Three offseason moves the Jaguars must make
The Jacksonville Jaguars had an 8-3 start to the season, but they had dropped five of their previous six games and were outside the postseason picture. But the team made a few roster changes and kept the majority of the players from the previous campaign.
In light of this, the Jaguars should make the following three offseason moves to get closer to the Texans at the top of the AFC South.
Jacksonville signed 30-year-old Ronald Darby and selected Florida State’s Jarrian Jones in the third round and Ole Miss’ Deantre Prince in the fifth round to replace the positions left vacant by the departures of Darious Williams (19 passes defensed, four interceptions) and Tre Herndon (nine passes defensed, one forced fumble).
Even while those are good moves, none of those additions are real.
CBs of one calibre. Let me introduce you to Gilmore, a 33-year-old man with plenty left in the tank. Gilmore recorded 14 forced incompletions, 9 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and an allowed completion percentage of just 56.2 with the Cowboys in the previous season, according to Pro Football Focus. As the AFC South’s top wide receiver, he may take over as Jacksonville’s starting cornerback while allowing some of the team’s younger CBs to grow and contribute to the defense.
The Jags won big when they added former 49ers defensive end Arik Armstead, but Armstead is the only DE on the team that can play from the starting position. Lawson, who is only 28 years old and has a track record of being an effective pass-rusher, will play in 2023.
In four of his first five seasons, Lawson had five or more sacks, and in three of them, he had 45 or more pressures. Although he isn’t as outstanding as Armstead or other elite edge rushers in the NFL, he is still talented enough to give the Jaguars a strong pass rush when they come off the edge. Josh Allen and Travon Walker might remain at their natural positions as outside linebackers with his addition.
All of these teams—the Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Commanders—need left tackles, but Robinson is still a very strong one in the NFL. Jacksonville might be able to avoid paying Robinson’s 2024 cap charge of $17.29 million while also regaining some draft money for 2025.
Russell Wilson was let go by the Denver Broncos and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Wilson joined the Broncos following years of success with the Seattle Seahawks, which included two trips to the Super Bowl.
Wilson was paid $245 million over five years, the standard rate for a savior, with the unwritten agreement that he would save this struggling team. Wilson undoubtedly experienced what they say: the higher you climb, the farther you fall.
He worked under three head coaches in his two years in Denver, the most recent being Sean Payton. It is difficult to hold Wilson entirely responsible for the two’s poor working relationship, even if there are probably a lot of contributing variables.
Without the on-field weapons and strong coaching that every quarterback need, Wilson was unable to give the Broncos what they desired. The media and Payton’s camp have had plenty of opportunities to spread rumors as a result of this suggested blame.
Aditi Kinkhabwala of CBS Sports recently commented on a Cleveland Browns podcast, indicating that this includes the media in the AFC North. Wilson reportedly had trouble with snap counts, moving across the pocket properly, and handling play-calling, according to Kinkhabwala. She said Wilson should wear a bracelet and limit every play to two words or fewer, implying that he wasn’t intelligent enough to handle Payton’s play instructions.
According to Kinkhabwala, the Broncos had a valid purpose for paying Wilson to leave. Her laudatory assessment of Payton as one of football’s best offensive thinkers highlighted her ongoing assault on Wilson’s intelligence. She did not emphasize Wilson’s many accomplishments, instead highlighting Payton’s legacy of developing so many exceptional quarterbacks. The media in Denver is now disputing Kinkhabwala’s remarks.
Ryan Edwards and Benjamin Allbright, presenters of the Broncos Country Tonight podcast, deemed Kinkhabwala’s opinions regarding Wilson to be absurd. “Sean, my initial reaction was, ‘Denver has moved on.'” We don’t need to continue sharing these kinds of things. All this did was cast Russell Wilson in a negative light; it wasn’t coming from the Russ side of the house.
Because this information only helps one person, only one person is leaking it.” Although it’s true that they were wearing wristbands, the hosts of the show note that this is standard procedure in the NFL. Players on both sides of the ball wear them, so there’s nothing wrong with that.
It is time to dispel the myth that using one implies having a low IQ. The wristbands facilitate faster processing. They also pointed out that Wilson was not unfamiliar with the two-word plays Kinkhabwala mentioned because Payton consistently employs them. That she would suggest Wilson was too “dumb” to receive wordy play calls shocks them. They are aware that Wilson had difficulty with that offense in the previous season, but it isn’t for lack of intelligence.
Wilson’s NFL success and coaching background, they claimed, indicate a quite different picture. “It is just absurd to think that Russell Wilson is incapable of receiving elaborate play calls. Under Brian Schottenheimer, who is renowned for his lengthy, verbose play calls—old-school football—Russell Wilson enjoyed his best season. These were play calls that he needed to master.”
Allbright and Edwards feel that this is all moot at this point and that everyone should move on, just like they did with Bo Nix in Denver. It has nothing to do with Denver; the Steelers will soon find out for themselves how Wilson operates in the new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme.
They consider this subject to be nothing more than an attempt at “slandering people just to slander people.” Russell Wilson of the Steelers is competing for his football career in 2024. Head coach Mike Tomlin of the Steelers said that Wilson will start this season instead of Justin Fields. Wilson has stated that he is not yet ready for his career to end and that he want to continue having success in Pittsburgh for the time being. Wilson’s professional trajectory may therefore be determined by how well he performs in 2024. Wilson is 35 years old, and if he doesn’t perform well this might be his final season as a starter. Father Time is catching up to him.
