NFL - NEWS & NOTES

New Steeler Miles Boykin admits he hated Pittsburgh while he was with Baltimore



After three seasons in Baltimore, wide receiver Miles Boykin was waived by the Ravens and claimed by the Steelers this offseason. Meaning he went from one side of a fierce rivalry to the other.

And Boykin admits that he used to hate Pittsburgh, not only because of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry, but also because he expected the Steelers to draft him in 2019 and was angry when they passed on him.


“It was crazy because I thought the Steelers were going to draft me originally,” Boykin said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “But when I got to Baltimore, it was like, ‘No, I hate Pittsburgh.’”

Now Boykin is in Pittsburgh, but he doesn’t hate Baltimore, and he says he understands why they decided to release him.

“I kind of knew about it since the end of the season. They kind of expressed that my hit on the salary cap was going to be detrimental to them,” Boykin said of his discussions with the Ravens. “They’re trying to work out deals with Lamar [Jackson] and other people . . . so I was kind of ready for it. I was prepared for it.”

Boykin said he’s loving the offseason program in Pittsburgh and that the Steelers have told him they think he can “be a difference maker, whether it’s special teams or receiver.”

“I’m just excited to get out there and get a chance to be a playmaker here,” Boykin said.

After showing some promise as a wide receiver in his first two seasons, Boykin played special teams almost exclusively in 2021. If he can contribute at wide receiver for the Steelers, he’ll get plenty of cheers in Pittsburgh, the city he used to hate.

PFT

 

This is a head-scratcher for me. The guy was oozing potential coming out. And it's never materialized. This gets you 14.5 million...?

 

It put a little divot in my head, as well.

 

Tampa's 3-year, $30 million contract for Russell Gage doesn't seem quite as stupid anymore.

And Atlanta scooping up Damiere Byrd, Auden Tate and Bryan Edwards for $1M each now seems freaking brilliant. No word yet on Geronimo Allison's contract, but it wouldn't be a surprise if it's the same as the others.

 

Njoku should not be making almost as much as Kittle. Most teams outside of Cleveland would have paid him around 5 million a season.

 

Njoku ranks about twentieth in the league for catches, yards and TDs for all TRs since he’s been in the league. Getting paid for what they think he could do, not what he’s done.

 

Browns busy off-season continues. Yinzers gettin a little sweaty...FTR: there were several "headscratchers" with Baker at the trigger. It wasn't just failure to connect with OBJ...

Don't worry, the break out season is coming. For a number of reason's, the volume hasn't been there, but there's no denying the talent. David Njoku is a freak of nature and a huge piece in the Browns arsenal. With Watson under Center, he's going to make $14M look like a bargain.

Besides the well documented inconsistancy at QB, the Browns have had an overcrowded TE room the last couple seasons. The move that never really made sense was signing Austin Hooper a couple years ago, making him at the time, the highest paid TE in the league. Then they drafted Harrison Bryant the same year. Obviously, that cut into DN's production.

Hooper is out of the picture now. This will be the big year from David Njoku that Cleveland has been waiting for since drafting him.

 

I think whats puzzling a few people, not just here, but in general, is that he is in the Kittle, Kelce range, without proven he's a Kittle, Kelce type yet. I believe he can be if Watson is at the helm. He will be utilized a bunch more and I also believe he is talanted enough to keep up with the increased opportunities.

With the loss of Hooper and a not-so proven TE room left... Njoku is the 'main-man' at the moment. He wanted to stay in Cleveland, that was a plus and he's going to be good with his increased targets from Watson and thats what the Browns are 'banking' on.

There really arnt very many premium, high-quality TE's in this League at the moment outside of Kittle, Kelce and throw in Goedert from Philly. Njoku is the 4th highest paid TE in the NFL at this present time and can and does have the potential to live up to the expected production. TE's, good to great ones are needed, especially one who can be the 'other receiver' out there, not just a run-blocking pony.

- Just my take -

 

Antonio Brown says he’s not playing in 2022



When we last saw Antonio Brown on an NFL football field, the receiver was doing a shirtless sprint to the locker room during a Jan. 2 game between the Buccaneers and Jets. Was that the last game of Brown’s career?

Brown has received no interest in free agency after his meltdown, which prompted the Buccaneers to release him, as well as his refusal to undergo ankle surgery without a commitment from a team.


Interviewed during a Fan Controlled Football game, Brown said he is done with the NFL.

