Tag: Gil Brandt

Rams O-line ranked among NFL’s 6 best by Gil Brandt

Gil Brandt doesn’t think the Rams’ offensive line was an issue last year, apparently.

The Rams’ offensive line was one of the best in the NFL in 2017 and 2018. Then Rodger Saffold left and the team moved on from John Sullivan, leading to several changes up front last year. The result was a complete mess with starters suffering injuries, veterans regressing and younger players failing to step up.

Gil Brandt of NFL Media didn’t think the offensive line was much of an issue, though. He posted on Twitter Monday asking which team has the best offensive line in the league, and he mentioned the Rams as a team that came to mind, among five others.

Needless to say, Twitter was stunned by his mentioning of the Rams, given the struggles they endured last season.

A good chunk of the 350-plus replies to Brandt’s tweet questioned why the Rams were on the list. Fans questioned why Brandt included them in his top six, which Brandt didn’t give a good explanation for.

Even NFL.com’s own Gregg Rosenthal said including Los Angeles “invalidates the rest of the list.” Brandt did reply to Rosenthal, saying there’s “too much PFF group think,” suggesting everyone is looking at the fact that PFF ranked the Rams O-line so low last year.

One Rams fan even asked Brandt to take their team off the list, admitting how bad the unit was last season.

Others pointed out Brandt’s omission of the Ravens and Eagles, who boasted two elite offensive lines last year. That made his inclusion of the Rams look even worse.

But why exactly did Brandt, who’s a former VP of personnel for the Cowboys and a Hall of Famer, include the Rams? What did he see that so many others didn’t?

Well, it might be that he looked at which team allowed the fewest sacks, and saw the Rams at the top of the list. Stunningly, they only gave up 22 sacks, which were the fewest in the league last year.

That doesn’t account for the amount of pressure Jared Goff faced or the tight running lanes Todd Gurley had, but on the surface, it makes the Rams’ offensive line seem like one of the best.

It was not, however, and it was a huge reason for the Rams’ decline in 2019.

NFL.com lists Bradley Chubb among 2020 bounce-back candidates

NFL.com expects Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb to have a big year in 2020.

Last week, NFL.com’s Gil Brandt published a list of “12 players returning from a significant absence in 2019 who are primed to make the biggest impact in 2020.” Denver Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb made the list, ranked No. 9.

“A strong Year 3 from Chubb could provide a major boost to a Broncos team on the verge of potentially turning things around in 2020 — and if he proves better than [Von] Miller, he could even allow the Broncos to move on from the decorated but pricy veteran next offseason,” Brandt wrote on NFL.com.

While it’s great to see the national media expecting big things from Chubb this season, it’s a bit alarming to read Brandt suggesting moving on from Miller. He will be 32 years old in 2021 but $17.5 million won’t be too pricey if Miller continues producing sacks and pressures.

Miller obviously won’t play forever, but there’s no need to move on from him before his contract runs out in 2022. At that point, Miller will be 33 years old — and he will probably deserve an extension (at a much cheaper cost, of course). Denver’s front office showed support for Miller by picking up his contract option for the 2020 season earlier this year.

Miller and Chubb should be a dynamic duo for at least two more seasons.

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Gil Brandt believes TE Rob Gronkowski ‘ready to rock’ after missing 2019

Gil Brandt over at NFL.com named Bucs TE Rob Gronkowski to his list of players set to thrive this season.

The Bucs’ acquisition of tight end Rob Gronkowski from the New England Patriots last month was the cherry on top of their offseason sundae. Tampa Bay had already landed six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, so reuniting him with his favorite target of all time seems like a recipe for success.

And even though Gronk retired from the game before the 2019 season, big things are still expected out of the future Hall of Fame tight end. Gil Brandt at NFL.com even had Gronk listed at No. 3 on his list of 12 players set to thrive this season after missing time in 2019.

Per Brandt:

“The NFL just wasn’t the same without the fun-loving Gronkowski last season. The impact of his roughly year-long retirement was felt particularly strongly in New England, which failed miserably in its attempts to find another tight end to help pick up the slack in 2019. No one suffered more than Tom Brady, whose difficulties last season stemmed partially from a lack of skill-position help. Reunited with Brady in Tampa, Gronk will create mismatch problems for opposing defenses with his physical presence, and he poses a serious threat both as a pass-catcher and run-blocker. Brady, meanwhile, no longer has to worry about the Patriots’ tight end issues as he resumes one of the most prolific working relationships of his career.”

