Tag: 2022 season

Chiefs TE Blake Bell ‘ready to roll’ following injury-shortened 2022 season

#Chiefs tight end Blake Bell says he’s “ready to roll” following his injury shortened 2022 season. | from: @EdEastonJr

Memories of preseason openers may not sit well for Kansas City Chiefs tight end Blake Bell who suffered a severe hip flexor injury in last year’s game. The veteran went down in pain during the game against the Chicago Bears, forcing him to injured reserve after undergoing surgery.

Bell spoke with reporters on Tuesday following practice about his injury recovery and bouncing back this year.

“I’m feeling good, I really am,” Bell said. “You know just trying to get back this offseason and trying to stretch to keep my body loose a little bit. I’m feeling good. [It was] such a freak injury and the doctors did a great job last year getting me fixed up. The trainers did a great job, too, as well so I’m feeling great ready to roll.”

The injury cost Bell all but three regular season games in 2022 as he revealed his frustration and doubt during the recovery process.

“It was hard,” Bell explained. “But you know, that was my goal each and every day is trying to get better and try to stay focused because some of those days you come in, and you’re like, ‘man, what am I doing?’ I’m not playing, but that’s how those injuries work. Man, you just got to keep your head down and keep fighting and work to get back on the field.”

Bell still scored a touchdown in Week 17 against the Denver Broncos, one of his two catches on the season. The veteran isn’t typically seen as a receiving option but provides solid blocking and discipline needed at the position.

Raiders sign former Chiefs starter, Super Bowl champion Darius Harris

The #Chiefs saw one of their 2022 starters sign with an AFC West rival when LB Darius Harris agreed to terms with the #Raiders on Monday.

The Kansas City Chiefs saw one of their top starters in last year’s Super Bowl LVII championship campaign sign with an AFC West rival on Monday when linebacker Darius Harris agreed to terms on a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Harris, a former Middle Tennessee State Blue Raider, is expected to be an early contributor in Las Vegas’ defense as the storied franchise looks to rebuild after the departure of quarterback Derek Carr in the offseason.

Details of Harris’ new deal are not yet known, but the contract isn’t expected to break the bank for the Raiders, who only have about $5 million in cap space according to overthecap.com.

The fourth-year linebacker made four starts for Kansas City last season, recording 43 combined tackles and tallying one and a half sacks in the Chiefs’ march to the playoffs. He wasn’t so productive in the postseason, though, only racking up four solo tackles in Kansas City’s three-game playoff effort.

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Bears LB Jack Sanborn ‘ready to hit the ground running’ for training camp

Bears LB Jack Sanborn is ready for training camp, where he’s 100% after recovering from his ankle injury.

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The 2022 season was an overall disappointing outing for the Chicago Bears, as nagging injuries and inadequate play culminated in the club only scoring three wins in 17 games. The season wasn’t all doom and gloom, however; several players took hold of their opportunities and made the best of them.

Quarterback Justin Fields is the prime example, of course, but there were other players who displayed growth in their roles, such as safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Kyler Gordon and, most surprisingly, undrafted rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn.

Wisconsin’s own Sanborn became a real diamond in the rough for a Bears team that desperately needed a spark at the linebacker position, especially after former Bears All-Pro Roquan Smith was traded to the Ravens.

Sanborn’s quietly solid season came to an end after an ankle injury in a late-season matchup against the Eagles placed him on the injured/reserved list. Both the fans and media had some concerns that the injury may keep the young linebacker out of training camp, but Sanborn put those worries to rest in a recent interview with ESPN 1000 Bears Weekly, in which he confirms that he’s “ready to hit the ground running.”

The hosts of the show, former Bears Tom Thayer and Jim Miller, asked Sanborn about the sort of topics he discussed with the front office during his end-of-season exit interview.

“We all understood what the main goal was, the main goal was getting healthy,” Sanborn said. “Getting my ankle to 100%. And obviously, I didn’t do OTAs and do minicamp, (I) just really focused on trying to getting back, and getting back to 100%…

“I’ve kind of made my offseason a little different… but I think, at the same, I’ve made the most of it, you know, trying to get better at different areas… and yeah, I think, everyone’s comfortable. I’m very comfortable with where I’m at right now… yeah, (I’m) ready to hit the ground running in a week or so, and, you know, start year two.”

Sanborn’s readiness for his sophomore year is an exciting prospect for Bears fans, considering general manager Ryan Poles committed to rebuilding the linebacker position in the offseason, signing the Bills’ Tremaine Edmunds and the Eagles’ T.J. Edwards. Add Sanborn into the mix, and that creates one frightening position group that will punish anyone daring enough to challenge the linebackers over the middle.

Sanborn filled up the stat sheet in his debut season, recording 64 tackles, one fumble recovery, and two sacks.

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Bears QB Justin Fields thrived against playoff teams in 2022

Bears QB Justin Fields had strong performances against playoff teams in 2022.

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Many have Bears quarterback Justin Fields pegged as a breakout candidate heading into the 2023 NFL season. Following a sophomore campaign where Fields impressed with his elite rushing ability, all eyes will be on Fields in the passing game. And he has a strong base to build off.

According to NFL Game Day, Fields had strong performances against some playoff teams in 2022. He had a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 11-to-1 against the seven playoff teams Chicago faced. His lone interception came in Week 1 against the 49ers.

Fields’ passing touchdown-to-interception ratio led all quarterbacks, where he ranked above Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen.

