Latest news with #CeeDeeLamb
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dak's Cowboys Weapons Earn Stunning Ranking from PFF
Dak's Cowboys Weapons Earn Stunning Ranking from PFF originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Cowboys offense, for most, was missing one piece after the offseason work done by the front office - a No. 2 receiver. Advertisement With Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams at running back, a reworked offensive line and a solid draft haul, the only thing left was a running mate for CeeDee Lamb, and Dallas got it in George Pickens. For some, that completes the offense for Dak Prescott, but others aren't sold. When ranking the receiver rooms of all 32 teams, Pro Football Focus places the Cowboys at a stunningly so-so No. 15. "CeeDee Lamb carries the Cowboys' ranking here," Pro Football Focus writes. "His 79.9 PFF receiving grade in 2024 was low for his standards, but he recorded a 91.2 mark the year prior when Dak Prescott was fully healthy. Dallas traded for George Pickens, who is coming off a career-high 78.6 PFF overall grade, but they need more from Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert and someone — anyone — out of the backfield." George Pickens And CeeDee Lamb At The StarTony Fisher After the year Dallas had, if that's the driving force here, middle of the pack feels right, and let's be honest, all of the hype surrounding the offense is pure speculation and "hoping" Pickens can continue his ascension, Jake Ferguson and Jalen Tolbert can improve. Advertisement That is a lot of hope, but it is far more than what Dallas had to work with last season. As we look ahead to the 2025 season, we believe the Cowboys will have an offense that is not middle-of-the-pack, but rather one that is capable of pushing toward or even into the top 10. Of course, everything has to go right, for example, Prescott stays healthy, and if he does, Dallas' weapons will be ranked far higher than 15th next offseason. Related: Jerry Blocks Cowboys From One Move To 'Perfect' Offseason Related: Donovan Ezeiruaku Offseason Could Be Big Development For Cowboys' Defense This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bears' Jaquan Brisker has kept receipts from all critics
To say that the Chicago Bears had a miserable season last year would be an understatement, but safety Jaquan Brisker hasn't forgotten what was said. Brisker, one of the heart and soul leaders on the Bears, missed 12 games last season due to a concussion that eventually landed him on injured reserve. But he watched his team go on to lose 10 straight games en route to a 5-12 record and a mid-season head coach firing. Advertisement During minicamp, Brisker told the media that he's kept the receipts from all the critics last season, and he's looking to make them eat their words during the 2025 season. "Doubting the team, doubting me. Whatever it may be, I'm keeping all receipts," Brisker said. "Everybody who thought it was funny, or anybody who talks about us, it's whatever. We're ready for this year. I'm ready for this year. I'm back. Nine is back. I'm going to do what I do. People are going to say what they want. Critics are going to say whatever. But, I'm here." Those critics include Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who called the Bears trash (while also giving them a backhanded compliment for their offseason improvements). Still, Brisker made it clear he has that Week 3 game against the Cowboys circled on his calendar. Brisker has confirmed he's healthy coming into the 2025 season, and he's not short of confidence or focus. One of the core pieces of the Bears defense is making it a point of emphasis to make the critics eat their words as Chicago looks to go from worst to first (or at least contenders) in head coach Ben Johnson's first season. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Jaquan Brisker has kept receipts from all critics
New York Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Cowboys mailbag: Dak Prescott optimism? Trevon Diggs' future? Summer standouts?
