Opinion

The New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken very different paths in the 2022 offseason.

The Saints have overhauled a roster that produced just nine wins a year ago, failing to make the postseason for the first time since a three-year dry spell from 2014 to 2016. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, spent the offseason keeping the proverbial band together, setting up the defending NFC South champions to make one more run at a Super Bowl with Tom Brady under center.

Both teams enjoyed considerable success at their chosen paths. The Buccaneers look a lot like the team that followed up a win in Super Bowl LV with a 13-win 2021 and NFC South title. Tampa is viewed by just about everyone as the favorites in the division—including the oddsmakers at DraftKings.

But after adding impact players on both sides of the ball, the Saints have roared up behind the Buccaneers—so much so that there's a legitimate chance that if Tommy Terrific and the Brady Boys aren't careful, Tampa is going to find itself angling for a wild-card spot and hitting the road for the postseason.

The latest big move the Saints made came earlier this week—per ESPN's Mike Triplett, the team agreed to terms on a contract with veteran wide receiver Jarvis Landry. The 29-year-old Landry, who played collegiately at LSU, struggled with injuries a year ago in Cleveland, but Landry is a five-time Pro Bowler who has topped 1,000 receiving yards three separate times and topped 100 receptions twice.

It's just the most recent move the Saints have made to revamp a wideout corps that was a major weakness for the team in 2021.

New Orleans spent one of two first-round picks on Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave, who Bleacher Report ranked as a top-10 prospect overall this year and the second-ranked wideout. The 6'0", 187-pound Olave, who caught 65 passes for 936 yards and 13 scores in 2021, told Triplett he's looking forward to learning from Landry and Michael Thomas, who the Saints hope will return to his record-setting 2019 form after a pair of injury-marred seasons.

"I can't wait to learn from them, those two legends," Olave said. "I just started playing receiver my junior year of high school. Coming here and having Mike Thomas, Jarvis Landry help me, I have a lot of room for development, I can't wait to max that out. I've watched a lot of film on Jarvis, just his short movement quickness. I watched a lot of film on him in college, trying to take some stuff out of his game. And Mike is one of the best receivers in the game, so of course I watch him. But to see them in person, see how they work in person, I feel like it's going to help me a lot."

The Saints attempted to make a major change at quarterback, as well—New Orleans was one of the finalists for the services of Deshaun Watson before he eventually chose the Cleveland Browns. After missing out on Watson, the Saints turned their attention back to Jameis Winston, who started seven games for the team in 2021 before tearing his ACL.

As Triplett reported, Winston admitted that watching the Saints throw everything including the kitchen sink at landing Watson led to some "tough conversations" between player and team. But after signing a two-year, $28 million deal to return to the Big Easy, Winston said he knows that these Saints are his team in 2022.

"Now, it's just the action," Winston said. "It's just going out there, it's me getting healthy, and it's us going out there and winning games. And making everybody happy. Because that's what it's about. That's how they keep their jobs on the business side. That's how DA stays the head coach. And that's how I stay the quarterback."

Frankly, it may well wind up that failing in their pursuit of Watson was the best thing that could have happened to the Saints. Had the team succeeded, the picks used to draft Olave and a successor to Terron Armstead at left tackle in Trevor Penning would probably be Houston's. There wouldn't have been the cap space to bring in Landry. Or to overhaul the safety position after the losses of Marcus Williams and Malcolm Jenkins with the additions of veteran Marcus Maye and three-time first-team All-Pro Tyrann Mathieu.

Mind you, Winston is himself a former No. 1 overall pick in his own right who has topped 5,000 passing yards in a season and eclipsed 30 touchdown passes. The biggest knock on Winston over his career has been his penchant for turning the ball over, but last year at least that wasn't the case—he tossed 14 touchdown passes over those seven starts against just three picks.

Provided that his rehab continues to progress well (Winston has said he intends to be full-go for training camp), there's no reason to think that given the improved passing-game weaponry at his disposal Winston can't have success. Considerable success, even.

All told, general manager Mickey Loomis has done another outstanding job of filling holes and improving the roster. Armstead or no, the Saints should have a stout offensive line—especially if Penning can bring the mean streak he had in college to the pros. The receivers are exponentially better than a season ago. The Saints were seventh in the league last year in total defense and added depth in the secondary on Day 2 of the 2022 draft with Tennessee's Alontae Taylor.

It's a roster without any weak spots that stand out.

Of course, the same thing can be said about the Buccaneers. There's a reason why no team in the NFC has better Super Bowl odds than Tampa, and it's not just because the team is led by the greatest quarterback to ever lace them up.

The Buccaneers had the NFC's No. 1 run defense last year and the league's second-best offense in terms of both yards and points per game. Once Brady decided to come back for one more year, quite a few of his teammates followed suit. The Buccaneers are loaded.

However, there's a difference between loaded and invincible.

The Buccaneers offset the loss of both starting guards from a year ago with a trade for Shaq Mason and the addition of second-rounder Luke Goedeke, but whether it's Goedeke or Aaron Stinnie starting the interior of the offensive line is a question mark. It's a similar story on the defensive line, where rookie Logan Hall is being counted on the step into the void left by Ndamukong Suh (who remains a free agent). Tampa's pass defense wasn't great last season, finishing the year 21st in the league.

It's not as if the Saints haven't shown they can give Brady's Buccaneers all they can handle. Since Brady took the reins in Tampa, the Bucs and Saints have squared off five times. The Buccaneers ended New Orleans' season in the divisional round of the 2020 playoffs, but the Saints were victorious in all four regular-season meetings.

There are questions that still need to be answered in New Orleans.

Star running back Alvin Kamara could be facing a suspension after an offseason arrest on a felony charge for battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. For the first time since the Bountygate season of 2012 (and just the second time since 2006), the Saints will open the season without Sean Payton as head coach. Dennis Allen has experience in that regard, but he also struggled in his stint as head coach of the Raiders, winning just eight of 36 games.

This time around, though, Loomis has set both Allen and Winston up to succeed. The quarterback has ample passing-game weaponry and a solid offensive line protecting him. The defensive-minded head coach has a top-10 unit on that side of the ball that can play both the run and the pass.

These Saints are every bit as balanced and talented as the squad that won 12 games and the NFC South two years ago. So while many may have all but given the division to Brady and the Bucs, they are doing so prematurely.

The Saints may well go marching into the playoffs once again in 2022.

It happened again.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, for the sixth straight season, have lost a first-round playoff series. That makes it 17 seasons without a playoff series victory, to say nothing of a Cup drought that has lingered since 1967.

Analyzing the series itself, it's hard to fault the Leafs. Toronto dominated in the regular season, finishing fourth overall in the NHL. The divisional playoff format and an unusually strong Atlantic Division meant they had an extremely difficult first-round matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who finished with 110 points and are, of course, two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions.

And the Leafs put up a hell of a fight. Both teams had their moments, and this was a tight matchup from start to finish. In fact, Toronto actually outscored Tampa Bay 24-23. Game 7 was a dead heat, with Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy standing on his head; he let up just one goal despite the Leafs generating 3.42 expected goals, per Evolving Hockey.

What if a couple of pucks bounced a few centimeters left or right? What if the referees made different calls in pivotal moments? What if Vasilevskiy was slightly more human on Saturday? It's just as easy to imagine the Leafs winning this coin flip of a series, and nobody would have questioned the Lightning's efforts in such a loss. This was a seven-game marathon that would have been a worthy Stanley Cup Final. The Leafs were dealt a miserable hand, played an incredible series and fell one goal short.

History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes. Many of these themes—bad luck, running into a hot goaltender, barely conceding a tight series that went seven games—have been repeated over and over again. Maybe that's nothing more than bad luck, but at this point it's hard to fault anyone who thinks there's something more to it.

What would that be, though? There are flaws in the Toronto roster. The team lacks a true cornerstone No. 1 defenseman. There's room for improvement in goal. Jack Campbell has been inconsistent and had an average series. At a minimum, the Leafs must add a goaltender who can push him for the starting spot. No team is perfect. Not Tampa Bay. Not the St. Louis Blues, who are advancing to Round 2 with three real NHL defensemen. Certainly not the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, if one were to rank NHL teams by their weakest links, Toronto would fair better than most.

It's easy to say that these results indicate that something is fundamentally broken in Toronto. It's a lot more difficult to actually cite the specific problems. Maybe you ax head coach Sheldon Keefe or even president Brendan Shanahan or general manager Kyle Dubas. Maybe it gives the fanbase a cathartic release and a sense that something is changing.

But what specifically have Leafs coaches and management done wrong the last few seasons? They've nailed all of their lottery picks and have returned incredible value on their late-round draft picks. They've done a great job developing prospects into quality players. Unlike most teams, the Leafs lack any obvious anchor contracts. They have star talent, both grown at home and recruited elsewhere, as well as depth down the fourth line and third defensive pairing.

The product has been nothing short of phenomenal in the regular season. The Leafs were elite this season both offensively and defensively. Their special teams, a weak point last season, came through this time around. Mitch Marner and William Nylander, scapegoats of the past, had career years. Keefe had this team looking dangerous.

So perhaps this team is less than the sum of its parts. Something about the locker room mix or on-ice combinations leads to some sort of mental block, some self-destructive behavior, once a playoff series is on the line.

Again, what is the actual problem and how can the Leafs act on it? It surely isn't a lack of veteran leadership. Three different players—John Tavares, Jason Spezza and Mark Giordano—were successful NHL captains prior to joining the Leafs. There are multiple players who have been through the wringer and have reputations as having great character. There are no indications of locker room toxicity. If you're going to take a sledgehammer to the roster's core, who specifically gets sacrificed? Marner? Nylander? Tavares? In what world could the Leafs possibly come out the other side improved?

There are many ways the Leafs could overhaul the makeup of the team: a new voice behind the bench; mainstays of these failures dealt with fresh blood coming into the locker room; a complete makeover of management. Could that lead to better results? Sure.

It's also a lot easier to imagine the many ways that could do more harm than good. The politician's fallacy, or making change for the sake of change, reeks of desperation and impulsivity rather than a coherent process. Previously, Phil Kessel was labeled as persona non grata in Toronto—a prima donna who lacked the mental makeup to succeed in big moments. He was exiled to Pittsburgh, where he promptly helped the previously underachieving Pittsburgh Penguins win two straight Stanley Cups.

But six straight first-round exits. Six! With sympathies to the Toronto faithful whose patience reserves are emptied, maybe the only option is to not panic and trust the process. This is an incredible team that just can't seem to catch a break. At some point, the dice are going to have to roll in their favor and they'll get rewarded. They just have to.

Right?

As spring turns into summer and NFL training camps draw nearer, free agency has wound down. Most of the players who will make a sizable impact this season already know where they will play in 2022.

However, there are a few big names who are still on the open market. Some are holding out (at least in a fashion) in the hopes for a bigger and better deal than what they have been offered to date. Others have a cloudy future due to an injury.

Odell Beckham Jr. falls into that latter camp. After tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI, the 29-year-old's availability for the 2022 campaign remains a question mark. But while Beckham hasn't recently been able to post the gaudy numbers that he did over his first few years in New York, we saw some flashes in L.A. of that player who took the NFL by storm back in 2014 and 2015.

And if that type of player is able to get back on the field for the stretch run, then with the right fit Beckham could be the ultimate wild card, the sort of difference-maker who can mean the difference between a cup of coffee in the postseason and a run all the way to Glendale, Arizona, and Super Bowl LVII.

At first glance, Beckham's 2021 doesn't look especially impressive. Over 14 games split between the Rams and Cleveland Browns, Beckham caught just 44 passes for 537 yards and five touchdowns. His 12.2 yards per reception was the second-lowest mark of his career. His average of 38.4 receiving yards per game was his lowest by a sizable margin.

