Tag: bucky brooks

Commanders Sam Howell makes ‘make or break’ list for 2023

Is Sam Howell’s first season as a starting quarterback a make or break season?

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So, which quarterbacks in the NFL have everything at stake for them in 2023? In other words, which quarterbacks are in a “make or break” year in 2023?

NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks published a list of nine quarterbacks he believes are in such a situation, and of interest to Commanders fans are two of the quarterbacks making his list.

Sam Howell has only played one game, the 2022 season finale 26-6 home win over the Dallas Cowboys. Brooks goes as far as to question the wisdom of Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, taking a jab at Rivera:

Credit Ron Rivera and Co. for putting their fate in the hands of a second-year pro with a single start on his résumé.

Brooks appears to continue with another sarcastic jab when he declares, “Howell certainly flashed solid skills as a game manager” in the win over Dallas. Certainly, Brooks is correct when he offered, “It is impossible to know if the North Carolina product is going to be the guy until he plays a full slate of games.”

With Rivera hiring former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Brooks believes that the pressure is on Howell to show up and show out with a supporting cast that includes talented receiving trio Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel.”

So basically, Brooks believes Sam Howell is only deserving of one year of opportunity to prove himself as an NFL quarterback? That certainly was not the case for many NFL quarterbacks, who may struggle a year or even two before maturing into fine quarterbacks.

Take, for instance, former Washington starter Kirk Cousins. Cousins struggled at times, being up and down in 2013 and the 2014 season. However, by training camp of the 2015 season, coaches and players could see Cousins was better than Robert Griffin and Colt McCoy.

Cousins would go on to lead Washington to two winning seasons in 2015 (9-7) and 2016 (8-7-1). Critics will cry out those are barely winning records. Well, of course, they are barely winning records, duh.

However, isn’t it also just as true and just as much a part of the historical record that those two seasons with Cousins the starter, are the last winning seasons Washington has enjoyed?

Isn’t it premature to declare this 2023 season a “make or break” season for Sam Howell?

Browns safety Grant Delpit named defensive breakout candidate for 2023 season

#Browns safety Grant Delpit was named to Bucky Brooks’ All-Breakout team ahead of the 2023 NFL season

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As the 2023 NFL season inches closer by the week, experts are releasing their way-too-early predictions for what the coming campaign might bring. NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks published his All-Breakout defensive team ahead of training camp in an article on Friday. Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit made the cut for this prestigious prediction after taking a step forward in 2022.

“Delpit flashed Pro Bowl potential in 2022 with 105 tackles, four interceptions and 10 passes defensed. But that could be just the beginning, a foreshadowing of his rise to the ranks of the elite at the position. As a 6-3, 208-pounder comfortable in the deep middle and near the box, Delpit is the kind of versatile, new-age safety NFL teams are looking for.”

Last year Delpit struggled early in Cleveland’s schedule, but as the season played out fans saw why the Browns drafted him in the second round in 2020.

According to PFF, Delpit had a total of 32 stop tackles, allowed just two touchdowns in coverage, and showed progress each week. Now with upgraded talent around him and Jim Schwartz spearheading the defensive playcalling, Delpit is poised to become an integral part of the Browns’ defense in 2023.

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Eagles’ safety Sydney Brown makes Bucky Brooks ‘ list of 10 perfect fits from 2023 NFL Draft

Eagles’ rookie Sydney Brown makes Bucky Brooks ‘ list of 10 perfect fits from the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Eagles had back-to-backs picks in the third round of last week’s draft, and after selecting Tyler Steen from Alabama, Howie Roseman drafted a safety out of Illinois.

Philadelphia hadn’t selected a safety that high since 2012 but saw value in the versatile defender.

A Swiss Army Knife for Sean Desai’s defense, NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks has Brown making a list of 10 perfect player-teams fits from the selection process.

Sydney Brown
Illinois · DB
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
Drafted: No. 66 overall (Round 3)

Brown is a versatile defender with a combination of size, speed and ball skills that could make him the monster in the middle of a turnover-obsessed unit. His takeaway prowess and “hit-stick” skills give him the potential to be an interesting chess piece in a hybrid scheme for the Eagles. With a ferocious pass rush in front of him, the Illinois standout has a chance to emerge as a dark-horse contender for all-star honors at the end of this rookie season.

