6.30.22: Kareem, Godwin, Etienne, Lance, Cook, Kmet

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Kareem

Doug Kyed thinks the Saints should trade for Kareem Hunt

Details:?With Alvin Kamara bracing for a six-game suspension, Kyed (PFF) sees Hunt as an?ideal?replacement.

• Hunt, 26, totaled 550 scrimmage yards (386 rushing, 174 receiving) and scored 5 touchdowns over eight games (one start) with the Browns last season.

Availability??Hunt is entering the final year of his deal and there is?speculation?that he may be available for trade.

• The Browns signed RB1 Nick Chubb to a three-year, $36.6 million extension last year and have depth at the position (D’Ernest Johnson, rookie fifth-rounder Jerome Ford).
• The team is also carrying expensive long-term deals for Deshaun Watson, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Amari Cooper, Wyatt Teller, David Njoku, Joel Bitonio, and Jack Conklin.

NO RB Depth:?The Saints have lackluster depth behind Kamara — Mark Ingram (3.5 ypc in 2021), Tony Jones (2.6 ypc in 2021), and Abram Smith (undrafted rookie).

Long-Term:?Once the suspension ends, a Kamara-Hunt duo would likely make up the best backfield in football.

Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire

Godwin

Greg Auman: It “wouldn’t be surprising” to see the Buccaneers place Chris Godwin (ACL) on the PUP list

Details:?Auman (The Athletic) thinks the Bucs will take a conservative approach to Godwin’s?return?— as the organization just made a long-term investment (three-year, $60 million) in the 26-year-old receiver.

• Godwin caught 98 of 127 targets (77.2% catch-rate) for 1,103 yards and 5 touchdowns before tearing his ACL in Week 14 of last season.

Impact:?If Godwin is placed on the PUP list, he will miss the first six weeks of the season, which includes a daunting four-game opening stretch — Week 1: Cowboys (away), Week 2: Saints (away), Week 3: Packers (home), Week 4: Chiefs (home).

Gage:?Free-agent signee Russell Gage was already set for an increase in targets due to Rob Gronkowski's retirement — but will be in line for an even bigger role if Godwin misses the first chunk of the season.

• Gage, who Tom Brady personally recruited to join the team, caught 66 of 94 targets (70.2% catch-rate) for 770 yards and 4 touchdowns in Atlanta last season.

TB WR Depth:?Behind Gage and WR1 Mike Evans, the Bucs have Breshad Perriman, Tyler Johnson, Jaelon Darden, and Scotty Miller as veteran targets. There has also been a lot of buzz surrounding undrafted rookie Deven Thompkins (Utah State).

Image: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire

Etienne

Jaguars plan to take “full advantage” of Travis Etienne’s dual-threat ability

Details:?The insight comes from Mike DiRocco (ESPN), who notes that offensive coordinator Press Taylor has already acknowledged that the team will use Etienne as?both?a running back and receiver.

• Etienne, who Jacksonville selected in the first round last year, missed his entire rookie year with a foot injury.

Kamara Role:?DiRocco thinks it would “almost be irresponsible” for the Jaguars not to use Etienne in an Alvin Kamara-type running back/receiver role.

• Since entering the league in 2017, no running back has more catches (373), receiving yards (3,263), and total touchdowns (68) than Kamara.

Clemson:?Etienne totaled 6,107 scrimmage yards (4,952 rushing, 1,155 receiving) and scored 78 touchdowns over his four years at Clemson. He led college football with 55 runs of 20 yards or more from 2017 to 2020.

Impressive Spring:?Etienne was fully cleared for OTAs and minicamp earlier in the offseason and?impressed?teammates and coaches with his 4.40 speed.

Image: David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire

Lance

Peter Schrager: Trey Lance has grown “leaps and bounds” over the past few months

Details:?Schrager, appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, said that Lance has?taken?a leadership role within the 49ers locker room and significantly increased his understanding of the playbook over the last few months.

• The playbook piece is particularly important, as Lance only made 17 college starts at FCS level North Dakota State.

Rookie Review:?Lance, who the 49ers selected third overall last year, completed 57.1% of his passes for 603 yards, 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions over six games (two of them starts). As a runner, he totaled 168 yards and 1 touchdown on 38 attempts.

Spring Workouts:?Virtually every 49ers beat reporter was impressed with Lance’s performance over OTAs and minicamp. He apparently showed a particularly strong?connection?with receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings.

Garoppolo Update:?Schrager stated that trade interest in Jimmy Garoppolo should tick up once he begins throwing the ball next month. He also added that there is “no chance” the 49ers will deal him to the Seahawks (division rivals) and that his best bet could be if/when a different team experiences an injury at the position.

Image: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire

Cook

Chiefs rookie S Bryan Cook was a minicamp standout

Details:?According to Nate Taylor (The Athletic), Cook, a second-round pick, intercepted both Patrick Mahomes and backup Chad Henne in the?same practice?a few weeks ago.

• His performance earned him praise from defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

Cook Profile:?Cook (6-1, 206) totaled 96 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, and 11 pass deflections over 14 games with the Cincinnati Bearcats last season.

• Dane Brugler?called?Cook “one of the more reliable tacklers” in the draft class and praised his athleticism and awareness in coverage.

KC S Depth:?Cook will compete with Juan Thornhill for the right to fill Tyrann Mathieu’s vacant position. Free-agent signee Justin Reid is expected to start at the other safety spot.

Chiefs' Secondary in 2021:?The Chiefs allowed the sixth-most passing yards (251.4 per game) in the regular season and struggled to stop Josh Allen and Joe Burrow in the playoffs.

Image: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire

Kmet

Carmen Vitali: Bears TE Cole Kmet is poised for a breakout year

Details:?Vitali (TDN) believes that Kmet will be heavily?featured?in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s scheme.

Kmet Profile:?The Bears selected Kmet in the second round of the 2020 draft. The 6-foot-6, 262-pounder caught 28 of 44 passes (63.6% catch-rate) for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie and 60 of 93 targets (64.5% catch-rate) for 612 yards and no touchdowns last season.

Tonyan:?Vitali thinks that Kmet will see a boost in touchdowns in 2022 — pointing out that Robert Tonyan caught 11 touchdowns under Gesty (he was formerly the Packers passing game coordinator) in 2020.

Chemistry:?Kmet said earlier this week that he has built substantial?chemistry?with second-year quarterback Justin Fields.

• Fields is likely to pepper Kmet with targets due to the Bears’ lack of established receiver depth.

Image: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire

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