Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
According to reports from The Athletic, John Beilein may not make it to the one-year mark of his five-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to reports from The Athletic, John Beilein may not make it to the one-year mark of his five-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
According to a report from The Athletic, the medical records for Brusdar Graterol – a pitcher with a history of injuries, including Tommy John – have the Red Sox projecting him as a reliever, not a starter, therefore changing his value in the blockbuster trade.
According to a report from The Athletic, the medical records for Brusdar Graterol – a pitcher with a history of injuries, including Tommy John – have the Red Sox projecting him as a reliever, not a starter, therefore changing his value in the blockbuster trade.
Buffalo Bills RB Devin Singletary predicted to win the 2020 rushing title by The Athletic.
We’re in full NFL offseason mode in February following the Super Bow. National analysts are turning their attentions toward the NFL Draft, with the free agency news sprinkled.
The Athletic got in on the way-too-early 2020 season predictions this week, and one involved the Bills and their running back Devin Singletary.
The prediction is that the second-year pro will win the rushing title next season:
Singletary was a lot of fun to watch in his rookie season, rushing 151 times for 775 yards, or 5.1 yards per carry. But he battled through some injuries, and it took a while before the Bills really started feeding him the ball. In the second half of the season, Singletary was tied for ninth with 131 rushing attempts and eighth with 603 rushing yards. With Frank Gore (likely) out of the picture, Singletary should be the unquestioned feature back for the Bills. He has great vision and consistently makes defenders miss. Draft him in fantasy and don’t be surprised if he leads the league in rushing yards in 2020.
Singletary’s name will certainly be a popular one come NFL fantasy football season time. But a rushing title seems a bit far fetched.
Down the stretch and once injuries got out of the way, Singletary was very impressive, but did Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott already shoot this down? At McDermott’s end of season press conference, he said he believes the NFL is a “two back league.” Gore is a pending free agent and the Bills have yet to re-sign him. There’s also the upcoming draft, as mentioned, where the Bills have nine total picks.
Based on McDermott’s thoughts and how the Bills still kept feeding the ball to Gore last season even when he struggled, Singletary might not get enough touches to earn the rushing title. But certainly if he does win it, we’ll gladly eat our words for the Bills.
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Buffalo Bills select LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson in The Athletic’s latest 2020 NFL Draft mock.
The Bills can’t settle on their current defense.
At the 2020 NFL Draft, if the Bills see a way to improve that side of the ball, they shouldn’t hesitate to do so. Buffalo reflects that thought in The Athletic‘s latest mock draft following Super Bowl LIV.
In it, The Athletic pegs defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson from LSU at the Bills’ selection. Here’ why:
22. Buffalo Bills – K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU
With Shaq Lawson a pending free agent and Jerry Hughes entering his age 32 season, the Bills are in position to address their pass rush with a premium draft pick. Chaisson bursts off the edge to win the corner or convert his speed to power, also showing the athleticism to drop and cover.
Adding to their pass rush is among the Bills’ top needs this offseason. However, additions on offense, specifically at wide receiver, has become a popular pick as well. But with that in mind, The Athletic’s mock draft falls in a way where pass rusher makes more sense.
While the first wide receiver doesn’t come off the board until pick No. 12 via Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, four in total do. Jerry Jeudy (13), Brandon Aiyuk (18) and Tee Higgins (19) are all gone before Buffalo’s pick at No. 22.
Those selections help push Chaisson to the Bills. He’s the third edge defender off the board behind top pick Chase Young (2) and AJ Epsensa (16).
In addition to potentially replacing Lawson, the Bills could also potentially cut Trent Murphy this offseason as well if they want a full overhaul of their defensive line to begin. Lawson led the Bills with 6.5 sacks from the defensive end position and the Bills ought to want much more production from that group in 2020.
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Buffalo Bills two-round mock draft via The Athletic.
Every NFL team could use more playmakers. Who wouldn’t want more?
Sometimes it’s hard to decide between adding a new one on offense or defense, though.
In The Athletic‘s recent two-round mock draft, the Bills decide to grab one on both sides of the ball, offense and defense, with their first two picks.
The Bills land Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins with the No. 22 overall pick in the first round then jump over to defense and select Damon Arnette, the Ohio State cornerback, with the No. 54 overall pick in the second round.
Here’s how Dane Brugler breaks down the Higgins pick:
22. Buffalo Bills — Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
While there is pass-catching talent on the Bills, their top three wide receivers in 2019 were all under 5-foot-10 (John Brown, Cole Beasley, Isaiah McKenzie). Giving quarterback Josh Allen a tall, rangy target with a tremendous catch radius like Higgins should only help his development as a passer.
Along with the Bills perhaps needing height, there’s two other, much more simple reasons, the Bills could use Higgins. From top-to-bottom, Buffalo lacks depth in their receiver room. Brown and Beasley had positive seasons, but even McKenzie didn’t have a super profitable season, although he is versatile.
