Tag: 2023 offseason

From Within: Cowboys promote Brian Schottenheimer to offensive coordinator

The Cowboys promotion of Brian Schottenheimer isn’t a flashy hire, but one that could bring much-needed wrinkles in Dallas. | From @CDBurnett7

After the Cowboys parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, they needed to fill the two roles he held. Head coach Mike McCarthy was given the reins as the play caller in Dallas, but the Cowboys still needed someone manage the actual coordination of the scheme and design the plays for McCarthy to call. They decided to stay in-house for the hire.

Brian Schottenheimer spent the 2022 season on the Dallas staff as a coaching consultant on a team that delivered their first back-to-back playoff seasons since 2007. After multiple interviews from outside, the Cowboys announced Schottenheimer as their new offensive coordinator Saturday.

Schottenheimer began his coaching career in 1997 as an assistant for the Rams, but bounced around the ranks with his most notable years as offensive coordinator for the Seahawks from 2018 through 2020.

McCarthy issued a statement on his new offensive partner.

While Schottenheimer isn’t the flashy hire that many were hoping for, it was the obvious one. The Joneses have been known to stay in-house and this is no surprise. That said, there’s a lot of detail that he can bring to the offense, as noted by PFF’s John Owning.

Unfortunately, Schottenheimer’s offenses were often criticized due to their predictability on account of a lack of creativity as a play caller — those aren’t the kind of critiques that will inspire Cowboys fans after the team jettisoned a boy wonder for this retread candidate. Luckily for Dallas, the predictability of Schottnehimer’s play-calling shouldn’t be an issue because McCarthy will be calling plays. That could allow Schottenheimer to focus on what he does best: designing an offense that intertwines the running, play-action passing and dropback passing games at a high level.

Cowboys fans will be happy to hear that hiring Schottenheimer would likely mean a move away from the hitch/curl routes that were so frequently leaned on during Moore’s tenure as offensive coordinator. The Cowboys targeted hitch routes the fourth most in the NFL; however, Schottenheimer appears to favor routes where his receivers are on the move rather than a stationary target, as his offenses are littered with drive, shallow-cross, spear and “China” passing game concepts — none of which have a stop, curl or hitch route baked into the basic play.

If Schottenheimer can focus on his strengths while McCarthy improves as a play caller, Dallas hopes to find success in this change of scenery as they look to finally get over the hump and reach a conference championship next year.

Where are the Commanders in the NFC East right now?

A look at where the Commanders stand in the NFC East compared to their rivals.

Three weeks of playoffs have passed us, so where are the Washington Commanders thus far in this offseason?

The Commanders have publicly announced that they have interviewed Pat Shurmur, Ken Zampese, Charles London, Eric Studesville and Thomas Brown to fill the offensive coordinator position.

Eric Bieniemy is now said to be a target. Is Bienemy really that unhappy in Kansas City, that he would choose to leave Andy Reid for Ron Rivera? Would he actually rather work with Sam Howell than Patrick Mahomes?

Why on earth would Bieniemy consider a lateral move, working for a team that hasn’t had a winning record since the 2015 and 2016 seasons? Meanwhile, in those same eight NFL seasons, the Chiefs have won 11, 12, 10, 12, 12, 14, 12 and 14 games in regular seasons.

What are we missing here? What is not being said?

Are we simply to believe Bieniemy would make a lateral move to a young Sam Howell who has attempted a whopping 19 passes in his NFL career? He would actually make a lateral move away from Mahomes, who, since being the starter in Kansas City, has passed for 5,097, 4,031, 4,740, 4,839 and 5,250 yards.

Howell, with those 19 passing attempts, is the only quarterback on the roster for 2023. Consequently, the new offensive coordinator is by necessity going to be someone who has no guarantees about the ownership for the 2023 season, if Ron Rivera will be around for the 2024 season, or if he himself will be around past the 2023 season.

Meanwhile, in the NFC East, the Eagles have, in the last three seasons, drafted Jalen Hurts in the second round, traded Carson Wentz, moved on from a Super Bowl-winning coach, hired a first-time NFL head coach, and are back in the Super Bowl for the second time in only six seasons.

