackles.
The Atlanta Falcons made several changes to their roster after another 7-9 finish in 2019, but the team remains set at quarterback with Matt Ryan under contract through 2023.
The Atlanta Falcons made several changes to their roster after another 7-9 finish in 2019, but the team remains set at quarterback with Matt Ryan under contract through 2023.
Ryan turned 35 earlier this week, and as we previously highlighted, he doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Over the past three years, he’s thrown for 13,485 passing yards, 81 touchdowns and 33 interceptions.
Ryan’s all-time best season came in 2016, though, when he won the NFL’s MVP award and led the Falcons to the Super Bowl. Since we have some time to kill before anything significant happens, let’s look back to that magical year when Ryan threw for just under 5,000 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Watch his 2016 highlights below, as shared by the team’s Twitter account:
❄️Sit back, relax and enjoy some highlights of the birthday boy's MVP season. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/cPVKf0kpkA
Tony Romo discusses losing his starting role to Dak Prescott in the 2016 season.
By 2016, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo had firmly established himself as one the best at his position, however, he was also coming back from yet another in a mind-boggling and soul-crushing list of injuries.
Romo wouldn’t even make it to the season opener this time, suffering broken bones in his back in his exhibition debut. Already showing extremely well in the preseason, rookie QB Dak Prescott now had the regular season reigns as well and after an opening-week loss, the Cowboys went on an 11-game win streak to ultimately finish 13-3 and lock up the top seed in the NFC Playoffs. During the streak, Romo decided to end the chatter, fueled by a vocally supportive structure of owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jason Garrett. He stood in front of the media and gave a heartfelt speech that turned the keys of the franchise over to Prescott.
“Well, I think anybody who’s winning that many games, their team was playing so well, I mean that’s kind of what will always happen,” Romo said. “You just don’t mess with that kind of success.”
“Football is really not about any individual, but we all want to be the best…one of the major reasons you’re winning and being great. You know, as you become a dad and you get older, you can kind of see there are rare multiple sides. It’s just not about me. It’s about so many more people. I just feel like when your team is playing well and everybody is playing really good football, it’s just a team sport. It’s not about an individual.”
Bensinger also asked why it was important to Romo to deliver the message he did during his press conference after he realized Prescott was the new captain of the ship.
“Well, there are multiple reasons. I think one, it’s just an opportunity for kids, you know? You think about how many kids out there want to play and start and be the best and sometimes you have a setback or things don’t go your way. I like said, being a dad you kind of hope sometimes they handle things a certain way and sometimes it’s better to try and live it than just tell them sometimes and I felt like I could just help some kid out there going through it.”
Totally classy and what the public who actually paid attention would expect from a guy like Romo. The way he handled the 2016 situation was a reminder of why it’s important to put the team before one’s self when winning is the ultimate goal.
Romo would only throw four passes in the Cowboys season finale vs the Eagles, and they would be the final passes of his career. Just as he was ready to ascend into the pantheon of great quarterbacks, he body could no longer support his will, but he’s done well for himself since. Romo was immediately snatched up to do color commentary for CBS, and has been a revelation to sports broadcasting. After his initial contract expired, Romo re-signed with the broadcast company to become the highest-paid in industry history earlier this year.
