6.23.22: Bucs, Browns, JuJu, Trevor, Jeudy, Titans
Brian McFadden
Team Leader/Director of Growth, KW Newport Estates & KW Irvine | Co-Founder, Legit Football | Certified Professional Life Coach
Bucs
Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz mentioned as a possible replacement for Rob Gronkowski
Details:?Bucs’ reporter Greg Auman (The Athletic) writes that a?trade?for Schultz is the “swing-for-the-fences answer to losing Gronkowski.”
Frustrated:?Schultz, who was franchise tagged by the Cowboys in March, is frustrated with the state of contract negotiations and skipped the final week of OTAs.
Availability??It’s unclear if the Cowboys would be willing to trade Schultz, though Todd Archer (ESPN) does?not?expect the team to offer him a long-term extension before the July 15 deadline.
Profile:?Schultz, 25, caught 78 passes for 808 yards and 8 touchdowns last season. He was PFF’s sixth-ranked tight end.
Cost:?Auman thinks it would “likely take a mid-round pick to pry Schultz away from Dallas.”
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Image: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire
Browns
Browns could trade away RB D’Ernest Johnson, trade for a veteran QB
Johnson:?Jake Trotter (ESPN)?calls?Johnson, who is entering the final year of his contract, a “prime training camp trade candidate.”
Johnson Profile:?Johnson, who is buried behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt on the depth chart, totaled 671 scrimmage yards (534 rushing, 137 receiving) last season — despite only starting two games.
RB Needy:?Johnson will appeal to teams that need additional depth at running back — like the Falcons, Giants, Bears, and Eagles (among others).
QB Trade:?If/when Deshaun Watson is hit with a significant suspension, Trotter thinks the Browns could explore trading for Jimmy Garoppolo.
Image: Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire
JuJu
JuJu Smith-Schuster is “most likely” to emerge as the Chiefs’ No. 1 receiver
Details:?The statement comes from ESPN fantasy expert Mike Clay, who?thinks?JuJu has a “solid floor and elite ceiling” in the Chiefs’ high-octane offense.
QB Upgrade:?Clay expects Patrick Mahomes to bring out the best in JuJu, who struggled to connect with Ben Roethlisberger (and his deteriorating arm) over the past few seasons.
Return to Form??If JuJu does emerge as Mahomes’ favored receiver, it’s possible he’ll match or exceed the All-Pro production he put together in 2018 — 111 catches for 1,426 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Fantasy:?Clay thinks JuJu represents a good value in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.
Image: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire
Trevor
Trevor Lawrence flashed “top tier quarterback” ability as a rookie
Top Tier:?While Lawrence failed to light up the stat sheet as a rookie, film guru Nate Tice (The Athletic)?noticed?that he displayed the “ability to do the difficult things expected of top tier quarterbacks” — such as driving throws over the middle of the field, handling protections, and extending plays.
Breakout:?Tice is optimistic that the Jaguars' hiring of Doug Pederson and offseason of offensive upgrades will result in a breakout season for Lawrence.
Pederson:?Tice thinks Pederson will have a stabilizing effect on the second-year quarterback, who was adversely impacted by the tumultuous Urban Meyer tenure.
Upgrades:?The Jaguars added at least four projected offensive starters this offseason — receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, tight end Evan Engram, and right guard Brandon Scherff — all of them represent upgrades on last season’s roster.
Image: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire
Jeudy
Jerry Jeudy leads PFF’s list of breakout candidates from the 2020 draft class
Details:?PFF’s Michael Renner notes that his list avoids players from the draft class who have already broken out. His?top three?consists of Jeudy, Texans EDGE Jonathan Greenard, and Patriots S Kyle Dugger.
#1 Jeudy:?Renner mentions that Jeudy averaged 1.85 yards per route last season, which was a better average than five different 1,000-yard receivers. He thinks Jeudy will see substantial time in the slot and compares him to former Russell Wilson-favorite Doug Baldwin.
#2 Greenard:?According to Renner, Greenard has “some of the best hand usage of any young defender in the NFL.” On 414 snaps last season, he earned an outstanding 89.2 pass-rushing grade.
#3 Dugger:?Renner thinks Dugger is “primed to join the upper tier of safeties” in 2022. The former second-round pick has an elite athletic ceiling and only missed three tackles over the final nine games of last season.
Top 10:?The top ten is rounded out by Lions G Jonah Jackson, Bears EDGE Trevis Gibson, 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, Browns S Grant Delpit, Vikings G Ezra Cleveland, Cardinals LB Isaiah Simmons, and Vikings CB Cameron Dantzler.
Image: Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire
Titans
WR Robert Woods and TE Austin Hooper are expected to be Ryan Tannehill’s preferred targets
Woods:?According to Joe Rexrode (The Athletic), Woods is shaping up to be the Titans’?top receiver?in 2022. The 30-year-old has apparently built substantial chemistry with Ryan Tannehill since being acquired via trade in March.
Hooper:?Turron Davenport (ESPN) has?observed?that Hooper, who signed with the Titans in free agency, has “already surfaced as one of Tannehill’s preferred targets in the passing game.”
WR2:?Rexrode writes that Nick Westbrook-Ikhine “continues to make strides as a playmaker” and should be considered the favorite to start opposite Woods. Westbrook-Ikhine caught 38 passes for 476 yards and 4 touchdowns last season.
WR3:?First-round pick Treylon Burks is expected to open the season as the team’s third receiver. The rookie was held out of some OTA and minicamp work due to issues related to asthma and poor conditioning. Once he overcomes those issues, the team will likely deploy him in an A.J. Brown-type role.
Image: Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire
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