“Obviously, we live the game, but you can’t play forever,” Brown said. “I think I’m a great player that’s done everything in the game.”

Asked if he would suit up in 2022, Brown said, “Nah, don’t play yourself looking at me to play.”

Earlier this month, out of the blue, Brown stated on social media a desire to retire as a member of the Steelers.

If Brown is done, and there’s no indication any team would even consider signing him, he will finish his career with 928 receptions for 12,291 yards and 83 touchdowns as well as a lot left on the table. “What if . . .” surely will follow Brown post-career as he had Hall of Fame ability.

PFT

 

Jadeveon Clowney: I just want to chase the Super Bowl, I think the Browns have a shot



Cleveland has rarely been the top destination for players whose primary priority is seeking a Super Bowl ring, but Jadeveon Clowney says that’s absolutely why he re-signed with the Browns last week.

“I just want to chase that Super Bowl,” Clowney told the Browns’ website. “I think we’ve got a shot at it. We had a great defense last year. We went out and got some more key players on offense and defense, and I feel like we’ve got a shot. I wouldn’t want to do it on another team than the one I played with last year. . . . I know what we can do together, just hoping we can take the next step forward and get where we can get.”


Clowney was on the field for Organized Team Activities, something he said he loves to do.

“I felt great. I missed these guys I told the guys I enjoy this part. It’s exciting for me to be out here, kick it with the guys, spend some time with them,” Clowney said.

For Clowney, who has never played in a Super Bowl, that’s where he hopes the work this offseason will take him.

PFT

 

Ravens working to revamp secondary after lackluster 2021 season

For the last few years the Ravens have been known for producing defenses ranked in the top 10 on a consistent basis, but in 2021 a series of injuries to the secondary led to an uncharacteristically weak defensive showing and their first losing record since 2015. And after ranking 19th overall in defense and giving up a league-worst 4,742 passing yards last season, Baltimore is ready to get back to business.

"I feel really good about that group back there, I mean really good about the secondary personnel-wise," coach John Harbaugh said Thursday after practice.

In an effort to shore up the defense, the Ravens have made a number of offseason moves. They drafted safety Kyle Hamilton, signed safety Marcus Williams and cornerback Kyle Fuller and re-signed safety Tony Jefferson, immediately adding depth to the secondary. In addition, some defensive players who missed all or a portion of last season due to injury are set to return, such as cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, who tore his pectoral in Week 13 of 2021, and Marcus Peters, who tore his ACL before the season even started. Humphrey was seen practicing with the team during Baltimore's organized team activities this week, and Harbaugh said Peters was "coming along really well" in his rehab.

With this combination of new signings and players returning from injury, there is suddenly an overflow of players to fight for the limited spots on the field. But Harbaugh said that's just how he wants it, as he knows only too well how quickly injuries can deplete even the deepest of defenses,

"Oh yeah, there will be plenty of snaps for these guys," Harbaugh said. "We found that out last year."

The Ravens have also been looking to increase the flexibility of its players in the secondary, so that they can not only cover other positions in the case of an injury, but can also work with new defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald on calling more creative plays.

"We want to have it to where any DB can play any position at anytime," Humphrey said. "I think that flexibility is going to make us be able to do a lot of good things in the secondary."


One specific area in which Humphrey says the Ravens are specifically looking to improve on is turnovers -- Baltimore finished the 2021 season with only 15, tied for 30th in the NFL. The team's offseason moves should help in this endeavor, as Hamilton had eight interceptions in three years at Notre Dame, and the trio of Williams, Fuller, and Jefferson have a combined 38 career interceptions and 15 career forced fumbles. Add that to Peters, who has 31 career interceptions over the six seasons he's seen time in, and Humphrey, who had a league-leading eight forced fumbles in 2020, and Baltimore could have a recipe for success for creating disruption downfield.

"We want to preach turnovers, think turnovers," Humphrey said. "I might be walking in the cafeteria and hit somebody's lunch plate out of their hands trying to get a forced fumble. That's a really big thing for us. I think you can have a great, fundamentally sound defense, but if you have no turnovers, your defense still just kind of is whatever."

After a season in which injuries ravaged the defense and led to the Ravens missing the playoffs, a revamped depth chart and new approach to the secondary could help Baltimore return to its previous form.

NFL.com

 

I understand, but I'd warn not to be mislead by these ultra-productive TE's. One thing that should be mentioned is the fact that, based off of production, one can easily conclude that Kelce and Kittle are two of the most underpaid players in football. Nobody has produced better numbers in the receiving game than Kelce over the last six years, yet he makes roughly half of what Davante Adams makes. That's not David Njoku's fault. This isn't anything new. This is an issue within the pay scale of the NFL, that's been ongoing for a long time.