The New York Giants, in their previous five seasons, had lost 13, 11, 12, 10 and 13 regular season games. Enter Brian Daboll. Daboll, in his first season, managed to change the culture of the losing Giants and instantly improve them to move ahead of the Commanders and win a playoff game over the Vikings in Minnesota.

The Cowboys? Dallas won 8 and 6 games in the two seasons prior to head coach Mike McCarthy’s arrival. Since McCarthy took over the reins, Dallas has won 12 games in both 2021 and 2022, won a road playoff game, and gave the 49ers all they wanted in San Francisco in the divisional round. Meanwhile, the TV and Twitter pundits are repeatedly telling you what an idiot McCarthy is.

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2 Denver Broncos make PFF’s list of top 50 free agents

Dre’Mont Jones is considered a top free agent this offseason.

The start of 2023 season is quickly making its way to the forefront of the NFL calendar with the recent completion of the divisional round of the playoffs.

One of the first priorities on any team list is to sign free agents, and there are some big names that may be available, including Saquon Barkley, Lamar Jackson and Patrick Peterson.

Recently, PFF released its list of the top 50 NFL free agents due for new contracts in 2023, and there are two current Denver Broncos on the list — offensive lineman Dalton Risner and defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones.

Risner has been a stalwart on the offensive line, only missing four games (two in 2021, two in 2022) since being drafted by the Broncos in the 2019 NFL draft. Risner has been versatile, playing both left and right guard. Since being named a starter in 2019, Risner has only had seven accepted penalties against him. This kind of stability is something Denver needs to have going into 2023. With left tackle Garett Bolles recovering from injury, there needs to be an anchor on the line. Risner’s stability could also mean a potentially large payday that the Broncos may not be able to afford.

Jones comes from the same class as Risner, where he was chosen in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft. Jones has missed 10 games in four seasons, however, 2022 was Jones’ best statistical year as a pro. In 13 games, Jones recorded 6.5 sacks, 47 tackles, nine tackles for losses and one forced fumble. The question becomes, will Jones be a stalwart on the defensive line? Can he play in 17 games, or is that too much? How much are the Broncos willing to spend on him, when they have a bevy of free agents already at the bargaining table?

These big question marks will loom over Denver’s 2023 team, with only $10 million in projected cap space. Will they stay, or will they go?

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Ranking the Vikings biggest needs this offseason

The Vikings have quite a few needs during the 2023 offseason and @TheRealForno ranked them based on importance

The 2023 offseason is here and it has already raised a lot of questions about the future of the Minnesota Vikings. What is the Vikings’ plan for the future? It’s something that we will be diving into all off-season.

As we approach the first activities of the offseason calendar in the Senior Bowl, understanding the needs of the Vikings will make a difference in how you look at the process of the offseason.

Here are the Vikings’ needs ranked from 11-1.

Evaluating Packers roster entering 2023 offseason

Breaking down the Packers’ roster exiting the 2022 season and entering the 2023 offseason. Includes pending free agents and salary cap information from Ken Ingalls.

The Green Bay Packers exited another Super Bowl-less season in 2022 and are now entering another offseason full of intrigue and uncertainty to start 2023, setting the stage for what could be a franchise-altering couple of months in a little place called Titletown.

The offseason, once again, centers around the future of four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. But the team is more than a single quarterback, and understanding the current construction of the roster helps provide a clear picture of what Brian Gutekunst and the Packers are dealing with to enter the offseason, both in terms of personnel and the salary cap.

To help evaluate the roster, we went position-by-position, highlighting who is under contract, who is a free agent, early thoughts on each position and a unique salary cap perspective from Ken Ingalls, a CPA who studies the salary cap.

Here are Ken’s initial thoughts on the cap and the Packers’ offseason:

“The Packers head into the 2023 offseason currently needing to trim between $35-40 million of salary cap cost from their current roster of 54 players under contract in order to afford their upcoming draft class, practice squad, potential incentives, and have enough money to comfortably navigate through their regular season.  Each additional contract they wish to add to their current roster, whether it’s bringing back any of their own 18 pending free agents or adding new players from outside their organization, would require adding to the top of this already significant $35-40 million to-do list.

