With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror, teams around the league are starting to put the final touches on their roster ahead of the upcoming season. With rookie minicamps set to open up in the next couple of weeks, teams will get their first looks at their draftees.
While the start of the season, on September 8, seems in the far future, general managers will quickly feel the stress of finalizing rosters for training camps. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories around the NFL from this week.
Hopkins Suspended
At +2700, the Arizona Cardinals have the 14th-best odds of winning the Super Bowl this upcoming season. After finishing 11-6 last season, second in the NFC West, the Cardinals have a lot of work to do to keep up with the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Their team took an even further hit this week when it was announced that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will miss the first six weeks of the season due to a suspension for violating the NFL’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy.
Last season, the 29-year-old Hopkins played in 10 games, catching 42 passes for 572 yards and eight touchdowns. In a full season in 2020, Hopkins had 115 catches for 1,407 yards and six scores.
After losing Christian Kirk to free agency, the Cardinals’ acquisition of Marquise Brown from the Ravens on draft night seems even more significant.
During the 2021-22 season, the Cardinals ranked 10th in scoring (25.6 points per game), 11th in passing yards per game (244.3), and 13th in passing touchdowns per game (1.5).
Saints To Sign Mathieu
The New Orleans Saints are adding some help in their secondary as they are adding 29-year-old safety Tyrann Mathieu. After three years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Mathieu is moving on to his fourth team in New Orleans. Mathieu is familiar with the area after playing college ball at LSU.
Last season, with Kansas City, he played in 16 games and amassed 76 tackles, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), three fumble recoveries, and one sack.
The Saints currently have the eighth-best odds of winning the NFC at +2000. They are +4400 to win the Super Bowl this season.
Jarrett Signs Extension With Atlanta
On Tuesday, the Atlanta Falcons locked up 29-year-old defensive tackle Grady Jarrett to a three-year deal worth just over $50 million dollars. This extension keeps him with Atlanta through 2025.
Last year, Jarrett played in 17 games and had 59 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
The Falcons struggled on defense last season as they ranked 29th in scoring defense, allowing 27 points per game. As they look to rebuild, the Falcons locked up one of their defensive mainstays for the foreseeable future.
Bears Part Ways With Former GM Holdover
When former Chicago Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace signed Nick Foles, the hope would be that Foles could be the answer after Mitchell Trubisky didn’t pan out. Unfortunately for the Bears, Foles could not reproduce the magic he created with the Eagles in their Super Bowl run.
Earlier this week, the Foles era officially came to an end as new general manager Ryan Poles released the 33-year-old quarterback.
Assuming that Foles can latch on with an NFL team, it will be his sixth team of his career. His best season was back in 2013 with the Eagles, when he threw for 2,891 yards and 27 touchdowns. Since then, he has never thrown more than 13 touchdowns in a season.
Mike Davis Released
Nick Foles wasn’t the only veteran who was released this week. The Atlanta Falcons parted ways with the 29-year-old running back Mike Davis.
Last season, in 17 games, Davis rushed 138 times for 503 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 44 receptions for 259 yards and another score.
Despite signing a two-year deal with Atlanta last offseason, it was Cordarrelle Patterson who found success last season. His success made Davis expendable.
