Tag: wide receivers

Bucs 2023 draft targets: Wide receivers

Spending an early pick on a wideout would be a poor decision, but here are some late-round WR prospects the Bucs could look at:

If there is any position the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are largely set, it’s at wide receiver. Nevertheless, the draft is all about adding the best possible talent, even if that means making a strong receiver group even better.

Between Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage, it will be tough for any other Bucs wide receiver to see many snaps in 2023. Last year, no other receiver outside these top three played more than 30% of Tampa’s offensive snaps.

The only problem is that the next three wide receivers with the most 2022 snaps are no longer on the roster. Julio Jones and Breshad Perriman are still unsigned, and Scotty Miller is an Atlanta Falcon.

Tampa’s wide receiver room is currently very top heavy, both itself and in relation to the rest of the roster. The receivers will count $38.5 million against the 2023 cap according to Spotrac, second-most among the Bucs positional groups and most per player.

The Bucs simply have too much invested in the wide receiver room already to spend a premium draft pick on another, especially not in one of the weaker wide receiver draft classes in recent memory.

With five draft picks between rounds five and six, the Bucs could certainly take a flyer on a developmental receiver like they did with Scotty Miller in the 2018 draft. The Bucs don’t need a starter or even an immediate contributor—just an insurance policy.

Here are the wide receiver prospects the Bucs could target in the 2023 draft:

Updated Saints WR room after Bryan Edwards signing

Bryan Edwards brings a nice boost to the New Orleans Saints depth chart at wide receiver. Updating the receiving corps, via @DillySanders:

The New Orleans Saints have been in search of some weaponry for their new quarterback Derek Carr, now adding his former Las Vegas Raider teammate Bryan Edwards to the wide receiver room.

While they have enough bodies to go into next season with, they may not been done adding options. A lot of the receivers have similar builds and play styles. They could look to the draft to add different kinds of receivers.

For now, here is how the room is coming along after a couple of weeks of free agency:

Report: Saints won’t tender restricted free agent WR Marquez Callaway

ESPN reports the Saints are not expected to tender restricted free agent wide receiver Marquez Callaway, who led the team in receiving in 2021. He’ll test the market:

This isn’t totally unexpected, but it’s still worth noting: the New Orleans Saints are not expected to issue a restricted free agent tender to wide receiver Marquez Callaway prior to the start of the new league year on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Callaway led the Saints with 698 receiving yards and 6 touchdown catches in 2021 (with his 46 receptions ranking second-most behind Alvin Kamara’s 47) but saw a reduced role in 2022 following the additions of Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and injury-shortened appearances by both Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry.

It’s disappointing to see the team not make a stronger effort to retain someone who has played well in the past, but that might not make sense with the cost involved. The lowest RFA tender costs a fully-guaranteed $2,627,000 against the salary cap in 2023, and it only gives the Saints the right to match any contract offers Callaway gets from other teams — something they may be able to do anyway if they’re on good terms with his agent.

Still, this suggests he isn’t a big part of their plans moving forward. The receivers under contract with the Saints in 2023 include Olave, Shaheed, Tre’Quan Smith, Kirk Merritt, Kawaan Baker, and Kieth Kirkwood. New Orleans has had productive talks with Thomas on a contract extension but Landry is expected to hit free agency (as is Deonte Harty). If Callaway leaves for a new team, the Saints will not receive a compensatory draft pick for him because of his restricted status.

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VIDEO: Best wide receiver workouts at 2023 NFL scouting combine

A video compilation of some of the best wide receiver workouts during the 2023 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

Below is a video compilation of some of the best wide receiver workouts during the 2023 NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.

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How to watch the NFL Combine, live stream, TV channel, Quarterbacks, Receivers, Tight Ends

The NFL Scouting Combine will continue on Saturday with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends as NFL teams get their first look.

The NFL Scouting Combine will continue on Saturday with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends as NFL teams get a chance to evaluate some of the best college football players in the country.

The quarterback position is always one of the most closely watched at the combine, and this year is no exception. Some of the top quarterbacks in the draft, including Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson, will be in attendance. Young, who is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the draft, will not throw at the combine but will instead do so at Alabama’s pro day on March 23.

This is a great way to gear up before the NFL Draft next month, here is everything you need to know to watch and stream the action.

Quarterbacks/Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

  • When: Saturday, March 4
  • Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: NFL Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

NFL Combine Events

  • 40-yard dash
  • Bench press
  • Vertical jump
  • Broad jump
  • Three-cone drill
  • 20-yard shuttle
  • 60-yard shuttle

How to watch the NFL in 2023

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Gators losing third coaching assistant to NFL

A third Florida assistant coach is leaving the team for an NFL job just a few weeks before spring practices begin.

After losing defensive coordinator/safeties coach Patrick Toney and tight ends coach William Peagler to the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday, Florida is losing wide receivers coach [autotag]Keary Colbert[/autotag] on Tuesday, according to a report from Matt Zenitz of On3.

Colbert will join the Denver Broncos staff as a wide receivers coach, the same position he held with Florida and USC since 2018. Colbert was one of the top position recruiters for the Gators in the 2023 cycle, bringing in a trio of four-star freshmen that are viewed as the future receiving core of the program. Florida will have to find a replacement for him both on the field and off it.

Colbert had been considered for a few NFL jobs over the past few weeks, but it was Denver who wanted him most. The Broncos are getting a coach that’s developed several NFL players at the college level. Atlanta‘s Drake London, Indianapolis‘ Michael Pittman Jr. and Detroit‘s Amon-Ra St. Brown all played under him.