Last season the Packers were in a similar situation and said goodbye to six starters plus more key contributors via free agency, cuts, and trades. They were frugal spenders in free agency and restructured every remaining non-rookie contract veteran to get through the season with only $1.6 million in cap space to spare.

This upcoming 2023 season I expect a similar process to 2022. They have lots of expensive veteran contracts – most will be restructured, some will be cut, and maybe a few traded away. They will dip their toes into free agency but I’m not expecting a big splash, and we once again will see more household Packer names on their way out of Green Bay. The ultimate success of the 2023 version of the Green Bay Packers is deciding on the future direction of this team (Hint: See QB section below) and then executing a strategy on which players stay, which players go, finding hidden gems in free agency, and having an outstanding draft.”

Onto the position by position breakdowns:

Podcast: Saints’ lack of urgency is justifiably irking the fanbase

Podcast: The Saints’ lack of urgency is justifiably irking the fanbase, while things heat up in the Sean Payton sweepstakes

The newest episode of the Saints Wire Podcast is here, hosted as always by Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG) with Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler (@john_siglerr). You can subscribe for new episodes released each week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your podcast service of choice.

This week we’re working through some frustrations as the New Orleans Saints take their sweet time addressing what went wrong in 2022, and taking a bit of a look ahead at what’s in store for 2023. We’re also touching on the ongoing Sean Payton sweepstakes, with the Saints’ inactivity allowing Payton to dominate the news cycle. This episode was recorded prior to New Orleans’ controversial decision to hang onto offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, which we’ll touch on next week.

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Report: Saints not expected to move on from OC Pete Carmichael

Report: Saints not expected to move on from offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael despite having scored their fewest points since 2005

Yikes. NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett reports that the New Orleans Saints are not planning a change at offensive coordinator, with Pete Carmichael expected to remain in place after a disappointing-at-best 2022 campaign. Carmichael’s offense was the team’s weakness this season and scored the fewest points for the Saints since 2005 despite having the benefit of an extra game.

It’s hard to read into this as anything but a mistake. The Saints didn’t have a great quarterback situation in 2022, but it was compounded by the least-aggressive play caller in the league. Carmichael failed to put star talents like Alvin Kamara in position to win and keyed opposing defenses into several trends as the season continued, which played a part in the Saints averaged just 13.5 points per game over the last six weeks.

Triplett adds that no other changes are on the way for the assistants and position coaches after the Saints fired tight ends coach and run-game coordinator Dan Roushar on Thursday, so it looks like they’re content to run it back with the least ambitious coaching staff in the league. If Saints fans need a reason to get excited for the 2023 season, they’ll have to look elsewhere.

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These 57 Falcons are under contract for the 2023 season

#Falcons 2023 roster: Which players are still under contract next season?

The Atlanta Falcons have 23 players set to hit free agency this offseason and for the first time in a while, they will actually have the money to re-sign most of them.

We have plenty of time to debate who the team should bring back in 2023, but which players are still under contract? Here’s a look at all 57 Falcons who are signed through the 2023 season.

Addressing defense this offseason could once again be priority for Packers

The Packers, with potential holes everywhere on defense, may have to – once again – prioritize that side of the ball during the 2023 offseason.

The Green Bay Packers invested a lot into the defensive side of the ball in recent years. The on-the-field return hasn’t matched the investment. Whilethe offensive side of the ball needs help of its own, Green Bay could very well be going back to the defensive side of the ball early on in this year’s draft.

The defensive spending spree began during 2019 free agency when the Packers signed Adrian Amos, Preston Smith, and Za’Darius Smith, totaling over $150 million in contract values. In that same draft, equipped with a pair of first-round picks, the Packers drafted Rashan Gary and then Darnell Savage.

Fast forward to the 2021 draft, Green Bay selected Eric Stokes with their first pick. Then this past offseason, with limited cap space, the Packers signed Rasul Douglas and De’Vondre Campbell, which was then followed by them spending their two first-round picks on Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt.

