Tag: 2022 season

Chiefs special teams review: Where did the unit rank during the 2022 NFL season?

Our @WesleyRoesch unveils his season-long review of the #Chiefs’ special teams unit with stats and superlatives.

2022 was a success for the Super Bowl LVII-winning Kansas City Chiefs, and special teams played partial role in that success despite some growing pains during the regular season.

When looking at the Chiefs’ special teams unit as a whole throughout the entirety of 2022, it took a step down compared to 2021. The team’s special teams ranked 16th in Football Outsiders’ special teams DVOA (playoffs included) in 2022, falling far below its second-place ranking in 2021.

So what changed to make the Chiefs go from a top-two squad to the middle of the pack? Several factors contributed to the drop, including:

  • Rookies: 11 made the team, with 10 playing significant special teams snaps. Many rookies played well, but there were still growing pains.
  • Fumbling issues: The Chiefs fumbled the ball seven times on returns, losing five of them.
  • Field goal inconsistency: Injuries at the kicker position plus alleged holding issues led to inconsistency with field goals for most of the season.
  • Uncertainty at punt returner: The Chiefs used four different punt returners before settling on one as the team’s go-to guy.

Despite the initial challenges, the Chiefs’ special teams unit pulled it together and performed well down the stretch, especially during the postseason. It even had a few plays that were difference-makers in the Chiefs winning the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.

With the 2022 season at a close, this final review will detail the performance of each Chiefs special teams subunit. All stats listed below cover the regular season and postseason (20 games total) unless noted. For snap counts, full player grades and more detailed stats, visit my Google Sheet and browse each of the tabs.

PFF names DE Carl Granderson the Saints’ most-improved player in 2022

Pro Football Focus names defensive end Carl Granderson the New Orleans Saints’ most-improved player in 2022, having raised his player grade by 17 points:

Who would you say was the New Orleans Saints’ most-improved player in 2022? Our pick went to right guard Cesar Ruiz, who finally began to look like a former first-round pick under tutelage of his new position coach Doug Marrone. Another choice would be tight end Juwan Johnson, who broke out to lead the team with seven touchdown receptions.

But here’s another suggestion from Pro Football Focus analyst Gordon McGuinness. After posting a league-average grade of 63.2 in 2021, defensive end Carl Granderson improved to an impressive 80.4 player grade for the 2022 season. McGuinness shared some insight on that leap in performance and what makes Granderson the Saints’ most-improved player:

“An undrafted free agent out of Wyoming in 2019, Granderson had a monster year against the run, with his 84.4 PFF run-defense grade the second-highest mark among all edge defenders in the NFL. Eight of his 22 pressures were sacks, and he registered 34 tackles resulting in a defensive stop.”

Granderson finished the year as the starting defensive end opposite Cameron Jordan, playing ahead of two recent first-round draft picks in Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner down the stretch. While his stronger numbers as a pass rusher are what’s driving his improved defensive rating, Granderson is also holding up better against the run than we saw early in his career. He’s worked hard to bulk up and adjust to the NFL, and that diligence is paying off.

Now he enters the 2023 offseason as, on paper, a defensive starter. Whether he’ll retain that status remains to be seen. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Saints invest another high draft pick in the position should Davenport leave in free agency or if the coaching staff is pessimistic on Turner’s growth; like many teams, they rotate their pass rushers often through games, so it’s better to have multiple viable players in the group.

Another interesting note: Granderson signed a two-year extension last year rather than a typical one-year contract for an exclusive rights free agent, which means he’s on track to reach unrestricted free agency in 2024. That was a sign of the team’s belief in his career trajectory and it also helps keep some stability at defensive end going into 2023. In addition to Davenport, Tanoh Kpassagnon is a backup headed for free agency. Knowing Granderson is under contract makes losing one (or both) of those players a little more acceptable.

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8 Saints players led the team in penalties in 2022

The New Orleans Saints deserve some credit for cleaning up after last year’s sloppy start. But these 8 Saints players led the team in penalties in 2022:

Penalties were an early problem for the New Orleans Saints in 2022, but they deserve some credit for cleaning it up. After drawing 34 fouls in their first four weeks, an average of 8.5 penalties per game, Dennis Allen’s team was fouled 8 or more times just twice through the rest of their schedule — taking 8 penalties for 49 yards and 10 fouls for 74 yards in road losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers. They posted 6 or fewer penalties in every other game.

In the end, New Orleans ranked 16th around the league with 99 penalties for 841 yards (a year ago, they finished at 23rd with 98 fouls for 811 yards). So who led the team in fouls? Are there problematic areas and trends that can be worked on? Here’s the list of players who drew four or more flags in 2022:

Bears 2022 rookie review: S Elijah Hicks

Bears safety Elijah Hicks showed he has plenty of upside during his rookie season.

The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.

The Bears drafted safety Elijah Hicks in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft, and his special teams prowess helped earn him a spot on the 53-man roster. While Hicks didn’t see significant action on defense, he did step in due to injuries to Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker.

Let’s take a look back at Hick’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.

Bears 2022 rookie review: RB Trestan Ebner

Bears RB Trestan Ebner was unable to take advantage of his opportunities in his rookie season.

The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.

