Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
After getting a small taste of football last week, we’re in for a full taste this week and that’s because all 32 NFL teams will be reporting to training camp over the next 48 hours. The Steelers will be the final team to report and that will come on Wednesday. After that, we’ll be going full steam ahead into the preseason.
Right now, we’re going full steam ahead into today’s newsletter.
As always, here’s your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let’s get to the rundown.
1. Today’s show: Breaking down Broncos offseason and predicting how they’ll do in 2023
USATSI
It’s time for another episode of our “All 32” series, and based on my math, we’re down to our final three teams (Please note that I am horrible at math so there’s a 41% chance I could be wrong about that). For today’s show, we’ll be talking about the Denver Broncos.
To talk about how things are going in Denver, we brought on Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post.
Here are two topics that hosts Katie Mox covered with Gabriel:
Can Russell Wilson play better in 2023? Wilson might not be a starting QB in the NFL much longer if he can’t improve on a disastrous 2022 season. So will things get better for Wilson this year? Gabriel thinks it’s definitely possible, especially considering that a few factors related to the Broncos’ struggles — a boatload of injuries, Nathaniel Hackett not being ready to be a head coach — weren’t Wilson’s fault. “I think around here, in general, people think he’s going to play better [in 2023],” Gabriel said.
Wilson might not be a starting QB in the NFL much longer if he can’t improve on a disastrous 2022 season. So will things get better for Wilson this year? Gabriel thinks it’s definitely possible, especially considering that a few factors related to the Broncos’ struggles — a boatload of injuries, Nathaniel Hackett not being ready to be a head coach — weren’t Wilson’s fault. “I think around here, in general, people think he’s going to play better [in 2023],” Gabriel said. Can the Broncos make the playoffs? The Broncos finished last season at 5-12, which was good enough for last place in the AFC West. This year, the oddsmakers actually seem optimistic about the team, giving Denver an over/under of 8.5 wins. Gabriel thinks they should improve, but he’s not ready to take the over there. “I think it’s going to be tough [to hit the over],” Gabriel said. “My gut says 8-9. I’d be tempted on the under.” One other note is that Gabriel said he could see the Broncos finishing as high as second place in the division, but he doesn’t think they really have a chance to overtake the Chiefs.
Gabriel spent more than 20 minutes talking about the Broncos, and if you want to hear everything he had to say, you can listen to today’s show here. You can also watch today’s show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. NFL Preseason All-Rookie Team: Lions and Chargers lead the way
We wanted to start the week off with a bang today, so we’ve decided that right now is the perfect time to unveil our 2023 preseason All-Rookie team. CBSSports.com NFL Draft guru Chris Trapasso locked himself in a room over the weekend and didn’t come out until he was completely satisfied with his entire team.
Here’s a look at the All-Rookie Team on the offensive side of the ball:
QB: Bryce Young, Panthers
RB: Bijan Robinson, Falcons
WR: Quentin Johnston, Chargers
WR: Rashee Rice, Chiefs
WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
TE: Sam LaPorta, Lions
OT: Darnell Wright, Bears
OT: Paris Johnson, Cardinals
Interior OL: John Michael Schmitz, Giants
Interior OL: O’Cyrus Torrence, Bills
One notable aspect of the All-Rookie Team is that the Lions and Chargers were the only two teams that had at least one player on both sides of the ball. If you want to see what the defensive side of the All-Rookie Team looks like, then be sure to click here.
3. RB drama continues: Top backs hold group Zoom call over the weekend
USATSI
With NFL teams apparently deciding that they don’t want to pay running backs anymore, running backs have decided to fight back. Kind of. Several star running backs around the NFL decided to hold a group Zoom call over the weekend to talk about what they could do to make things right.
It was a star-studded Zoom session. According to multiple reports, Austin Ekeler set the call up and nearly a dozen running backs joined him with Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Tony Pollard and Nick Chubb among those on the call.
According to multiple reports, Austin Ekeler set the call up and nearly a dozen running backs joined him with Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Tony Pollard and Nick Chubb among those on the call. Why the call happened. With Jacobs, Pollard and Barkley unable to land long-term deals before the franchise tag deadline, running backs are clearly getting worried about how quickly every team in the NFL is devaluing the position.
With Jacobs, Pollard and Barkley unable to land long-term deals before the franchise tag deadline, running backs are clearly getting worried about how quickly every team in the NFL is devaluing the position. Running backs realize they’re in an impossible situation. The big problem for running backs right now is that there’s no way to fix things quickly and they seem to realize that. “Right now, there’s really nothing we can do,” Chubb said. “We’re kind of handcuffed with the situation. We’re the only position that our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they’re going to say, you’re probably worn down.”
The big problem for running backs right now is that there’s no way to fix things quickly and they seem to realize that. “Right now, there’s really nothing we can do,” Chubb said. “We’re kind of handcuffed with the situation. We’re the only position that our production hurts us the most. If we go out there and run 2,000 yards with so many carries, the next year they’re going to say, you’re probably worn down.” Jacobs and Barkley holding out. One thing franchise-tagged running backs CAN do is hold out, and that’s exactly what both Barkley and Jacobs will be doing. Jacobs actually left Las Vegas TODAY
It will be interesting to see how long Jacobs and Barkley can hold out. It’s one thing to miss training camp, but it’s another thing to miss games and it’s going to be hard for them to prove their point about how valuable running backs are unless they’re willing to miss games.
The only running back to pull this off perfectly was Emmitt Smith. Back in 1993, Smith wanted a bigger contract from the Cowboys and Jerry Jones wouldn’t give it to him. At that point, Smith decided to skip the first two games and after the Cowboys went 0-2, Jones opened up his pocketbook to make Smith the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
4. Biggest training camp battles involving rookies
I’m not sure if it’s national rookie day, but it must be because that’s the only way to explain why we can’t stop talking about rookies today. Not only do we have our All-Rookie team, but we also have the best training camp battles involving rookies. The only criteria here is that we’re not including rookie quarterbacks.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the top camp battles, according to Garrett Podell:
Falcons RB: Bijan Robinson vs. Tyler Allgeier. “Robinson is special. He became the first player in the Pro Football Focus era (since 2006) with more than 100 missed tackles forced in a single college season (104 in 2022). That would make it seem like Robinson is guaranteed the lion’s share of the carries right away. However, to quote the great Lee Corso, ‘Not so fast my friend!’ Tyler Allgeier, who racked up 1,035 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 210 carries, was one of the NFL’s most valuable running backs last season. Atlanta averaged 159.9 rushing yards per game last season, the third most in the NFL.”
“Robinson is special. He became the first player in the Pro Football Focus era (since 2006) with more than 100 missed tackles forced in a single college season (104 in 2022). That would make it seem like Robinson is guaranteed the lion’s share of the carries right away. However, to quote the great Lee Corso, ‘Not so fast my friend!’ Tyler Allgeier, who racked up 1,035 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns on 210 carries, was one of the NFL’s most valuable running backs last season. Atlanta averaged 159.9 rushing yards per game last season, the third most in the NFL.” Seahawks RB: Zach Charbonnet vs. Kenneth Walker III. “The difference between Walker and Charbonnet could be pass-catching ability. Walker wasn’t much of a factor in Seattle’s aerial attack last season, catching 27 passes for 165 yards on 35 targets. Meanwhile, Charbonnet hauled in 37 passes for 321 receiving yards (tied for the seventh most among FBS running backs last season) on 44 targets in college. Carroll went out of his way to praise Charbonnet’s receiving process post-draft back in May. These two will be a in a nip-and-tuck fight for the rights to be the Seahawks’ RB1 in 2023.”
