NFC East

The New York Giants released cornerback James Bradberry on Monday.

The Giants tried to find a trade partner for their former No. 1 cornerback but released the six-year NFL veteran instead, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic:

Bradberry signed a three-year, $43.5 million contract with the Giants in 2020 after four years with the Carolina Panthers. He made the Pro Bowl in his first season with New York.

The Giants are undergoing a rebuild under a new regime with general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll.

One of Schoen's tasks has been to get the team under the salary cap. Prior to the Bradberry release, the Giants had minus-$7.2 million in effective cap space, per Over the Cap, so they had to make drastic moves to get out of the red.

Trading or releasing Bradberry was an obvious choice. The Giants aren't in position to compete for a Super Bowl following a 4-13 season.

Although Bradberry was one of the Giants' best defensive players and two years removed from a Pro Bowl appearance, keeping him didn't make much sense given his cap hit and the team's rebuilding process.

The Giants did engage in trade talks, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, and the Kansas City Chiefs emerged as the primary option. However, nothing materialized.

Schoen gave an update on WFAN Sports Radio's Carton & Roberts last week (h/t Ryan Morik of Yahoo Sports):

We're working through that right now. His agents have been great, we've been in constant communication, I've talked to James, it's been very professional throughout the whole process, and we should have some resolution, hopefully, by the end of the week.

It's unfortunate, because he's a great kid… I've always spoken very highly of the kid. Listen, he's a starting corner in the league. It's just, where we are financially, we still gotta sign our draft picks, we gotta be able to sign our practice squad, and then have replacement costs early in the season.

Schoen said he thought there would be more trade interest but that it didn't work out:

I thought there would be more interest. There were some teams that showed interest pre-draft, and we had a couple of different times there were compensation in place, and the contracts never worked out. Being the fact that we did have good talks with other teams and their agents, had good talks with teams, sometimes, if you're gonna renegotiate a contract and you couldn't come to an agreement, it is what it is.

Bradberry shouldn't have a shortage of suitors. While his 2021 season wasn't as good as his 2020 Pro Bowl campaign, he amassed 35 pass breakups and seven interceptions over his two years as the Giants' top cornerback.

As for the Giants, they have a massive hole at cornerback. It'll be up to players like Adoree' Jackson, Aaron Robinson, Darnay Holmes and rookie Cordale Flott to get the job done.

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly expressed interest in signing free-agent defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul before the 2022 NFL draft.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported the Cowboys' interest may have changed after they landed Ole Miss defensive end Sam Williams in the second round.

Pierre-Paul, 33, spent the last four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's coming off perhaps the worst season of his NFL career, compiling 31 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 12 games. The sack total was Pierre-Paul's lowest since the 2015 season, and Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 49.1, which is in the range of a replacement-level player.

A nagging shoulder injury hampered Pierre-Paul throughout the season, and he underwent surgery in February. 

"Ain't s--t," Pierre-Paul wrote on Instagram. "Watch me kill s--t when I get back!! I'm saying it now, I told you so!!"

Any team interested in Pierre-Paul will likely want him back at 100 percent before signing him to a new deal. Given his age and uninspiring play last season, Pierre-Paul might have to take a one-year deal to prove he can still be effective rather than land a long-term contract.

The Bucs paid him $25 million over the last two seasons. 

Pierre-Paul has made three Pro Bowls and recorded 91.5 career sacks over his 12-year NFL career. 

As Carson Wentz prepares to suit up for a third team in three years, he must understand this may be his last chance at a starting job in the NFL. Nonetheless, he could turn his career around after returning to the NFC East with the Washington Commanders.

A week before the official start of free agency, the Commanders acquired Wentz, a second-round pick and a seventh-round pick from the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a second-rounder and a third-rounder along with a conditional 2023 third-rounder. Washington also agreed to take on his full contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, which carries a $28.3 million cap hit in 2022.

