Hello and happy Wednesday, everyone. John Breech has been working so hard keeping up with the NFL’s daily headlines that we insisted he take a day to enjoy himself and rewatch Joe Burrow highlights. So you’ve got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver all the latest from around the NFL on this fine midweek day.
This is the Pick Six newsletter. Now let’s get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don’t want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)
We’ve got Dalvin Cook news, a Commanders report, backup QB rankings and much more:
- Today’s show: Inside the Commanders, projecting 2023 win total
NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay joined Katie Mox and Will Brinson on the latest “Pick Six NFL Podcast” to dive inside the Commanders, previewing their upcoming season. Some highlights:
- Finlay is certain the team’s quarterback job is Sam Howell’s to lose, suggesting there’s an “80-85% chance” he’s the Week 1 starter over veteran Jacoby Brissett. “And (he’ll) get a long leash” after that, as Washington seeks a longer-term signal-caller.
- While Ron Rivera generally gets credit for guiding stingy defenses, Finlay isn’t sold on that side of the ball, pointing to a tougher slate of opposing QBs on the Commanders’ 2023 schedule: “This year, instead of the AFC South, they get the AFC East.”
- Asked about Washington’s projected win total (6.5 on Caesars), Finlay isn’t hyping the team’s chances: “Locally, people are all over the Over, but it makes me nervous.” He added that his “heart is an Over all day, but my head is a little wary” for multiple reasons: the Commanders have a tough schedule, a young QB, and four new offensive line starters.
Catch the full episode (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.
2. Dolphins among multiple teams with offers to Dalvin Cook
The former Vikings running back may not be in a rush to secure his next team, mostly because he’s reportedly aiming to cash in on a deal worth close to $10 million per year. But Cook already has several offers on the table from around the league, according to NFL Media, including from his hometown Dolphins. Miami has long been linked to the Pro Bowler, even amid plenty of other RB shuffling this offseason, while another AFC East contender in the Jets has also been teased as a potential destination.
3. Backup QB rankings: 49ers have two capable No. 2s
An elite starting quarterback can be the difference between contending for the playoffs and contending for a title. But backup QBs are sometimes just as important, as evidenced by San Francisco requiring multiple signal-callers just to finish the 2022 regular season. So which teams are best suited at the backup spot? We ranked all 32 second-string QBs going into 2023, and funny enough, the 49ers topped the list thanks to their unique situation under center:
1. Trey Lance / Sam Darnold (49ers)
Both these vets are technically in the mix for the Day 1 starting job alongside Brock Purdy, 2022’s star rookie. Purdy is the perceived front-runner if/when he’s recovered from elbow surgery, however, leaving either Lance or Darnold to man the backup gig. The former is more of an unknown, making just four starts in two years due to injury, but his floor is relatively high considering his natural athleticism and rushing ability. Darnold, meanwhile, has been spotty in 55 career starts, albeit for rebuilding organizations, and figures to showcase his own arm in a more QB-friendly system. There probably isn’t a QB room with more simultaneous question marks and collective upside than this one, and yet we trust whomever mans the No. 2 job to make noise in some way.
4. Cowboys aren’t considering Ezekiel Elliott reunion
Dalvin Cook isn’t the only big-name RB awaiting his next opportunity. Elliott is also without a team after a seven-year run in Dallas, and his market has been so quiet that many have speculated he could eventually return to the Cowboys. But the team isn’t considering that internally, per NFL Media, and in fact might only entertain a potential reunion in the event of an injury to another back. Tony Pollard is Dallas’ projected starter under the franchise tag, which he’s yet to sign, and the Cowboys also added veteran Ronald Jones and rookie Deuce Vaughn this offseason. The club saved almost $11 million by cutting Elliott in March.
5. Top 5 rookie RBs for 2023: Bijan headlines list
Resident draft expert Chris Trapasso has kept his eye on the top incoming prospects, and now he’s forecasting which of this year’s rookies are poised for the biggest NFL debuts. Running back, in particular, figures to be a busy position, with both Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs set to command notable roles as first-round picks. Trapasso gives the edge to Robinson going into 2023:
Robinson steps into one of the game’s most effective run games — Atlanta was one of four clubs to manage a positive Expected Points Added total on the ground last season. … While not as fast, there’s plenty of Saquon Barkley to Robinson’s size and play style. He stops on a dime and has the thickness to brush off weak tackle attempts as he bursts through the second level. His head coach, Arthur Smith, adores running — the Falcons led the NFL with 559 attempts in 2022 — and even with productive teammates Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson still in the mix, I fully expect Robinson to shoulder the heaviest workload in Year 1. He’s a forced missed-tackle machine and flashed awesome ball-tracking skill on vertical routes for the Longhorns.
6. Extra points: Kelce ‘underpaid,’ top 10 edge rushers, and more
Want a little more summer reading? Here you go:
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Author: Cody Benjamin
June 28, 2023 | 1:13 pm
