Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Entering Monday night, Panthers CB CJ Henderson earned PFF’s highest grade for any player at his position in Week 8.
There were a lot of crazy moments and a lot of crazy numbers in the Carolina Panthers’ Week 8 defeat to the Atlanta Falcons. And now, with the help of Pro Football Focus, we’ll give you some more.
Here are the best and worst grades for the team from Sunday.
The Browns might be in a position to acquire some young talent in need of a change of scenery. Here are five candidates who fit the bill.
The Cleveland Browns are more than likely going to be sellers as this year’s trade deadline approaches. However, they will never bat an eye at an opportunity to acquire young talent in need of a change of scenery either.
While it was draft day, general manager Andrew Berry made a move to go up and get Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. This Spring he sent shockwaves through the league, acquiring wide receiver Amari Cooper for just a fifth round pick. This also does not include the massive trade he made this past Spring to upgrade at quarterback as well.
Berry has also been known to make low-risk trades as well. Swapping linebacker Mack Wilson for pass rusher Chase Winovich was a non-consequential move made, as was acquiring linebacker Deion Jones for a pick swap.
As the deadline approaches, the Browns will have the opportunity to both make non-consequential trades and acquire young talent. Here are five realistic trades the Browns could make to add talent to their roster.
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In an otherwise gloomy offensive outing for the Panthers, rookie LT Ikem Ekwonu had his best game yet.
Pro Football Focus has a few surprises in store for the Carolina Panthers’ performance from Week 4. So, let’s check these grades out.
Highlighting one fantasy football sleeper from each NFL team.
The NFL fantasy football is upon us, which means it’s time to start assembling your roster in hopes of winning your league.
There’s a lot that goes into winning a fantasy football championship, including team managers finding some hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft. There are some players who are being slept on that have the potential to develop into weekly starters on your fantasy team, which could mean the difference between going far in the playoffs and a quick exit.
We’ve rounded up our NFL Wires editors to find one sleeper from each NFL team that could help you win your league at a bargain price.
Lots of former Irish talent in the NFL
Part of being an alumnus of a supremely successful collegiate football is seeing them getting an opportunity at the next level. For Notre Dame, the list of former players getting their shot in the NFL is large, very large. Find out below every former Irish star (in alphabetical order) and which NFL team they are with in training camp.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Mike on Twitter: @MikeFChen
Panthers TEs have combined for just 656 yards and three TDs over the past two seasons. But we could see a breakout at the position in 2022, you hopeful fantasy owners.
Ever since the end of Greg Olsen’s heyday, the Carolina Panthers have received some alarmingly low production out of the tight end position. Like, low low.
Over the past three seasons, every Panthers tight end has combined for 1,400 yards and six touchdowns. For comparison’s sake, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce went for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020 alone.
These weak results may be yielded, at least in part, due to the lack of volume this particular spot has seen. After all, Carolina’s tight ends accounted for the second-fewest targets during both the 2020 and 2021 slates.
But, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic, there may be a reason to increase the offense’s looks to that department. He believes last year’s third-round selection in Tommy Tremble could be set for a breakout fantasy campaign in 2022.
“The second-year tight end looked to be just scratching the surface of his potential as a rookie, when he became the youngest tight end in NFL history to score a rushing touchdown,” Person writes. “Tremble also had one more receiving touchdown among his 20 catches (for 180 yards).
“The Panthers re-signed fifth-year tight end Ian Thomas mostly for his blocking ability. It’s the athletic Tremble, a third-round pick from Notre Dame, who stands to benefit most from the arrival of Ben McAdoo, whose New York offenses heavily featured the tight end.”
Those offenses helped Larry Donnell rack up 623 yards and six scores in 2014, Will Tye hit 464 yards and three scores in 2015 and Evan Engram stand out for 722 yards and six scores in 2017.
So, no, we probably won’t see McAdoo suddenly turn Tremble into a Kelce-like monster. But if he touches any of those numbers above, then this season should be considered a successful one for the 22-year-old, his team and his fantasy owners alike.
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Which burning questions should the Panthers offense have figured out by the end of training camp?