Regardless of whether the Commanders believed in Wentz enough to take on his sizable deal and sacrifice draft capital or made the move out of desperation, they have the right head coach and the supporting cast to help him flourish in Washington.

Without a doubt, Wentz has the arm talent to make spectacular plays and breathe life into an offense. Though he can be inconsistent, the seventh-year signal-caller has a decent resume of passing production, with 140 touchdown passes and 57 interceptions with a 62.6 percent completion rate.

In 2021 with the Colts, Wentz threw for 3,563 yards, 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in a run-heavy offense that featured running back Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for a league-leading 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns, and one consistent pass-catcher in wideout Michael Pittman Jr.

In the final two weeks of the 2021 campaign and with a playoff berth on the line, Wentz played poorly, completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 166.5 yards per game. Nonetheless, his tenure soured long before the Colts' late-season collapse, per The Athletic's Zak Keefer.

"As for the Colts, the issues with Wentz stretched back to before the season began, one source said, and over the course of the year, some grew frustrated at what they deemed a lack of leadership, a resistance to hard coaching and a reckless style of play, which had a role in several close losses this year," Keefer wrote.

Based on talent alone, Wentz has the qualities of a middling starter. He can help a team win games, but his boneheaded mistakes have led to costly turnovers and a low completion rate. The 29-year-old also seems to lack leadership traits, which reportedly shortened his time in Indianapolis and might have led to his departure from the Philadelphia Eagles.

According to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer, people within the Eagles' organization believed that the team's decision to select quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second round of the 2020 draft adversely impacted Wentz's confidence and performance, though he denied it two years ago.

Wentz's lack of desirable intangibles in a leadership position hurts his standing as a starting-caliber quarterback in the NFL. Luckily, head coach Ron Rivera's strong personality as the leader of the team should ease the burden on Wentz.

In his introductory press conference, Rivera talked about a culture shift in Washington with a no-nonsense attitude.

Rivera has highlighted accountability in the past, but he's willing to take the blame as long as players follow the program. This makes for a good environment for Wentz, who's justifiably taken criticism at every stop in his career.

Despite ongoing investigations into the franchise for allegations of sexual harassment and financial improprieties, Rivera can still change the culture within the locker room and put players in positions to succeed on the field. The well-respected head coach led Washington to a division title in his first year with the club and won seven games in back-to-back years despite instability at the quarterback position. The Commanders have started six different signal-callers over the past two seasons.

Even though starting quarterbacks require leadership, Rivera will have the most prominent voice in the room. Wentz just needs to follow the team's plan and play to the best of his ability. The Commanders have a supporting cast that can help him in that regard.

While Wentz had a statistically decent 2021 campaign with the Colts, he'll have more perimeter playmakers around him in Washington.

Despite the revolving door at quarterback, Terry McLaurin has emerged as a productive No. 1 wide receiver with 222 catches for 3,090 yards and 16 touchdowns through three seasons.

The Commanders selected Penn State wideout Jahan Dotson, who averaged 15.1 yards per catch at the collegiate level, with the No. 16 overall pick in the draft.

Bleacher Report NFL scout Nate Tice highlighted Dotson's quarterback-friendly qualities.

"Dotson is a very good athlete who is dangerous with the ball in his hands and has the long speed to take the top off defenses. He is also a very good route-runner, already showing an extended route tree and the polish to win on a variety of different routes at all three levels. He also has natural hands that allow him to maximize his size. He is consistently comfortable extending away from his body on throws both high and low. This trait also shows up when working back to the quarterback, which allows him to come down with throws in traffic."

The Commanders have an established veteran wideout and a rookie who can stretch the field with the ability to make big catches when the quarterback extends plays, which meshes well with Wentz's mobility in the pocket.

