NFC East

At age 33, Von Miller is still effective enough to land a $120 million contract in free agency.

The New York Giants reportedly see that type of long-term brilliance in Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported there are people in the Giants organization who believe Thibodeaux's skills are "analogous to Miller’s." New Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is expected to use Thibodeaux in a manner similar to Miller at the next level.

The Oregon product came into the draft as one of the most-discussed prospects in this class, becoming the latest victim of predraft anonymous sourcing. Executives and coaches around the league questioned Thibodeaux's love for football all under the cloak of anonymity, despite a decorated college career.

"He’s a big personality. If you’re a team that isn’t comfortable with one player pushing himself into the spotlight, he’s probably not for you," one defensive coach told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. "The issues to me are gonna come up with the competing focus. Is he too worried about his brand? When we brought him in, I was like, whoa, s--t, this guy is a handful."

Thibodeaux addressed the talk after being drafted by the Giants, saying he's committed to coming in and showing off his work ethic. 

"Everything is about what you do," Thibodeaux said. "I feel like, one thing with me, I can't be a guy who blows smoke. I can't be a guy with nothing to show for it. I can't be a guy who people look at and don't believe in. So for me, no matter what I say, I know I have to go put in the work."

In the end, all it takes is one team to believe in a player. While Thibodeaux didn't go as the No. 1 overall pick the way he'd been projected in the early part of the 2021 season, fifth isn't so bad. 

While Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson eventually acquiesced and traded A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles, it wasn't a move he wanted to make.

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported Robinson repeatedly told Eagles general manager Howie Roseman that he "loved" Brown and was not planning to move the wideout. However, Brown and the Titans reached an impasse in contract extension talks and the tune changed ahead of the 2022 NFL draft.

The Eagles and Titans agreed to a framework of a trade Wednesday that would send Brown to Philadelphia in exchange for the No. 18 and 101 picks in the draft; all that remained was the wideout and his new team reaching a contract extension. Brown and the Eagles landed on a four-year, $100 million contract, allowing the trade to move forward.

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

Brown said the Titans offered him only $16 million per season with incentives that would have taken the deal to $20 million annually. He demurred at what he felt was a lowball offer, saying the lowest he would take is $22 million.

The Eagles ponied up $25 million per year in new money, making the decision to move on quite easy from a financial perspective. Brown will now combine with second-year wideout Devonta Smith to give Philadelphia one of the NFL's youngest, most dynamic receiving groups in the NFL.

The Titans used the No. 18 pick on Treylon Burks, a receiver who was often compared to Brown during the predraft process. Burks' arrival gives the Titans a bit of breathing room in the short term from a salary-cap perspective but likely will force them to take a step back in 2022 in the passing game.

The Eagles, meanwhile, have given Jalen Hurts enough weapons that they should be able to make a decision about his long-term viability as a starting quarterback after next season. 

The Philadelphia Eagles are giving Carson Strong a chance to prove himself in the NFL.

Per Kirsten Moran of Nevada SportsNet and 95.7 The Game, Strong has signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent. 

Here is where he fits into his new team's offensive depth chart:

QB: Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew II, Reid Sinnett, Carson Strong

RB: Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, Jason Huntley

WR: DeVonta Smith, Zach Pascal, Deon Cain

WR: A.J. Brown, Jalen Reagor, JJ Arcega-Whiteside, John Hightower

WR: Quez Watkins, Greg Ward Jr.

TE: Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Tyree Jackson, Grant Calcaterra, Richard Rodgers, Noah Togiai

LT: Jordan Mailata, Andre Dillard

LG: Landon Dickerson, Sua Opeta

C: Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens, Brett Toth, Jack Anderson

RG: Isaac Seumalo, Nate Herbig, Kayode Awosika

RT: Lane Johnson, Jack Driscoll, Le'Raven Clark

Depth chart info provided by Ourlads and Over the Cap.

Strong appeared in 12 games for Nevada during the 2021 campaign and completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 4,175 yards, 36 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

While he is not a game-changing runner, one of the first things that stands out is his pocket presence, which allowed him to extend plays by evading pressure while waiting for throwing lanes to appear. He also has the arm strength to fit passes through those lanes on underneath and medium-length routes.

