The NFL is returning to the days of one huge roster cutdown, approving an August 29 deadline for teams to trim rosters from 90 to 53 after the final preseason game
After several seasons with multiple cutdown days, the NFL is returning to one deadline for teams to trim their rosters.
During the NFL Owners Meetings on Tuesday, a proposal was approved that would call for the Eagles and 31 other NFL teams to trim down their rosters from a 90-man to a 53-man roster by Tuesday, August 29.
That means over 1,100 cuts around the NFL will take place after the third and final preseason game. https://t.co/lpCX9CSpCy
The Bears are a prime candidate to be on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in August.
There’s arguably no NFL team that’s more interesting heading into the 2023 offseason than the Chicago Bears, a sentiment shared by a number of non-Bears fans.
Not only do they have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, they also have the most salary cap space ($118 million), which is nearly double the next team. Oh, and they have a star in quarterback Justin Fields, who turned heads in his second year.
Which makes the Bears the prime candidate to be on HBO’s Hard Knocks in August 2023.
While Chicago has notably turned it down in the past, teams can now be forced into it.
The criteria for Hard Knocks is simple: 1) You’d have to miss the playoffs for the past two seasons; 2) You can’t have a first-year head coach; and 3) You can’t have hosted Hark Knocks in the past decade.
There are only four teams that meet all of those qualifications: the Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Washington Commanders
There are 4 teams eligible to host Hard Knocks in August 2023:
Looking at those four options, the Bears are the clear-cut favorite to be chosen for the docu-series this year. And it’s something fans would love, considering the organization has been pretty tight-lipped about behind-the-scenes happenings. (Although, they did debut a behind-the-scenes series, 1920 Football Drive, a couple of years ago).
When To be clear: Any NFL team can volunteer to do Hard Knocks (which the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams did in 2020). But it doesn’t typically happen. So there’s a good chance that we’ll see the Bears as the focus this year.
“I can truly say I’m playing the most free- minded, pressure-free, relaxed football that I’ve felt in a while,” Kirk said on Thursday.
Aside from Trevor Lawrence, there may not be a player on the Jacksonville Jaguars roster who the football community is ready to judge more than receiver Christian Kirk. The reason for that is because of the four-year deal he signed worth up to $84 million.
On numerous occasions, Kirk has said he’s not worried about those who’ve criticized his deal and doubted his ability, though. However, on Thursday he also let the media know that the receivers group isn’t sweating those who believe the Jags don’t have a deep threat on the team.
“No, it’s not something that we discuss,” Kirk said when asked if the receivers discuss their critics. “I just laugh because we have so many guys that have put deep threat ability on tape and have done it. I’ve had success with it, Zay’s had success with it, Marvin’s had success with it, so it’s not something we pay attention to. As receivers, we’re all guys that like to catch the go ball, like to catch the deep post, so it’s definitely going to be a point of emphasis for us because we know we have the guys to do it.”
Between Kirk, Zay Jones, and Marvin Jones Jr., there are 22 years of NFL experience, so he’s probably right about all three seeing a lot of different roles throughout their careers. However, some people have been skeptical since the Jags let DJ Chark Jr. hit the open market in the spring and we won’t know the answer on whether the Jags have found a similar threat until the season starts.
Kirk certainly could be that guy for the team, as that’s something he flourished with last season while working from the slot and perimeter. Based on how Zay Jones has been used at times at camp, he also could help the Jags with explosiveness, but it’s just a matter of seeing how the Jags’ receivers respond when the pads go on.
During his time at the podium, Kirk also talked about not feeling any pressure after signing his deal which guarantees $37 million.
“Not at all. I can truly say I’m playing the most free- minded, pressure-free, relaxed football that I’ve felt in a while,” said Kirk. “I truly feel that having this new opportunity in a new organization, new team, new teammates, I can truly just be myself and focus on being the best that I can be for these guys and be a leader, and just going out there and put it all on the line for them because I truly believe that we have such a great group. It’s been a lot of fun every day taking the field. Every second here has been great, so no pressure at all.”
That’s exactly the type of poise this young Jaguars team needs in 2022. And if Kirk can continue to focus on the stuff on the field and not the noise off it, he could put himself in position to be a 1,000-yard receiver for the first time in his career.