If wide receiver Curtis Samuel and tight end Logan Thomas stay healthy, they can become solid third and fourth targets. The former saw a steady increase in his receiving numbers in four years with the Carolina Panthers, and the latter recorded 72 receptions for 670 yards and six touchdowns with the Commanders in 2020. Both missed more than 10 games last year.

Out of the backfield, running backs Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic can catch the ball, combining for 201 receptions for 1,527 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons with the team. Wentz doesn't have to force big plays downfield with a pair of reliable pass-catching backs who can move the chains on short passes.

Wentz doesn't even have to lead a top-10 scoring offense with a defense that ranked fourth in points and second in yards allowed just two years ago. With an aggressive pass-rushing front that features Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat up front, Washington's defensive unit could bounce back after ranking 25th and 22nd in points and yards, respectively, for the 2021 season. Of course, Young has to recover from a torn ACL and perform at a level close to his 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year form.

If the Commanders field a decent defense in the upcoming campaign, Wentz should be able to lead them to several wins. He has multiple weapons in the passing game and an offensive line that will return three players who started in at least eight contests during the previous term. Furthermore, the five-man unit welcomes a solid pass-blocking guard in Andrew Norwell, who allowed three sacks through 1,078 snaps last year, per Pro Football Focus.

With Rivera, a solid supporting cast on offense, and a defense not far removed from a dominant season, Wentz's career can take a positive turn in Washington.

Player contracts details are provided by Over the Cap.

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.

Veteran linebacker Von Miller signed with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, but it appears that there was potential for him to land with another contender.

Miller posted a photo on his Instagram alongside Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons suggesting that he nearly signed with the team before deciding on Buffalo.

After winning his second championship by helping the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI, Miller signed a massive six-year, $120 million contract with the Bills. Buffalo is expected to be on the shortlist of title contenders in the AFC during the 2022 season.

When he signed with the Bills, Miller said that he considered re-signing with Los Angeles. He also considered the possibility of returning to the Denver Broncos, with whom he spent the first 10-plus years of his career. He decided on Buffalo because he felt energized to be with a franchise that is set up to compete for championships for years to come.

"It had to be something special. It had to be the Buffalo Bills to really get me over the hump," Miller said in March. "And right when I signed on the contract, I felt good. The smile came back. The happiness came back. Von came back."

Miller will be heading into his age-39 season at the end of his contract, so there's a chance that he'll end his legendary career in Buffalo. The eight-time Pro Bowler is considered to be one of the best defensive players of his generation.

While the Cowboys didn't land Miller, they managed to boost their pass rush by signing defensive end Dante Fowler Jr.

The 2022 NFL draft took place last weekend, and while there were plenty of news-making picks, the biggest impact move of all entailed a veteran player changing teams.

The trade that sent A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles made him the latest big-name pass-catcher to move franchises and sign a massive contract. It gave the Eagles offense a major boost as they attempt to keep pace with (or surpass) the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East.

And it cranked up the pressure on third-year quarterback Jalen Hurts to take a big leap as a passer and lead the Eagles not only to the postseason but also on a long run once they get there.

Or else.

There had been speculation for some time that in an offseason when star receivers such as Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill were already moved that Brown (who was looking for a big payday heading into his fourth season) could be dealt. And as Thursday's first round moved along, the deal was struck—for the 18th pick and a third-rounder, Tennessee sent Brown to the Eagles. Philadelphia then gave Brown his payday: $100 million over four years with $57.2 million guaranteed.

It was a blockbuster that put smiles on faces all over the City of Brotherly Love. Per ESPN's Tim McManus, head coach Nick Sirianni lauded the impact that Brown will have on the Eagles offense.

"We're really excited to have [Brown] on this team," Sirianni said. "He's a strong man, he's quick for a big guy and he catches everything. There is no projection. You've seen him do it in the NFL for three years now."

General manager Howie Roseman echoed those sentiments: "Really excited to get him just in terms of how [Sirianni] can use him and his vision for A.J. Brown in this offense and how he complements the other guys that we have here. As you guys may or may not know, his relationship with our quarterback—all exciting things. Looking forward to getting him into Philadelphia."

