HEADLINES

Brian Asamoah

NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Davis, Vikes

November 7th, 2024 at 9:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Questions about Matt Eberflus‘ status have emerged once again, as the Bears have lost two straight — the first of which featuring one of the more shocking endings in franchise history — to drop to 4-4. Eberflus fended off firing rumors to receive another chance this year, though he hired a new offensive staff upon being retained. Eberflus did not necessarily enter the season with the kind of playoffs-or-bust mandate Robert Saleh faced in New York, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs writes, but it is fairly clear the Bears will again need a good second half for the defense-minded coach to feel comfortable.

Eberflus is 14-28 as a coach, though his first season — a 3-14 campaign — featured a gutted roster early in a rebuild. Ryan Poles did not conduct the search that produced Eberflus, being hired only two days before the HC. But the GM is probably a better bet to outlast the coach, should this season go south. Poles and team president Kevin Warren are aligned in their vision, Biggs observes, pointing to the prospect of Poles being given the chance to hire a second coach. Poles would obviously have a greater influence in the Bears’ HC hire a second time around, should a 2025 change take place.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • John Cominsky went down with an MCL tear early in training camp, but the Lions waited until setting their 53-man roster to place the defensive lineman on IR. Cominsky is still in the mix to return at some point for the NFC North leaders, though Detroit Football Network’s Justin Rogers notes no reemergence is expected during the regular season. Cominsky is only in play to return if/once the Lions make the playoffs.
  • Elsewhere along the Lions’ front seven, Josh Paschal is on the way back after undergoing a recent treatment. The former second-round edge rusher needed to have a noncancerous mass removed. Diagnosed with an aggressive form of skin cancer in 2018, Paschal has needed yearly scans; his latest led to a two-game absence due to the mass needing to be removed, via DetroitLions.com’s Tim Twentyman. Paschal, who worked as a Lions starter in the two games before the hiatus, did not go on IR and is expected to return in Week 10. He will now be joined by trade pickup Za’Darius Smith, and a big role could await as both Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport are out for the regular season’s remainder.
  • Jamin Davis spent time as an edge defender during his final season with Washington, but in Green Bay, the former first-round pick has returned to his initial NFL role. The Packers have the 2021 draftee working as an off-ball ‘backer, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman notes. The Pack added Davis to their practice squad but have yet to elevate him for a game. Green Bay drafted two linebackers on Day 2 this year, though as a 36-game Washington starter from 2021-23, Davis now represents Green Bay insurance and perhaps an intriguing rebound piece.
  • Placed on IR due to an ankle injury, Luke Musgrave will not be back for a while. The second-year tight end ultimately needed surgery, Matt LaFleur said recently. LaFleur indicated the hope is Musgrave can return later this season. A second-round pick, Musgrave has seen 2023 third-rounder Tucker Kraft become the Packers’ top tight end. Musgrave also missed six games as a rookie, though he remains in the Packers’ IR-return puzzle for this season.
  • After coming up in trade rumors before the deadline, Vikings linebacker Brian Asamoah ended up staying with the team. Minnesota did, however, end up discussing Asamoah with teams, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Some degree of interest existed, but the former third-round pick does not have a role on defense right now. Asamoah has yet to start an NFL game, despite having been in the league for three seasons, further limiting his trade value.

Trade Rumors: Panthers, Thielen, Texans, Steelers, Slayton, Giants, Dolphins, Vikings

November 4th, 2024 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Thielen ripped off his third 1,000-yard season last year but did so for a 2-15 Panthers team. Although the Panthers notched their second win of the season, they are certainly not expected to sniff playoff contention this season. Thielen’s name has come up in trade rumors, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the 34-year-old receiver’s camp would like to catch on with a contender to close out this season. The Panthers are open to more seller’s moves, after their Diontae Johnson trade. While Carolina has some players in mind for post-2024 work, Thielen’s three-year, $25MM contract and age would make him a cut candidate next year.

Going down with a hamstring injury early this season, Thielen is in the IR-return window. That could affect his trade availability, but the possession target said (via ESPN.com’s David Newton) he expects to return in Week 10. That would obviously align with Tuesday’s deadline. It would cost the Panthers roughly $11MM — spread out between this year and next — to trade Thielen, but that would be unlikely to deter the rebuilding team if it received an offer. The Panthers’ Johnson return checked in low enough it caught plenty of attention, and with the team picking up some of the traded WR’s tab, it would not surprise if a team paid some of Thielen’s remaining money (roughly $2.4MM) to facilitate a swap.

Any player cut beyond the deadline is subject to waivers, something that could come up if the Panthers hold onto the veteran past Tuesday. Here is the latest from the market:

  • Teams still interested in adding receivers include the Steelers and Texans, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance. Pittsburgh’s interest in adding a WR piece has been well known for months, and Thielen is on the radar after Christian Kirk talks fell through. While conflicting reports are coming out of Houston. The AFC South leaders have been linked to both standing pat following the Stefon Diggs injury and then exploring the market. Pelissero predicts the Steelers’ odyssey will conclude with a receiver added by Tuesday’s deadline.
  • Unless Courtland Sutton is moved months after the Broncos rejected a third-rounder from the 49ers for him, Darius Slayton may be the top name available. Regardless of the reported high price the Giants have set on the sixth-year wideout, Breer adds the team has looked into trading both he and Azeez Ojulari for a bit now. Both are in contract years for a 2-7 team, with Ojulari generating extensive interest. The Cardinals were in on Ojulari, but they filled their OLB need with Baron Browning today. Also looking for EDGE help, the Falcons have checked in as well. Neither Slayton nor Ojulari want to be dealt, but the Giants are in position to strongly consider moving each. Slayton also suffered a concussion Sunday, which stands to impact his status as a trade chip. The Steelers are believed to be interested in the four-time Giants receiving leader.
  • The NFL features a high number of two-win teams (nine), something that could lead to more deals over the next 23-plus hours. But the 6-2 Vikings are also believed to be open to dealing away a piece. Minnesota linebacker Brian Asamoah should be considered a trade candidate, per Breer, as the Vikings have some LB depth in Blake Cashman, Ivan Pace, Kamu Grugier-Hill and hybrid player Andrew Van Ginkel. A former third-round pick, Asamoah has never started an NFL game and would not net much in a trade.
  • The Dolphins are one of those two-win clubs, having lost on a 61-yard Bills game-winning field goal in Week 9. Miami may still not be overly interested in selling, with Drew Rosenhaus indicating during a WSVN interview (h/t the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) the team has been looking into helping this year’s roster over the past few weeks. Miami having lost its past two games with Tua Tagovailoa healthy could contribute to this deadline approach, and Breer adds backup linebacker Duke Riley looms as a candidate to be dealt. But the team has made several big-ticket extension moves — including the Tagovailoa and Jaylen Waddle deals this offseason — in recent years, decisions that would stand to influence whether selling at the midseason point is prudent.

Vikings Waiting For 2022 Draft Class To Step Up

June 23rd, 2024 at 8:20pm CST by Ely Allen

2022 was the first draft in Minnesota for general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. While there have been some success stories like fourth-round cornerback Akayleb Evans becoming a starter in Year 2 and fifth-round running back Ty Chandler serving as a decent RB2 in his sophomore campaign, the class has overall been a bit of a disappointment.

We already commented on Kevin Seifert of ESPN’s stance that former first-round safety Lewis Cine could be on the roster bubble, but Seifert didn’t stop there, claiming that the other three picks in the first three rounds could run into similar difficulties this offseason.

This statement expands to the later picks of the draft class, as well, though it obviously doesn’t pertain to Evans and Chandler. Worth mentioning, though, is former sixth-round offensive tackle Vederian Lowe, who was traded to the Patriots for a seventh-round pick and went on to start eight games in New England last year, and fifth-round pass rusher Esezi Otomewo, who was waived after a year with the team.

Of the remaining players in the class, LSU second-round offensive guard Ed Ingram has been the most impactful player. Ingram became an instant, full-time starter as a rookie and has only missed two games in his time with the team. That being said, head coach Kevin O’Connell seemed to indicate recently that both starting guard spots are being fought for in a three-way competition between Ingram, backup tackle Blake Brandel, and Dalton Risner.

The battle could be a result of underwhelming performance from the second-rounder. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Ingram graded out as the 57th-best guard in the league out of 77 graded players his rookie year. Though he improved to the 38th-ranked guard in 2023, his overall score that determines those rankings only rose from 57.0 to 59.5. For reference, the top players at the position graded out in the 80s. Ingram could certainly win one of the two available starting jobs over Brandel and Risner, but the fact that, going into his third year, Ingram’s in danger of losing his job as the incumbent starter points to relative disappointment.

Taken 17 picks before Ingram, former Clemson cornerback Andrew Booth has also failed to play up to his second-round draft stock. Booth was already playing behind the starters, Evans and Byron Murphy, last year, but he is in danger of continuing to tumble down the depth chart as free agent addition Shaquill Griffin comes in with far more starting experience and fourth-round rookie Khyree Jackson could have more goodwill to win a roster spot in his first year with the team.

Third-round linebacker Brian Asamoah has likewise failed to crack the rotation in his first two years out of Oklahoma. He’s not likely to earn any starting time in 2024 as he’s been consistently working behind Ivan Pace and Blake Cashman so far this offseason. The free agent addition of veteran Kamu Grugier-Hill will likely take away any snaps as the primary backup at the position, as well.

Seventh-round pick Nick Muse was maybe not expected to do much as a late-round tight end, but he’s only been on the field for two offensive snaps in his career and missed all but two games last year. He may not see much room for improvement in 2024 as he’s been buried on a depth chart that now includes T.J. Hockenson, Josh Oliver, Robert Tonyan, and Johnny Mundt.

Lastly, sixth-round receiver Jalen Nailor was also mentioned by Seifert but on a slightly more positive note. Seifert claims that the coaching staff really wants to see Nailor make an impact and possibly earn the WR3 role this offseason. That role was vacated as K.J. Osborn departed for New England in free agency, and the Vikings didn’t really do much to replace Osborn after he left. With Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison leading the receiving corps, Nailor has an opportunity to step up into a crucial role.

Nailor’s early career has been hampered by injury. He missed seven games early in the season last year before sitting out the final four contests, as well. But coaches have pegged him as a “slippery target that defenders have trouble tracking” during his limited time in games and practice. While the coaches are hoping that he’ll force their hand, he’ll be competing with Brandon Powell, who was the fourth receiver on the team after coming over from the Rams last year, and Trent Sherfield, who has been an inconsistent contributor over his six years in the league.

So, Adofo-Mensah’s first draft did not produce the desired results in 2022, and while he did a little better by nailing Addison in the first round last year, the rest of the 2023 class has yet to make their impact. He’ll hope to continue hitting on first-rounders with quarterback J.J. McCarthy and pass rusher Dallas Turner this year, and he’ll hope that late-round picks like Jackson and kicker Will Reichard show their impacts, as well. Entering a bit of a rebuild post–Kirk Cousins, the team’s success will depend partially on how well Adofo-Mensah can build the team moving forward.