This will be a return of sorts for Colbert to Denver, although he only played two games for the Broncos in 2008 before being traded to Seattle. It will be his first time coaching at the professional level.

For Florida, Billy Napier has under two weeks to find a replacement and get them on campus if he wants to have a full staff for the start of spring camp. Things were far from perfect in Year 1 of Napier’s time at Florida, and he has an opportunity to correct some of the issues on the coaching staff with three departures. Unfortunately, Colbert’s shoes will be tough to fill for whoever steps into the role next.

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Jets hire Zach Azzanni as wide receivers coach

Jets fill their wide receivers coaching position

The Jets have hired former Broncos wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni as their new wide receivers coach, per Mike Klis of 9NEWS in Denver.

Azzanni spent five years coaching wide receivers in Denver, including last season under former Broncos head coach and new Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. He also coached wide receivers in Chicago in 2017.

Azzanni has helped in the development of receivers such as Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Tim Patrick.

Azzanni fills the void left behind after the Jets moved on from wide receivers coach Miles Austin, who was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on gambling for coaches.

Broncos Wire editor Jon Heath had this to say about Azzanni: “I think he must have been doing something right because he lasted through three different coaching staffs (Vance Joseph 2018), Vic Fangio (2019-2021) and Nathaniel Hackett (2022). I think the Broncos would have liked to keep him under Sean Payton, too, he’s just getting a fresh start elsewhere and reuniting with Nathaniel Hackett now.

He helped Tim Patrick develop into a key player on offense, but Courtland Sutton has been a little underwhelming, and Jerry Jeudy was very underwhelming until this year. Much of the blame for that likely falls on poor QB play, though.”

4 veteran WRs who could become cap casualties that may interest the Bears

With news that Keenan Allen could become a cap casualty, here are 4 other receivers in a similar boat who might interest the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are flush with cash as the 2023 offseason gets underway and they will be on the lookout to improve many of their positions after finishing last season with the worst record in the league. One position group of note is wide receiver, where questions still remain even after the Bears acquired Chase Claypool in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers last November.

Claypool and Darnell Mooney as of now are the top two weapons, with role players such as Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr. under contract. They could be in the market for another veteran receiver and that player may not be on the free agent radar yet.

Speculation about one of those players was in full force recently when it was reported that Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen could be moved due to his contract. Another veteran such as DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals has also been mentioned earlier this year as a potential trade or cut candidate for similar reasons.

But there are other veteran players who are candidates to be released due to cap concerns that could be appealing to the Bears that aren’t yet being talked about. Here are four other receivers who could become cap casualties that might interest the Bears.

Saints fielded one of the slower WR groups in the NFL this season

Despite boasting speedsters Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the New Orleans Saints fielded one of the slower WR groups in the NFL this season:

Not going to lie, this is a bit of a shock. Despite boasting young speedsters  like Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, the New Orleans Saints fielded one of the slower wide receiver corps in the NFL in 2022. While Olave and Shaheed have comfortably timed in the 4.3-to-4.4-second range in the 40-yard dash, as a group New Orleans was weighted down by players like Jarvis Landry (4.77), Marquez Callaway (4.55), Tre’Quan Smith (4.49), Michael Thomas (4.57), and Keith Kirkwood (4.50), with dynamic athletes like Kevin White, Deonte Harty, and Kirk Merritt only running a handful of routes over the course of the season.

So it’s clear the Saints need to get faster. Per research from Arjun Menon of Pro Football Focus, New Orleans ranked right around the middle of the pack with the 14th-slowest wide receiver room, based on average 40-yard dash time weighted by routes run. Teams’ leaders in routes run factored heavier than backups and reserves, and the Saints’ top route-runners included Olave (431 routes), Landry (207), Callaway and Shaheed (188 each), and Smith (178).

No receiving corps was slower than the New York Giants, who averaged nearly 4.6 seconds as a group. And the Seattle Seahawks set the pace with a blazing average of roughly 4.37 seconds. For comparison, the Saints scored an average of about 4.47 seconds:

Olave and Shaheed are a fine pair to build around, but the Saints should be looking to get younger at receiver in 2023 — or at least more explosive and athletic. Trotting out players who lack the speed to separate with consistency like Landry and Callaway is asking for trouble. It limits what can be done offensively and narrows the margin for error in demanding a quarterback and receiver be perfectly in sync from the snap to the whistle. There are plenty of slower receiving rooms around the NFL, but the New Orleans offense was so stagnant last season that you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

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Tigers hire former Auburn player as wide receivers coach

Davis was a part of Auburn’s 2013 squad that made the national championship game.

A former Auburn wide receiver is coming back to The Plains to coach his position.

The Tigers announced on Thursday the hire of [autotag]Marcus Davis[/autotag], a former Auburn wideout who played for the team from 2013-16. Davis previously held assistant roles at Hawaii and Georgia Southern.

Davis was recruited as a cornerback by Auburn, but switched positions before joining the team in 2013. He didn’t get too much playing time, catching 83 passes for 650 yards and three touchdowns across his career at Auburn. Nevertheless, he helped the Tigers get to the national championship in 2013 and played with the team for four years.

The hiring makes Davis the third letterman on Auburn’s staff, and he’ll have the opportunity to work alongside former Auburn running back Cadillac Williams under new head coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]. Davis was the last assistant coach to be hired to Freeze’s on-field staff, so the team’s focus can entirely shift to the upcoming season.

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