In 2022, Brown was a first-team All-Big Ten pick on the nation’s top-scoring defense after intercepting six passes to tie for third in the FBS.

In all, Brown logged 59 tackles, 3.5 for loss with one sack and seven pass breakups in 12 starts.

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Vikings add explosive wide receiver in latest Bucky Brooks mock draft

In the latest mock draft from NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, the Vikings added an explosive wide receiver at 23rd overall.

The Minnesota Vikings chose to move on from some high priced veterans this offseason, including hometown wide recevier Adam Thielen. The decision was a difficult one but one that had to be made considering his cap hit.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks released his latest mock draft and gave the Vikings an explosive replacement for Thielen in Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers.

After moving on from Adam Thielen this offseason, the Vikings grab a route-running specialist as a playmate for 2022 Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson. Flowers’ speed, quickness and precision make him an ideal candidate as a WR2 opposite the All-Pro wideout.

Flowers would be an interesting addition to the Vikings. Despite being a smaller receiver, Flowers is both explosive and a well-rounded threat that can attack all three levels of the defense.

Taking a wide receiver in round one is the second-best outcome for the Vikings in the NFL draft with finding a quarterback of the future being the only better outcome.

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Bucky Brooks’ updated NFL mock draft has the Saints picking ‘a true “Y” tight end’

Bucky Brooks’ updated NFL mock draft has the New Orleans Saints picking Notre Dame prospect Michael Mayer, who he calls ‘a true “Y” tight end’

How big of a need is tight end for the New Orleans Saints? They have expressed a desire to upgrade over Adam Trautman as their number-two tight end, but their interest in Foster Moreau as a free agent was shuttered by his unfortunate lymphoma diagnosis. If the idea with Moreau was sparked more by opportunity, it’s possible they look to other ways of improving the roster.

With the few remaining free agents going off the board to teams like the Cincinnati Bengals (who signed Irv Smith Jr.) and the Las Vegas Raiders (who brought in Austin Hooper), the Saints may be forced to look to the draft for help if this is still a priority for them.

They can get by with Trautman and Juwan Johnson at tight end, but the potential for growth is there with prospects like Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer on the board. Mayer has been a popular pick for the Saints in recent mock drafts, including the updated projection from NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, who wrote:

The Saints need a true “Y” tight end to enhance the passing game for Derek Carr. Mayer is the total package: a soft-handed pass-catcher with the size, strength and power to control the edges as a run blocker. 

Mayer would address several big needs for the Saints offense. He’s one of the most-experienced blocking tight ends in the draft class as well as one of the most-reliable targets on contested catches. He’s not as athletically gifted as some of his peers, but he’s still brings above-average size and mobility for NFL standards. If he can pave the way for Alvin Kamara and Jamaal Williams on some big runs while converting a couple of first downs each week, he’s worth the investment, even if his arrival would mean the Saints are punting on Trautman after three years that left fans wanting more than they saw from him.

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Cowboys find WR size, speed in homegrown package in Bucky Brooks’ latest mock draft

TCU’s Quentin Johnston would be the Cowboys’ tallest WR and one of the fastest players on the team; he could be a star of the combine. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted on Monday that the team needs to make a priority out of inserting “a playmaker” into the Dallas offense as a way to boost the passing game that rarely got out of first gear in 2022.

NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks has just the guy.

The analyst unveiled his latest mock draft as the scouting combine gets underway in Indianapolis, and he thinks the Cowboys don’t need to look too far from home to find a first-round pick that could, as Jones put it this week, “add a little juice.”

Brooks likes TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston to Dallas with the 26th overall pick. He specifically cites the junior’s speed and big-play potential, noting that those attributes could help him shine against one-on-one coverage on the outside.

And Brooks believes the 6-foot-4-inch Temple, Tex. native will emerge from this week as one of the breakout stars of the combine.

“Everyone is going to see the height,” Brooks said on NFL Network. “Everyone is going to see the athleticism. This is a guy, in high school, who was a big-time jumper. So when you see the explosive numbers- he’s going to broad jump over 11 feet, vertical is going to be well over 40 [inches], he’s fast as all get-out.”

Brooks listed Johnston among the 10 prospects he is most excited to see at the combine.

Both Brooks and former NFL running back LaDanian Tomlinson feel Johnston may need to show off his hands and improve his route-running, but both are intrigued by the big 21-year-old’s potential at the pro level.

“He didn’t really get a chance to show the entire route tree at TCU,” Tomlinson- himself a former Horned Frog- agreed. “He’s going to have to show how fluid he is in and out of his breaks. And then catching the football: can’t be catching the ball with his body; he has to show exceptional hands catching the football.”

At 6-foot-4, Johnston would be the tallest receiver on the Cowboys roster. And with 4.4 speed (some project he could even post a 4.3 40-yard dash on the turf at the combine), his wheels would put him in the same tier as Trevon Diggs and KaVontae Turpin.

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Vikings add CB Cam Smith in Bucky Brooks’ mock draft

The South Carolina cornerback would be a talented addition to the Vikings defense

Cornerback is a major theme when it comes to 2023 NFL mock drafts for the Minnesota Vikings and it continued with the first mock draft given to us by NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks. He sent the Vikings South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith.

Smith was a lot of fun to watch and his scouting report just dropped on the site earlier on Monday. He earned a first-round grade and is a versatile player on the back end. Here is what Brooks said about the Gamecock defender.

“After parting ways with defensive coordinator Ed Donatell last week, the Vikings need to make some upgrades on that side of the ball, particularly in the secondary. “

The Vikings do need to upgrade the secondary and Smith’s versatility could give them some flexibility as they build out their secondary. With Andrew Booth Jr. and Akayleb Evans coming back, Smith could play in the slot on day one.

Analyst, former NFL player weighs in on Lawrence, has message for those ‘nitpicking’ his game

A former NFL player and current analyst weighed in on what he’s seen from former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence entering the 2022 campaign. Bucky Brooks – a Jaguars analyst who has worked for NFL Network for 14 years and has appeared on FOX …

A former NFL player and current analyst weighed in on what he’s seen from former Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence entering the 2022 campaign.

Bucky Brooks – a Jaguars analyst who has worked for NFL Network for 14 years and has appeared on FOX Sports, FOX Sports Radio and FOX Sports Digital – likes what Lawrence has shown in training camp and preseason games going into his second season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and first under new Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson.

“For Trevor Lawrence, what we’re going to find is a guy who’s more decisive, more confident and more accurate than we saw last year. This offense, I think, fits his game because Doug Pederson is willing to mold the offense to the strengths of his game,” said Brooks, who was drafted by the Bills in 1994 and played five seasons in the NFL, including two seasons with the Jaguars (1996-97).

“I think early, we should be encouraged by the way he’s performed in these preseason games. We’ve seen them utilize his athleticism, his moving ability — one as a quarterback, executing the zone read. We’ve seen him on these movement and bootleg passes. I believe there’s a synergy and connection between him and his veteran receivers. I just can’t wait to see it in regular season action.”

In two games played in the preseason, Lawrence has completed 20 of 33 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions while also rushing three times for 24 yards.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lawrence struggled as a rookie last season, when he completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 3,641 yards and 12 touchdowns with 17 interceptions in 17 games. But he finished the season on a high note with his performance against the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the regular season, when he went 23-of-32 passing for 223 yards and threw for two touchdowns while leading his team to a 26-11 victory.

Brooks, who is also a former NFL scout and executive, has an optimistic outlook on Lawrence based on what he’s seen from him heading into his second year in the league.

Brooks also had a message for those who have been “nitpicking” Lawrence’s game.

“So what I would tell everyone who has really been nitpicking his game – be patient. It’s the preseason,” Brooks said. “We’ve seen some good things, we’ve seen some things that you want to see better. But man, the ‘wow’ plays certainly outweigh the negative plays. I think there’s a reason to be very, very optimistic about how the offense will perform and how Trevor Lawrence will eventually play in his sophomore season.”

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

Ex-NFL player, current analyst: Etienne gave ‘a little tease’ in encouraging preseason debut

A former NFL player and current analyst was very encouraged by what he saw from former Clemson star and current Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne in his return to game action. Playing in his first game since suffering a Lisfranc …

A former NFL player and current analyst was very encouraged by what he saw from former Clemson star and current Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne in his return to game action.

Playing in his first game since suffering a Lisfranc injury in the Jaguars’ second preseason game last August that cost him all of his rookie season in 2021, Etienne showed glimpses of his trademark speed, quickness and explosiveness in Jacksonville’s preseason contest against the Cleveland Browns at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville last Friday night.

Bucky Brooks, a former NFL player (WR/DB/KR) and scout who serves as the color commentator for Jaguars preseason games, liked what he saw from Etienne while watching him rush for 23 yards on nine carries (including this impressive 12-yard run) and catch a 10-yard pass on a third-down play to move the chains.

“Very encouraging because we wanted to see this,” Brooks said during the Jags-Browns broadcast. “He was supposed to be the explosive playmaker that added a dimension to the offense. So, it’s taken us a year to see it, but you can see the stop-start quickness, you see the soft hands with him catching the ball out the backfield.”

Brooks, who was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft and played for five different teams (Buffalo, Jacksonville, Green Bay, Kansas City and Oakland) in five NFL seasons, says Etienne’s performance in his 2022 preseason debut provided a tease of what’s to come from the player the Jaguars selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“He gave us a little tease,” Brooks said, “and as he gets more comfortable in this offense, I think you’re going to see more and more explosive plays coming from Travis Etienne.”

The Jaguars return to the field at 7 p.m. Saturday for their next preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Jacksonville.

–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images 

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson ranked as one of ‘scariest’ QBs by NFL.com analyst

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was ranked as one of the “scariest” quarterbacks in the league by an NFL.com analyst

The Baltimore Ravens have found a gem in quarterback Lamar Jackson. The team moved up in the 2018 NFL draft to select the former Louisville star, and the rest is history. The quarterback has accomplished many feats in the NFL through four seasons, which includes bringing in the second-ever unanimous MVP award, the most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single season, and multiple team records. The Ravens were lucky to have Jackson fall in the draft, and it shows every time he takes a snap.

Last season, Jackson suffered a bone bruise that forced him to miss the final six games of the regular season. The quarterback’s importance to the team showed heavily as Baltimore would not win any of those contests. Despite Jackson missing a quarter of the season in 2021 and him not attending voluntary organized team activities, one analyst sees the quarterback being one of scariest at his position entering the 2022 NFL season in a good way.

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com detailed his five scariest quarterbacks entering 2022 NFL season, and he placed Jackson at No. 4 on the list. When explaining why, Brooks credited Jackson’s dual-threat ability that will continue to give opposing defensive coordinators fits.

“The so-called slump from the former NFL MVP in 2021 has led some observers to have amnesia when recalling Jackson’s impact as a playmaker on the perimeter. After tallying a pair of 1,000-yard seasons as a rusher, defensive coordinators are well aware of his ability to take over the game on the ground. No. 8 is an explosive runner with superb ball-handling skills as an option quarterback executing a variety of power-read and counter-read plays. He has shown the ability to take it the distance as a runner from anywhere on the field and that forces opponents to pay extra attention to him in the box. With the fifth-year pro displaying enough proficiency as a passer down the middle of the field to punish opponents for overplaying the run, defensive coordinators have to pick and choose when to ratchet up the pressure against a quarterback who possesses the athleticism and arm talent to counter aggressive tactics.”

Jackson has often been critiqued on his passing ability, but he has shown improvements and looked decent last season prior to the injury. He is able to both run and throw at a high level, which makes him one of the most unique talents in the NFL. After missing a good portion of last season, Jackson will be ready to show that he has not missed a beat and continue to play great football in what is at this moment in time a contract year.