Additionally, how about just some youth? Brown and Beasley are multi-season vets and Buffalo could stand to use a potential No. 1 receiver to groom while that top-duo still has plenty left in the tank.
In Arnette, the Bills, in this scenario, might just being going after the “best player” left on their board. That’s something Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane has consistently said he likes to put himself in a position to do at NFL drafts.
If Arnette is the pick, he’ll add a lengthy cornerback presence across from Tre’Davious White, standing at six-feet tall. Arnette is also a senior, something coveted by the Bills.
However, it must be mentioned that current No. 2 cornerback Levi Wallace is an exclusive-right free agent, meaning the Bills will bring him back at the league-minimum price tag. Wallace can decline that offer from the Bills, but he’ll have to sit out the entire 20202 season if he does.
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Buffalo Bills named The Athletic’s ‘Most Surprising Team’ for 2019.
During their end of season awards show (article), The Athletic gave the Buffalo Bills a big shoutout.
The Bills were tabbed the NFL’s most surprising team by the outlet. Their midseason pick for the award was the 49ers with the preseason pick the Panthers. Buffalo now claimed that title.
Here’s why the Bills were picked:
Considering the Bills entered the season with an over/under of 7.5 wins in Vegas, the fact that they finished with 10 wins for the first time since 1999 qualifies them as the league’s most surprising team. Brandon Beane injected the offense with talent mostly by way of free agency. A revamped offensive line and the additions of John Brown and Cole Beasley helped Josh Allen take a noticeable step forward in his second season. The progress on offense along with the continued elite play on defense elevated this team to the postseason. While the Jets generated all of the offseason hype, the Bills quietly built a winning roster.
Dating back to the preseason, most did not expect a second playoff berth in three seasons under Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott to occur. But the Bills took advantage of one of the NFL’s easiest schedules to do just that, and they were only overtime away from winning a playoff game against the Texans, too.
But like the Super Bowl winner, the “surprising teams” from year-to-year now have a target on their back. The Bills are now a known commodity and will be up against it next season with plenty to still prove. That and their schedule changes to one of the league’s hardest.
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With the NBA trade deadline looming, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the Warriors are “aiming” to trade veteran pieces, not D’Angelo Russell, who they brought to Golden State for a reason.
The minute D’Angelo Russell arrived in Golden State in the 2019 offseason, there’s been speculation if the Warriors would trade the 23-year-old All-Star, or build around him as a featured piece.
Nearly halfway into the 2019-20 season, the Russell question is still being asked. However, clarity is starting to build with how Golden State plans to navigate through the upcoming trade deadline.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Warriors are aiming to “make moves on the edges” that include veteran pieces like Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III.
The Warriors are aiming to make moves on the edges, and several veteran players, such as Glenn Robinson III and Alec Burks, have been discussed in deals, according to league sources.
With consistent playing time, both Burks and Robinson have been steady contributors for the Golden State Warriors in 2019. They could each fill roles on contending teams, whether as a scoring threat or a defensive piece.
Burks, in his eighth NBA season, is averaging 15.3 points per game in 29.2 minutes per contest. Burks has come off the bench and started for Steve Kerr’s offense this season. With injuries popping up and down the Golden State roster, Burks has been one of the team’s leading scorers throughout the season, registering nine games scoring 20 points or more.
Robinson III has been one of the Warriors’ most consistent figures throughout the season, starting in every single game except one. The former Michigan Wolverine has been solid defensively, but where he’s impressed is on the offensive end. Robinson’s shooting an efficient 46.2 percent from the field, adding 12.2 points per game, all above his career averages.
If the Warriors decide to trade Burks and Robinson III, the door will open for them to sign their pair of impressive two-way guards, Ky Bowman and Damion Lee, to full-time roster spots.
Charania reported the Warriors aren’t seeking out a deal that involves Russell, unless something “blows them away.”
Rival teams that have talked to the Warriors say that the franchise is not searching for a D’Angelo Russell deal, unless it is one that blows them away.
Charania mentioned that Golden State executives want to see how Russell fits next to a healthy core that features Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Russell is averaging 23.2 points and 6.0 assists per contest on 43.3 percent shooting from the field in his first year with the Warriors. However, Russell’s only had the opportunity to play alongside Curry four times this season due to injury.
As the days tick away till the 2020 NBA trade deadline on February 6, more of the Golden State Warriors’ future roster questions will be answered.
The Athletic says Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen’s accuracy could improve.
The Athletic got in the holiday spirit and decided to hand the Buffalo Bills and rest of the NFL a gift in light of the season.
For the Bills, some improved play for their already improved quarterback in Josh Allen was the present. The specifics said improvement from Allen’s accuracy.
