The Packers are giving Chandon Sullivan, Shemar Jean-Charles, Darnell Savage and Jaire Alexander reps in the slot.
The Green Bay Packers think they have four different players that can move inside and play the “star” position at slot cornerback within Joe Barry’s defense.
Defensive backs coach Jerry Gray said the team is using Chandon Sullivan, Shemar Jean-Charles, Darnell Savage and Jaire Alexander in the slot and are expecting to interchange the four based on who they are defending inside.
“We have four guys that can really, really play at that level, depending on who is in the slot,” Gray said. “We’re giving guys chances so when they get in there, it’s not their first time that they’ve been in that position, and I think that’s good for us.”
Gray said Sullivan is doing a “great job” in the slot, and Savage is “begging” to get more time there. Alexander started repping in the slot this past week, and Jean-Charles is being trained to play inside.
Matchups could dictate who is in the slot during a given week. For instance, Gray mentioned if a team has two good tight ends, Savage might come down and play the slot. Or if a team wants to put its No. 1 receiver in the slot, Alexander can “match” him inside.
Sullivan was the team’s primary slot corner last season and looks like a good bet to play a lot inside once again in 2021. He was one of the standouts from Saturday night’s Family Night scrimmage.
The Packers are also getting Jean-Charles, a fifth-round pick, up to speed inside.
Gray said Jean-Charles is “not afraid to make tackles” and “tough” enough to play the slot at the NFL level.
Training camp is young, but it looks like the Packers have a good handle on an important position in Barry’s defense. Sullivan provides a starter, Savage and Alexander are matchup weapons against specific looks and Jean-Charles is the apprentice in training.
The Lions will see many of the NFL’s top slot receivers in 2021
There will be trial by fire for the new Lions slot defenders in 2021. Detroit’s defense is set to face off against a slew of the NFL’s top slot receivers in the coming season.
It’s an area where opponents found ample success in 2020 against the Lions, primarily Justin Coleman and Darryl Roberts. Both of those slot corners are now gone, leaving Amani Oruwariye (118.9 passer rating allowed in the slot) and little-used Mike Ford to compete with free-agent signee Corn Elder (108.5 passer rating, 2 TDs allowed in the slot) to shore up the massive weakness.
The schedule does the Lions sot defenders no favors. Six of the top 11 slot receivers in Touchdown Wire’s rankings are on the docket, including Minnesota’s Adam Theilen twice.
Keenan Allen, Chargers – No. 2
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks – No. 3
JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers – No. 4
Cooper Kupp, Rams – No. 5
Adam Theilen, Vikings – No. 6
Robert Woods, Rams – No. 11
The list doesn’t include Cleveland’s Jarvis Landry, a five-time Pro Bowler who spends more than 55 percent of his snaps in the slot and has caught at least 72 passes in each of his seven NFL seasons. It also omits Green Bay’s Davante Adams, who snagged 48 of his 115 catches a year ago operating out of the slot, and it only seems like he made half of those against Detroit. Cincinnati’s Tyler Boyd, Denver’s Jerry Jeudy and Chicago’s Anthony Miller are also capable weapons out of the slot.
It presents a huge challenge for Elder, Ford and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who once upon a time was a pretty good slot corner himself.
The New Orleans Saints are trying out P.J. Williams at both safety and slot cornerback in their training camp practices, where he’s thriving
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The New Orleans Saints value versatility on defense more than most teams, eagerly trying out players at different positions to best gauge their strengths and weaknesses. One training camp standout getting a look at a new spot is defensive back P.J. Williams.
Initially lined up outside as a cornerback, Williams settled into a role with the Saints as their go-to defender over the slot. But he’s also seen action at safety, and the Saints are making a point to get him more experience there. It’s a move Saints coach Sean Payton has been pleased to see Williams handle.
“Well I like the fact that he’s smart, he’s got good ball skills,” Payton said in his conference call after practice. “He had a caused fumble today and an interception today, so he’s one of those players that has good football I.Q., so it’s good to give him some additional work. He’s also taken snaps at playing in the nickel, he’s got some versatility.”
Those two takeaways are a great sign of things to come: Williams initially forced a fumble out of backup running back Dwayne Washington, which was recovered by defensive lineman Margus Hunt, before getting in position to snatch a tipped ball from wide receiver Juwan Johnson’s hands (that was thrown by Jameis Winston). Not a bad day in the office.
Williams has appeared in 50 games for the Saints since 2017 (including the playoffs), bagging 29 pass breakups and 4 interceptions, plus a pair of forced fumbles. He first stepped into the safety spot late last season when the Saints were short-handed after injuries struck Vonn Bell and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, so cross-training him now makes sense. The Saints don’t want to get caught in a tight spot like that again.
But it remains to be seen how often Williams will line up deeper in the backfield. Gardner-Johnson (now going by “Ceedy Duce”) is just as position-flexible as Williams and free agent pickup Malcolm Jenkins, so the Saints have to figure out the best way to portion out those snaps. If nothing else, it’s great to have a strong backup plan waiting in the wings should things take a hard left swerve.
Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan has recovered from his foot injury.
After missing all of the 2019 season with complications from foot surgery, Denver Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan is healthy and ready for the 2020 season.
Callahan did have an illness before training camp started but he has since recovered and he’s had no drawbacks with his foot recovery.
“Bryce’s health is good,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said during a Zoom conference call with reporters on Aug. 4. “A week or 10 days before we came back, he got sick — not COVID sick. He had a stomach virus and he lost some weight, so we have to get that back on him. His foot right now is fine, no problems.”
Denver brought in A.J. Bouye through a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars this offseason and selected Michael Ojemudia in the third round of the draft. Now that he’s healthy, Callahan is poised to serve as one of the Broncos’ top three cornerbacks, but his position is yet to be determined.
“We’re going to work him at both spots, playing corner and inside at nickel along with obviously a bunch of other people at both positions,” Fangio said. “We’ll see how it unfolds by the time we line up against Tennessee, but he’s going to work both spots.”
Exploring the idea of the Detroit Lions signing wide receiver Taylor Gabriel as a speed slot/deep threat for the 2020 season.
This is the latest piece in a new series of articles at Lions Wire exploring the remaining 2020 free agent pool, looking for potential upgrades to the Detroit Lions’ roster.
In this edition, we examine the question: should the Lions sign WR Taylor Gabriel?
Let’s take a closer look at the biggest questions surrounding a Lions-Gabriel marriage and if it is in the best interest of both parties to get a deal done.
Why is Taylor Gabriel still a free agent?
Undrafted out of Abilene Christian, Gabriel jumped on the scene as a rookie in Cleveland but took a step back his sophomore year. He was released by the Browns and claimed by the Falcons where he parlayed his productivity into a big contract with the Chicago Bears in 2018.
After a career year in his debut season with the Bears, two major concussions (the third and fourth of his career) cost him almost half the 2019 season. Couple that with a career-low in production when he was on the field and it’s not overly surprising the Bears felt he wasn’t living up to his sizable contract, eventually releasing him in a cost-cutting move.
As with many NFL players with starting experience who are still free agents at this time, the COVID pandemic, and team’s inability to give extensive medical checks, likely played a factor in why he remains unsigned. In total, over his six-year NFL career, he has missed 11 games as a result of concussions, which has likely raised red flags.
How would Gabriel fit on the Lions roster?
Gabriel is an explosive receiver capable of lining up in the slot as a gadget player as well as a deep threat who can take it to the house on any given play.
The Lions offense relies on a vertical threat to stretch the field and last season Marvin Hall filled that role to perfection, averaging an insane 37.3-yards per reception in 2019. He will be the front-runner for this role in 2020 and will likely be challenged by recently converted wide receiver/All-Pro return man Jamal Agnew.
While the Lions have two terrific speedsters in Hall and Agnew competing, both have concerns. Hall’s season was cut short in Week 12 after suffering a season-ending foot injury, while Agnew has only minimal (32 career snaps) experience on offense.
Photo credit to Kent Platte @Mathbomb on Twitter
If the Lions were to go after the 29-year-old Gabriel, he would likely be competing as a role-playing WR4 working against Hall and Agnew, but not slotted to be a heavy contributing role.
What’s the anticipated price tag?
Gabriel’s contract with the Bears averaged $6.5 million a season, almost double the total amount he made his first four years in the league. But at this point in the offseason, Gabriel’s price has likely come down significantly, how much though is not clear.
As far as the Lions are concerned, there is little chance they would be willing to pay anything close to the contract Gabriel got with the Bears, especially when they have two in-house options making significantly less: Hall’s cap hit in 2020 is $825,000 and Agnew’s is $889,594.
The real unknown here is, would Gabriel be willing to sign a vet minimum deal that would put him in the same price range as Hall and Agnew, or is he planning on holding out for a bigger payday?
Should the Lions pursue Gabriel?
Stylistically yes, as Gabriel would fit into the Lions scheme very well and could potentially fill an important role in 2020.
The two big factors that would keep the Lions from inking him to a deal would be concerns surrounding his concussion history and what type of payday he is asking for.
Erik’s Conclusion
The Lions currently have a dozen wide receivers on the roster and while starters Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and Danny Amendola, as well as rookie Quintez Cephus, seem like roster locks at this time, there is room for another impact skill player or two at the position.
If Gabriel can pass a medical exam and is willing to sign a deal close to the vet minimum, the Lions should absolutely bring him in as competition for Hall, Agnew, and others on offense.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson stated that current WR DK Metcalf is only scratching the surface of his potential.
Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson recently raved about current wideout DK Metcalf, who is coming off a strong rookie season and looks to be one of the NFL’s top wide receivers in 2020.
Burleson stated on the Talkin’ Seahawks podcast that teams who passed on Metcalf focused less on his physical traits and draft performances that emphasized his positive potential than they should have.
“You look at his frame, you look at his speed, you look at how strong he is and then you think about what he can do with great coaching,” Burleson said. “That’s where people didn’t really break him down.”
Burleson said the sky is the limit for Metcalf, who recorded 58 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019.
“He’s literally just scratching the surface, which is scary,” Burleson said. “He’s humble, he’s hungry and he’s just a cool cat. I would love to see him have a breakout year. He’s going to be one of the best receivers in the league someday soon.”
Burleson also stated that Metcalf can be particularly unstoppable if he learns to execute in several different spots around the field, including the slot, to take advantage of potential mismatches.
“If DK can do that, he’ll be unstoppable,” Burleson said. “If you put him in the slot and put him against a nickel corner or a linebacker or a safety, it’s curtains for the defender.”
Seahawks fans will heavily anticipate Metcalf’s sophomore season. Like Burleson said, he is only scratching the surface.
LSU Tigers receiver Justin Jefferon punched his ticket as a first-round talent at the Combine, and the New Orleans Saints should take notice
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The New Orleans Saints badly need to add talent at wide receiver, and LSU Tigers prospect Justin Jefferson might be the best possible fit for them in the 2020 NFL Draft class. Jefferson showed everything you’d hope to see in his final year with the Tigers, helping lead them to an undefeated record capped by a National Championship Game victory, but he sealed the deal with an impressive outing at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Jefferson nailed the 40-yard dash, finishing with a laser-timed official mark of 4.43 seconds (consistently running in the 4.4’s with hand-timed measurements). That proves that the breakaway speed Jefferson flashes in game tape isn’t a byproduct of scheme or system; he’s a naturally gifted athlete who the Saints badly need to help take some pressure off of Michael Thomas. Even if Thomas handled 185 targets with relative ease, the Saints offense has always been at its best with multiple viable threats through the air.
And Jefferson fits that description. He’s excelled in a similar offense conducted by former Saints assistant Joe Brady (now back in the NFL as Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator), playing with a style characterized by some observant Saints fans as “Willie Snead with more juice.” Jefferson specialized in winning on in-breaking routes out of the slot, attacking passes over the middle of the field and shedding wannabe tacklers for big gains throughout the year. That’s a skills set the Saints hoped to acquire in Cameron Meredith (who was cut down by a lingering knee injury) and haven’t really replicated since Snead left for the Baltimore Ravens a few years ago.
There’s no question whether Jefferson would be a great fit for the Saints. But after this combine performance, concerns have to surround whether he’ll even be available when the Saints go on the clock at No. 24.
Justin Jefferson had (2019): • A 92.3% contested catch rate • Forced 23 missed tackles • Most catches from the slot • Most yards from the slot (s/o @PFF)
NFL Network’s Peter Schrager is reporting that the Detroit Lions are re-signing slot receiver Danny Amendola to a 1-year contract.
NFL Network’s Peter Schrager is reporting that the Detroit Lions are re-signing slot receiver Danny Amendola to a 1-year contract.
Even with a new CBA deal in flux, general manager Bob Quinn mentioned in a recent interview that he was having conversations with potential Lions free agents, “hoping to have a few things done in the next week or so”, and this appears to be one of those moves.
Amendola, who turned 34 years old last November, is coming off the second-best statistical season of his career with 62 receptions for 678 yards (11 yards shy of his career-high), a touchdown reception, one passing attempt, one completion for 19-yards and a passing touchdown.
Amendola provides the Lions with a much-needed veteran presence, a returning starter in the slot, and softens the need for an immediate contributor at the wide receiver position.
Longterm, no Lions’ wide receiver is currently signed beyond the 2020 season, and therefore the need still persists. With a loaded draft class at the position, this shouldn’t eliminate the Lions from still attempting to acquire a top-end talent that will be a capable contributor beyond this season.
Re-signing Amendola is a big piece to the Lions offseason puzzle and fills arguably one of the top-5 needs on this roster for the upcoming season.
