Tag: Maurice Moton

Vikings’ Sam Darnold labeled a ‘free agency steal’ by NFL analyst

Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report believes the Minnesota Vikings got a steal in free agency with the signing of quarterback Sam Darnold.

The Minnesota Vikings were caught between a rock and a hard place this off-season. It was clear to most people that former starting quarterback Kirk Cousins wouldn’t be back with the team. He was an impending free agent in his mid-30s coming off a serious injury, and looking for a major payday. It just was never in the cards for him to return under the circumstances.

But what were the Vikings going to do at quarterback in his absence? They seemingly hadn’t prepared very well for life after Cousins, and they were left with either the prospect of throwing a rookie quarterback into the fire immediately or signing a re-tread in hopes he could provide a bridge to the young quarterback.

The Vikings opted for the second route and signed former New York Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold. According to Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report, that decision is already one of the biggest steals of the offseason.

Moton recently identified eight players who already look like free agency steals in training camp, and among them is the much-maligned quarterback. Darnold—at least so far in Vikings camp—has been performing well and showing folks that, while he may never live up to the position he was drafted at, he can be a serviceable quarterback in this league.

That’s all the Vikings need. Minnesota just barely missed out on a playoff berth last season, with the trio of Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, and Joshua Dobbs starting games for them. If Darnold can provide the team with slightly more production — or, at the very least, fewer drive-killing turnovers — the Vikings have a chance to be playoff contenders this season.

Getting that from a quarterback making just $10 million– especially in today’s quarterback market- qualifies as a steal.

Vikings picked to finish last in NFC North by Bleacher Report

In his look at each division’s last place finisher, Bleacher Report analyst Maurice Moton has the Vikings finishing last in the NFC North.

There are a lot of reasons to be down on the 2024 Minnesota Vikings. The team couldn’t stop the turnovers last season, tanking their season. They lost their best pass rusher (Danielle Hunter) and their starting quarterback (Kirk Cousins) in free agency. The NFC North is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL, with the Lions making the NFC Championship game last season, and both the Packers and Bears building formidable teams.

With that context, Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report has picked the Minnesota Vikings to finish last in the NFC North this season. In his article, going division-by-division to pick the last-place team, the Vikings get the short end of the stick for theirs. Questions at quarterback are the main factor, as Moton says:

(…) The Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency and signed Sam Darnold, who has had issues with turnovers in his six seasons.

Rookie first-rounder J.J. McCarthy may not be ready to take the reins under center after serving as more of a game manager than a playmaker at Michigan over the last two years.

Head coach and offensive play-caller Kevin O’Connell may be able to get the best out of Darnold as he did with Cousins. Darnold will make plays with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson on the receiving end.

However, the Vikings will likely have to live with Darnold’s stretch of erratic plays, which may hurt them in several close games.

If there’s a silver lining in the Vikings’ being picked last, it’s that Moton still has some faith in the team’s success. While they’re picked to bring up the rear in the NFC North, Moton has them tied with the Cleveland Browns of the AFC North as having the best record of all last-place finishers: 8-9. Based on Moton’s projections, that record would be good for second in both the NFC East and NFC South.

That 8-9 mark would likely have the Vikings picking outside the top 10 and going over the O/U line placed for them by most Vegas sportsbooks. So, while Moton may not like them within the context of the division, he clearly still has some faith in them. With guys like Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison still in the fold, it’s easy to see why.

Bleacher Report names Ravens player who could disappoint in 2022

Bleacher Report named one player on the Ravens who could underperform during the 2022 NFL season

The Baltimore Ravens have had a busy 2022 offseason following the 2021 NFL season. The team added veteran players at multiple different positions in free agency, while also having one of the better drafts throughout all of the league. However, it remains to be seen how each of Baltimore’s new contributors will perform.

In an article published by Maurice Moton of Bleacher Report, he named one player from every NFL team who could disappoint in 2022. The player Moton picked for the Ravens was safety Kyle Hamilton, who was the No. 14 overall pick in the draft and regarded as a phenomenal value selection.

Moton believes it will be tough for Baltimore to find a role for Hamilton this upcoming season since the team already has established players in the secondary who can cover multiple areas on the field.

“The Ravens have two proven starters at safety in Chuck Clark and Marcus Williams, who just signed a five-year, $70 million deal. They can experiment with Hamilton and use him in the slot following the release of Tavon Young, but cornerback Marlon Humphrey may move inside if Marcus Peters and Kyle Fuller line up on the boundary in nickel alignments.”

Baltimore does have a lot of depth at the safety and cornerback positions, but as the team has learned in the past, you can never have too much depth. Moton also said that Hamilton could be a rotational player if the team has injuries in the secondary or decides to keep safety Chuck Clark, who has been rumored to be in trade discussions.

“Barring injuries at safety or a trade that involves Clark, Hamilton could be a rotational slot defender in the big nickel formation and the sixth defensive back in dime packages, which would give the 14th overall pick few opportunities to make an impact in his rookie year.”

Regardless of what Baltimore does this season, Hamilton is expected by many to have a big workload. The Ravens got a steal when the safety fell to them at No. 14 overall in the draft and they will certainly look to take advantage of his incredible skillset.