Training camp is upon us, Carolina Panthers fans. So it’s time for that action!
But this time, as it does every summer, also brings a wide range of questions about the roster. And luckily, we’re here to break it down to the meat and potatoes.
Here, as we set up shop in Spartanburg, is one burning question for each position group on the Carolina offense.
Is there anything of note to be found for fantasy purposes?
If you’re looking for a situation that’s rife with uncertainty and has no shortage of variables, then you have arrived at your destination because seemingly everything with the Carolina Panthers is in a state of flux. That starts at the top where head coach Matt Rhule could be entering a make-or-break campaign just three seasons into a seven-year, $62 million deal that convinced Rhule to leave Baylor.
He’ll turn to Ben McAdoo as his new offensive coordinator, a curious move given McAdoo hasn’t filled a high-profile role since being fired as the New York Giants head coach following the 2017 season. In fairness, he has proven to be a competent play-caller.
Things remain murky at quarterback as well with incumbent Sam Darnold now joined by former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, who was acquired from the Cleveland Browns, marking the second straight offseason the Panthers have traded for a quarterback from the class of 2018. Beyond an encouraging start, Darnold was mostly unimpressive last year and would seem to be on the outside looking in as we head into training camp despite the expected “open competition” talk.
Mayfield suffered through a difficult 2021 that saw the Browns lose confidence in his ability to lead them where they wanted to go and ultimately prompted a trade for Deshaun Watson. Once that move was made, Mayfield’s fate in Cleveland was sealed. While Mayfield is far from a sure thing, don’t read too much into his struggles last year as he played through a difficult shoulder injury that required offseason surgery to correct. Prior to that, the former Oklahoma Sooner averaged 3,705 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions per season; the turnovers are an issue to be sure, but he’s been more successful than Darnold.
During his time in Cleveland, Mayfield worked with some talented tight ends, most notably David Njoku and Austin Hooper (now with the Tennessee Titans). A year ago, that tandem combined for 74 catches, 820 yards, and seven TDs. Those aren’t huge numbers, but if limiting Mayfield’s interceptions is a focus it could lead to shorter throws to tight ends as well as talented but oft injured running back Christian McCaffrey. With that in mind, let’s look at the top two tight ends in Carolina.
Among the many players attending this year’s Tight End University is Panthers’ 2021 third-round pick Tommy Tremble.
Carolina Panthers great Greg Olsen is a busy bee these days, even in retirement. Heck, he’s even created a hive for his fellow tight ends.
From June 22 to June 24—Olsen, Travis Kelce and George Kittle will run their second annual go of Tight End University in Nashville, Tenn. The summit hosts many of the league’s top and upcoming tight ends, for a time of learning and refining.
Here, with another name that should be familiar to Panthers fans, are the players who’ll be attending this week:
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Under 90 to go!
Congratulations as you’ve made it to under 13 weeks until Notre Dame kicks off their 2022 college football season with a humdinger of a contest at Ohio State.
That means we’re closer to the start of the actual season than we are the actual length of the regular season once the games actually start.
Well, sort of, as Notre Dame will wrap up the regular season at USC 12 weeks after starting it at Ohio State, but you get the point. Conference championship games will be going on in that extra week so technically I’m sort of right.
Anyway, in honor of it being 89 days until the start of the season let’s take a look back at a recent number 89 in Notre Dame history, tight end [autotag]Brock Wright[/autotag].
In four years at Notre Dame, Wright was used primarily as a blocker in a loaded tight end group that included NFL draft picks [autotag]Cole Kmet[/autotag] and [autotag]Tommy Tremble[/autotag]. In blue and gold he secured just seven receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown.
Wright went undrafted in the 2021 NFL draft but was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Lions. Was Notre Dame’s talent at tight end during Wright’s career better than what the Lions had in 2021?
When you take into account that Wright pulled down 12 receptions for 117 yards and a pair of scores in 10 games for the Lions last season, it’s a conversation worth at least having.
Take a look back at Wright’s time at Notre Dame as well as his first year with the Lions below:
