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Mahomes may be the very best, but Allen serves as the position’s prototype. The Bills’ starter is 6’5″ and 237 pounds, with outstanding athleticism and considerable horsepower packed into his right arm. In the past, Buffalo has relied heavily on his natural gifts to elevate the entire franchise.
“It’s not like he’s playing in a system like in Buffalo, where the Bills are relying on Josh Allen to sit back and just throw the ball all over the field, where it’s like, ‘Good Lord, how do you make those throw?'” an anonymous coach told The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman when comparing Brock Purdy’s emergence to San Francisco 49ers to other quarterbacks around the league.
But Allen understands his game must change as he matures.
“I know this sounds crazy, but I’m getting older,” he told reporters. “It’s like, ‘I can’t keep doing this. I know that when I use my youth I feel that I can, but during my career I will have to learn to adapt and change.”
Mahomes’ career quietly reached a crossroads when the Chiefs opted to trade wide receiver Tyreek Hill Miami Dolphins. He needed to become a more consistent facilitator within Andy Reid’s system. He did so on his way to winning by a second Super Bowl and the MVP trophy last season. The creativity and natural ability are still there, but the best player in the league adapted to his circumstances and evolved.
NFL Candidates from Worst to First: Ranking All 8 Teams for the 2023 Season | USA today
The case against: Can Payton really get a 34-year-old quarterback heralded as a franchise savior to change his mindset? Wilson’s pursuit of big game is likely more feature than bug at this point in his career, and it’s unclear how he’ll process a new approach after Hackett molded the offense to his liking last offseason. Repairing this team also requires more than a schematic overhaul after last season’s dive gave way to a teammate yelling at Wilson and a sideline battle. Then there’s the vexing question of the Kansas City Chiefs, winners of the AFC West the past six years and owners of a 15-game winning streak over the Broncos.
A tight salary cap situation also cuts in Jones’ favor. The Chiefs are a little more than $1 million under the salary cap, according to NFLPA data. A Jones extension would be an optimal way to create more breathing room, as reigning NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ contract was already restructured for salary cap purposes in March.
Depending on how a new Jones deal is structured, more than $10 million in salary cap space could be created. For example, giving Jones a $30 million signing bonus on a four-year extension while lowering his 2023 base salary from $19.5 million to $1.5 million would take his cap number from 28,291,668 dollars to 16,291,668 dollars. The $30 million signing bonus would be prorated to $6 million annually on the salary cap from 2023 to 2027. Another $1.25 million in cap space would be gained by removing Jones’ likely earned incentive to reach 10 sacks this season.
NFL offseason 2023: A final roster move for all 32 teams | ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs
Extend defensive tackle Chris Jones
No surprise here, as the Chiefs have talked in the offseason about their openness to extending one of the NFL’s best defensive players. Jones is entering the final year of a four-year, $80 million deal and is due a raise — likely north of $22.5 million per year, which is where other elite defensive tackles have checked in this offseason. An extension for Jones would also create cap space for the Chiefs this year, which they need.
Kansas City Chiefs: TE Travis Kelce
It wouldn’t have been crazy to vote for Kelce as MVP over Patrick Mahomes in 2022. He’s as reliable as they come and always finds green grass over the middle. And with Mahomes’ WR space shuffling again, he’ll remain the de facto No. 1 pass target.
About the NFL
Lions unveil new alternate helmet for 2023 season | NFL.com
That Detroit Lions unveiled their new alternative helmet on Wednesday, a blue-shell piece of protective gear featuring the club’s classic logo used in the 1960s.
The helmet is the Lions’ first alternate shell painted in a color other than silver since they briefly wore a blue helmet in the 1950s (Detroit’s previous “alternate” helmet was simply a stripped shell, with graphics and stripes removed for use with returning uniforms, typically on Thanksgiving). The blue Honolulu helmet displays the team’s 1960s logo, a lion roaming across two vertical stripes (one blue, one silver), on the sides of the helmet, with a silver face mask attached to the shell. Detroit used this logo as its primary mark in the 1960s, but never wore the emblem on team helmets until now.
Former Steelers LB Clark Haggans dies at age 46 | ESPN
The Larimer County coroner’s office said in a release that it responded to a residence in Fort Collins, Colo., on Monday to investigate the death of a man identified as Haggans. An autopsy was completed Wednesday with the cause and manner of death pending further investigation, the medical examiner’s office said. There was no obvious foul play.
A fifth-round pick of the Steelers out of Colorado State in 2000 NFL draftHaggan spent eight seasons in Pittsburgh, starting with college teammate Joey Porter on the team that defeated Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XL in 2006. Haggans had five tackles and sacked quarterback Matt Hasselbeck at the start of the game, capping a season in which he recorded a career-best nine sacks and four forced fumbles.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
4 Chiefs defensive stats to remember from the 2022 season
The Chiefs’ defense allowed 4.9 yards per carry. carry on 1st and 10 runs
I don’t have league rankings on this stat, but I can tell you that giving up almost five yards per carry isn’t good. handoff on an obvious run down.
This was prevalent throughout the season. The lack of beef in the Chiefs’ interior defensive line caused a domino effect on interior passes. Defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi would lose ground, blocking the paths of linebackers Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr., allowing ball carriers to gather momentum and hit the second and third levels of a defense at full speed.
To help improve that number, the Chiefs drafted Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn in the sixth round. It was their only attempt to improve the nose tackle instead. He, Nnadi and veteran defensive tackle Danny Shelton are the three primary hopes for stronger run defense.
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