But dig a little deeper, and the picture brightens considerably. All five of Beckham's regular-season scores came after he joined the Rams. So did his best single-week stat line of the entire season—a five catch, 81-yard effort (with a touchdown) in a Week 12 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Once the playoffs got underway, Beckham truly emerged.

The three-time Pro Bowler caught all four of his targets for 54 yards and a score in the wild-card matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. He followed that up with six catches for 69 yards on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Then he exploded to the tune of nine catches for 113 yards in the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. And then he reeled in two passes for 52 yards and a touchdown before his knee gave way in the Super Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

All told, Beckham had 21 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns in four postseason games. Extrapolated over an entire regular season, that would equate to a beefy 89/1,224/9 stat line. Those numbers would be Beckham's best since 2016.

That hot streak ended in heartbreaking fashion for Beckham. But as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com told The Pat McAfee Show, there was a silver lining. It allowed doctors to go in and fix Beckham's knee properly after surgery to fix his 2020 tear didn't go well.

"When Odell tore his ACL with the Browns ... it did not sound like [the surgery] went as well as anyone would've hoped," Rapoport said. "So before the Rams signed Odell Beckham this past season ... the knee was a concern because it was not 100 percent healthy. And I don't believe they would have given him a long-term deal just based on the knee because it was troubling. ... This past surgery went really well, and he probably is going to have extended his career."

The Rams may not have wanted to give Beckham a long-term deal. But despite OBJ's injury and the fact that L.A. acquired Allen Robinson as a new running mate for Cooper Kupp, head coach Sean McVay made it clear during a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that Los Angeles hasn't ruled out running it back with Beckham in 2022:

"I really want Odell back on our team. He's a guy that in a short amount of time we were able to develop a really special relationship. I thought he brought a great spark to our team. I thought he played really well. He's a great teammate. We all know what a charisma and a presence that he has, but he is truly a great teammate, made so many impactful plays. It was a shame to see him go down in that game, but man, he sure still made an impact with those two catches that he did have and without a doubt want to get Odell back here."

Per Rapoport, a reunion with the Rams remains the most likely outcome for Beckham this season. That makes sense on more than one level. OBJ has already shown a comfort level with the team and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Once he's healthy, a trio of Kupp, Robinson and Beckham would be one of most potent in the NFL.

For his part, Beckham isn't ruling out a return to Los Angeles either. 

There are some other playoff contenders who would be well-served to at least kick the tires on bringing Beckham in. The Packers have won 13 games in each of the last three seasons, but they have massive question marks at wide receiver after they dealt Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. On yet another radio appearance, Rapoport reported that Green Bay could have Beckham on their radar.

"This is a great WR market for the Packers & I think they're gonna be involved for Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones & OBJ" ~@RapSheet#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UXRLxnqNFK

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 10, 2022

The Baltimore Ravens also traded their No. 1 wide receiver (Marquise Brown) in the offseason, leaving second-year pro Rashod Bateman as the presumptive No. 1 atop a very shaky depth chart at the position.

The Dallas Cowboys have CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup but not a lot behind that duo. It's a similar case with the Indianapolis Colts, who have Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Alec Pierce.

To be clear, it is unrealistic to think that Beckham will step in and save the day starting in Week 1. We are talking about a player who will turn 30 in November after tearing his ACL in February. Per the Mayo Clinic, rehab time for an ACL injury is at least eight months, which would sideline Beckham into October. He'll more likely than not open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list.

The thing is, with the exception of Green Bay, none of the above teams are looking for a savior at wide receiver. They don't need a No. 1 wideout. They should be in the thick of the mix for a playoff spot with or without OBJ.

The Packers will be too. They play in one of the league's weaker divisions. Relax.

But while Beckham may not be able to save a team, he showed last year that he can boost a club over the top. He can make opponents pay for bracketing a team's No. 1 wideout. And he can take pressure off that wideout when he does.

It's a movie we just saw as Beckham played the role of late-season lottery ticket, of the wild card who propels a team over the top.

There's no reason to think he can't do it again. The only difference is that this time he'll be on the sidelines for half of the season instead of languishing in Cleveland.