Stats are stats, but as always, stats don’t tell the whole story. While the Bears had the league’s best run game — thanks in large part of Fields’ 1,143 rushing yards — they struggled mightily in the passing game. They averaged 130.5 yards per game, which was far and away the worst in the NFL.

Fields threw for over 200 yards just twice last season — including a season-high 254 yards against the Packers. His season-high in attempts were 28 passes, and he attempted less than 25 passes in 12 of 15 games.

There’s no question Fields needs to improve as a passer, and the Bears made a concerted effort to help build around him this offseason. The addition of DJ Moore will be huge, as well as upgrades along the offensive line.

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Saints defense PFF grades from 2022 season

Looking back on the New Orleans Saints defense Pro Football Focus grades from the 2022 season | @DillySanders

While the strength of the 2022 New Orleans Saints team was clearly their defense, there was plenty of room for improvement. The Saints pass rush was one of the worst in the league and it had a huge impact on performance.

The Saints have almost an entirely new defensive line group, headlined by recent draftees Bryan Bresee and Isaiah Foskey. The rest of the defense will be locked down by known and trusted names, like Demario Davis and Marshon Lattimore.

To understand the new look defense a bit more, here is how every member of the current Saints defense performed in 2022, as graded by Pro Football Focus:

Saints offense PFF grades from 2022 season

Breaking down the New Orleans Saints offense’s Pro Football Focus grades from the 2022 season | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints made a bunch of huge changes to the offense in 2023. From signing free agents to drafting future game changers, things are going to look different.

Fans were upset by poor red zone offense and quarterback play last season. Those things shouldn’t be issues any longer. Derek Carr may have had a bit of a down year in 2022, but has been pretty consistent through his career. Jamaal Williams, Foster Moreau and A.T. Perry could be additions that really change the game in the red zone.

To understand the new look offense a bit more, here is how every member of the current Saints offense performed in 2022, as graded by Pro Football Focus:

Demario Davis was the NFL’s only every-down linebacker in 2022

Demario Davis was the NFL’s only every-down linebacker in 2022, playing 100% of the New Orleans Saints’ 1,132 defensive snaps:

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Now this is impressive. There aren’t many true every-down linebackers in the NFL these days, but Demario Davis isn’t just one of them — he’s arguably the only one, per Pro Football Reference and Stathead. Davis was on the field for all 1,132 defensive snaps the New Orleans Saints played in 17 games during the 2022 season.

For context, Davis was the only linebacker to play 100% of his team’s defensive snaps in the last three years. Since Davis arrived in New Orleans in 2018, it’s a feat just three players have achieved: Myles Jack did it with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 (playing 1,024 snaps through 16 games) and Jordan Hicks went the distance with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 (on 1,133 snaps in 16 games).

And Davis is doing it having celebrated his 34th birthday in January. Jack was 23 at the time and Hicks was 27 when he joined the 100% club. His durability has been a real asset for the Saints defense, but we shouldn’t make light of his ability to make plays all over the field. Davis has had at least 100 combined tackles and 10 tackles for loss, 3 or more sacks, and 4 or more passes defensed in each of his five years with New Orleans. The only other linebacker to match that production multiple times in that span is Roquan Smith, who did it twice.

So don’t take Davis for granted. He’s one of the best linebackers in the NFL, and the Saints are very, very fortunate to have him captaining their defense. He deserves all the accolades that have come his way after arriving in New Orleans.

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Bears defense PFF grades from 2022 season

Here’s a look at the PFF grades for the Bears defense for the 2022 season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 season, where many are expecting the defense to rebound after a brutal 2022 campaign.

The Bears have welcomed a slew of new faces to the roster this offseason, including linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, defensive tackles Andrew Billings, Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, defensive ends DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

Chicago is also returning some top veterans, including safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker, cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, defensive tackle Justin Jones, defensive ends Trevis Gipson and Dominique Robinson and linebacker Jack Sanborn.

Here’s a look at the PFF grades for the Bears defense for the 2022 season:

Browns were one of the best teams in the first quarter during 2022 season

The #Browns were one of the best teams in the NFL during the first quarter of games during the 2022 season

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The beginnings of games were not a problem for the Cleveland Browns last season as they ranked fifth in fourth-quarter leads in 2022 according to Warren Sharp. After the first quarter last year, the Browns were plus-29 in overall point differential with both offense and defense playing their best out of the gates to begin most matchups.

The bulk of their struggles could be linked to adjuments, or a lack thereof on the Browns’ side, which often made for some head-scratching situations. Coaching changes, specifically those on the defensive side of the ball, will help the team turn things around in 2023 if the Browns are to be the contenders that some think they could be.

We have already heard from players about the difference in the culture and their excitement to play for new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. He has the pedigree and history to suggest he has the ability to make necessary changes to solve issues as they occur. Pair that with a full season of Deshaun Watson under center, the team should be well-positioned to take a major step forward in 2023.

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Bears offense PFF grades from 2022 season

Here’s a look at the PFF grades for the Bears offense for the 2022 season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 season, where expectations are high for the offense.

The Bears have welcomed a slew of new faces to the roster this offseason, including wide receivers DJ Moore and Tyler Scott, offensive linemen Darnell Wright and Nate Davis, running backs Roschon Johnson and D’Onta Foreman and tight end Robert Tonyan.

Chicago is also returning some top veterans, including quarterback Justin Fields, running back Khalil Herbert, wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, tight end Cole Kmet and offensive linemen Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins.

Here’s a look at the PFF grades for the Bears offense for the 2022 season: