Bill is joined by Lindsay Jones of The Athletic to definitively rank all 20 teams that missed the playoffs last year for the upcoming season, including the Raiders (5:28), Lions, (14:39), Jets (25), Vikings (47:51), Panthers (53:22) and many more.
Did the Browns indeed have the best offseason? Which teams struggled to reach their goals? NFL Nation ranks them and looks toward training camp.
Could a former first-round selection be done with the Pittsburgh Steelers? NFL Nation picks a player on each team who might not make the opening day roster.
Randall Cobb and a 312-pound tight end lead a list of eye-opening performances from under-the-radar players this offseason.
Kubiak on the difficulty of establishing consistency on offense while having to go against a defense that has been together for the last 5 seasons: "No I think that's just real. They are way ahead. They have been running this scheme for a long time and doing it really, really good. What I told Kevin and I told our players is it gives us a chance to be really good. Because we go against good people every day. Our defense is excellent and that gives us a chance to be as good as we can possibly be. Everything that happens out here is real and we're making good progress. We have to be on our toes each and every day to be able to find ways to move the football. That will give us a chance to be as good as we can be. "
Gary Kubiak is adjusting to his new role as an assistant head coach/offensive advisor. That entails working closely with Kevin Stefanski to help the Vikings OC form his offensive philosophy in similar ways that Mike Shanahan helped Kubiak when he was just starting out as a young OC: "We got together as a group in the offseason and we kind of put our stuff together and it was kind of crossing paths on some various things," Kubiak said. "We've come up with the Minnesota offense is what we've done. Basically I'm just with him every day, every minute, in meetings with the coaches. We go in, he teaches. I'm in there watching him teach and what we do and then we sit down and talk. He's doing things I've done for a long, long time. Mike Shanahan used to sit in his office and watch me teach with a monitor. I remember those days. In a lot of ways I'm sitting in there watching Kevin teach every day. I've really enjoyed it. I'm impressed with his work ethic and his passion and his ability to reach people in a lot of different ways."
Kirk Cousins on Wednesday acknowledged that he's a .500 quarterback for his career and needs to lead the Vikings to victories to get to the next level.
Kirk Cousins on the notion of taking his game to the 'next level' in 2019 and what that means: "I think the next level, really, is all about winning," Cousins said. "I'm pretty much a .500 quarterback in my career so far and I don't think that's where you want to be and that's not why you are brought in or people are excited about you. If I don't play well, if I don't have gaudy statistics but we win multiple playoffs games the narrative will be I went to the next level. And I may not walk off the field every day feeling like I did, but if we win, that's the life of a quarterback is you are at the next level. And if I have my best year yet in 2019, but we're 8-8, I didn't go to the next level. So that's the reality of it, and I'm going to all I can, control what I can control, and I think one thing I can beyond just playing the best I can is to start really coaching and leading other people, so that I can never walk off the field, saying, ‘Hey I did my part but so and so different.' That can't happen as a quarterback. You have to bringing others along, so that isn't a point your making at an end of a practice or a game. So that's what it's really all about.''
Gary Kubiak's offenses run a lot of outside zone and play-action. The boots are something Kirk Cousins is notably very good at and should be used heavily in 2019, but the play-action game has had its share of challenges this spring in Minnesota. "I would say it's definitely a work in progress," offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski said. "At times it's good, at times it's bad. And the best thing you can do is watch our defense, and if they believe it and the sell is legit you'll get a reaction from our linebackers and our front seven, so I think it's been OK. Certainly a ton of room for improvement, and it's going to be a constant point of emphasis for our entire offense because when you talk play action it's very simple to just say it's the quarterback and the running back, but it's the offensive line, it's the tight ends, it's the wide receivers, it's everybody working in conjunction so that the pass looks like a run."
By ponying up for another of its core veterans, the front office has shown it believes its roster can compete for a championship.
Veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph has agreed to a contract extension with the Vikings. The deal is worth $36 million over four years, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Vikings are giving veteran TE Kyle Rudolph a four-year, $36 million extension that locks him into Minnesota, per source.
Are the L.A. running backs healthy? Which receivers will emerge as trustworthy targets? Mandatory minicamps continue this week.
The Packers will wear a No. 15 helmet decal this season to pay tribute to Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr.
Kevin Warren, who will become the first black commissioner of a Power Five conference when he replaces Jim Delany on Sept. 16, said he left the Vikings to lead the Big Ten because it's a "legacy" opportunity.
The Vikings are on the hook for most of the WR's 2019 cap hit whether or not they cut him, so allowing him to play out his fourth year makes sense.
Kevin Warren was named the Big Ten's new commissioner Tuesday, replacing Jim Delany, who in March announced his plans to retire in 2020 after 30 years with the league.
How are the rookies drafted on Day 1 adapting to the pro game? NFL Nation reporters offer first impressions of all 32 first-round picks.
Garrett Bradbury was a star catcher for a three-time state baseball champion in high school, where he gained valuable leadership skills.
Stefon Diggs with perspective on the familiarity he's garnered with QB Kirk Cousins and how that will translate to helping the offense bounce back in 2019: "Big picture, everybody wants things to happen so fast but Kirk was only here – what? - six months or something like that (before the 2018 season). As far as going into the second year and getting comfortable, I remember at one point I was with Teddy (Bridgewater) and it took a while to get adjusted. I was new to the league, he was young, too. As far as having a veteran quarterback that's been around the game, I trust him. As far as going into the second year, look forward to building on the relationship and moving forward. Kind of got a bad taste in our mouth from last year. Of course we had high goals just like everybody else but things didn't go that way. So going into the new year I would say same goals, just got to handle it differently."
After Mike Zimmer emphasized a desire to bring in a kicking coach at multiple points this offseason, the Vikings hired 9-year NFL veteran kicker Nate Kaeding as a part-time kicking coach. Kaeding, who lives in Iowa, works with the team a couple days a week during OTAs and provides special teams coordinator Marwaan Maalouf with 'another set of eyes.' "He's done a real good job so far of just communicating with the players, making sure everybody's on the same page," Maalouf said. "I think that's really important (that) we're all talking the same language. He's somebody that I can just send with the specialists and I can concentrate on other aspects as well as the specialists."
Can the Packers' new coach vibe with Aaron Rodgers? Will the Browns live the dream? These are two of NFL Nation's stories to watch in 2019.
| RD(PK) | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1(18) | Garrett Bradbury | C | North Carolina State |
| 2(18) | Irv Smith Jr. | TE | Alabama |
| 3(38) | Alexander Mattison | RB | Boise State |
| 4(12) | Dru Samia | OG | Oklahoma |
| 5(24) | Cameron Smith | ILB | USC |
| 6(17) | Armon Watts | DT | Arkansas |
| 6(18) | Marcus Epps | S | Wyoming |
| 6(20) | Olisaemeka Udoh | OT | Elon |
| 7(3) | Kris Boyd | CB | Texas |
| 7(25) | Dillon Mitchell | WR | Oregon |
| 7(33) | Olabisi Johnson | WR | Colorado State |
| 7(36) | Austin Cutting | LS | Air Force |
