Tag: Gil Brandt

Gil Brandt: Cowboys LB Micah Parsons among rookies in best position to succeed

The legendary talent scout says Dallas’s first-round pick could step in and make an immediate impact on a defense that got gashed last year.

Gil Brandt knows a thing or two thousand about evaluating football players. He was instrumental in finding and scouting countless players over his tenure of nearly three decades as the Cowboys’ vice president of player personnel. From pioneering the process of grading collegiate football stars to scouring other sports for athletes who could transition to the gridiron, from seeking out small-school prospects to helping create the NFL combine, few men have demonstrated as keen an eye for identifying football talent.

So when Brandt singles out a Cowboys draft pick as one of the league’s rookies in the most favorable situations for immediate success, it’s worth noting. And Brandt says linebacker Micah Parsons has just such a stage set for him in Dallas.

Of the 259 players selected in this year’s draft, the numerous undrafted free agents, and the other invited players looking to make up the league’s rookie class of 2021, Brandt selected just eight that he thinks have the best chance- based on their team’s situation- to make a splash right away.

“It can be easy to forget,” Brandt points out in his NFL.com column, “that team fit and other surrounding circumstances can have as much to do with rookie success as anything.”

It’s those surrounding circumstances- particularly the Cowboys’ poor defensive showing last season- that gives the Penn State product a leg up on making his impact felt right from the jump in Dallas.

Of Parsons, Brandt says:

“For a variety of reasons, linebacker play slipped considerably in Dallas last season, and the Cowboys hope installing the 12th overall pick in new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s system will reverse that downward trend. Parsons’ skill set will enable him to both play a traditional linebacker role and help DeMarcus Lawrence rush the passer off the edge. The team apparently feels bullish enough about Parsons that one-time Pro Bowler Leighton Vander Esch — who has been slowed recently by injuries — had his fifth-year option declined in the days following the draft.”

By all accounts, Parsons got off to a strong start during the weekend’s minicamp, seeing time at the middle linebacker spot. The rookie will turn just 22 years old next week.

But the legendary 89-year-old scout is already impressed by what he sees.

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Gil Brandt: Giants had one of NFL’s most successful offseasons

NFL Network’s Gil Brandt believes the New York Giants had one of the five most successful offseasons in the league.

The New York Giants came out in free agency guns blazing, locking up players such as wide receivers Kenny Golladay and John Ross, tight end Kyle Rudolph and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson, among others.

That aggression continued during the 2021 NFL draft as general manager Dave Gettleman pulled off multiple trades, stockpiling both future assets and positioning themselves for solid picks. Over the first few rounds, they ended up with an explosive playmaker in Kadarius Toney and a top-end edge rusher in Azeez Ojulari.

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All told, NFL Network’s Gil Brandt believes the Giants had one of the league’s most successful offseasons, ranking them at No. 5 overall.

Quarterback Daniel Jones is heading into a sink-or-swim Year 3 — but never let it be said GM Dave Gettleman didn’t do everything in his power to give him the weapons needed to succeed. Receivers Kenny Golladay (signed on a four-year, $72 million contract) and Kadarius Toney (drafted 20th overall after Gettleman, yes, traded down!) and versatile tight end Kyle Rudolph (signed to a two-year, $14 million deal) join a skill-position group that will be further augmented by the return to health of running back Saquon Barkley.

On defense, Gettleman secured a long-term agreement with centerpiece defensive lineman Leonard Williams. He also rolled the dice on comeback Adoree’ Jackson (three years, $39 million) rebounding from the knee injury that ruined his 2020 season. Another move that could pay huge dividends: snagging pass rusher Azeez Ojulari, a first-round talent who slipped to the second round.

Gettleman knows his job is on the line and that a poor offseason in 2018 stunted the growth of his team, so this was an attempt to course-correct. If it fails, both he and Daniel Jones are likely on their way out of East Rutherford.

The good news? At least on paper, the 2021 Giants should be a much better team than they’ve been over the past decade (2016 being the anomaly).

The four teams ranked ahead of the Giants on Brandt’s list were the New York Jets (4), Jacksonville Jaguars (3), New England Patriots (2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1).

Eagles make Gil Brandt’s list of teams that can’t afford any draft night mistakes

The Philadelphia Eagles made Gil Brandt’s list of 7 teams that can’t afford to make any mistakes on draft night

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Howie Roseman is one of the top general managers in the NFL because of his salary cap wizardry and penchant for big trades and free-agent deals.

Roseman’s draft-day record has left a lot to be desired and over the past two years, the Eagles have missed out on some explosive weapons at the wide receiver position.

Former NFL personnel guru and NFL Network analyst, Gil Brandt broke down the seven teams who most need to succeed at the 2021 NFL Draft.

Philadelphia landed on the list at No. 6.

Philadelphia Eagles
First-round pick in 2021: No. 12

Total picks in 2021 NFL Draft: 11

Eagles GM Howie Roseman is a realist — he seems to be well aware that his roster is past its 2017 peak. Philadelphia’s trade down with Miami in this year’s draft — which netted an extra first-rounder in 2022 — also suggests he knows the rebuilding work won’t all be done this year. If Carson Wentz hits his play-time incentives with the Colts, the 2022 choice Philly acquired from Indy in exchange for the QB should become a first-rounder, as well, giving the Eagles plenty of ammunition to secure a quarterback if things don’t work out with Jalen Hurts this season.

That said, it would make sense this April to do as much as possible to help Hurts succeed — and coming off a season in which Philadelphia receivers ranked 28th in the NFL in catches and 29th in receiving yards, with stalwart tight end Zach Ertz likely headed out of town, it will be crucial to find better playmakers in the draft. That, unfortunately, has been difficult for this team, which must break a recent trend of whiffing on receiver prospects (like Nelson Agholor, who had his best pro season after leaving Philly, and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, who has 14 catches and 254 receiving yards in his career thus far; the jury is still out on Jalen Reagor after an injury-marred rookie campaign). Philadelphia should also think about finding someone to develop behind veteran corner Darius Slay.

Philadelphia traded away the opportunity to land can’t miss prospects Ja’Marr Chase and Kyle Pitts, but Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II, Micah Parsons, DeVonta Smith, and or Jaylen Waddle could allow Roseman to finally avoid the post-draft criticism that has plagued the Eagles top executive over the past few years.

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20 years ago, George Teague made Terrell Owens see stars

Twenty years ago, George Teague clocked Terrell Owens on the Dallas star at midfield.

Gil Brandt and the Dallas Cowboys won’t forget. Never.

Twenty years after Terrell Owens disrespected the star after scoring a touchdown for the San Francisco 49ers, the former Cowboys exec took to social media to remember the deed DB George Teague did and message he sent.

Everything is bigger in Texas and it seems like, with elephants, they never forget.

This tells the backstory.  He was giving thanks to God per the video, not disrespecting the Cowboys.

The Niners wound up with the last laugh, 41-24.

How close was Dan Marino to becoming a Dallas Cowboy in 1983?

How close was Dan Marino to becoming a Dallas Cowboy in 1983?

One of the biggest strokes of luck for the Miami Dolphins organization came in 1983 when the team saw quarterback Dan Marino tumble to the 27th-overall pick in the draft. From there, the rest was history. The Dolphins quarterback re-wrote the record book for NFL passing in a single season and career by the time he called it quits in early 2000. For 17 years, Marino served as a staple for the Dolphins and kept the team consistently in the forefront of the league.

That 1983 quarterback class is stuff of legends, too. Between John Elway, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge, Ken O’Brien and Marino, six total quarterbacks went in the first round. Half would go on to become NFL Hall of Famers. And the Dolphins somehow managed to pick the best passer of the bunch despite picking at 27th overall. Marino’s tumble was aided by his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers passing on him and the New York Jets instead deciding to draft O’Brien just three slots ahead of Miami.

One of the teams involved in the quarterback market that year was the Dallas Cowboys, who were coming off a 6-3 strike shortened season in 1982 under the direction of legendary coach Tom Landry. Dallas, who picked 23rd in that legendary draft, featured Danny White at quarterback. How close was Marino to becoming a Dallas Cowboy? Hall of Fame scout and Cowboys legend Gil Brandt shed some light on how close Miami was to getting Marino snatched out from their grasp back in 1983.

Thankfully, Dallas was “Elway or bust” at quarterback. Brandt indicates that Dallas offered a sizable haul for Elway, but once that trade offer was declined, the team didn’t seem too keen on moving to the next quarterback in line, who would have been Dan Marino. Dallas, picking 23rd and clearly interested in a quarterback, had their QB2 and 9th-overall player in Dan Marino sitting on the board at the end of the first round. They passed on him.

And then Marino passed for 420 touchdowns for the Miami Dolphins.

Gil Brandt has good things to write about Vikings in divisional rankings

Gil Brandt, a former NFL executive and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recently ranked the eight divisions over at NFL.com.

Gil Brandt, a former NFL executive and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, recently ranked the eight divisions over at NFL.com.

The NFC North ranks sixth out of the eight divisions. Not great, but also not surprising.

What should be noteworthy for Vikings’ fans, though, is how bullish Brandt is on the Vikings.

Here’s what he wrote about the Vikings:

This might be the most complete Vikings team Mike Zimmer has coached since taking over in 2014. Pairing Yannick Ngakoue with Danielle Hunter gives Minnesota a lethal pass-rush combo, and I’m even more bullish on the offense now that Gary Kubiak will be at the helm as coordinator, having helped develop Kirk Cousins into a franchise QB while fielding a superlative rushing attack.

This is high praise considering the Vikings have been relatively good under Zimmer since he took over in 2014. Most thought this year could be a down year with all the losses on the defensive side of the ball.

That might not be the case after all and someone like Brandt, whose opinion should matter, has confidence in the club.

Gil Brandt says the Bucs have one of the best offensive-defensive duos in the NFL

See which two Buccaneers players Gil Brandt named to his list of the top 10 offensive-defensive duos in the NFL in 2020.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know that this is the year to make a run at a championship. With 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady still winning his battle against Father Time, the Bucs have to like their chances of getting back to the postseason for the first time since 2007.

And unlike last year when Brady struggled to find offensive weapons in New England, he’ll have a plethora of talent on the Bucs roster in 2020, headlined by Pro Bowl receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, as well as tight end Rob Gronkowski.

But the Bucs defense is also expected to turn some heads this year, especially after finishing last year with the top rush defense. The addition of safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and continued maturation of linebacker Devin White should make Todd Bowles’ defense one of the top units in the league. And leading that group will be the old guy, himself, linebacker Lavonte David, who is entering his ninth season.

Gil Brandt over at NFL.com had David and Mike Evans at No. 6 on his list of the top 10 offensive-defensive duos in the NFL in 2020.

Per Brandt:

“Not since Randy Moss has Tom Brady played with a receiving target who possessed the size-skill ratio of the 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans, who has topped 1,000 yards in each of his six NFL seasons to date. David is a former two-star high school recruit who has since proven himself to be a five-star talent, accumulating 1,008 tackles in eight seasons. He’s been incredibly reliable as a pro, missing just seven games thus far while switching between five different coordinators (including interim Mark Duffner in 2018).”

I love that David is finally getting some recognition after years of being overlooked. Evans should have another big season with Brady under center. Another 1,000-yard receiving year would make it seven-straight for Evans to begin his career, breaking his tie with Randy Moss for most all-time.

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Tom Brady named ‘top QB to change teams this offseason’

Gil Brandt over at NFL.com named Tom Brady as his top QB to change teams this offseason.

Tom Brady has yet to take a snap in a regular season game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but already his arrival to the Sunshine State has fans thinking Super Bowl title. And it seems the stage is set for Brady to write the perfect ending to his Hollywood story, as Super Bowl LV is set to be played at Raymond James Stadium next season.

Buccaneers fans must still be pinching themselves at the thought of Brady in a Tampa Bay uniform tossing long balls to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Having him under center instantly makes the Bucs a threat in the NFC, and Gil Brandt had Brady at No. 1 on his list of the top 10 quarterbacks to change teams this offseason.

Here’s what Brandt had to say about Brady’s move:

“Setting aside for the moment the fact that the NFL Players Association’s medical director recommended against players gathering together before training camp, there is one key takeaway from the June workouts Tom Brady held with his new Bucs teammates: The soon-to-be 43-year-old is determined to prove he can win outside of Bill Belichick’s shadow. The stage is set for that to happen in Tampa, where the former Patriot will be surrounded by a stellar group of pass catchers led by receiver Mike Evans and tight end Rob Gronkowski. The offense should also get plenty of support from a defensive unit that boasts 11 returning starters and showed marked improvement in the second half of last season. It was obvious the Bucs — who have not made the playoffs in 12 straight seasons — were stuck in neutral with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Brady makes this team relevant and dangerous once again.”

Speaking of Winston, Brandt had him listed at No. 8.

“Here’s a startling stat: Over the past five seasons, Winston has committed a jaw-dropping 107 turnovers, including 88 interceptions and 19 lost fumbles (out of 50 fumbles committed). The top overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft knew something needed to change, so he took a low-end one-year deal in New Orleans with the hopes of reinventing himself via the tutelage of Sean Payton and an up-close look at how Drew Brees goes about his business. Winston likely realizes he might never see the field with the Saints, but there is also the chance he could parlay playing time into a starting job — a la Bridgewater — either elsewhere or even, potentially, in New Orleans, depending on what the 41-year-old Brees decides to do after this season. At just 26 years old, Winston is young enough to grow into a solid NFL quarterback. Let’s hope it happens with the Saints — otherwise, he’ll spend the rest of his career on a sideline somewhere.”

I think most Bucs fans will be rooting for Winston to find success at some point down the road. Hopefully, his year with the Saints will help him get back on track.

For now, though, Bucs fans can turn their focus on Brady and the 2020 season.

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Bills should ‘never let’ Tre’Davious White leave says NFL.com

Gil Brandt of NFL.com on Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White.

NFL.com analyst Gil Brandt, formerly of the Cowboys front office, dished out 12 players that he believes their respective teams should never ever let go.

The list includes some of the league’s most recognizable faces from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Also listed among this dozen is a member of the Buffalo Bills.

That player is cornerback Tre’Davious White.

Here’s why Brandt says the Bills should never think about losing their shutdown corner:

Yes, White ultimately lost the battle to then-Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins during Buffalo’s playoff loss to Houston last season. But White did shut Hopkins down in the first half. At any rate, such struggles have been few and far between for a cornerback who has produced at a level commensurate with reigning Defensive Player of the Year — and ex-Bill — Stephon Gilmore. Buffalo can put White on the opponent’s best receiver and not sweat what will happen. Per Pro Football Focus, White was targeted 83 times without giving up a single receiving touchdown in 2019, the best mark among NFL cornerbacks, while quarterbacks posted a measly passer rating of 43.0 when throwing his way.

Of anyone on the Bills one would pick, White would be the standout selection. But putting him in this listing among some of the league’s biggest names is a big-time honor for White. If White produces another All-Pro season and the Bills crack the playoffs, or even win the AFC East in 2020, could the lockdown defender become a household name? He led the NFL with six interceptions a year ago.

In three seasons White’s been nothing short of excellent and the Bills have already flexed the fifth-year option attached to his rookie deal. After that, White will be paid among the league’s best cornerbacks and with his work ethic in mind, there should be no reason to second-guess paying him. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane is aware of that.

Another fun note: White is the only player from the AFC East mentioned.

 

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Gil Brandt claims backup running back is Bears’ biggest roster concern

The Bears don’t have a serviceable backup, and they didn’t add a veteran through free agency or a rookie through the draft.

There’s no question that David Montgomery will be the starting running back for the Chicago Bears for the 2020 season. The question is, do the Bears have a serviceable backup even though the Bears didn’t add a veteran through free agency or a rookie through the draft.

The second-year running back out of Iowa State showed promise in his rookie year with 242 carries, 889 yards and six touchdowns. Last year Tarik Cohen had 64 carries but saw most of his time on the offense as a pass-catcher as he was targeted 104 times. Then the Bears have Ryan Nail, who had two carries, and wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who ran the ball 17 times. There’s no sense of competition in carries for Montgomery, but what if he fails to deliver a better season or suffers an injury?

Those are two assumptions that might not happen, but the Bears don’t seem to have a reliable backup plan if those situations occur. NFL Hall of Fame executive Gil Brandt believes the backup running back void is the biggest issue on the roster.

Like the Eagles, the Bears will be taking a huge risk if a veteran isn’t added to the RB depth chart behind lead ball carrier David Montgomery. Tarik Cohen had 64 carries last season, but he doesn’t have the size to fill the role of an every-down back. The only other options on the roster currently include Ryan Nall, who recorded 8 yards on two carries after being promoted from the practice squad, and undrafted rookies Artavis Pierce and Napoleon Maxwell.

There are some options for the Bears if they choose to look at backup running backs. Former Atlanta Falcon Devonta Freeman is the top remaining running back on the market, but his contract demands are unlikely for a backup role. Some other running backs on the market include Lamar Miller, LeSean McCoy, Isaiah Crowell, Spencer Ware and Bilal Powell.

Another option for the Bears is after the preseason where rosters get cut down to 53 players. Chicago could have a chance to sign a valuable backup from the waiver wire.

For head coach Matt Nagy, the offense is going to feature a lot of Montgomery rather if it’s on the ground, through the air, or in pass protection. The 23-year old Montgomery is to have a significant workload and will develop the ability to play all three downs for a team that is eager to get back to the playoffs.

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