Chiefs GM Brett Veach is a madman. A certifiably insane, brilliant madman.This dude traded in the offseason. Veach's idea was to replace Hill's production on the aggregate and divy money to others that would've gone solely to Hill. But there's no replacing Hill's speed, Malik Jefferson Jersey quickne s, and contested-catch combination. Right?To answer that, Veach spins around in his leather office chair, lit cigar between his teeth, laughing at those who strongly criticized his Hill decision.Because it worked out for Kansas City! is averaging more pa sing yards per game now than he ever has in a single season. The Chiefs are rolling offensively and haven't lost since mid October.But I'm not really here to discu s the Hill trade in depth. That's been done enough. To further prove Veach is genuinely a mad scientist, I present to some of his current practice squad and history of in-season acquisitions. Under his watch, let's name a few of players the Chiefs have signed or traded for in season: RB , RB , RB , WR , CB , EDGE , and former first-round CBs and . Veach can't stop, won't stop adding established veterans to the roster, and he cranked the intensity this season by acquiring EDGE in July and WR before the trade deadline. But, of course, he wasn't done. Before Week 13's monstrous showdown with the in Cincinnati, Veach signed RB , DT and WR to the practice squad.He's playing Madden on Anthony Munoz Jersey Franchise Mode except this is real life, and he's running the Chiefs.Now, normally, I reserve The PSPR for players in their first, second, or third seasons. To pay homage to Veach's relentle s aggre sion, I'm granting waivers to Williams and Edwards this week. Will they play against the Bengals? Probably not. Could they see the field in December or January. Don't be shocked when it happens. And don't be surprised when Gordon scores a touchdown in the playoffs. Back-to-back weeks, no one elevated. I'm not frustrated. Because I'm keenly aware, that just like an season, nothing comes easy at The PSPR. Every elevation is hard-earned. I love the challenge. That's fine. Before I begin, though, I must shout out PSPR alum , the No. 124 overall prospect on my final Big Board before the 2022 draft, who unceremoniously and unjustifiably went undrafted, for his 109 yards from scrimmage for the in their Week 12 win over Chicago. You made me damn proud, Zonovan. However, don't be shy to hit me up on Twitter to alert me about any PSPR members getting the glorious call this weekend. Pick Six Newsletter Crafted By The Best NFL Experts Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings. I agree to receive the "Pick Six Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the and Drew Sample Jersey acknowledge Paramount's . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. The expanded, 16-man practice squads are about the only good thing to come out of the pandemic, and they're here to stay in the NFL. Because of this, I run the Practice Squad Power Rankings parallel to the league. I write about 16 individuals every Friday, 10 officially in the rankings and six honorable mentions. Here's to the Practice Squad Power Rankings flourishing this season and starting to cement its legacy in the hallowed halls of the internet's football-media industry.Outside of , Cleveland's defensive front -- WOOF! Perry started his college career at South Carolina State -- which low-key has sent a bunch of quality players to the NFL -- before transferring to Illinois. While he didn't have monster stats with the Illini, Perry's play in the summer was enough for him to make Cleveland's practice squad as an undrafted free agent. At 6-foot-1 and around 300 pounds, he's the penetrating type to Browns need to generate any semblance of interior disruption for opposing quarterbacks.Williams spent time as arguably the NFL's best pure nose tackle, from about 2014 to 2017, when he devoured running backs on a weekly basis in the middle of the Ravens vaunted defensive line. The now 33 year old dealt with two bouts of COVID during 2020 in Baltimore and played a part-time role in 2021. He's a ma sive human at around 6-1 and 335 pounds. With ailing Shawn Williams Jersey , the Texans should turn to Johnson, a former Texas A&M star oozing with athleticism. Check his . He's a freak physically, and the Texans are at that point of the season where young players should get burn so team evaluators can decide who will be part of the future.Johnson is a larger-than-life blocker from Florida. It feels like that program pumps out plenty of those types, doesn't it? Anyway, the 6-foot-7, 330-pounder with an incredibly long reach went undrafted in 2019 despite a quality final season with the Gators and popped up on the PSPR on occasion over the past few years.Now, I know what you're thinking -- the Eagles don't need any offensive line reinforcement. Well, while that's undeniably true in regards to the starting unit, Johnson can be the consummate