“The difference between Walker and Charbonnet could be pass-catching ability. Walker wasn’t much of a factor in Seattle’s aerial attack last season, catching 27 passes for 165 yards on 35 targets. Meanwhile, Charbonnet hauled in 37 passes for 321 receiving yards (tied for the seventh most among FBS running backs last season) on 44 targets in college. Carroll went out of his way to praise Charbonnet’s receiving process post-draft back in May. These two will be a in a nip-and-tuck fight for the rights to be the Seahawks’ RB1 in 2023.” Packers WR: Jayden Reed vs. Samori Toure. “Toure totaled just one touchdown, a 37-yarder against the Bills in Week 8 last season on ‘Sunday Night Football.’ That play accounted for most of his receiving total from last season, when he finished with just five catches for 82 yards. Toure versus Reed is a legitimate battle to be Green Bay’s starting slot wide receiver, and Reed will likely receive plenty of chances to earn that spot.”
If you want to know what other rookie training camp battles you should be paying attention to over the next few weeks, then be sure to check out the full story here.
5. Three questions that every AFC West team must answer before the start of the season
USATSI
By the end of this week, all 32 NFL teams will have reported for training camp, and due to that fact, we’re going to start taking a look at three questions that each team needs to answer by the time their camp ends in August.
We’re going to do this by division, and today, we’re going to take a look at the AFC West. Here’s one question that each team is facing:
Chiefs: Will Chris Jones sign an extension? “Chris Jones sat out all of Kansas City’s mandatory minicamp as the star defensive tackle seeks a new contract. … GM Brett Veach previously has expressed optimism that a deal will get done, and it’d behoove the Chiefs to hammer that out before the start of the season so that the pillar on the defensive side of the ball is fully bought in for the title defense.” Note: Jones did not report to the start of training camp and is currently holding out
Will Chris Jones sign an extension? “Chris Jones sat out all of Kansas City’s mandatory minicamp as the star defensive tackle seeks a new contract. … GM Brett Veach previously has expressed optimism that a deal will get done, and it’d behoove the Chiefs to hammer that out before the start of the season so that the pillar on the defensive side of the ball is fully bought in for the title defense.” Note: Jones did not report to the start of training camp and is Chargers: Can new OC Kellen Moore make the offense better? “Last season, Moore had the Cowboys offense ranked fourth in the league in points and 11th in total yards. If he can implement a fast-paced scheme with the Chargers, they’ll be one of the most fun offenses to watch in the entire league.”
Can new OC Kellen Moore make the offense better? “Last season, Moore had the Cowboys offense ranked fourth in the league in points and 11th in total yards. If he can implement a fast-paced scheme with the Chargers, they’ll be one of the most fun offenses to watch in the entire league.” Raiders: Will Josh Jacobs play for the Raiders? “The biggest story for the Raiders currently is the status of running back Josh Jacobs. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a long-term contract extension and Jacobs is now faced with playing the 2023 season on the franchise tag. However, Jacobs has yet to sign his tender and quite possibly will hold out of training camp, which begs the question of if he’ll even suit up for the Raiders again.” Note: Several fellow running back apparenlty think Jacobs might be willing to sit out into the season (You can read more about that here
Will Josh Jacobs play for the Raiders? “The biggest story for the Raiders currently is the status of running back Josh Jacobs. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a long-term contract extension and Jacobs is now faced with playing the 2023 season on the franchise tag. However, Jacobs has yet to sign his tender and quite possibly will hold out of training camp, which begs the question of if he’ll even suit up for the Raiders again.” Note: Several fellow running back apparenlty think Jacobs might be willing to sit out into the season (You Broncos: Can Sean Payton turn Russell Wilson around? “In his first season in Denver, Wilson looked washed up, which is rather concerning given the team signed him to a five-year, $245 million contract before even taking a snap for the franchise. … Payton has been one of the best offensive minds the NFL has seen in recent memory, which is ideal as the franchise tries to turn things around after a lackluster season in 2022 that featured poor play from Wilson.”
Remember, we have three questions for EACH team, which means 12 questions overall. If you want to check out each question, be sure to click here.
6. Extra points: Nyheim Hines likely out for the season
It’s been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
CBS Sports 2023 NFL Preseason All-Rookie Team unveiled, plus three questions each AFC West team must answer
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