Wilson may likely fit into Smith’s and Pittsburgh’s scheme, according to some observers, perhaps tripling the team’s offensive output. With a formidable offensive line and a stockpile of weapons, he is undoubtedly being prepared for success in a manner that wasn’t the case in Denver.
In the first game of their second-round series, the New York Knicks defeated the Indiana Pacers. Jalen Brunson demonstrated his ability to make a difference once more. Head coach Tom Thibodeau, however, still uses a condensed rotation, playing the majority of the minutes to just seven players. Former NBA All-Star Roy Hibbert told me in an exclusive interview that he was worried the Knicks would burn out if they advance farther in the playoffs.
Although Hibbert expressed concern about the Knicks’ ability to survive with just seven players, Hibbert acknowledged that Tibbs had those players under contract. One of Thibodeau’s main rotation players is absent. Due to injury, Julius Randle is out for the entire campaign.
If the seasoned head coach had been available, he might have continued with an eight-man rotation, which is rather typical during the postseason. Still, the Knicks are managing to prevail. Their opponents are being stifled by their strict style of defense. New York sets the gaming temperature. Since OG Anunoby joined, they have become a formidable defense that occasionally seems unbreakable.
If the Pacers want to influence the series, they need to figure out a way to take charge of the tempo. Of course, limiting Brunson’s impact on the game is essential to defeating New York. Either eliminate the supporting cast members in his immediate vicinity or make him take more difficult shots.
This is where weariness may become an issue and possibly make it harder for New York to stay competitive. Thibodeau might lead the Knicks if they can maintain their intense exertion and Brunson keeps up his current output.
his squad into the Eastern Conference Finals, where the Boston Celtics might be their opponent. Although it seems doubtful, New York’s victory over Boston this season would demonstrate the development the team has made. Of course, inquiries regarding Thibodeau’s minute management and the toll it takes on his stars will come up if the Knicks are finally eliminated.
With the exception of the 2020 Orlando bubble, the Timberwolves became just the second team in NBA history on Monday to lead the reigning champs 2-0 at home. Who was the last team to do that? In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks won their first NBA championship in franchise history after sweeping the Lakers in the second round.
The issue facing the Timberwolves is uncannily identical. Like the Mavericks in 2011, they’re chasing their first championship and have the reigning champions on the ropes. Charles Barkley has also stated that Anthony Edwards and company will finish the Nuggets sweep.
On TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” Barkley declared, “This series is a wrap.” “The Nuggets are not as good as Minnesota.” Nowhere does the Nuggets have an advantage; even Nikola Jokic, the MVP, is being outplayed. I didn’t think much of Minnesota going into the season, but they’ve made me reconsider. They are authentic.
They are going to thump the Nuggets in Denver. Exactly.” Another resemblance to Dallas’ 2011 championship run? During the preseason, the Mavs were favored with +2000 long-shot odds to win the championship. Starting with the 2023–24 season, the Timberwolves were +6000 favorites (16th shortest odds). Finally, Las Vegas oddsmakers have warmed up to the Timberwolves.
They had the fourth-shortest odds to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy going into the second-round series against the Nuggets, behind the Thunder, the Nuggets, and the Celtics. Now, they’ve jumped ahead to second place. In the postseason, the Timberwolves have not lost yet. When they return home for Game 3 on Friday against the Nuggets, they will aim to take a 3-0 lead.
On Monday, Daryl Morey, the president of the Philadelphia 76ers, talked about what he anticipates to be a very busy offseason for the franchise.
Speaking to media, Morey stated that he believes there will be a significant shift this summer and mentioned the five players he is certain will be back for the 2024–25 campaign. In April 2023, Nick Nurse was sacked by the Toronto Raptors following five seasons played north of the border (and ten with the team). Doc Rivers took Nick Nurse’s place as the Sixers’ new starting center in May of the same year. Philadelphia finished the regular season 47-35 and qualified for the play-in round, despite the fact that reigning MVP Joel Embiid was only able to play in 39 games due to injury.
in opposition to the Miami Heat. In the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, even with Embiid returning, the seventh-seeded 76ers were defeated in six games by the second-seeded New York Knicks.
The squad’s two top players are without a doubt Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid, with the latter seeming poised to assume the role of team captain as soon as the upcoming season. In the 2023–24 season, Maxey was named to his first All-Star team and took home the Most Improved Player trophy. However, he excelled in the postseason.
The 23-year-old guard shot.478/.400/.893 and averaged 29.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds throughout Philadelphia’s six-game series versus New York. In the team’s crucial overtime victory in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden, Maxey was especially impressive, going off for 46 points on 17 of 30 shots (7 of 12 from three-point range) with nine assists and five rebounds.
After spending his whole fourth NBA season with the Sixers, Paul Reed has established himself as a favorite member of the club. As Embiid’s backup center in 2023–24, “BBall Paul” played one of the most significant positions on the team.
Although Reed gained notoriety before the Knicks series by providing New York with content via their bulletin board, Morey and company appear happy with the DePaul product coming back to support Embiid in the autumn. Ricky Council IV, who was not selected in the 2023 NBA Draft, inked a two-way contract with the 76ers in July of last year. After being waived in October, he signed a two-way contract again almost away, and in January, he made his NBA debut.
In his little time with the Sixers, the 22-year-old shooting guard shown glimpses, such as a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds on February 10 against the Washington Wizards.
After agreeing to a standard contract in April, Council IV played in 32 games and concluded the season with an average of 5.4 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 9.0 minutes.
