NFL minicamps never have any shortages of storylines, yet somehow the 2023 mandatory minicamps turned out to have a plethora of headlines. From holdouts to quarterback competitions, NFL training camps will be interesting come August.
Which of these minicamp storylines warranted overreactions? Should these teams be concerned heading into the summer? Which of these storylines from the week are overreactions and which ones are reality?
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Perhaps Sean McDermott spoke out of turn when he commented on Stefon Diggs’ absence on the first day of mandatory minicamp. One day later, Diggs was seen at Bills practice — even if the whole saga is bizarre.
What’s the deal with Diggs and Buffalo? Diggs just signed a massive contract extension last year and has a contract that would be hard to trade, even if the Bills have no cap charge since it’s after June 1. For next season? Buffalo would have to take on $31 million in cap charges if the Bills were to move on from Diggs.
The Bills still have a few weeks to have this play out — and Diggs will have his opportunity to sort this out himself. This isn’t something to be “very concerned” about now, yet it’s something to monitor for Buffalo.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
New England just doesn’t have enough at wide receiver to compete in the loaded AFC East. The Patriots have an injured JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne as their top three wideouts — with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki as their tight ends.
DeAndre Hopkins is scheduled to visit with New England after minicamp. The Patriots have $14,135,585 in available salary cap space, so there’s room to bring in Hopkins — who would be the No. 1 wide receiver in New England and the player that can significantly help Mac Jones.
If the Patriots want to win in the post-Tom Brady era, Hopkins would be a welcome addition. With the Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs lurking, New England has an opportunity to make sure Hopkins never gets to Buffalo or Kansas City.
Thanks to the Smith-Schuster injury (which will be discussed later), Hopkins needs to be in New England.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Washington has spoken very highly of Sam Howell throughout the offseason, not seeking a significant upgrade at quarterback because of how Howell progressed in his rookie season (even if he only made one start). Howell is battling Jacoby Brissett for the starting job in Washington, but the Commanders appear to have every intent of giving him the job.
Howell already has good chemistry with the tight ends and wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who said he should be the quarterback. That’s a ringing endorsement already.
Ron Rivera said there is a quarterback competition between Howell and Brissett, but don’t be fooled. The Commanders want Howell to take command of that offense in Week 1.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Giants were wise to franchise tag Saquon Barkley, but didn’t plan on the Pro Bowl running back holding out in search of a long-term deal. Barkley had his best rushing season with the Giants in 2022, and was the reason New York even made the postseason to begin with.
New York was 8-2 when Barkley rushed for 70-plus yards last season and 7-2 when he had 100-plus scrimmage yards. The Giants were 0-3 when Barkley rushed for less than 50 yards last season, proving the offense went through him.
There are more playmakers in New York, but the offense still goes through Barkley. He has the leverage in this situation.
Odell Beckham is to the Ravens what T.O. was to 2004 Eagles
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Just because John Harbaugh compared Odell Beckham’s arrival to Terrell Owens with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, doesn’t mean Beckham will have an Owens-type season. Beckham is on track to be the No. 1 wide receiver in Baltimore and practiced for the first time in 16 months after recovering from a torn ACL.
When Owens arrived in Philadelphia, he was already one of the top wideouts in the game (arguably compared with Randy Moss for the best wide receiver in the NFL). Beckham hasn’t had a 1,000-yard season since 2019 and hasn’t made a Pro Bowl since 2016. Owens was coming off four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons when he arrived in Philadelphia.
If Beckham gets a 1,000-yard season in 2023, that $15 million contract will be more than justified. He doesn’t need to be Owens.
JuJu Smith-Schuster’s contract is already a bad one
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Patriots essentially replaced Jakobi Meyers with JuJu Smith-Schuster, signing him to a three-year, $33 million contract to be the No. 1 wide receiver (for now). Not only has Smith-Schuster yet to take the field this offseason, he’s still dealing with physical ailments from last season that limited his effectiveness with the Kansas City Chiefs.
New England already has a complex offense with not a lot of playmakers, which is why Smith-Schuster was signed in the first place. Smith-Schuster is already behind in learning the offense and can’t get on the field.
The Patriots need to get Smith-Schuster healthy — or think of a contingency plan. There’s still plenty of time until Week 1, but they have to get Smith-Schuster up and running by the time training camp starts.
Chiefs have to pay Chris Jones this offseason
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Jones decided to hold out from mandatory minicamp in hopes of seeking a new contract. Jones is entering the final season of a four-year contract and wants to be in Kansas City. A leader on the Chiefs’ defense, Jones has a base salary of $19.5 million and a cap hit of $28,291,668.
Why should the Chiefs sign Jones to an extension, which is on general manager Brett Veach’s shopping list? An extension frees up $16.068 million in salary cap space — money that can be used to add a top talent like DeAndre Hopkins.
The deal will also make Jones happy and pay him as one of the top defensive tackles in the league. Jones has the most sacks for a defensive tackle in the last five seasons (56.5), along with the most quarterback hits (113).
Signing Jones now makes more sense for the Chiefs, especially with Hopkins still available to sign.
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are competing for the starting quarterback job in Tampa Bay. While Brian Flores won’t name his starting quarterback, all signs appear to be pointing toward Mayfield for the job.
Mayfield said he feels comfortable in processing the offense, even if both quarterbacks admitted to having turnover issues on offense (remember it’s June). He also admitted he has to make sure everyone else on the offense is comfortable.
Of course, Mayfield is only getting $2 million guaranteed from Tampa Bay. His deal is incentive-laden, going up to $8 million. With the NFC South being wide open and Tampa Bay still having talent on the roster, Mayfield seems to be the best choice to lead the Buccaneers come Week 1.
There’s a competition, but Mayfield is the favorite.
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Head coach DeMeco Ryans wouldn’t name a starting quarterback in June (no surprise there), meaning the battle between C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills will commence at training camp in July. Can Mills actually beat out Stroud?
Both quarterbacks are working with the first team in minicamp, rotating reps throughout the different practices. Ryans said the battle in camp will be determined by who “separates themselves.”
Stroud has more talent than Mills, so he should have the edge here. If Stroud loses the quarterback competition, it’s from turning the football over and poor decision-making.
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Author: Jeff Kerr
June 15, 2023 | 9:09 am