Exactly. I couldn't agree more.

We've seen some eyebrow raising contracts this off-season, but Cleveland making Njoku the 5th highest paid TE shouldn't be a shock.. He was on the franchise tag already.

Solid deal for the Browns that locks up an elite talent at the position for years to come. Cleveland knows what they have in DN. They are the one's that have underutilized him throughout his rookie deal. It's going to be fun watching Njoku operate with Watson. The Browns are loaded.

 

The Browns were bidding against themselves on Njoku. Nobody was going to pay him that. The mistake was the franchise tag.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth looked impressive during organized team activities this week, and The Athletic's Mark Kaboly singled him out if he had to pick an offensive player that impressed him the most. Freiermuth has sure hands, and Kaboly said 100 catches isn't out of the realm of possibility in his second season. Zach Gentry was also impressive, and the fifth-round project has turned himself into a versatile tight end. Gentry has improved his blocking since his rookie season. Freiermuth, 23, finished his first NFL season with 60 catches for 497 yards and seven touchdowns on 79 targets over 16 games (nine starts). He should be a nice midrange TE1 with excellent red-zone abilities.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller

 

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph thinks he has a legitimate chance of winning the starting quarterback competition this summer. It's a long shot considering that Mitchell Trubisky and rookie Kenny Pickett are ahead of him, but Rudolph 100% believed whatever head coach Mike Tomlin told him this offseason. The Athletic's Mark Kaboly believes that if Rudolph proves he's the better QB this summer, he will start. There certainly is no sure thing with Trubisky or Pickett, but Rudolph hasn't exactly looked great in parts of three NFL seasons. In 17 total games (10 starts), he's completed 61.5% of his passes for 2,366 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. If Rudolph is starting in 2022, the Steelers plans will have gone sideways.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller

 

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris is in excellent shape, and The Athletic's Mark Kaboly said he's never seen a running back who looks like Harris in the 20 years he's been covering the NFL. Harris' quadriceps and calves are humongous but nowhere near the size of his hamstrings. Kaboly said "they look like bowling balls while he is in motion." Harris has natural catching ability and works on it often, so he's quickly becoming a dangerous all-around RB heading into just his second NFL season. The 24-year-old was a Pro Bowler as a rookie when he had 1,200 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 307 carries in 2021, adding 74 receptions for 467 yards and three more scores. Even with questions at quarterback, Harris should be a no-doubt RB1.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller

 

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool said that he's trying to be more versatile this year and is working at multiple positions during organized team activities. Claypool was mostly boxed into a limited role in his first two years in the NFL, catching 121 passes for 1,733 yards and 11 touchdowns on 214 targets in 31 games (19 starts). The 23-year-old took a step backward last year with 59 catches on 105 targets for 860 yards and only two touchdowns after he scored nine times in his rookie campaign. It was especially frustrating for fantasy managers with JuJu Smith-Schuster out for most of the year with an injury. Claypool could become a bit more intriguing if he moves around the field more, but fantasy managers shouldn't have too high of expectations with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger now retired.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller

 

Cleveland Browns running back Kareem Hunt is very much in the team's plans for the 2022 season despite a surplus of running backs on the roster. Hunt is viewed as a valuable member of the offense while heading into the final year of his contract at a maximum of $6.25 million. The two sides haven't engaged in contract-extension talks, but he isn't in jeopardy of being the odd man out in the RB room. The offense could feature more of Hunt and Nick Chubb on the field together. The 26-year-old's fantasy stock will probably be down because he played in only eight games due to injury while rushing for 386 yards and five touchdowns on 78 carries. He also had 22 catches for 174 yards.

 

Cleveland Browns right tackle Jack Conklin (knee), who is coming off surgery to fix a torn patellar tendon, is coming along nicely and should be ready to practice at the start of training camp in late July. Conklin could be limited early on, but he's on schedule and is expected to be ready for the start of the season. The 27-year-old is currently rehabbing on his own and isn't taking part in organized team activities. Conklin will probably also miss mandatory minicamp from June 14-16. The two-time All-Pro only played in seven games for the Browns last year due to his injury.--Keith Hernandez - RotoBaller

 

lol! Keep telling yourself that.

Your angst about what you know this season is going to be is evident.