Matthew Schmidt Articles - Page 131

Benjamin Watson may be back in New England, but the Patriots still have a major void at tight end as a result of Rob Gronkowski announcing his retirement earlier this offseason. So, just how are the Pats going to replace Gronkowski’s production? Well, they can’t: “Look, nobody’s gonna replace Rob,” said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, […]

Given that Le’Veon Bell held out of his last two training camps with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the fact that he has not been present at voluntary workouts with his new New York Jets club can be viewed by some as somewhat alarming. But Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is not phased by Bell’s absence, saying that […]

In the lead-up to the 2019 NFL Draft, a report surfaced that new New York Jets head coach Adam Gase was already at odds with general manager Mike Maccagnan, with the report also stating that Maccagnan could lose his job as a result. At Jets rookie minicamp on Friday, Gase profusely denied those rumors, saying […]

The Arizona Cardinals didn’t surprise anyone when they made the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft, taking University of Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray in a decision that was expected for a couple of months. On Friday, Murray hit the field for the first time as a member of the Cardinals, participating in […]

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder earlier this offseason, representing the second procedure that Newton has undergone on his throwing shoulder since the end of the 2016 campaign. Newton is on the road to recovery and should be ready to go for the season opener, but with the former […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul will not undergo surgery on his fractured vertebra following a car accident last week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. While it was originally announced that Pierre-Paul could miss the entire 2019 campaign as a result of the injury, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians recently said that […]

University of Missouri quarterback Drew Lock may have fallen to the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month, but during the pre-draft process, there were some who felt he should be the second signal-caller off the board. Of course, three other quarterbacks ended up going before him. Lock eventually fell into the […]

The Tennessee Titans made a big addition to their receiver corps this offseason, signing former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Adam Humphries to a four-year deal. The Titans were definitely in need of some depth at that position. Humphries will unquestionably provide that and give them an elite slot receiver: The Titans brought in Adam […]

The Dallas Cowboys had one of the stronger defenses in the NFL this past season, and much of that had to do with the performance of Jaylon Smith at linebacker. Smith had a monster 2018 campaign, racking up 121 tackles, four sacks, a couple of forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and four passes […]

The Seattle Seahawks picked up University of Mississippi wide receiver D.K. Metcalf in the second round (64th pick overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month, and they are hoping he is more productive as a pro than he was on the collegiate level. The thing with Metcalf is that he did not post […]

Well, it looks like New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell has attended voluntary workouts, after all. Or at least one of them. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, Jets rookie defensive lineman Quinnen Williams discussed how it was cool to meet quarterback Sam Darnold, safety Jamal Adams, and Bell, an indication that Bell has […]

The Chicago Bears were one of the best teams in the NFL this past season, winning 12 games and capturing the NFC North division title en route to making the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign. However, the Bears were upset by the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card Round, putting a […]

It’s hard to find a player who has had more bad luck than Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz over the last two years. Back in 2017, Wentz was leading an Eagles team that was one of the best in the NFL and was in the midst of an MVP-caliber season before a torn ACL in […]

The New England Patriots did something they had not done in over two decades late last month, using a first-round draft pick on a wide receiver. The lucky wide out was Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry, who was chosen by the Patriots with the 32nd overall pick late last month and became the first receiver since […]

It looks like Kyle Rudolph’s days with the Minnesota Vikings could be coming to an end. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Vikings held contract extension talks with Rudolph with the hopes of keeping him around long term, but on Friday morning, those talks broke off. This could mean that the Vikings could […]

The New England Patriots are doing everything they can to shore up their shaky receiving corps, with their latest move coming in the form of signing wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Inman spent the 2018 campaign with the Indianapolis Colts, playing in nine games and hauling in 28 receptions for […]

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is an interesting player. The third-year quarterback is certainly not a bust, but he has also not yet lived up to the lofty expectations most had for him when he entered the league. But is Trubisky actually getting a bad rap? For all of the talk that Trubisky might not […]

Count me as someone who is skeptical on New York Jets running back Le’Veon Bell. He hasn’t played football in over a year, and the last time we did see him, yes, he made the Pro Bowl and earned First-Team All-Pro honors, but he averaged just four yards per carry. Could that mean the wheels […]

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is still recovering from a back issue that caused him to miss the final five games of the 2018 campaign plus the playoffs, but the general consensus is that he will be just fine for the 2019 opener. But will he be ready for organized team activities? Eagles head coach Doug Pederson […]

The New York Giants surprised a lot of people when they opted to take Duke’s Daniel Jones instead of Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins as their quarterback of the future in 2019 NFL Draft. Count former Giants safety Landon Collins among them. Collins, now a teammate of Haskins’ with the Washington Redskins, thought New York was […]