The Bears drafted running back Trestan Ebner in the sixth round, where the expectation was he’d contribute as a return specialist and a reserve on offense. Ebner showed promise during training camp and the preseason with his explosiveness, but it didn’t necessarily translate to the regular season.

Let’s take a look back at Ebner’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.

Saints ranked fourth-worst in games lost to injuries in 2022

The Saints ranked fourth in the NFL in games lost to injuries during the 2022 season. Their star talents took a hit last year:

This is validating, in a really strange sense of the word. If it felt like the New Orleans Saints were dealing with more injuries than most other teams around the NFL last season, you’re right — analysis from Man-Games Lost found that the Saints ranked fourth in games missed due to injuries (268) in 2022. It’s hard to win many games when you’re playing without your top quarterback, wide receiver, and multiple other starters for much of the year.

Proof of these struggles was clear on the injury report each week; the Saints listed 10 or more players for every game but Week 9’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, when only nine injuries were reported. They listed as many as 15 players in their Week 13 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

What’s difficult to process about this is how many of the injuries weren’t related, making it hard to highlight areas to improve. It’s not like there’s one thing the training staff wasn’t preparing players for, or the medical staff was missing out on in diagnosing injuries. There was a breakout of ankle injuries late in the season but that’s not uncommon given how much stress playing football puts on that complicated joint. There aren’t really trends for the Saints to study and better adjust to here.

So here’s hoping the Saints enjoy better health in 2023 and beyond. They won’t get where they want to go with their best players on the sidelines again.

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Saints finish 27th in final USA TODAY NFL power rankings for 2022

The Saints finished 27th in the final USA TODAY NFL power rankings for 2022, with an unclear QB situation and salary cap constraints creating a lowly perception:

It’ll take some time to find the New Orleans Saints in USA TODAY’s final NFL power rankings: they’re ranked fifth-worst in the league after rallying to a 7-10 finish in 2022, and Nate Davis isn’t high on their prospects  moving forward. The Saints are ranked at No. 27 out of 32 teams, just to spell that out with a little more clarity. If you’re curious, the NFC South-rival Falcons and Panthers both rank ahead of New Orleans, with the basement-dwelling Buccaneers beneath them.

That’s quite a tumble seeing as the Saints were listed at No. 18 in the last edition of these power rankings. From Davis: “They recouped a (low) first-round pick by letting Payton go. But running up that cap credit card once again could make it hard to find a quarterback without completely crippling the roster.”

Jameis Winston is likely on his way out the door in New Orleans, but even if he stays another season he won’t have a great resume backing him up. He’s missed most of the last two seasons with injuries and the coaching staff didn’t trust him to lead the offense even after he left the injury report in 2022. That bridge is all-but-burnt.

And while the Saints do have the means to sign a new starting quarterback, Davis points out that the ambitious salary cap accounting they complete every year has a real cost. New Orleans has lost a lot of depth over the years because of cap constraints, which have narrowed their margin for error. They can’t afford to miss on big bets like letting Trey Hendrickson walk away so they can gamble on Marcus Davenport being an able replacement and the money saved going towards Marcus Williams, only for neither of those plans to work out. But that’s what’s happened here.

Hopefully the next Saints quarterback doesn’t completely break the bank. New Orleans has too many problems in too many different areas to assume a new passer is going to fix everything. Like it or not, they’ve earned this lowly perception around the league. It’s on Dennis Allen and his team to pull them out of it.

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Bears 2022 rookie review: DE Dominique Robinson

While Dominique Robinson didn’t have a substantial impact in his rookie year, there’s reason to be optimistic about his development.

The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.

Fifth-round defensive end Dominique Robinson was always considered a project, as he’d spent just two years at the position after converting from wide receiver in college. While he didn’t have a substantial impact in this rookie year, there’s reasons to be optimistic for his continued development.

Let’s take a look back at Robinson’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.

Seahawks finish season at No. 18 in latest NFL power rankings

With the 2022 season in the books, the Seattle Seahawks finished at No. 18 in Dan Hanzus’ final NFL power rankings of the year.

That’s a wrap! Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have been crowned Super Bowl Champions, the 2022 season is officially in the books. Around the NFL writer Dan Hanzus took one last look around the league to determine his final power rankings of the year.

The Seahawks came in at No. 18 on his list.

“Geno Smith balled out for the Seahawks in 2022 and was recognized for his efforts with Comeback Player of the Year honors,” Hanzus writes. “Did he do enough to prove to Seattle brass he should be the long-term answer at QB? Speaking at the Pro Bowl, Smith sounded confident a deal will get done.

“We’ve had talks and we’re in the process of getting all that settled right now,” Smith said. “It’s looking very good.”

“The Seahawks own the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft,” Hanzus continues. “Could they extend Smith on a team-friendly deal, then take a quarterback with that premium selection? It’s possible.”

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Bears 2022 rookie review: P Trenton Gill

Bears rookie punter Trenton Gill looked like a seasoned pro.

The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.

Following the departure of punter Pat O’Donnell in free agency, the Bears drafted Trenton Gill in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL draft. Gill made the transition from O’Donnell a seamless one, as Gill looked like a seasoned pro during his rookie year.

Let’s take a look back at Gill’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.