Tag: Foster Moreau

4 players the Saints should pursue in the second wave of free agency

Veteran DT Shelby Harris and RB James Robinson are some of the players the Saints should pursue in the second wave of free agency:

The New Orleans Saints already made their splash in the first wave of free agency by signing quarterback Derek Carr last week, so they opted to stand pat and focus on getting their books in order with more contract restructures and a pay cut for Jameis Winston while other teams around the league threw money around (with some of it luring the Saints’ own free agents away).

So where do they go from here? The Saints have some obvious needs to address at defensive tackle and running back, but they could be looking to get deeper at other position groups, too. One consideration for them is the 2024 compensatory draft picks formula — right now, New Orleans is projected to receive the maximum four comp picks in next year’s draft with extra selections in rounds four and six.

So they need to be careful not to jeopardize those assets in signing new players. Here are some names we’re watching closely:

4 TEs the Dolphins should consider signing in free agency

Miami is set to lose their top tight end.

Entering the 2023 offseason, the Miami Dolphins have already moved on from one of their tight ends, releasing Cethan Carter to save cap space before the start of the league year.

Mike Gesicki is also set to hit the market on March 15, leaving an opening for Miami’s top spot on the roster. While Durham Smythe technically outsnapped Gesicki in 2022, he clearly isn’t as talented as the Penn State product.

With that said, the Dolphins may opt to scour the free agent market for a veteran tight end to fill the hole left by Gesicki in 2023 and beyond. Here are a few names they could look at:

4 free-agent TEs the Panthers should consider signing

As far as finding a TE this offseason, the draft is where it’s really at. But if the Panthers decide to dip into the open market, here are four free agents who are worth a look.

Over the last three seasons, all Carolina Panthers tight ends have combined for 1,073 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Yes, all tight ends over three seasons.

By comparison, Travis Kelce—by his lonesome in 2022—recorded 1,338 yards and 12 scores. So, uh, yeah . . . the Panthers need some help.

And honestly, they shouldn’t really be looking for tight end help through free agency, especially with the upcoming draft being so rich at the position. But if they are gauging the open market, here are four players they should consider.

5 free-agent TEs the Colts could consider in 2023

Here’s a look at five free-agent TEs the Colts could consider.

The Indianapolis Colts will enter free agency next week looking to add some depth to positions across the roster.

While there are far more pressing needs than the tight end position, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Colts wanted to add some depth in the form of a blocking tight end.

With Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson and Alec Ogletree making up the room, the tight end position for the Colts is solid. But they’ve missed that blocking tight end in the run game since Jack Doyle retired.

Here’s a look at five free-agent tight ends the Colts could target in free agency:

One free agent at every position the Browns should target when market opens

The free agency floodgates are almost open. Who should the Browns have their eyes on?

The floodgates of free agency are about to burst as the legal tampering window is set to begin on Monday. For the Cleveland Browns, this means they have an opportunity to make a massive impact on their roster, specifically on the defensive side of the football. They have already been linked to recognizable names who will hit the market, but they have some needs on the other side of the ball as well.

As they look to get back in the playoffs in 2023 after two years off, who is one name per position the Browns could target in free agency to improve their roster?

5 Raiders free agents that could follow Derek Carr to the Saints

The Saints may not be done adding former Raiders to the roster this offseason. Several could follow Derek Carr to the Big Easy, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

As former Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr gets settled in as the New Orleans Saints new starting passer, the timeline of his signing is worth dissecting. The Saints and Carr came to their contract agreement on Mar. 6 this NFL offseason. That gave the Saints signal caller about a week to court potential free agents to join the black and gold in New Orleans. And wouldn’t you know it, there is a long list of former Raiders teammates hitting the market this offseason.

Some of which, could impact the Saints to varying degrees. From bona fide starts, to camp tryouts, New Orleans will have no issues making its new quarterback feel comfortable if he has some teammates he would like to bring along with him. As much as we’d love to highlight big-time players like wideout Davante Adams and tight end Darren Waller, it’s unlikely a trade for either this offseason would make sense. Though a trade for wide receiver Hunter Renfrow should not be considered out of the question.

But that’s for another day. Here are five Raiders free agents that could follow Carr to the Big Easy:

Rumor: Browns looking to upgrade at tight end behind David Njoku

Will the Browns poach from a rival?

The Cleveland Browns need to find more depth at tight end after the room did very little outside David Njoku in 2022. The NFL Scouting Combine is full of rumors and Dawgs By Nature’s Jared Mueller dropped some exciting bits about tight ends. The Browns are set to target the Cincinnati Bengals’ tight end potentially Hayden Hurts or the Las Vegas Raiders’ Foster Moreau to bolster the room.

Hurst had a great season with the Bengals and it would be a massive upgrade. The team wants to use fewer tight ends but with Njoku’s injury, someone good enough to start might be crucial. Hurst having only two drops this season with his ability to block and skill in the redzone would be a great addition.

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What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at TE ahead of free agency

Assessing Raiders level of need at tight end as free agency approaches

We take a look at the tight end position for the Raiders ahead of free agency to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Returning starter: Darren Waller

Depth: Jesper Horsted, Cole Fotheringham
Free agents: Foster Moreau

Waller is one of the best in the league. Just after signing a big extension, he had a down year. In part because of injuries. But he’d proven his abilities to earn that contract, so there’s no reason to doubt he can return to form.

Waller and Moreau have been a nice one-two punch at tight end for the past few years. The man jokingly referred to as ‘Baby Gronk’ had his chance to step up and play like it with Waller missing time. And while it led to career-high numbers for the former 4th round pick, his 33 catches for 420 yards didn’t give anyone visions of the next Gronk in Josh McDaniels’s offense.

Condition: Stable

Why: It would be smart to try and keep Moreau around, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped at the chance to get a solid deal to be a potential starter elsewhere. And there are several second-tier tight ends headed for free agency who could probably replace him as the bookend to Waller.

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Ballers & Busters for Raiders Week 17 vs 49ers

Plenty of Ballers in this game, but more Busters led to another late collapse.

It was the first game of the post-Derek Carr era in Las Vegas. And not only did the offense not skip a beat, it looked better than it had all season long. Meanwhile the banged up defense look as bad as it had at any point this season.

Thus how the two teams went into overtime tied at 34 and the Raiders ultimately lost 37-34.

Ballers

QB Jarrett Stidham, WR Davante Adams

Stidham was perfect to start this game, driving the Raiders down the field for a touchdown on the opening drive while going three-for-three for 58 yards and a 24-yard touchdown pass to Darren Waller.

The second drive, Stidham got Adams involved. His first pass went to Adams who broke wide open for a 27-yard gain. A few plays later, Adams forced a pass interference to give the Raiders a first and goal at the five-yard-line. They would get to the one and settle for a field goal to go up 10-7.

Just before the half was up, the two had their first gorgeous connection. Stidham put it up along the left side of the end zone for Adams who caught it over a defender and tapped his toes for the touchdown to give the Raiders a 17-14 lead at the half.

A couple minutes into the third quarter, they connected again. Again it was for a touchdown. This time Stidham rolled out left and kept his eyes downfield with defenders closing in. All the while Adams was working to break open. Just as Stidham reached the left sideline and was about to get nailed, Adams got behind the defense and Stidham threw it to him for a 60-yard touchdown. Adams later said Stidham congratulated him on the sideline with blood in his teeth. Instant respect.

The 24-14 lead would disappear in the fourth quarter and become a 27-24 deficit. Then a 34-27 deficit with two minutes left. Then Stidham went back to work, first finding Mack Hollins for 21 yards, then throwing one up for Adams who made a spectacular adjustment and diving catch for 45 yards. A couple plays later, the Raiders tied it up at 34.

In the overtime period, Stidham dropped back and was hit as he threw, causing the ball to flutter and was picked off and returned to put the 49ers in position for the game-winner.

Stidham finished with 365 yards and three touchdowns. That’s the most passing yards by a Raiders quarterback since week 11 of the 2021 season. And matches Derek Carr’s highest TD total of any game in the past four years.

Adams had seven catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns. His second best game of the season.

CB Tyler Hall

The Top Baller from last week in Pittsburgh, Hall is showing up with some big time plays of late. He had two pass breakups in the fourth quarter that helped end drives. The first was on a deep ball near the goal line. The second was at the goal line on a pass that wasn’t even to his man. He just read Purdy’s eyes and came off his man to knock down a would-be touchdown pass to George Kittle. Hall also didn’t give up a catch on 26 snaps.

TE Foster Moreau, TE Darren Waller

Moreau rebounded from a rough game in Pittsburgh to be a reliable target and blocker in this one. Waller looked to be back to his old self as well.

The first play of the game went to Moreau on a swing pass that went for 20 yards. The final play of that drive, Stidham again rolled right, this time dropping one in for Waller who had gotten behind the defense for the touchdown.

Waller’s stat line was interesting. He had three catches for 72 yards. That’s an average of 24 yards per catch. But in actually, his three catches all literally went for exactly 24 yards each.

Moreau’s second catch came in the fourth quarter. Stidham threw for him with the defender’s back turned and Moreau reached over the defender’s back and pulled the pass in for 21 yards. Two plays later, he caught one over the middle for 14 yards to set up a long field goal to tie the game at 27-27.

The 49ers answered with a touchdown to go up 34-27. Then it was Waller getting open in the end zone to force a pass interference that put them in first and goal at the one and another game-tying score.

K Daniel Carlson

Without Carlson’s big leg, this game doesn’t get to overtime. He came in and split the uprights on a 57-yard field goal in the fourth quarter. What a weapon he is.

Honorable Mention

CB Amik Robertson — Climbing the ladder to take a ball away from George Kittle is no small thing. That’s what Robertson did to give the Raiders their only takeaway of the game.

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How did Raiders backup QB Jarrett Stidham rock the 49ers’ NFL-best defense?

How did Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham set the 49ers’ NFL-best defense on edge in ways nobody expected? Tape tells the story.

When the Las Vegas Raiders took on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, it was probably expected that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, the rookie Mr. Irrelevant who had led the NFL in passer rating (110.0) since he became the team’s starter in Week 13, would deal with the Raiders’ pass defense, which ranked dead last in DVOA. And that happened. In San Francisco’s 37-34 overtime win, Purdy completed 22 of 35 passes for 284 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 95.4. As has been the case throughout his improbable recent journey, Purdy did all he could to win.

What we did NOT expect in this game was for new Raiders starter Jarrett Stidham, the 2019 fourth-round pick of the New England Patriots, thrust into his first NFL start against the NFL’s best defense, to do as much. Stidham had completed 24 of 48 passes for 270 yards, two touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 46.4 in two seasons with the Patriots.

Former New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels clearly saw something in Stidham, because soon after McDaniels became the Raiders’ head coach, Las Vegas traded a 2023 sixth-round pick to the Patriots for Stidham and a 2023 seventh-round pick. The only action Stidham had seen in the 2022 regular season before Sunday’s game was in Week 8 mop-up duty against the New Orleans Saints in a 24-0 loss. But with McDaniels’ decision to bench Derek Carr — a move that likely presages the end of Carr’s time with the franchise — it was now up to Stidham, who completed eight of 13 passes for 72 yards against the Saints, to create necessary explosive plays against a defense that had been a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks all season long.

This can’t be overstated. McDaniels was throwing Stidham into the teeth of a defense that was ranked first in Defensive DVOA, first in Weighted Defensive DVOA, and fifth in Pass Defense DVOA, The 49ers had allowed just 16 passing touchdowns to 15 interceptions. In today’s NFL, if your defense is about even in those two numbers, your defense is amazing. And the 49ers’ defense has been that way all season long.

So, how did Stidham rock that defense with 23 completions on 34 attempts for 365 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 108.1, against a defense that had allowed a season-long passer rating of 82.3, third-best in the league behind the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets?

And to get granular about it, how is it that Stidham was responsible for eight explosive passing plays in this game, when he was 0-for-2 against the Saints in throws of 20 or more air yards? Against such throws this season, the 49ers had allowed 16 completions on 38 attempts for 550 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 93.6 (about middle of the pack). This wasn’t the Raiders taking advantage of a heretofore unknown weakness in DeMeco Ryans’ defense — this was the Raiders dictating to that defense in ways no other team has this season.

Interesting questions, so let’s dive under the hood and see how it came to be.