The waiting game for training camp is officially on. The Dallas Cowboys have wrapped up OTAs and mandatory minicamp. The next time the team gathers will be for its flight to Oxnard, Calif. We opened the floor to you to ask whatever is on your mind, and got some great questions. Let's discuss practice standouts, Trevon Diggs' future, the wide receiver depth chart, optimism for Dak Prescott and more. Advertisement I see no real reason to believe Dak Prescott will be a better QB than previously after another devastating injury and a year older. Tell me why I'm wrong. — Mark C. Personally, I do believe that Prescott is a quality top-half-of-the-league starting quarterback who can play at a top-10 level on any given Sunday. I do believe you can win it all with Prescott as your quarterback. But Prescott is going into his 10th season, and there's too much of a sample size of coming up short in the big moments and, in recent years, of injuries hampering his abilities to perform at his best. I understand the skepticism. If I were to sell somebody on why Prescott could be better than most of his previous years, I would start with the fact that CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens may be the best receiver duo Prescott has had in his career. That's not to dismiss the 2021 duo of Lamb and Amari Cooper, but this year's tandem has the potential to be even better. Prescott also has good chemistry with Jake Ferguson, who should be extra motivated in a contract year. The offensive line and running back situation are wild cards, but the floor for both would seem to be performing at a decent level. Does that mean Prescott will be better than what he's been previously? It's hard to see him topping his 2023 campaign when he was the MVP runner-up. But at this point in his career, it's not about how good he can be overall, but can he be at his best in the biggest moments. fired up for this 😤 — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) June 13, 2025 Who is currently standing out for the Cowboys during practice? — Dallas S. All of the necessary caveats apply before answering this question, specifically about how much physicality is limited during OTAs and minicamp. That essentially eliminates players on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as running backs, from really standing out. Pickens had a fantastic first day of mandatory minicamp. He's a big body, a deep-ball threat and a good route runner. I'm curious to see how Prescott incorporates him because Prescott hasn't really worked too much with a receiver of Pickens' style, outside of a couple of short stints with Dez Bryant and Michael Gallup. If Pickens can keep his head on straight throughout the season — a legitimate if — then this trade has potential to be a steal for the Cowboys. Advertisement Ferguson was the star of the second day of minicamp. He looked a lot more like his 2023 version, which is a welcome sight after he struggled in 2024 while dealing with injuries and quarterback instability. I also thought DaRon Bland looked pretty good. He's a physical cornerback, so I don't think these practices allowed him to play to his full extent, but he's always in position and has remarkable closing speed. Jonathan Mingo, Kaiir Elam and Brevyn Spann-Ford also had their moments. One player who really caught my attention was quarterback Joe Milton. He's very strong and makes throws down the field rolling to his off side look effortless. You can tell he still needs to process the game a little faster, but he's a young player in a new system. I'll be fascinated to see how he performs during training camp and preseason games. He has the tools to develop into something more for the Cowboys down the road. When is the earliest that they can get rid of Diggs without too bad of cap ramifications? — Daniel B. The earliest would be the 2026 offseason. According to Spotrac, the Cowboys could cut Diggs early next offseason and carry a dead cap hit of just under $6 million in 2026, saving more than $12.5 million, or designate him a post-June 1 release and save $15.5 million and spread the dead cap over 2026 and 2027 at just under $3 million each year. Unless there's a huge bounce back from Diggs in 2025, it's easy to see why the injuries and regression over the past two years would lead the Cowboys to want to get out of that contract. Diggs is a boom-or-bust type of player to begin with, but since his monster year in 2021, there's been a lot more bust than boom. Couple that with Bland being in the final year of his rookie deal and will be due a sizable extension, it's hard to imagine a realistic scenario in which this isn't Diggs' final year in Dallas. A bit skeptical of the backfield led by Javonte Williams, but wanted to know if you've seen any reason for optimism. — Kmason0903 As I mentioned earlier, it's been hard to get a real read on the running backs because of the nature of these practices, and I don't want to just provide feel-good fluff. However, there are reasons I would feel more optimistic, and they start with the offensive line. You know what you are going to get in Tyler Smith, but I feel like Cooper Beebe's confidence with all that comes with the center position will help him take a big step in his sophomore season. I think Tyler Booker is ready to hit the ground running. Even though I've seen some people saying that his great performance would be a wash, at best, as he takes over for a future Hall of Famer, I would say that Zack Martin was not performing at his usual Hall-of-Fame level last year before he was shut down with the injury. Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele are wild cards for me up front but the Cowboys feel optimistic. Advertisement In terms of the backfield itself, I think it's smart that the Cowboys haven't declared a formula already, as they did last year when they said it would be a committee approach. In the limited scope so far, I've seen some positive things from Williams, Miles Sanders and Jaydon Blue, but training camp will be the time where players get to separate themselves. If nobody makes a strong impression, this could be a year the Cowboys fall into a committee approach. The difference from last year is that, top to bottom, you'd have to feel better about the committee members. Who do you expect to have the biggest total impact on the field this year between Mingo, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin? — Reed C. From that group, I would cast my vote for Turpin. I think the bulk of the receiving production will come from Lamb, Pickens and Ferguson, with Mingo, Tolbert and Spann-Ford as my lead candidates to factor into the downfield passing game. However, I feel like Turpin will be used more as a playmaker than a receiver this year, which is better suited for who he is. This offseason, we've seen Turpin carry the ball out of the backfield and run quick routes close to the line of scrimmage that enable him to get the ball in space. There was some of that last year, but last year also featured some deep balls in third-and-10 situations that aren't what Turpin is built for. With Lamb and Pickens handling their business, the underneath should open up more for Turpin. (Top photo of Diggs: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Raiders, Bears, Jaguars among 6 offenses ready for a breakout: Nguyen
Aside from winning the Super Bowl, there are few things more fun for a fan base than an offensive breakout. Especially when a team has been in the offensive doldrums for years. Finding a star quarterback is usually the main catalyst, but having the stars assemble around a competent signal-caller can also spark a breakout. For example, a competent to dominant offensive line can make a quarterback's life much easier, and finding a complementary weapon to pair with a No. 1 receiver allows the offense to take advantage of the extra attention the No. 1 receiver routinely gets. Advertisement The Commanders' offense took the league by storm last season with a phenomenal rookie season from quarterback Jayden Daniels. The year before, quarterback Baker Mayfield had a resurgent season, establishing the Buccaneers as one of the best offenses in the league. A few years ago, pairing receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in Mike McDaniels' system created one of the most explosive offenses we've seen. Who will be the teams to finally break into the upper echelon of offenses this season? In 2023, the Cowboys ranked second in expected points added (EPA) per play, eighth in explosive play rate, and first in points per drive. In 2024, quarterback Dak Prescott was injured in Week 9, but before that, the Cowboys' offense floundered, ranking 22nd in EPA per play. They couldn't run the ball effectively and struggled to find a consistent option outside of receiver CeeDee Lamb. Though it'll be difficult for the offense to put up the same numbers they did a couple of seasons ago, there's a chance it could be one of the best this season and have better answers against good defenses than the 2023 team, which funneled targets to Lamb. Lamb had 79 more targets that season than the next leading receiver, tight end Jake Ferguson. The offense was built on timing and precision but needed another explosive option. In the playoffs that season, the Green Bay Packers' defense doubled Lamb, and the Cowboys' other receivers struggled to get open. The offense only scored 16 points in the first three quarters before making a late push when the game was mostly out of hand. This offseason, the Cowboys traded for George Pickens. Pickens has a very siloed skill set — he's a deep-ball winner. But he's elite at it, and he perfectly complements Lamb, who excels at winning inside and in the intermediate parts of the field. If teams double Lamb, Pickens can punish them deep and Ferguson can eat underneath. The skeleton key for the Cowboys' offense is the development of left tackle Tyler Guyton, last year's first-round draft pick. Guyton was relatively new to playing offensive line, having converted from defense in college, but he's a physical freak who understandably had a rough rookie season. If he lives up to his vast potential, the Cowboys will have a dominant left side with Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith. They also committed more resources to building upfront, drafting right guard Tyler Booker in the first round this year. The line has the potential to be a real strength for the Cowboys to go with their talented receiver duo. With Prescott's return, the stars could be aligning for the Cowboys' offense. Advertisement This will be the year quarterback Trevor Lawrence lives up to his draft billing! *ducks* After Lawrence's best season in 2022, when he threw 30 touchdowns to only eight interceptions, former head coach Doug Pederson gave up play-calling, which began his demise in Jacksonville. A lot went awry for the Jaguars besides play calling, but they hired one of the hottest offensive minds in the league in Liam Coen to give Lawrence an advantage in that department. Last season, as the Buccaneers' offensive coordinator, Coen was the architect of one of the most creative run games in the league. The Buccaneers went from 30th in EPA per rush in 2023 to tied for second in 2024. Week 13, 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, second-and-5 Bucky Irving big run! 📺: #TBvsCAR on FOX📱: — NFL (@NFL) December 2, 2024 The Jaguars ranked 28th in EPA per rush in Pederson's tenure (2022-2024). Pederson's offensive philosophy was built on the drop-back passing game, but Coen will emphasize a diverse run game and make Lawrence's life easier with play action. Of course, every coach says they want to build their offense this way, but we saw proof of concept last season with the Buccaneers' run game and Mayfield's career year playing for Coen. The Jaguars signed Robert Hainsey, who was Coen's starting center in Tampa Bay, and former Ravens guard Patrick Mekari to bolster the offensive line. Walker Little is a solid left tackle, but there is a position battle at right tackle between former first-round pick Anton Harrison and Chuma Edoga. Harrison was a glaring weak link for the Jaguars last season. They need him to improve or find a suitable replacement for this team to take a step forward. The biggest reason for optimism is receiver Brian Thomas Jr., who appears to have superstar potential. He's nearly 6-feet-3 with a 90th percentile wingspan and ran a 4.3 40-yard dash. Thomas ran a limited route tree at LSU and was seen as a bit of a project, but he exceeded expectations, leading all rookies in receiving yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10), already becoming one of the league's biggest deep threats. Theoretically, first-round pick Travis Hunter will see a lot of time at receiver and complement Thomas. If Hunter takes time to develop or ends up playing more defense, free-agent signing Dyami Brown has a chance to be a strong No. 2 option. Brown was excellent in that role for the Commanders last year in the playoffs. Advertisement If Coen can scheme up an above-average run game and either Hunter or Brown emerges as a reliable No. 2 option, Lawrence will finally have the help he needs to excel. The Raiders arguably have improved more than any other team in the league this offseason. However, you can also argue they were one of the teams that had the furthest to go. Over the last two seasons, they ranked 27th in EPA per play and points per drive, and 31st in explosive play rate. This season, they've added stability by hiring coach Pete Carroll, who made one of the more interesting hires in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. Kelly's offensive philosophy has thoroughly evolved since his last stint in the league. Instead of relying on tempo to create advantages, he's shown the ability to scheme up a diverse run game and set up explosives off play action. The evolution of Chip Kelly's offense — Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) May 8, 2025 Geno Smith is an underrated quarterback who had to mitigate the most quick pressures in the league (pressures allowed under 2.5 seconds) during his time in Seattle. The Raiders brass is relying on the development of center Jackson Powers-Johnson and right tackle DJ Glaze to anchor the line and protect Smith. If Smith can get average protection, he has the football IQ and arm talent to produce like a top-10 quarterback. With All-Pro Brock Bowers and 2023 second-round pick Michael Mayer, who missed time last season for personal matters, the Raiders could have an effective two-tight end attack to counter the trending defensive meta of playing with light boxes and smaller defenders. Jakobi Meyers is one of the best No. 2 receivers in the league, first-round rookie Ashton Jeanty should step in and immediately be one of the best running backs in the league, and Dont'e Thornton, the 6-foot-5 rookie receiver with 4.3 speed, has been opening eyes in organized team activities (OTAs). The key will be whether they can get average offensive line play, but there is a lot to be excited about with this Raiders offense. There was much optimism for the Bears' offense and Caleb Williams entering last season, but the offensive line didn't perform and former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired midseason. A bad offensive line and a failed play caller are a lot for any rookie quarterback to overcome. This season, the Bears hired one of the best play callers in the league in Ben Johnson as head coach and fortified the offensive line by completely revamping their interior. The Bears are another team that committed resources to putting together an effective two-tight end duo. They drafted Colston Loveland with the 10th pick of the draft and his crafty route running will help him quickly establish a role, allowing Johnson to diversify his personnel usage. The biggest question is at running back. Johnson will want to run the ball, but they'll likely use a committee, led by D'Andre Swift, who is explosive but inconsistent with his vision. Williams had the fifth-highest average time to throw (3.13 seconds) last season. That'll have to drastically change in Johnson's offense, which requires making quick decisions. For context, Lions QB Jared Goff ranked 24th in average time to throw (2.88) last season. Johnson emphasized to Williams in OTAs the importance of quickly making his progressions and getting rid of the ball. Johnson got in Williams' face for being late on a throw and explained what happened to the media after practice. Ben Johnson correcting Caleb Williams for being "late" on a — the phantom of the gridiron (@RaidersAnalysis) June 15, 2025 How Williams responds to this type of coaching will determine whether the Bears' offense is ready to break out. The Bryce Young resurgence wasn't just a feel-good story last season; he was legitimately playing some good football and displaying the intelligence and play-making ability that made him a No. 1 overall pick. Notably, his ability to avoid sacks was drastically improved last