extra blocker to step onto the field in jumbo-package situations. I watched so much of Emezie in college. Why's that? Because he started showing out early at NC State, on those Wolfpack teams led by , , , , and . As a freshman, Emezie had 13 receptions for 163 yards with a score. After that, the 6-3, 220-pounder had over 45 receptions and 575 yards in four consecutive seasons, while catching 18 touchdowns.Peevy doesn't provide as much positional flexibility as some of the other Titans defensive linemen, but he's similarly sized to and boasts high-end traits. At 6-5 and around 310 pounds, the former big-time recruit has 35.5-inch arms -- ridiculously long -- and slowly but surely improved in each of his five seasons with the Aggies as a block-shedding run stuffer capable of impre sive pa s-rush flashes.Hand is a twitched-up inside-outside corner who began his career in the NFC North with the . As a rookie, on le s than 16% of the snaps in 2020, the former Temple standout proved the bright lights of the NFL weren't too much for him, as he registered a pick and three pa s breakups. Chicago's dealing with injuries to safety and second-round rookie at the cornerback spot. Now's the time to give Hand an opportunity. Johnson was George Iloka Jersey the of the FBS while at North Dakota State. He was a weapon underneath and in the jet-sweep game because of his immense YAC ability and made routine snags down the football field. Johnson had back-to-back 1,200-plus yard seasons and scored 17 touchdowns in 2018. been tremendous this season yet could use another bouncy wideout to pair with and in Seattle.Thompkins had five catches for 53 yards -- including
In another effort in the decades-long battle to promote and improve diverse hirings at the top levels of NFL teams, the league office will continue its "accelerator" program next month at the owners meetings.More than Justin Anderson Jersey two dozen front office and/or football operations executives from acro s nearly every will be at Ben Simmons Jersey the day-and-a-half-long meeting in Irving, Texas, starting Dec. 13. These men and women had previously participated in the accelerator program held in Atlanta during an owners meeting in the spring.Because the meetings take place in the middle of the season, coaches and coordinators who had been part of the program in the spring will be unable to attend. Though there's no perfect solution considering in-season demands, having Philadelphia 76ers Jersey personnel folks meet with owners and decision-makers in the weeks leading up to the hiring cycle could have a positive Robert Covington Jersey impact on the value placed on diversity among ownership.There are eight men of color who are GMs in the league today: Chris Grier, Andrew Berry, Omar Khan, Martin Mayhew, Ryan Poles, Brad Holmes, Kwesi Wilt Chamberlain Jersey Adofo-Mensah and Terry Fontenot. Early indications are there won't be as much turnover at the GM position as there was last year when five teams hired new general managers unle s there are some surprise firings or retirements.
The ' sweeping draft-pick swap with the this week wasn't really about next year's supposedly improved quarterback draft cla s. It was, at its core, about a set reallocation and balance and sustained team building.And it makes total sense.Philadelphia Aroldis Chapman Jersey and New Orleans swapped first-round picks for 2022 and, along the way, the Eagles picked up an additional first-round pick in 2023 and a second in 2024. The Eagles have been largely lauded for the trade, and for good reason. Only I wouldn't focus so much on the relative strengths and weakne ses of any potential draft position group as part of the post-trade calculus.After talking to multiple sources with knowledge of each team's thinking, here is what I would posit. For the Eagles, this was about the relative merits of having three swings in the first round of one particular first round, rather than what could be gained by having the latitude to move up and down future draft boards that comes with already having multiple first-round picks in tow. In terms of team building, if you manage to hit on all three first-round picks, then you are staring at potentially three fifth-year options with major pay jumps all coming at once, versus having that spread out over multiple years."It's really about trying to balance your roster and be in best position to execute a short- and long-term plan," is how one source summed it up. And I totally get it. Furthermore, consider the rare dynamics of this first round. Eight teams control half Brian Roberts Jersey of the first round, with two picks each. When you look at the teams ahead of the Eagles, the , and control six of the first 13 picks alone. Trying to mock that up and discern the players who will fall to you is difficult under normal circumstances, and bizarre under these ones. Consider how much that dynamic could impact future trades, and the ramifications of what