Here’s how The Athletic breaks it down:
Josh Allen is dynamic and fun to watch, but the Bills need their quarterback to be more consistently accurate throwing the ball. There are times in the game when he fails to make an easy throw, like we saw on Saturday against the Patriots. Had he connected in the back of the end zone to tight end Dawson Knox, the Bills might have pulled off the upset. The Bills are back, and they’ll be a threat in the playoffs, but in order to go far in the postseason, they need Allen to become more accurate.
The easy place to start is the numbers. As a rookie, Allen sat at a completion percent of 52.8. That’s up to 58.8 percent. It’s an improvement, but a slightly better one would make all the difference.
Where Allen’s accuracy has lacked is down the field. Over the offseason, one can expect Allen to work on this area over and over. Those few more completions down the field a game would bring Allen’s completion percent up near 60 percent, as well as increase the Bills’ point totals over the course of a season.
But as far as a year goes, Allen’s undoubtedly improved in 2019. If there is one silver lining, Allen’s deep ball has look at least slightly better in the second half of the team’s season.
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Despite getting credited with only one start this season Hamilton finished the year with four interceptions while one was returned for a touchdown. He was responsible for six more pass breakups and 39 tackles on the year.
The awards piled up quickly this season for Kyle Hamilton. So many in fact that I think we can lose the idea of him being a “future star” because even in a very experienced and good defensive backfield, he’s more than just a freshman who got snaps. He was an extremely trust-worthy play-maker his freshman year who simply didn’t allow big plays when thrown at.
He is already a star.
As a result The Athletic named Hamilton to their Freshman All-American Team on Friday.
🇺🇸
With his first regular season in the books, @kham316 has been named to @TheAthleticCFB’s Freshman All-America Team.#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/k2zIAet4Lg
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) December 13, 2019
Despite getting credited with only one start this season Hamilton finished the year with four interceptions while one was returned for a touchdown. He was responsible for six more pass breakups and 39 tackles on the year.
As Brady Quinn said earlier this year, enjoy Kyle Hamilton while you can Irish fans because it appears he’ll be more than ready for the NFL two years from now.
Pro Football Focus also named Hamilton to their freshman All-American Team last week.
While GM Ryan Pace has come under scrutiny for some of his acquisitions, CB Buster Skrine is looking to be one of Pace’s better pickups.
One of the biggest questions for Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace entering the 2019 offseason was what he would do at the slot cornerback position. Would he elect to re-sign Bryce Callahan, a former undrafted free agent who rose through the ranks to become an unsung hero for the 2018 Bears defense? Or would he let him walk and find his replacement via free agency or the NFL draft?
Pace chose the latter, signing former New York Jets cornerback Buster Skrine to a 3-year, $16.6 million deal, allowing Callahan to follow former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to Denver, signing for three years and $21 million. A move that was initially questioned and panned by fans and experts alike may now be seen as one of Pace’s best pickups during his tenure with the Bears.
Skrine, a nine-year veteran, has been a dependable pickup for the 2019 Bears defense. He’s made an impact in the running game, wrapping up ball carriers with solid tackling and has been fairly effective as a blitzer when called upon. When it comes to his pass defense, however, he’s improved drastically from his last season with the Jets in nearly every statistical category, including penalties. In 2018, Skrine tied for the team-lead in penalties with seven. So far this season, he’s only been flagged once, an offsides call back in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos.
What’s more, Skrine is on pace to exceed Callahan’s production from last season in most statistical categories. Below is a comparison of Skrine’s 2019 season with Callahan’s 2018 campaign using data courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
| Player/Year | Buster Skrine/2019 | Bryce Callahan/2018 |
| Games played | 11 | 13 |
| Total Tackles | 33 | 45 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 6 |
| Sacks | 0 | 2 |
| Completion % | 57.1% | 71.7% |
| Yards per completion | 8.5 | 9.2 |
| QB Rating | 76.9 | 79.9 |
| Touchdowns | 1 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 2 |
| Forced Fumbles | 2 | 0 |
The comparison shows that while Skrine isn’t as great of a blitzing cornerback as Callahan was, his pass defense has exceeded what his predecessor accomplished in his best season as a pro thus far. Most notably, Skrine’s completion percentage is nearly 14 points lower than Callahan’s was in 2018. This all coming from a healthy player as well.
One of the main concerns when considering re-signing Callahan was his injury history. He missed the final four games of the season, including the team’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the wildcard round due to a broken foot. Now nearly one year later, he’s yet to play a down for the Broncos and will miss the season due to a setback to the injury suffered in training camp. Meanwhile, Skrine hasn’t missed a game yet and has been on the field 67% of the time, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain.
There are still two years left on both Skrine and Callahan’s contracts, respectively. The Bears nickel corner could crash down to earth next season and Callahan may pick up where left off in 2018 once he’s healthy. But through nearly three quarters of the 2019 season, Pace’s decision to sign Skrine is arguably his best move of the offseason and one of his better signings during his tenure.
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