Tag: NF

PODCAST: What has happened with the Browns this offseason?

Part of the 14 opponent preview shows in 14 days, Jess Root talks with Browns Wire’s Cory Kinnan.

We have yet another 2023 Arizona Cardinals opponent preview. We continue in the AFC North with the Cleveland Browns, whom the Cardinals face on the road in Week 9.

Browns Wire managing editor Cory Kinnan joins me on the show to talk about what happened in 2022, the Browns’ offseason moves in free agency and the draft, and he tells us what expectations are for 2023.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Here are the times and topics from this episode:

(1:00) The Browns’ 2022 season

(10:30) Free agency and the draft for the Browns

(20:15) Expectations for the Browns in 2023

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2023 NFL draft order: Top 27 picks locked in after divisional round

Check out the updated first-round order for the 2023 NFL draft following the divisional playoff round

Another week of NFL playoff action is officially in the books, which means four more teams have locked in their first-round slot in the 2023 NFL draft order, at least until the trades start coming.

This weekend’s postseason action gave us a couple of blowouts, and a couple of nail-biters, leaving four teams left in this year’s chase for the Lombardi Trophy.

As we look ahead to the conference championships, here’s the updated first-round order for this year’s draft:

*NOTE: The Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick in next year’s draft as a result of the NFL’s investigation into tampering violations.

PFF gives Rams an offseason grade of B-

Pro Football Focus handed out offseason grades for every team in the NFL and the Rams were around the middle of the pack

It was another interesting offseason for the Los Angeles Rams this year, featuring some high-profile losses but also some big-name additions. They cut Johnny Hekker and traded away Robert Woods, while also losing key starters such as Von Miller, Austin Corbett and Darious Williams in free agency. They still haven’t re-signed Odell Beckham Jr. yet, either.

Their two most notable signings were Allen Robinson and Bobby Wagner, who at the time of being signed were arguably the best player remaining at their respective positions. Both Robinson and Wagner will help the Rams immensely, hopefully making up for the losses Los Angeles has suffered.

The draft was relatively uneventful for the Rams, since they didn’t go on the clock until No. 104 overall, but they came away with a potential Day 1 starter in the third round with Logan Bruss.

As a whole, the Rams did what they could to maintain a championship-caliber roster, and for the most part, Pro Football Focus liked their moves. PFF gave the Rams an offseason grade of B-, which is right in the middle of the pack among other teams.

Their free agency grade was “above average,” while PFF gave them a C+ for their draft.

Considering their lack of firepower this offseason, from their limited cap space to their previously traded first- and second-round picks, the Rams did pretty well to stay among the best teams in football.

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Bills WR Isaiah McKenzie completely brushing off a $14k fine for not wearing a mask is a massive problem for the NFL

Some players are just not taking this seriously, and it’s a shame

The NFL’s teams have gotten progressively better and better about getting their players vaccinated.

There are 23 teams in the league with, at least, a 90 percent vaccination rate right now, per the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, and 92.7 percent of players in the league have received at least one shot.

There are just four more teams with a vaccination rate of 89 percent or lower. Now, it’s just a matter of getting those teams on board.

But if the Buffalo Bills are going to be any indication of how that process is going to go, it’s going to be a real struggle. That’s pretty clear at this point.

The Bills’ vaccination rate is hovering around 80 percent, per The Athletic. And they just sent Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Vernon Butler and Star Lotulelei home and labeled them as high risk in the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols after they came in contact with a vaccinated staff member who contracted COVID. The players were all unvaccinated.

On top of that, wideout Isaiah McKenzie was just fined $14,650 for not wearing a mask after repeatedly refusing to wear a mask, despite protocols requiring him to do so.

What’s worse? He didn’t seem to take it seriously at all. He posted the fine letter to Twitter saying “They got me! NFL you win!”

And then Cole Beasley followed up with this tweet in his continued efforts to delegitimize the NFL’s COVID-19 policies.

This is the problem the NFL is facing in a nutshell. Yes, it’s made incredible progress in getting folks vaccinated so far. But the ones who refuse? It seems to be leaning in.

Beasley is dismissing the NFL’s policy every chance he gets. McKenzie is totally dismissing a $14k fine as if it’s Monopoly money. They just don’t really seem to be concerned about the policy or, more importantly, the well-being of others at all.

Maybe there’s room for heftier fines and suspensions to get them to care, but they’re already hefty as is.

And it’s hard to think about what more the NFL can do to coerce them to convince them to just take the shot. The league’s policies are already stringent and could even lead to the forfeiture of games if things go haywire.

It looks like it’s just a matter of hoping players choose to think about doing a relatively simple thing for others instead of themselves, at this point.

And, well, good luck with that.

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