Plus: Deebo Samuel’s new contract, a touchdown in Munich and the arrival of Deshawn Watson in Cleveland. We’re exploring some important NFL storylines in the aftermath of a dramatic offseason; Watch Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams live on Sky Sports NFL, 1:20am Friday.
The 2022 NFL season has finally begun after what could be described as one of the wildest off-seasons in years.
We’re just speculating on some of the important off-season storylines leading up to the events of Week 1…
The intrigues of Aaron Rodgers have long been on the NFL’s off-season bingo cards, and this year is no different.
The Packers quarterback finally shed some clarity on his future, signing a new three-year, $150.8 million, $101.5 million guaranteed contract in March before Robin left for his Batman and Davante Adams was traded.” Las Vegas Raiders. Adams’ target share over the past two seasons has been 29.65 percent (2021) and 28.33 percent (2020) for a combined 2,927 yards. This is not a fall, but rather an abyss in production. It makes Matt LaFleur work hard to make it with the stunt crew.
Allen Lazar has become Rodgers’ favorite, albeit forced, target since the loss of Marquez Valdez-Scantling, throwing just 73 for 964 yards in the last two seasons. Randall Cobb will be heavily relied upon, reliable tight end Robert Tonyan is returning from an ACL tear, Sammy Watkins has been signed as a free agent, there is hype around second-round rookie Christian Watson’s experience in yards after catch and fourth round. Romeo Doobs has always been the epitome of boot camp stories. An innovative scheme is muddied by personnel, and snags can beckon.
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Rodgers, who publicly expressed his frustration with young receivers throwing the ball in practice, joked that running back Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon could end up making 50 balls each out of bounds; spoiler, he wasn’t joking.
The Browns have welcomed unrivaled attention long before even a single snap has been played this season. The Clevelands traded for Deshawn Watson on March 18 and signed Jacoby Brisset as a sort of insurance policy on March 25, while freezing Baker Mayfield, who has since won the starting position with the Carolina Panthers. This means Cleveland has had five full months to decide if they are comfortable starting with Brisset, if they could come up with a better solution than Brisset, if they compete with Brisset/survive/pray knowing the inevitability that Watson will miss. a significant chunk of the campaign through suspension.
Watson, who was handed a $230 million fully guaranteed deal, will miss the first 11 games of the season after the NFL appealed an initial six-game ban following allegations of sexual harassment during massage sessions during his tenure with the Houston Texans. He is eligible to return by Week 13 when the Browns face the Texans.
In recent years, Brisset’s work has ranged from addressing Andrew Luck’s retirement issues in a timely manner to short yardage specialist, never bringing the curtain down on a long-term start. His newest role could well be seen as that of a night watchman, keeping the playoff squad competitive and preventing disaster before Watson, though a rusty Watson, is ready to take the reins. Fortunately, he has a bulldozer in the form of Nick Chubb and a tormenting Miles Garrett in the company.