season from his rookie year. According to Pro Football Focus, in 2023, Young ranked 38th in pressure-to-sack rate — 24.5 percent of the plays in which he was pressured became sacks. In 2024, he improved to 13th in pressure-to-sack rate (16.9 percent). Some thought his small stature would make it hard to get away from NFL pass rushers, but he's shown he can excel at creating plays. However, he's not reliant on out-of-structure plays — he's reading defenses and making quick decisions when needed. Advertisement Head coach Dave Canales put together a creative offense that got receivers open despite not having a lot of talent at the position. The Panthers have a pulverizing offensive line that opened up holes for running back Chuba Hubbard. They ranked 11th in EPA per rush and 12th in rushing success rate. The entire offensive line is returning, so they should be able to run the ball efficiently in 2025. Last year's first-round pick, Xavier Legette, had eight dropped passes in 2024, but the Panthers aren't entirely dependent on a Legette breakout. They also drafted Tetairoa McMillan No. 8 in this year's draft. Both are big, physical receivers with the ability to win on the outside. To reach their ceiling, the Panthers need Legette or McMillan to establish himself as a No. 1. Hunter Renfrow, who was one of the most productive slot receivers in the league in 2021, missed last season while recovering from an autoimmune disease. He could be a sneaky signing that will give Young an easy underneath target. Adam Thielen plays that role for the Panthers, but he'll be 35 years old this season. A physical run game and Young's play-making ability give the Panthers one of the most exciting young offenses in the league. The Falcons have all the right ingredients for a breakout: • A strong run-blocking offensive line without any notable weakness. • A star running back in Bijan Robinson, who finished third in rushing yards last season (1,456) and tied for fifth in rushing touchdowns (14). • A No. 1 receiver in Drake London, who finished fourth in receiving yards (1,271), and a good complementary receiver in Darnell Mooney, who nearly had a 1,000-yard season. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson helped get the best out of the Falcons' young talent last year and did so with Kirk Cousins playing on one leg for much of the season. First-round pick Michael Penix Jr. took over for the last three games and instantly gave the offense a spark — the Falcons averaged nearly a point more per drive in that stretch than they did in the first 14 games. Aside from mobility, Penix's arm allowed the Falcons to access throws Cousins just couldn't complete. The experience at the end of the season was invaluable for Penix, who was aggressive and saw what kind of throws he could pull off in the league. He'll have to cut down on some of the easy misses, but he's shown that his ability to make rare throws can overcome some of his misses. Of all the teams on this list, the Falcons feel likely to be the offense that has a true breakout. Advertisement Texans: New offensive coordinator Nick Caley should fix some of the schematic issues they had against pressure teams, but the offensive line depth chart is the stuff of nightmares. 49ers: Despite a down year, the 49ers still finished strong in several important metrics, so they don't qualify as a potential breakout offense.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson Scouts New Offense: ‘Can't Cover Everybody!'
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson Scouts New Offense: 'Can't Cover Everybody!' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Dallas Cowboys' offense in 2025 is poised to be one of the better units in football. With the addition of George Pickens to play alongside CeeDee Lamb, a group of backs led by Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams, along with tight ends Jake Ferguson, Brevyn Spann-Ford and Luke Schoonmaker, Dak Prescott has some weapons. Advertisement Now, it all has to come together for Brian Schottenheimer, but there is more than enough talent there for Prescott to do some serious damage with. And when it comes to what defenses are going to do to combat the weapons Prescott has at his disposal? "I mean you can't cover everybody," Ferguson said. "So I mean having him [Pickens], 88 [Lamb], and then Jalen [Tolbert], some of the young guys, myself, Brevyn [Spann-Ford], Scoon [Schoonmaker], you physically cannot cover everybody. I think it's going to be really hard in the pass game, but then also we can run the ball too.' George Pickens (right) And CeeDee Lamb (left) By Tony Fisher Lamb and Pickens, as the go-to tandem, have the potential to be one of the better duos in football. Adding Tolbert as the No. 3 receiver, or even Jonathan Mingo, suddenly makes things look less bleak. Advertisement The run game looms as Sanders, Williams, Deuce Vaughn, and Jaydon Blue are tasked with making Prescott's life easier by establishing the run game. However, all eyes will be on Pickens and Lamb in 2025, both seen as No. 1. As Ferguson said, defenses can't cover everyone. Pickens has already seen what having Lamb on the field does for him and how it can open up things for the rest of the offense, and that looms as a big watch as training camp begins. With ample weapons at Klayton Adams' disposal, defenses are going to have a tough time curtailing this offense, provided everyone stays healthy. Why? Because you can't cover everybody. Advertisement Related: Cowboys Minicamp Off To Ominous Start For Luke Schoonmaker Related: Cowboys Dak Prescott Success In 2025 Defined By 1 Schottenheimer Word This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