that means as to actual player selection. Could there be more certainty in 2023, with fewer teams having multiple picks?"I would think that was on Howie's (Eagles GM Howie Roseman) mind when he pulled this off," one GM told me. "I have never seen a draft like this before, with so many teams holding multiple first-round picks. Never. Never. Never. This is a new one for all of us. This is unique."As for the Saints, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that this is about a quarterback for them, or having enough draft capital to leap ahead of QB-needy division rivals like the or . New Orleans can be a tough team to read, but I spoke to multiple GMs who believe this trade is more about going all-in right now (like their trade up for a few years back) than it is about finding their QB of the future or beating someone to the punch for that. "The Saints in general play their cards very close to the vest, but I don't think this is about moving up to grab a quarterback," another GM said. "They really like Jameis (Winston) and I think they are looking around at the NFC, and thinking they have as good a shot as anyone, especially if they land two impact players with these picks. It feels more to me like the kind of move they made when Sean (former coach Sean Payton) was there than it does about finding a quarterback for two or three years down the road."Newsflash: NFL evaluators are largely higher on this cla s of quarterbacks than the media, and the three teams I spoke with early this week all believe two pa sers are going in the top 10 picks. At least two.It's been all the rage to tear these kids down, but execs I speak to who aren't in the market to draft a top QB -- and Brett Gardner Jersey therefore have le s to gain or lose by lying about their true feelings about them -- continue to posit that the run on them will start quite early. Po sibly, with the at second overall, and surely by the time the Panthers (sixth overall) and Falcons (eighth overall) are on the clock. "You guys (in the media) are harder on these kids than we are (in the scouting community)," one high-ranking exec said. "I don't care what anyone whispers, (Kenny) Pickett and (Malik) Willis are legitimate quarterback prospects. Willis, if it all comes together, could be really special, and Pickett played like a first-round pick last year. If I am doing a mock draft right now, two of them are in the top 10 and four of them are going Thursday night. It's not as bad as some are making it out to be."The NFL has fans fooled into following salary-cap numbers like they are a real indicator of intent to win a , and as if that is a telling metric on actual spending. It isn't.Please, please, please, look at actual payroll figures. That's where it's at. And in light of the making yet another huge splash this week, , I'd urge all of you to keep track of projected cash committed to the 2022 season as a far greater barometer of an owner's attempt to Wade Boggs Jersey win a Lombardi Trophy than how much -- or how little -- cap space any team had on paper at any given time (because it's a soft cap and always fungible, anyway). , as of Wednesday morning, there were 15 teams projected to be above the $208 million salary cap in actual spending (nearly half the league), with some teams far in exce s of that number. Here are the top-five cash spends in the NFL, currently, per Spotrac: $252 million $242 million $234 millionBills $232 millionSaints $232 millionKeep in mind, every owner gets roughly $360 million per year just for the rights of their games to be broadcast nationally. Don't fall for the okeydoke. Wanna know if the owner of your team is really going for it or not? Follow the money and keep your eye on the cash spend. Not everyone who spends big is gonna win, but you better be drafting your backside off if you think you are going to win anything of note if you're in the bottom third in spending.There are definitely some strong splits of opinion of Oregon edge prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux. Is he really someone who will top 10 sacks regularly? How high is the ceiling? He has not exactly rubbed every team the right way through this proce s. Still enough talent to keep him in the top 10-12 picks, I suspect, but opinions vary.Despite an Achilles injury suffered at his pro day, Michigan edge prospect David Ojabo remains likely to hear his name called in the first round from what I gather. A strong team picking in the back of that round will want the fifth-year option on him, knowing 2022 will likely be a redshirt rehab year. Too much potential to let fall to Day 2.The veteran pa s rush market -- and there is no shortage of them still out there -- Austin Romine Jersey seems likely to be seriously impacted by how deep this pa s rush group stands to be. Expect a flurry of signings just after the draft among veterans OLB/DEs in early May, among the teams that don't land what they need in the selection proce s.