Bill Belichick isn’t accustomed to taking wide receivers in the first round of the draft, but he made a change to his philosophy late last month, as the New England Patriots selected Arizona State wide out N’Keal Harry with the 32nd overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft. Harry is thrilled to be a member […]

There has been a heck of a lot of focus on the social media past of San Francisco 49ers incoming rookie defensive lineman Nick Bosa, but his new teammates are insisting none of it will be an issue. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is singing the same tune, saying that Bosa’s opinions will not be a […]

The New York Jets made a head-coaching change earlier this offseason, replacing the defensive-minded Todd Bowles with offensive guru Adam Gase, who had spent the previous two years coaching the Miami Dolphins. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is excited to work with Gase, saying that everyone is “buying in” to Gase’s system: “We have the potential […]

The New England Patriots stepped out of their comfort zone in the 2019 NFL Draft, using a first-round pick on a wide receiver for the first time in 23 years by taking Arizona State wide out N’Keal Harry with the 32nd overall selection late last month. With the Patriots losing tight end Rob Gronkowski to […]

The San Francisco 49ers ranked 11th in passing defense this past season, but they also allowed 35 touchdowns through the air, the second-worst mark in the NFL. Obviously, you would think the 49ers would then make a concerted effort to address the secondary during the offseason, but they only made one adjustment, signing free-agent cornerback […]

The Miami Dolphins entered the offseason in need of a quarterback, and while they did not draft one, they made a draft weekend trade for one, sending the 62nd overall pick to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for Josh Rosen. Rosen was the Cardinals’ first-round pick from a year ago but had a rough rookie […]

The New York Giants lost two of their best players this offseason, as they traded wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns and saw safety Landon Collins head to the Washington Redskins via free agency. Beckham was dealt largely as a result of the Giants not exactly loving his antics both on the […]

Landon Collins ended up signing a massive $84 million contract with the Washington Redskins this offseason, but the safety had originally hoped to remain with the New York Giants. While Collins appreciates his new team, he never wanted to leave his first. “I’m starting a new chapter and I’m on a good team,” Collins said, […]

Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is coming off of a fantastic 2018 campaign in which he racked up 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground while averaging five yards per carry, but that’s not all. McCaffrey also hauled in 107 receptions for 867 yards and six scores, making him a Fantasy Football owner’s […]

The New York Giants may have traded wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. this offseason, but they showed a great deal of commitment to fellow wide out Sterling Shepard, signing him to a four-year contract extension. With Beckham now out of the picture, Shepard takes center stage in the Giants’ passing game, as New York is […]

We know that running backs like Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Alvin Kamara, and Christian McCaffrey are going to be some of the top picks in Fantasy Football drafts everywhere in the coming year, but what about the sleepers? What about the halfbacks that people might overlook? Here is a list of five sleeper running backs […]

Well, it looks like Tyronn Lue will not be named the Los Angeles Lakers new head coach after all. In spite of what seemed like a universal acceptance that Lue would become the next man to patrol the Lakers’ sidelines, it seems that both sides are moving on from talks after an impasse was reached. […]

The Baltimore Ravens were in some serious need of help in their receiving corps entering the 2019 NFL Draft, so they picked up University of Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise Brown with the 25th overall pick late last month. Brown had a very strong two-year Division I career (he began his collegiate tenure at a junior […]

Perhaps one of the biggest wild cards heading into the 2019 NFL campaign is Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The Redskins took Haskins with the 15th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft late last month, as the Ohio State surprisingly slid out of the top 10 and fell into Washington’s lap (the Redskins […]

Earlier in the day on Wednesday, it was reported that the Seattle Seahawks were the favorites to sign free-agent defensive lineman Ezekiel “Ziggy” Ansah. Not so fast. Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane has taken to 1270 The Fan to state that he thinks his team has a great shot of landing Ansah, as the […]

It seems like Brandin Cooks has finally found a home. After playing for three different teams over the last three years, it seems safe to say that the wide receiver will be playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, marking the first time since 2016 that he will be starting a season with the […]

Former Washburn University cornerback Corey Ballentine went through a harrowing experience shortly after being drafted into the NFL by the New York Giants, as he and his former Huskies teammate, Dwane Simmons, were shot. Ballentine was injured, but Simmons was killed. What was supposed to be the best moment of Ballentine’s life was tainted instantly […]

Marlon Mack was one of the most underrated running backs in football this past season, as he racked up 908 yards and nine touchdowns (in 12 games, mind you) while averaging 4.7 yards per carry living in the shadow of Andrew Luck. In the playoffs, however, Mack began to receive more attention, as his 148-yard […]

The Dallas Cowboys are trying to get a new deal done with quarterback Dak Prescott, and it seems like the Cowboys will eventually ensure that he remains in Dallas for a long time. Owner Jerry Jones has spoken glowingly of Prescott, and head coach Jason Garrett has followed suit, lauding the signal-caller’s leadership abilities. “Well, […]