Gronk had health issues his last few years in New England, but hopefully a year away from the game has given him time to heal, both mentally and physically.

Perhaps best of all for Gronk is that he won’t need to worry about being the primary pass-catcher in this offense, given that both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are coming off 1,000-yard receiving seasons.

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Hall of Fame scout credits Dolphins with best 2020 offseason in NFL

Hall of Fame scout credits Dolphins with best 2020 offseason in NFL

Championships aren’t won in the offseason, they’re won on the gridiron. But successful offseasons often help to lay the needed groundwork to pull together wins and allow teams to rise from the doldrums of NFL mediocrity and into contenders. And it is exactly that hope that makes it so significant to see the Miami Dolphins receive some praise for how they chose to attack this 2020 offseason.

The decision to spend aggressively in free agency raised some eyebrows, although the Dolphins ultimately did adjust their spending habits to front-load the deals — a significant departure from years past. Nevertheless, spending in free agency can come with mixed results and Miami drew some skepticism for it. But that didn’t stop Pro Football Hall of Fame scout and NFL Network analyst Gil Brandt from crediting the Miami Dolphins with having the best offseason in the entire NFL.

“The roster rebuild that began in 2019 under coach Brian Flores and general manager Chris Grier couldn’t be going more smoothly. Let’s start with the quarterback position, where the Dolphins located a potential answer to their decades-long quest to replace Dan Marino without having to give up any extra draft capital… he Dolphins also used their ample cap space to add difference-making free agents, most notably cornerback Byron Jones, linebacker Kyle Van Noy, defensive end Shaq Lawson and guard Ereck Flowers. It might take some time for these new pieces to gel, but the Dolphins are once more on the type of solid footing that would have made the late, legendary Don Shula proud.” – Gil Brandt, NFL.com

Whether or not the grand experiment actually works or not is to be determined. But the Dolphins feel like they have something different brewing here. The acknowledgement that all of the toxicity that had built up within the Dolphins organization over the past decade needed to be purged in the form of a rebuild seems to have the Dolphins poised to make legitimate change happen — and that may just be the team’s ticket to getting back into contention for meaningful games in the postseason.

Texans passing game not a part of Gil Brandt’s top-10 QB-WR duos for 2020

Even though the Houston Texans have Deshaun Watson, Gil Brandt doesn’t see such a dynamic wideout, and thus Houston is left off his top-10 QB-WR list.

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The Houston Texans did not make the cut for Hall of Fame personnel guru Gil Brandt’s top-10 passing duos of 2020.

When the organization trades away a three-time All-Pro receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, leaving the cupboard with complementary receivers, it knocks Houston out of the top-10. As dynamic of a quarterback Deshaun Watson is, the fact is all of his success came while Hopkins was on the team. One can prove Hopkins is great without quarterback play. Can the same be said of Watson at the professional level?

Hopkins was still part of the list, albeit as an Arizona Cardinal. According to Brandt, second-year quarterback Kyler Murray and Hopkins are the third-best combo on his list behind Drew Brees-Michael Thomas and Matt Ryan-Julio Jones.

3) Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals: I have a world of respect for Texans coach Bill O’Brien, and I will give him the benefit of the doubt for his decision to trade away one of the NFL’s great receivers. Whatever you think of the move, though, Murray is a clear beneficiary. The dynamic young quarterback is ridiculously blessed to spend his second pro season throwing to one future Hall of Fame wideout (Larry Fitzgerald) and another (Hopkins) who is working his way squarely into the gold-jacket conversation.

What is inequitable about such lists is they are based entirely off of what has happened and not what is likely to happen. Over the next 12 months, Watson and newly acquired Texans receiver Brandin Cooks may be a part of Brandt’s list. After all, data from Pro Football Focus suggests that Cooks may be the perfect deep ball receiver for Watson. However, there are no games or film together to base that on for inclusion on a top-10 list.

Fun fact: new Indianapolis Colts quarterback Philip Rivers and receiver T.Y. Hilton were 10th on the list.

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Gil Brandt excludes Wilson-Lockett from list of best QB-WR duos

Former NFL player and current reporter Gil Brandt excluded Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett from his list of the best QB-WR combinations.

Former NFL player and current NFL reporter Gil Brandt recently excluded Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and wide receiver Tyler Lockett from his list of the best quarterback-wide receiver duos heading into the 2020 NFL season.

Brandt listed 10 QB-WR combos, including Drew Brees and Michael Thomas, Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, and Matt Ryan and Julio Jones among others. However, Wilson and Lockett are nowhere to be seen despite having one of the strongest passer ratings on connections in the league.

This drew outrage from 12s on social media as Brandt selected duos that have not even played a single snap together yet, such as Tom Brady and Mike Evans as well as Philip Rivers and TY Hilton.

Wilson and Lockett have an opportunity for another strong season in 2020 unless it is shut down by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Cowboys News: Stephen Jones relying on track record to get Dak signed

Cee Dee Lamb will wear No. 88. He joins Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant as only wide receivers in Cowboys history to wear it.

Believe it or not, the football world is an entire week removed from the 2020 NFL Draft. Just a few days ago Cowboys fans were astonished to see the team draft the best player available with pick No. 17 in Oklahoma elite wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb. The fun didn’t stop there as the Cowboys went on to have what some are saying was one of the best drafts in club history.

It’s back to business now, though. The Dak Prescott contract talks have resurfaced and the Cowboys would really like to have QB1 for the install of Mike McCarthy’s new offense. How would moving one of their young corner backs effect the defensive look in 2020? There is no drama where Lamb will find himself on the depth chart because he’s already said he’s fine playing outside or in the slot. The only debate Cowboys fans have been faced with is if he deserves to wear the No. 88 jersey. All this and much more in today’s news.

Stephen Jones on Dak Prescott negotiations: ‘We believe in our track record of getting players signed’ :: CBS Sports

Now that the 2020 NFL Draft is behind us, it’s back to business with the Cowboys highest priority. Dak Prescott remains without a contract extension but the front office is confident it will get done soon.

Crazy 88s: CeeDee Lamb will apparently join Cowboys WR succession after all :: The CowboysWire

The history behind wearing the No. 88 jersey runs very deep. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft will enter his name in this highly coveted pool of players to wear it.

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Roster Churn: Cowboys release LB, DB following draft, UDFA haul:: The CowboysWire

Now that the Cowboys have added their draft class and un-drafted free agents, moves to the current roster were made. Linebacker Chris Covington and defensive back DJ White were released.

Why Jerry Jones insisted on CeeDee Lamb wearing a specific, legendary number with Cowboys :: Sporting News

Shortly after drafting Cee Dee Lamb, Jerry Jones went on record saying he would prefer him to wear No. 88. Find out the detailed story as to why it meant so much to the Cowboys owner.

Neville Gallimore is thrilled to be drafted by Dallas Cowboys :: 247 Sports

The former Oklahoma Sooner is excited to re-join his former teammate in wide receiver Cee Dee Lamb and even talks about the journey to becoming a member of America’s team.

If Chidobe Awuzie is moved to safety, there is precedent for success in Mike McCarthy’s history :: Blogging The Boys

The Cowboys double dipped in the 2020 NFL draft when addressing the cornerback position for this years squad. Find out why Mike McCarthy’s track record shows why moving one of the Cowboys young cornerbacks to safety may be quite beneficial.

Dallas Cowboys fans are soaring with confidence after the 2020 NFL Draft :: Blogging The Boys

It’s a refreshing feeling when an entire fan base are in positive spirits. Cowboys Nation is headed upward when it comes to confidence headed into a brand new year with plenty of brand new members.

Draft Show: Top Picks Bring Positional Shake-Ups :: The Mothership

A deeper dive into the 2020 Dallas Cowboys draft class on what they each bring to their respective positions and where they can wind up on the depth chart.

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Gil Brandt’s Hot 150 has some surprises for possible Lions draft targets

Gil Brandt’s Hot 150 has some surprises for possible Lions draft targets in the 2020 NFL Draft

Gil Brandt is the “Godfather of the NFL Draft”, the title bestowed upon him during his Sirius XM NFL Radio visits. It’s a fitting moniker. Brandt is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the architect of the Dallas Cowboys for 30 years and the man who still chooses which prospects get to attend the draft ceremony. His “Hot 150” is perhaps the best insider-type peek at how NFL teams view prospects that gets widely disseminated to the general public.

Brandt released his Hot 150 via NFL.com on Monday, and some players who the Detroit Lions presumably have targeted in their sights for next week’s draft show up in some interesting, unexpected places.

Joe Burrow being 1st and Chase Young 2nd on Brandt’s list are no surprise. But the presumptive No. 3 overall pick, the player who appears as the Lions’ projection at the three spot in over 80 percent of current mock drafts, isn’t anywhere in sight in the top five. Or top 10.

Ohio State CB Jeff Okudah shows up at No. 13 overall. Okudah is still the highest-rated defensive back, one spot ahead of Florida CB C.J. Henderson, but this is about the lowest anyone of national significance has rated Okudah.

The No. 3 player on Brandt’s board is Clemson LB Isaiah Simmons, with Oregon QB Justin Herbert at four and Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa at five. Simmons is almost never linked with the Lions by anyone outside of fans, but Brandt seems sold despite his own questioning in his comments,

I have some questions, based on the relatively small sample size we have of his performance at any one position, but Simmons is a playmaker who should start as a rookie and do well. I can’t ever remember another player like this

Some other points of interest with relation to the Lions:

The No. 35 player (Detroit’s 2nd-round slot) on the list is Georgia OT Isaiah Wilson. No. 36 is Auburn DT Marlon Davidson, who has become a popular Lions projection of late.

Iowa EDGE A.J. Epenesa, another player often suggested as a Lions target with their second pick, is No. 40.

The top center is Temple’s Matt Hennessy at No. 34, ahead of Michigan’s Cesar Ruiz (No. 47). The Lions don’t need a center but could entertain one that can move to guard. Ruiz can do that, while Hennessy is regarded exclusively as a pivot.

Kentucky WR Lynn Bowden is at No. 44, one spot ahead of Clemson WR Tee Higgins. The Lions met with Bowden at the combine and Detroit sorely needs long-term solutions at wideout, where they currently do not have a player under contract after the 2020 season. USC’s Michael Pittman, another player the Lions formally interviewed in Indy, is 46th.

Utah Edge Bradlee Anae, a popular 3rd or 4th-round projection to Detroit, is No. 58. That is one spot above Penn State WR K.J. Hamler, who has some juice as a possible pick at No. 35.

There is a run of five straight players from 71 to 75 overall who all get projected to the Lions in various mock drafts in Rounds 3 and 4. In order:

North Carolina DE Jason Strowbridge

Lenoir-Rhyne safety Kyle Dugger

TCU OT Lucas Niang

UConn OT Matt Peart

Michigan LB Josh Uche

A couple of RBs popular with Lions fans are ranked 106-107: Utah’s Zack Moss and Florida State’s Cam Akers. Personal fave Darrynton Evans is No. 129.

There are one punter and one kicker in Brandt’s top 150. The last player on the list is Florida International QB James Morgan, who would be a fun developmental prospect for the Lions on Day 3.

 

Cowboys News: The next Dez Bryant? Aldon Smith interview, draft invites

The 2020 NFL Draft is now two weeks away. More mock drafts surface along with plenty of analysis on potential draft picks for the Cowboys

The 2020 NFL Draft is now less than two weeks away. Virtual meetings have become a trending topic for all 32 teams as this has become the newest way to conduct pre-draft business. The Dallas Cowboys have been letting the fans in just a little bit as to what goes on behind the scenes in these very odd times.

Mock drafts are going to rev up in these next 14 days as everyone shoots for predicting the perfect draft. Cowboys legendary figure Gil Brandt compares one of the key wide receivers entering this year’s draft to Dez Bryant, who in fact is trying to reunite with his old team with a few documented workouts. The NFL is doing their part to help everyone affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and a few Cowboys are getting heavily involved. Dallas has plenty of options as to what direction they would like to go in this year’s draft and there are plenty of voices on the internet explaining why they should or shouldn’t draft specific players. All this and more in today’s news.

2020 NFL Draft: Prospect-pro comparisons for top wide receivers :: NFL.com

Dallas Cowboys legendary executive Gil Brandt compares several of the drafts top wide receivers to current or former stars, and sees a lot of former Cowboy wide receiver Dez Bryant in Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb.

Ezekiel Elliott, DeMarcus Lawrence doing part to support COVID-19 relief efforts :: The CowboysWire

The Dallas Cowboys are doing their part to help everyone who has landed on hard times during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Can Tony Pollard create own shine in Ezekiel Elliott’s shadow in 2020? :: Cowboys Wire

The focus has been on how Mike McCarthy will use Elliott, but what does the new coach’s history say about backup running backs and what does it mean for the promising youngster?

PFF 3-round mock gives Cowboys edge rusher, wideout, corner :: The CowboysWire

Mock drafts are about to get even heavier in the coming weeks. The CowboysWire breaks down this one done by Pro Football Focus.

1 Free Agent Still on the Market Who Can Help Each NFL Team in 2020 :: Bleacher Report

Even with the 2020 NFL draft just two weeks away, free agency remains open and the Cowboys can add another veteran to the defensive line. The aged wonder, Cameron Wake is still on the loose.

Possible Pick: How Murray Would Boost LB Group :: The Mothership

Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray was one of the recent virtual interviews for the Cowboys front office. See where Murray would fit in the Dallas scheme.

Is Cornerback The Cowboys Biggest Pre-Draft Need? :: Inside The Star

Every team in the NFL still have questions to be answered. Have the Cowboys done enough to fill the void that Byron Jones left?

Cowboys 2020 Draft: Mississippi State’s Willie Gay Jr. is an intriguing option at linebacker for Dallas :: Blogging The Boys

While the Cowboys continue their virtual meetings, introduce yourself to Willie Gay Jr.

Cowboys To Raise Funds In 3-Day “Draft-A-Thon” :: The Mothership

The Dallas Cowboys and The Salvation Army will be working together a little before Thanksgiving this year. Money will be raised throughout all major market television stations during this years 2020 virtual NFL Draft.

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Bills take Alshon Jeffery in 2012 NFL Draft redo

In a 2012 NFL Draft redo, the Bills use that knowledge to change their pick. Although, their hand was forced a bit. 

With April, otherwise known as NFL Draft month, quickly approaching, the Bills and league will turn their attention from free agency to the upcoming rookie selection extravaganza.

But NFL.com dipped back into a past draft to discuss what could have been teams… had they known how things would play out. In a 2012 NFL Draft redo, the Bills use that knowledge to change their pick. Although, their hand was forced a bit.

Originally at the No. 10 overall pick that year, the Bills select cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The new pick is Eagles receiver Alshon Jeffery instead. But there’s a twist. Would the Bills have re-selected Gilmore? Who knows, because in this redo, he actually is the sixth-overall pick, going to the Cowboys.

Back to Jeffery, here’s how former front office executive turned NFL Media analyst Gil Brandt breaks down the changed pick:

Original pick: Stephon Gilmore, CB.
Jeffery was actually drafted: by the Bears in Round 2 (No. 45).

With Gilmore off the board, the Bills grab Jeffery. Pairing Jeffery with wideout Stevie Johnson would have gone a long way toward providing the kind of offensive firepower that might have kept both coach Chan Gailey and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from losing their jobs in Buffalo after the 2012 season.

Also worth mentioning might be that the Bills were eventually unable to keep Gilmore after his rookie contract expired and he’s since been on the Patriots. Further comparisons to consider would be that heading into this offseason, the Bills added Stefon Diggs. That’s because they needed a top-playmaking receiver. While Diggs is a higher-caliber playmaker than Jeffery, Buffalo would not have been in such a dire situation to acquire Diggs, had they had a big-bodied playmaker like Jeffery.

However, if we’re making knocks against Gilmore in a sense, it’s only far to do so with Jeffery. In recent seasons he’s had a tough time staying on the field and it appears they’d have their effects on him even when he does get out there. Still, interesting to consider adding Jeffery into that 2012 Bills offense.

In terms of the current-day Bills, let’s look back to Carolina, too. With the No. 9 overall pick in this redo, right before Buffalo’s selection, the Panthers… who had Buffalo’s Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott in-house at the time, still select linebacker Luke Kuechly. A bit of a notion that those two were apart of an important and smart selection.

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