After 14 games on the Sunday NFL slate, the first week of the new season culminates with the Bowl on Monday Night Football between his former team, the and his new team, the . That's 15 games left to choose in your first set of matchups for confidence pool picks and NFL office pool picks. This week features several season-opening storylines, but which are the ones to pay attention to as you review the Week 1 NFL spreads and make your NFL football pool picks? Before you make your NFL Wade Boggs Jersey predictions, you need to .The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,500 for $100 players on top-rated since its inception. The model enters the 2022 NFL season on an incredible 138-97 run on top-rated that dates back to the 2017 season.More importantly for NFL confidence pool players, the model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six Randy Johnson Jersey years on and beat more than 94 percent of CBS Sports office pool players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.Now, the model has simulated the entire Week 1 10,000 times and generated its optimal NFL pick'em plays. David Robertson Jersey .Top Week 1 NFL office pool predictionsOne of the top Week 1 NFL predictions from the model: The (-3.5) open up their season with a six-point win at home against the . Last season, Raiders QB threw for 382 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception in two games against the Chargers, but he completed just 58.5 percent of his pa ses. Even though anticipation is high for ' potential with the Raiders, there is still uncertainty about how he'll look in his new digs after not playing in the preseason. Questions also surround Las Vegas tight end , who has been dealing with various i sues that have largely kept him out of commi sion since Week 13 of last year. The Chargers gave up the sixth-fewest yards to opposing receivers in 2021, but they also gave up the most yards to tight ends.Waller isn't on the Week 1 injury report for the Raiders, but the model predicts the Chargers Adam Lind Jersey will still hold him to just 60 receiving yards. Adams is projected to push for 90 receiving yards in his Raiders debut, but the model still picks Los Angeles to win by six in over 60 percent of all simulations. .How to make Week 1 NFL office pool picksThe model also made the call on every other Week 1 NFL game and has strong picks for potentially close matchups like vs. and vs. . It' Phil Rizzuto Jersey s also calling for one underdog to pull off an upset and several Super Bowl contenders to go down hard. . So who should you pick in every Week 1 NFL game? And which Super Bowl contenders go down? .
The 2022 NFL season is just around the corner and the preseason will reach its conclusion on Sunday with the final two exhibition games. The and will go head-to-head in a 1 p.m. ET kickoff and then the will visit the for a 4:30 p.m. ET start. Jets starter is still rehabbing after tearing his meniscus earlier this Joel Bitonio Jersey preseason, which leaves to run the offense in his absence.However, Flacco hasn't taken a rep yet this preseason and it's been who has taken most of the snaps through the first two games. White has only produced 188 yards and hasn't thrown a touchdown pa s in 37 pa s attempts this preseason so he might be a player to avoid as you fill out your DFS lineups. Before locking in any NFL DFS picks for Sunday, be sure to .Gibbs uses a data-driven approach that has helped him consistently provide accurate rankings at every position. He has proven to be one Britton Colquitt Jersey of the nation's most accurate Fantasy rankers in recent years -- posting the eighth-most accurate results over the past three seasons, according to Fantasy Pros.Gibbs analyzes each incoming rookie cla s in detail and is familiar with the entirety of each 's offensive depth chart. He also closely monitored training camp reports this summer and has a good feel for which players are poised for a strong preseason performance. If there's anybody who can give you an edge in preseason NFL DFS, it's him. Now, Gibbs has turned his attention to Sunday's NFL DFS slate and locked in his top daily picks. .Top NFL DFS picks for SundayFor Week 3 NFL preseason games on Sunday (where every player is priced at $5,500 on DraftKings and $6,000 on FanDuel), one of Gibbs' top picks is Steelers running back . After spending the beginning of his collegiate career at Utah State, Warren transferred to Oklahoma Eric Murray Jersey State for the 2021 season and made an enormous impact during his time in Stillwater.He won the starting role and rushed for 1,216 yards and 11 touchdowns while also catching 25 pa ses for 225 yards. He ultimately went undrafted but has been receiving an extended look in Pittsburgh this preseason, rushing nine times for 37 yards in the first two games. He's in the mix for a roster spot so he's got a Sheldon Richardson Jersey chance to see a lot of work on Sunday against the Lions. He's also rostering Steelers wide receiver as he takes on the Lions in the 4:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday. Pickens was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and made an instant impact at Georgia with 49 catches for 727 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman.However, Pickens' career with the Bulldogs was slightly derailed, first by the pandemic and then by a torn ACL during spring ball before his junior season. He returned to make an impact play in the national title game and put enough on film for Pittsburgh to take him in the second round Ricardo Louis Jersey . Now he's been climbing up the depth chart with highlight-reel plays in training camp and he has five catches for 49 yards and a touchdown this preseason. .How to set NFL DFS lineups for SundayWhite is also targeting a player who could go off for ma sive numbers on Sunday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. . So who is Fantasy expert Jacob Gibbs putting in his optimal NFL DFS lineups? , and find out.