Not that there hasn’t been some investment on the offensive side of the ball during this span, but you get the idea. The investment on the defensive side has been far greater. Six of the regular starters on defense in 2022 were former first-round picks, and Wyatt, as a rotational player, made seven. Amos, Smith, Campbell, and Douglas, meanwhile, were all signed in free agency.

But for a unit loaded with talent and a group that was supposed to lift this Packers team up as the offense figured things out, that really wasn’t the case for much of the season. From the coaching staff to the players, there was a disconnect that led to inconsistent play and many of the same issues, which included missed tackles, broken coverages, and a lack of timely adjustments, being prevalent for much of the season. In short, a group with high expectations greatly underperformed.

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However, despite all of the free agency dollars and draft capital spent on this side of the ball, as we look to the 2023 offseason, specifically the draft, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the Packers again spending early round picks on defense, even with the offensive side of the ball in need of help as well.

As we evaluate which positions should be addressed, some of the biggest needs come on the defensive side of the ball. The interior defensive line is losing Jarran Reed and Dean Lowry to free agency (unless re-signed), which makes this a thin room to begin with. On top of that, the Packers were one of the worst run defenses in football, and consistent pressure from the interior was lacking.

Edge rusher is also a need as well. Preston Smith is no longer a long-term solution, and while Kingsley Enagbare flashed, at this time, he still seems to be more of a rotational player. Not surprisingly, without Rashan Gary, getting after the quarterback regularly was an issue.

Safety comes to mind as well when talking about positional needs. It’s a position that greatly underperformed this season, and looking ahead to 2023, only Tariq Carpenter, a primary special teams player, and Savage are under contract.

The offense, of course, has needs of its own, but will they take precedence? Tight end, like safety, is very thin, with only Josiah Deguara under contract at the moment, not to mention that the Packers need more playmaking at it, but that’s not a position typically valued very highly.

Running back could be higher up on the priority list if the Packers move on from Aaron Jones – which I don’t believe they will – but again, is Green Bay spending a first-round pick on that position? I would guess not. Then there is receiver, but as we all know, that’s not a position the Packers have spent a first-round pick on. With Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure the only receivers under contract for 2023, I would think a veteran addition in free agency is going to happen, and I also think the Packers will add to the position in the draft, but again, in round one, I’m not so sure.

Offensive tackle is a premier position and one the Packers have addressed in the first round in the past – although not recently – but with David Bakhtiari, Zach Tom, Yosh Nijman, Caleb Jones, Rasheed Walker, and even Elgton Jenkins, it’s not as if the Packers are lacking depth or talent.

As far as free agency goes, this again is shaping up to be an offseason where the Packers aren’t going to have a ton of buying power. They’ll round out some positions with veteran additions on both sides of the ball, but I wouldn’t expect any major additions.

After all of the resources spent on defense over the years, sitting here talking about more premium draft capital going into that side of the ball seems unnecessary, especially with an offense that had playmaking issues of its own. However, given the construction of this roster, along with positional value being taken into account, adding to the defense early on in the draft feels almost like a must.

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Saints re-sign half their practice squad for 2023, but not one of their 2022 draft picks

The Saints re-signed half of their practice squad for 2023, but the list of returning players doesn’t include one of their 2022 draft picks:

Here’s a bit of housekeeping from the New Orleans Saints. Practice squad contracts expire at the end of the regular season for teams that don’t qualify for the playoffs, though they have the option to bring those players back on reserve/future deals — and the Saints have already taken advantage of that opportunity.

New Orleans re-signed half of their practice squad for 2023, but the list of returning players doesn’t include one of their 2022 draft picks: defensive tackle Jordan Jackson, selected in the sixth round out of the Air Force Academy. Jackson spent his rookie year on the practice squad and never got into a game, but that’s not to say he won’t be re-signed. These reserve/future contracts are typically handled in batches so he could be part of the next wave of signings. It’s something to watch out for.

In the meantime, here are the eight practice squad players who have already been re-signed: