Tag: Gimme him

Gimme him: A.J. Epenesa would add more fire to Patriots’ pass rush

A.J. Epenesa would add a strong boost to the Patriots’ defensive front

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick is big on effort, and he’d get plenty of it if he had a high-motor defensive playmaker like Buffalo Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa on his roster.

Epenesa is the perfect example of patience and perseverance in a young, burgeoning NFL talent. Not having Matthew Judon on the field has obviously impacted the Patriots defense greatly. So imagine the kind of damage they could do with Epenesa joining the likes of Josh Uche, Deatrich Wise and Keion White.

It would be easy to choose Bills quarterback Josh Allen, wide receiver Stefon Diggs or even legendary pass-rusher Von Miller, but we’re taking things in a bit more of an unexpected route with Epenesa.

The Patriots have so many issues at receiver and the offense line that Allen and Diggs couldn’t save them alone. Granted, they could build around them and be better in the long-term for it. But a playmaker like Epenesa would help the defensive-focused Patriots right away.

He’s currently playing in a contract year and showing the sense of urgency you’d expected from a young player on the end of his rookie contract. With four sacks on the year, he is already 2.5 sacks away from tying his career-high from last season.

There’s nothing flashy about his game, either. He’s a tough defender that’s going to sprint and fight his way to the target with all-out effort on every single play. Belichick has made Super Bowl champions of such players in the past.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, Epenesa will be on the opposing side of the field on Sunday, hell-bent on ruining the day for quarterback Mac Jones and the offense.

Somehow, someway—with a banged-up offensive line—the Patriots will have to find a way to stop him.

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Gimme Him: One player Colts would steal from Rams

In this hypothetical scenario, the player to steal from the Rams would give the Colts an elite front seven.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-1) are hosting the Los Angeles Rams (1-2) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium for what should be a competitive Week 4 matchup.

In a hypothetical scenario, the Colts Wire staff can “steal” one player that sheds light on depth needs or talent upgrades for the Colts.

This week’s selection as the Colts host the Rams: DL Aaron Donald.

There’s not much that needs to be said about Donald that hasn’t already been said. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer with three Defensive Player of the Year awards to his name to go along with seven All-Pro First Team and nine Pro Bowl selections.

Despite the fact that he’s 32 years old, Donald is still wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. He entered Week 4 second in the NFL in total pressures (14) and third in pass rush win rate (25.3%) among qualified interior defenders, according to Pro Football Focus.

Even if it was just for one season, having Donald line up on the same front that also included DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart and Kwity Paye would be a sight to see.

Other players considered included guard Steve Avila and wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.

Do you agree, Colts fans? Would you pick Donald or steal an entirely different Los Angeles Rams player?

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Gimme Him: Does King Henry or Jeffery Simmons make a bigger impact on the Browns?

Would the Browns be better off with Derrick Henry or Jeffery Simmons?

In this week’s edition of Gimme Him, we act the part of Zeus as we take a player from the Tennessee Titans and imagine them on the Cleveland Browns. Sadly, the league’s Titans can’t compare to the greats of ancient myths. But they do have Derrick Henry, which is about as close as one can get. The 6’3, 240-pound running back has been an elite playmaker over his 7-year career. In a world where teams are churning and burning their running backs, Henry’s longevity has only become more impressive. Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons also moves the needle quite a bit.

In the wake of the Chubb injury, it’s hard not to focus on Henry’s workload. The loss of Nick Chubb is too great to mention. His absence can be felt in excess by every Browns fan, player, and employee. I honestly think Chubb was going to win MVP this year based on his production up until the injury. But Chubb’s career is far from over.

The workout warrior has battled back from a very similar injury once before. It’s dismissive of Chubb to make forecasts based on injury history and age (27 years old!); he was and always will be the exception. He works to be the outlier. So I think someone will have to keep the MVP trophy warm for Chubb because I think he will get it when he comes back.

Back to the Titans, I am not selecting Derrick Henry for the Browns. While he is the only running back who can come close to Nick Chubb, I hope the Browns focus their energies on a pathetic passing offense.  I would rather fortify the defensive line.

My Gimme Him is Jeffery Simmons. Simmons has been the third-best defensive tackle in the NFL over the last couple of years. The Titans rewarded him with a four-year, $94 million extension this Spring.

Jeffery Simmons is the monster anchoring the Titans’ defense. He is quick enough to beat guards and centers off the snap while being powerful enough to stop a double team in its tracks. On passing downs where he’s able to combine those talents, he’s extremely dangerous. He’s regularly pushing guards into their quarterback, absolutely destroying the architecture of a pocket.

If a quarterback is unable to step into the pocket, then they are forced to beat the defenders rushing from the edges. While the Browns’ defensive tackle unit has been better than anticipated, the unit could still use an All-Pro. Getting Myles one-on-ones needs to remain the primary focus of the defense.

Having a defensive tackle who can generate pressure instantaneously when lined up between the center and guard is the best way to do so without blitzing. Jeffery Simmons would be a force multiplier on what could be the best defense in football. The Browns’s defense with Simmons would be the best since the 1985 Bears. Expect to see number 98 in the backfield all Sunday.

What do you think, Browns fans? Would you take Jeffery Simmons or Derrick Henry? Let us know!

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Gimme Him: Minkah Fitzpatrick is Him; What would he look like on the Browns?

Envisioning the impact of one player from the Steelers would have on the Cleveland Browns.

In this week’s Gimme Him, we turn our attention to the roster of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Choosing a player to steal, please excuse my pun, became much easier after hearing about the unfortunate loss of Cameron Heyward for a couple of weeks. The veteran tackle suffered a hamstring injury in their game against the 49ers. Cameron Heyward has been a thorn in the side of the Cleveland Browns for well over a decade.

Sometimes, it feels like longer – and when one can truly handle the suffering when watching a Steeler dominate – one hopes that it’s for even longer. For the Steelers, Heyward hasn’t been a rose, but a mountain. He has been one of the premier strongmen of the NFL while still being incredibly agile. His four All-Pro teams, including three first-team, tell us how productive he is. If he wasn’t hurt, I think I would take him for this experiment.

Instead, it’s a two-man race between T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers have a pair of intriguing players on offense. George Pickens Jr., the second-year wide receiver, and rookie tight end Darnell Washington. But they’re far too inexperienced for serious consideration. It’s Tomlin’s defense that makes their team a threat.

TJ Watt and Myles Garrett have been in a race since they were drafted. So far, TJ Watt has outgained Myles in some accumulating stats, leading to TJ winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. While I believe TJ Watt is one of the most talented pass rushers in the NFL, I think he’s been outside of Myles Garrett’s tier. For a period, that echelon included Von Miller, and now it includes Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. Nothing against Watt, I just see him as the first man out. I think he gets more schematic advantages, whether it’s various matchup types, roles, and responsibilities the Steelers have done a fantastic job at maximizing his talents. That’s not his fault, but it is the reason I’m not selecting him.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is my Gimme Him pick. I knew it almost immediately. Minkah Fitzpatrick is a three-time first-team All-Pro. His career has been legacy-defining since he started as a true freshman at Alabama. I’ve never heard former Browns defensive coordinator, Nick Saban, glow about a player when he talks, except whenever he talks about Minkah Fitzpatrick. He is still their golden example. Minkah could play every position and has the mind of a seasoned coach. How his career played out would be obvious. After his first All-Pro, the safety was traded to the Steelers in his third season. The rest is history. I was devastated. I still am. Let me right this wrong by selecting last year’s interception leader.

Minkah Fitzpatrick in the brown and orange would officially turn Cleveland Browns Stadium into a No-Fly Zone. Jim Schwartz could get further into his bag of plays with the best free safety in the NFL. There is nothing on the field Minkah Fitzpatrick can’t do… besides tackle Nick Chubb. He can patrol the field in the deep third, cover wide receivers in the slot, and can even bully tight ends from the box. He still is the complete package. His sideline-to-sideline speed and unrivaled football IQ are the closest thing we have to Ed Reed. The Browns would have a historically good defense with him on the field. I think they would be a hypercharged legion of boom. Not even Patrick Mahomes could throw more than two touchdown passes against that defense.

What do you think, Browns’ fans? Would you take Minkah Fitzpatrick or TJ Watt? Let us know!

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Gimme Him: Envisioning the impact of Ja’Marr Chase on the Browns

If the Browns could take one player from the Bengals team, who would it be? Joe Burrow or Ja’Marr Chase?

With the new season starting, we’re launching a weekly series called “Gimme Him.” In this series, we will be tirelessly poring over the weekly opponents’ roster before taking one of their best players and imagining the impact they would have on the Cleveland Browns. This week we turn our attention to wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

The Bengals, our familiar foe, have brought back most of their starters from last season. The main addition the Bengals made this offseason was signing the monstrous Orlando Brown Jr. The Bengals know they must protect Joe Burrow at any cost to win. The cost of the transaction was losing former All-Pro safety Jessie Bates III. The Bengals hope that former first-round pick Dax Hill can step out of Bates’ shadow this season. The Bengals have done a commendable job of drafting for the future.

Overall, the Bengals are a talented team, and their front office deserves credit for operating on a tighter budget than most teams. However, the first “Gimme Him” selection should be quite obvious. No, it’s not D.J. Reader, one of the best nose tackles in the NFL, and an instant improvement to our defense. No, it’s not Joe Burrow.

The talented quarterback is on the eve of a record extension (Contracts and cap space are not taken into consideration.) and would be a nice addition to the Browns. His poise and leadership would provide a high floor for the Browns’ offense, but Deshaun Watson has had higher peaks. I’d rather live with the variance in Watson’s play and rely on our run game to provide the high floor for the offense.

The not-so-obvious obvious choice is Chase. He is likely to finish as the number-one wide receiver in fantasy football this season. Chase has been a superstar since the moment he reunited with Joe Burrow. I’m sick of it. I would love to be the Yoko Ono to their Beatles, the Rohan Marley to their Fugees, and break that band up. So, Gimme Ja’Marr Chase.

Chase is a top-three wide receiver who excels in every skill a wide receiver needs. He’s a tremendous route runner, who is fantastic at the catch point and even better after the catch. He is a complete wide receiver who is just getting better. He would be the instant focal point of a stacked Browns’ offense.

Defensive coordinators would have sleep exhaustion from worrying about how they can cover a trio of Chase, Amari Cooper, and Elijah Moore while keeping their run defense respectable enough to limit Nick Chubb. The Browns’ offense with Ja’Marr Chase would immediately challenge The Greatest Show on Turf, or the Chiefs’ when they had Tyreek Hill, for the most talented offense.

What do you think, Browns’ fans? Would you take Ja’Marr Chase or Joe Burrow? Let us know!

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Gimme him: 1 player to steal from the Indianapolis Colts

DeForest Buckner would certainly give this team the “push” inside that coach Urban Meyer keeps talking about.

Jacksonville’s defense had one of its best performances in a long time on Sunday. Though the unit had struggled against the likes of Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, and Geno Smith, it showed up against one of the league’s most explosive offenses, holding the Buffalo Bills to just six points in a three-point win.

There’s reason to believe this is an improving group, but it could still use some help, especially up front. Coach Urban Meyer has talked a lot about how the interior of the defensive line needs to do a better job of getting a push in pass-rushing situations, and while the unit has been solid against the run, most of the pressure is coming from guys on the edge.

But when looking to steal a player from Indianapolis’ roster, there’s one clear candidate who would help the interior pass-rushing woes: defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. The Colts made a splashy move trading for Buckner, who had 12 sacks with the San Francisco 49ers in 2018, ahead of last season.

That move has largely paid off. After the former seventh-overall pick’s production dipped to 7.5 sacks in 2019, he was a First-Team All-Pro after his 9.5 sack season in 2020 (in which he also had a career-high 26 quarterback hits). He’s off to another solid start this year, notching four sacks and 42 tackles so far, though he’s only put nine hits on the quarterback.

The interior of the defensive line was largely untouched this offseason aside from the additions of Roy Robertson-Harris in free agency and Malcom Brown in a trade with the New Orleans Saints. A player like Buckner could fundamentally transform this defensive line, and pairing him up with Josh Allen on the edge would be a tantalizing possibility.

The Jags are likely to let Taven Bryan walk after the season in spite of his two-sack performance on Sunday, and Brown is more of a rotational player than anything else. The interior of the defensive line needs a dominating player, and that will likely be the position the Jags look to address in a defense-heavy 2022 draft class.

Gimme him: 1 player to steal from the Buffalo Bills

The Bills are loaded with talent, but considering Jacksonville’s struggles at receiver, there’s one player who’s impact could be game-changing.

Jacksonville returns to the field on Sunday after a blowout loss on the road at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks, but things only get more challenging. The top team in the AFC East in the Buffalo Bills comes to town, and perhaps no other team in the league has a more complete roster from top to bottom.

The Bills are bona fide Super Bowl contenders, and naturally, they have a lot of players that would be immediate upgrades for this Jags team. Either of the safeties, Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, would be improvements in Jacksonville as each has three picks on the season.

Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has already become one of the best inside linebackers in the league, and his ceiling is arguably the highest considering he’s only 23 and in his fourth season in the NFL. But his natural position is middle linebacker, a spot that Myles Jack, one of Jacksonville’s few franchise players, occupies.

We’re starting to sound a bit like a broken record, but the Jaguars game against Seattle made it very clear this team needs receiving help. Between dropped passes and incorrect route reads from the receivers, the Jags just aren’t making life easy on Trevor Lawrence right now.

But there’s an easy fix on Buffalo’s roster in Stefon Diggs. A former star for the Vikings who the Bills acquired in a trade, Diggs isn’t having a career year by any means and likely won’t match last season’s 1,500-yard total, but he’s still well on pace to break 1,000 yards for the fourth-straight season.

He’s fast, agile, runs very solid routes and makes plays on the ball, and that’s exactly the kind of player this team needs. D.J. Chark Jr., who is out for the remainder of the season, has home-run potential, while Marvin Jones Jr. is reliable, but beyond those two, there are a lot of question marks. That includes Laviska Shenault Jr., who doesn’t look like the same dynamic receiver the Jags saw flashes of during his rookie year.

Adding Diggs wouldn’t solve all of the team’s problems, but it would certainly go a long way toward achieving what should be one of the team’s biggest goals: giving Lawrence a true No. 1 option.

Gimme him: 1 player to steal from the Seattle Seahawks

Just imagine, if you will, Trevor Lawrence throwing the ball to D.K. Metcalf.

Since hiring Pete Carroll in 2011, Seattle has been among the top class of NFL teams. Since his first season, the Seahawks have only won less than 10 games once.

This year’s team is likely to end that streak, as it sits at just 2-5 seven games into the season. An injury to quarterback Russell Wilson hasn’t helped anything, and it highlighted some of the shortcomings that he masked while on the field.

Still, you don’t win double-digit games without some talent in this league, and the Seahawks have that. If Jacksonville had the opportunity to steal one of those talented players, the answer would be obvious: receiver D.K. Metcalf.

Metcalf is in just his third season out of Ole Miss, and somehow, this guy fell to the second round. He’s coming off a 1,300-yard campaign, and at 6-foot, 4-inches with a 40-yard dash at the NFL combine that came in at a blazing 4.33, he’s an incredibly rare combination of size, athleticism, and talent.

And he’s exactly what quarterback Trevor Lawrence needs.

Receiver isn’t exactly a weakness for the Jags. They added Marvin Jones Jr. this offseason, and he has proven to be a reliable veteran. Meanwhile, DJ Chark Jr. is a home-run threat and Laviska Shenault Jr. is a menace with the ball in his hands. But Chark is out for the rest of the season, and Meyer said this week that the team could use some more speed at the receiver position.

Cornerback turned returner turned receiver Jamal Agnew has proven to be capable of seeing No. 3 reps, and he could be that speed guy that Meyer was talking about. But Metcalf is the kind of athlete you make in a Madden player creator.

His route-running is just adequate, and he’s not going to beat you with crisp routes, but that’s not a problem. Because he’ll just get behind you with his top-end speed and Moss you if you somehow find a way to try to make a play on the ball.

Wilson’s absence has limited Metcalf’s production a bit, but that didn’t stop him from catching an 84-yard touchdown pass early in the loss to the New Orleans Saints. While Jacksonville has solid receivers, it doesn’t have a guy that can change a game like Metcalf.

That will certainly be a priority moving forward for the Jags as Lawrence continues to develop, but it sure would be nice to just snag one of the best athletes currently in the NFL.

Gimme him: 1 player to steal from the Miami Dolphins

The Jaguars need help in the secondary, and the Miami Dolphins just happen to have one of the best corners in football.

Jacksonville’s offense is still undergoing a bit of a learning curve with quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But between his positive moments and a great start to the season for running back James Robinson, the offensive group is far from the problem (though it could use another target in the passing game with the injury to D.J. Chark Jr.).

However, the defense has been a disaster so far, especially the secondary. The Jaguars have allowed big days through the air from Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, and Joe Burrow, and it is definitely the team’s limiting factor right now.

Jacksonville tried to address the defensive backfield in the offseason by signing Shaquill Griffin and Rayshawn Jenkins, but while solid, neither has proven to be a game-changing addition. It also drafted cornerback Tyson Campbell at the top of the second round, and though he began the year as the starter at nickel, he became a starter on the outside after the team traded away C.J. Henderson.

Jacksonville could really use another starting-caliber player here, especially at corner, and when looking at a player to steal from the Miami Dolphins, there’s one clear candidate.

Xavien Howard is one of the game’s best corners. He’s coming off an unbelievable 2020 season with the Dolphins, totaling a career-high 10 interceptions (becoming the first player since Antonio Cromartie in 2007 to do so).

He was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 4 cornerback in the NFL heading into the season, and he’s lived up to it so far. Though he’s not on pace to replicate his numbers from a year ago with just one pick through five games, he has 19 total tackles and six passes defensed, which ties for fourth-best in the NFL.

Howard would immediately become Jacksonville’s top corner over Griffin, and he would be a major boost to the quality of the secondary.

Obviously, this is just a hypothetical, and if the Jags want to see elite cornerback play any time soon, they will need Griffin to have a breakout season or for Campbell to develop nicely. But it’s hard not to wonder how a player like Howard could change this team.

Gimme him: 1 player to steal from the Tennessee Titans

Julio Jones would be an immediate impact player for Jacksonville’s receiving corps, though he’s a bit past his prime.

The start of the season hasn’t gone as expected for the Tennessee Titans. They lead the AFC South at 2-2, but last week’s loss to a previously winless New York Jets team was a considerable setback. The Titans were expected to be the most competent team in the division this year, and while that has been the case so far, they don’t exactly look ready to make noise in the postseason.

With that being said, it’s a much more developed roster than the Jaguars currently have, and several Tennessee players could benefit Jacksonville’s squad.

However, it’s hard to think of someone who would have a bigger impact on this team right now than receiver Julio Jones, especially after the injury to D.J. Chark on Thursday night.

Chark is expected to miss the remainder of the season, and that’s a considerable loss for a receiving corps that was already missing a playmaking go-to target. Jones may be a bit past his prime at age 32, but that hasn’t stopped him from being the Titans’ most productive pass-catcher through four games.

He has 12 catches for 204 yards, and while he hasn’t found the end zone yet, it’s hard to argue that Jones wouldn’t provide a major boost for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, especially in light of Chark’s injury.

Jacksonville still has Marvin Jones Jr., who leads the team in receiving, and second-year player Laviska Shenault Jr., who had his best game of the season on Thursday night. But neither of them exactly fits the bill of a No. 1 receiver, and the depth is questionable, to say the least, beyond that. This is why Jones would be such an intriguing fit here.

When it became clear that Atlanta was going to move on from him this offseason, some thought the Jaguars could be a contender for his services. While that didn’t pan out, it would have been a good addition at the time and would be an even better one right now.

As for the Jags fans at home, what are your thoughts? Would your choice be Jones when looking at this Titans team, or would it be someone else? Let us know in the comments.