That relationship Roseman mentioned dates to 2016, when Brown and Hurts were both recruited by Alabama. Hurts chose the Crimson Tide before eventually transferring to Oklahoma. Brown went to Ole Miss.

Now the duo will play together for the first time, and as Hurts told Josh Tolentino of the Philadelphia Inquirer, he can't wait to get out on the field with his new No. 1 receiver.

"He's always been an excellent player since I've known him [before] college," Hurts said. "He's always had the ability to make plays with the ball in his hand, use his body, box out defenders, break tackles. He's a great addition to a great receiver room we have now, and I'm excited."

DeVonta Smith, who led the Eagles in receptions (64) and receiving yards (916) last year as a rookie, said he can't wait to learn from Brown, who eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two professional seasons.

"I'm excited, just to learn from a guy like him," Smith told reporters. "Anytime you play football, you watch all the different receivers, just seeing what everybody has in their toolbox. So him being here, just being able to learn from him [is helpful]."

The honeymoon is in full effect.

That Brown adds a new dynamic to the Eagles offense is undeniable. At 226 pounds, he weighs over 50 pounds more than Smith. The latter did what he could for a team that went 9-8 and squeaked into the playoffs in Sirianni's first season, but the depth chart at wide receiver fell off a cliff after him.

Teams will face quite the predicament now. Double Brown, and Smith can use his speed and quickness to wreak havoc against single coverage. Flip the script, and Brown does the same with his size and speed.

Add a very good pass-catching tight end in Dallas Goedert to the mix, and Hurts suddenly has an impressive array of passing-game weaponry. One of the team's weaknesses has become a strength.

The question is whether Hurts can take advantage of it.

The cold, hard truth is that Hurts' legs have been a bigger threat to opposing defenses over his first two seasons than his right arm. His completion percentage climbed considerably last year, but he's still under 60 percent in that category for his career. In 15 starts in 2021, he threw just 16 touchdown passes. There have been missed reads. Inaccurate passes. And a general inability to throw the ball vertically with any consistency.

Even Hurts admitted to reporters that his consistency needs to improve in 2022.

"That's my whole entire approach going into Year 3 for me," Hurts said. "Consistency in this league is everything. Ultimately, the work is being put in now, but that's what I'm chasing."

As The Athletic's Zach Berman reported, for now at least, Hurts has the confidence of the only person whose opinion really matters—Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie:

"I think what you do know is you have a guy that is incredibly dedicated, (an) excellent leader of men. Players around him gravitate toward him. He will do anything and everything to get better and work on every weakness he has and try to maximize every strength that he has. That's why we're committed to Jalen at age 23."

That commitment isn't exactly ironclad. The Eagles didn't draft a quarterback, but no one really expected them to, especially given the perceived weakness of the class at the position. What the Eagles did do (according to reports) was make an offer for Russell Wilson. And kick the tires on a trade for Deshaun Watson…hard.

Those deals didn't happen, but while acquiring Brown is (on paper) a big boost for the Eagles offense, it doesn't help Hurts' job security. In fact, the increased expectations that come with his arrival Hurt(s) it.

OK, that was bad. "Pun"ishable even.

I'll stop now.

There are exactly zero excuses left for Hurts. He has already shrugged off February ankle surgery and proclaimed himself ready for OTAs. The Brown trade emphatically erases any questions about the wideout room. Philly's running backs aren't Cleveland's, but no team in the league averaged more yards per game on the ground in 2021. The team's offensive line ranked inside the top five last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Defensively, the Eagles fielded a top-10 unit last year in terms of yards per game allowed and drafted a pair of potential immediate starters in defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean. On paper (there's that phrase again), these Eagles look every bit as formidable as the Cowboys. Maybe better. There's already chatter that the Eagles (and not Dallas) are the best team in the NFC East.

But as ESPN's Marcus Spears said on Get Up (via Kevin Manahan of NJ.com), if Hurts doesn't get better in 2022, it's all going to be for naught:

"If you think about the move for A.J. Brown and DeVonta (Smith) being drafted last year, Jalen Hurts is in a year like (Dolphins quarterback) Tua Tagovailoa. Both of those guys are in identical years when you start talking about what their teams have done to set them up for success. There is no better way to set a quarterback up than to go get a guy like A.J. Brown ... (but) Jalen Hurts is in a year where he's going to have to prove it."

Now, it's possible that Hurts will improve. That he'll make the most of Brown's arrival. Make better reads. He doesn't have to be perfect. He just has to be more consistent as a thrower for the Eagles to win the division. Make some hay after.

But while there's a big opportunity here, there's big-time pressure too. If the Eagles start slowly, it won't take long for the phone banks on sports talk shows in Philly to light up. If the Hurts we saw face-plant in his first postseason start (or anything close to him) shows up in September, things will get ugly…quick.

We've actually already seen this movie, or at least a variation of it. After the Eagles started last season 2-5, there were all kinds of calls for Sirianni to bench Hurts.

If the 2022 season starts with anything but wins after the trade for Brown, it won't take seven weeks for those calls to ramp back up. 

Newly acquired Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown reportedly made it clear to the Tennessee Titans well before the 2022 NFL draft that he wanted to be traded.

According to ESPN's Turron Davenport, Brown asked for a trade and cut off all contact with the Titans, including his coaches, three weeks before the draft after the two sides were unable to come to terms on a new contract.

As a result, Tennessee traded Brown to the Eagles for the 18th overall pick, as well as a 2022 third-round selection. The Titans used No. 18 to select Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks, who will presumably be Brown's replacement.

Meanwhile, the Eagles signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract, making him one of the highest-paid wideouts in the NFL.

With Brown's deal averaging an annual value of $25 million, only Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, Davante Adams of the Las Vegas Raiders and DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals make more on a per-year basis at the wide receiver position, according to Spotrac.

Given Brown's resume, it is both easy to understand why the Titans were reluctant to give him that type of contract and why the Eagles jumped at the opportunity.

Brown will only be 25 years old when the 2022 season begins, and the 2019 second-round pick has done some good things during his three-year NFL career.

Overall, Brown has 185 receptions for 2,995 yards and 24 touchdowns, putting him on pace for nearly 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns per season.

He reached the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie with 52 grabs for 1,051 yards and eight touchdowns, and he followed that up with his first and only Pro Bowl nod to date in 2020 when he had 70 catches for 1,075 yards and 11 scores, all of which remain career highs.

Brown's production fell off last season, however, to 63 receptions for 869 yards and five touchdowns. Injury was partly to blame, as he missed four games.

The former Ole Miss standout also missed two contests in 2020, so durability concerns may have factored into the Titans' decision to trade him.

Brown said the Titans only offered him a contract worth $16 million per year that could have reached $20 million with incentives. He added that he would have signed a new deal with Tennessee had he been offered $22 million per season.

According to Davenport, a Titans representative said Brown was offered a deal worth $20 million per season without incentives, but Brown wanted more than $25 million once the wide receiver market exploded during the offseason, particularly with the Jacksonville Jaguars signing Christian Kirk to a four-year, $72 million deal.

As for the Eagles, they were likely to use one of their two first-round picks on a receiver, but trading for Brown gives them a proven option right away.

While Philadelphia did not have a 1,000-yard receiver last season, 2021 first-round pick DeVonta Smith showed promise, finishing with 64 catches for 916 yards and five touchdowns.

Now quarterback Jalen Hurts has a legitimate wide receiver duo of Brown and Smith to throw to, as well as an ascending tight end in Dallas Goedert.

There is some risk involved with the deal, but it could be a move that helps the Eagles truly contend for the NFC East crown this season.

A.J. Brown declined to say if he requested a trade from the Tennessee Titans at his introductory press conference with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

The Eagles acquired the star wide receiver last Thursday and signed him to a four-year, $100 million extension with $57 million guaranteed. Philadelphia parted with the 18th and 101st overall picks in the 2022 NFL draft for Brown.

Tennessee selected Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks with the No. 18 selection and later dealt No. 101 to the New York Jets alongside No. 26 for Nos. 35, 69 and 163.

Brown was entering the final year of his rookie deal before the trade. He was due for some big money after averaging 73 catches, 1,184 yards and nine touchdowns per 17 games through his first three seasons.

However, Brown told ESPN's Turron Davenport that the Titans made a low extension proposal.

"This wasn't my fault," Brown said. "I wanted to stay, but the deal they offered was a low offer. The deal they offered wasn't even $20 million a year."

Per Davenport, Brown claimed that the Titans offer was for $16 million per season and that incentives could have give the contract a $20 million average.

Titans general manager Jon Robinson spoke with reporters last Thursday after the trade and said the "gap" was simply too much to bridge for both sides.

"We had discussions back and forth, and we realized we got to the point where it was going to be hard to get a deal done [to keep him]," Robinson said. "So, the trade thing kind of manifested."

ESPN's Dianna Russini said Brown requested nearly $80 million guaranteed. He's not getting that in Philadelphia, but he's now just one of four wideouts in the league with a nine-figure contract alongside the Las Vegas Raiders' Davante Adams, the Miami Dolphins' Tyreek Hill and the Cleveland Browns' Amari Cooper.

One of the biggest moves in the NFL draft involved the Philadelphia Eagles acquiring a veteran wide receiver instead of a prospect.

The Eagles traded the Nos. 18 and 101 picks to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for A.J. Brown. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport then reported Philadelphia agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $100 million with $57 million in guarantees.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk shared the details of that deal Monday, noting the total value of the contract is now five years and $104.22 million.

• $23.2 million signing bonus
• 2022: guaranteed $986,000 base salary
• 2023: guaranteed $1.08 million base salary, guaranteed $10.17 million option bonus, guaranteed $240,000 workout bonus, guaranteed $510,000 per-game roster bonuses
• 2024: guaranteed $20.25 million base salary, guaranteed $240,000 workout bonus, guaranteed $510,000 per-game roster bonuses
• 2025: $15.25 milion base salary, $240,000 workout bonus, $510,000 per-game roster bonuses
• 2026: $30.25 million base salary, $240,000 workout bonus, $510,000 per-game roster bonuses
• 2023-26: $500,000 per year escalator if named All-Pro

Florio also explained the deal guarantees $40 million at signing and $17.22 million for injury with the amount becoming fully guaranteed by March 2023. The only way for the Eagles to avoid paying all the $57.22 million in guarantees would be cutting him after a year.

Moving on from Brown after just one season would be quite the surprise considering the draft capital they traded to land him and his track record.

Brown, a 2019 second-round pick, was a Pro Bowler in his second season with 11 touchdown catches and went over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two years in the league. He followed up with 63 catches for 869 yards and five touchdowns in 13 games this past season.

Brown will give young quarterback Jalen Hurts a proven option at wide receiver alongside DeVonta Smith, who impressed as a rookie with 916 receiving yards and five touchdowns. The combination of Smith's speed on deep balls and Brown's ability to get open on underneath routes figures to play well as part of the same aerial attack, and opposing defenses will have trouble containing both.

The Titans used that 18th pick to select Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks.

Burks impressed in his final season with the Razorbacks with 1,104 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches. He is a physical receiver who can use his size as a red-zone threat much in the same way Brown does at the NFL level.

He may not become the same caliber of player as Brown is, but his potential is at least a silver lining for Titans fans after the team lost its top wide receiver.