Throw in Strong's excellent touch on his deep balls, and there are few throws he cannot make as he heads to the NFL level.

The selection of any quarterback is sure to make headlines at the NFL draft, especially since there wasn't an obvious gap between the top ones for the 2022 edition. While this year's class is considered relatively weaker than in years past, Strong was part of a group that also included Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell, Matt Corral and Desmond Ridder.

They were all potential early-rounders at different times during the draft process.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked Strong as the sixth-best signal-caller and behind those five in its big board, but they all have the talent to become eventual starters in the NFL.

Despite not hearing his name called during the draft, Strong lands in a good situation to help him develop. There's no pressure on him to perform because Jalen Hurts is solidified as the starter in 2022. 

If Strong shows enough during organized team activities and training camp, he could move up the depth chart to possibly become the No. 3 quarterback at the start of the season. 

Minshew is heading into the final season of his rookie deal. The Eagles could be looking at Strong as his eventual replacement as a backup, though there's the possibility he turns into a starter at some point if he hits his ceiling. 

The Washington Commanders selected UNC quarterback Sam Howell with the No. 144 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Saturday.

Head coach Ron Rivera spoke with reporters afterward about the move, which comes nearly two months after Washington traded for Indianapolis Colts signal-caller Carson Wentz to be their QB1.

"We didn't think he would slide to us," Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post.

"...Once we got Carson as our starter, we got off the QB train for the most part. ...To have Sam fall to us was something we had to jump on. ...We feel this is a home run for us."

Rivera also said he spoke with Wentz after the Howell pick and that the selection was about developing the ex-UNC star.

Taylor Heinecke, who was Washington's starter last year, will still be the team's backup in 2022. Washington sees Howell as more of a long-term, developmental player at the moment.

Howell doesn't appear to be replacing Wentz any time soon, and signs point to him being QB3 on the depth chart in 2022.

Things could get a little more interesting in 2023. If the Wentz experiment doesn't work out, then the Commanders can release him without any amassing any dead money on the salary cap next season. That could put Howell in line to move up the depth chart in Washington.

Ultimately, there's still some uncertainty at the Commanders' quarterback position. In 2021 with the Indianapolis Colts, Wentz bounced back from a tough 2020 season that saw him get benched to end his tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles.

However, his time with Colts didn't end well either, with Wentz struggling in the team's final two games as the squad fell out of playoff contention.

Of course, Wentz could find the magic that he once experienced with the Eagles when he helped lead them to a Super Bowl win during the 2017 season in which he was in the MVP conversation before suffering a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee in December.

In that scenario, Howell would obviously stick around Washington to continue his development and act as insurance.

Overall, it appears that Washington got a steal in Howell for where it picked him. The B/R NFL Scouting Department gave him a Round 3 grade and offered a pro comparison to the Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts. He's also 56th overall on The Athletic's consensus big board.

And now he's a Commander as Washington looks to bounce back from a 7-10 season.

Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean's fall down the draft board is over.

The Philadelphia Eagles bolstered their defense by selecting Dean with the No. 83 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft Friday.

A two-year starter for the Bulldogs, the 21-year-old has career totals of 168 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. He earned the Butkus Award and first-team All-American honors in 2021 after recording 72 total tackles and six sacks.

Here is where he fits into his new team's depth chart:

OLB: Kyzir White, Davion Taylor, Christian Elliss

MLB: Nakobe Dean, TJ Edwards, Shaun Bradley, JaCoby Stevens

OLB: Haason Reddick, Patrick Johnson, Joe Ostman

Dean helped lead Georgia to a national championship this past season, notching four tackles in a win over then-No. 1 Alabama. It was the program's first national title in 41 years.

Despite being undersized for the position at 5'11" and 229 pounds, he brings an energy that separates him from most defensive players in this year's draft class. His size actually seems to benefit him as he flies around the field, but there are questions about his coverage abilities and how he'll fare against NFL tight ends.

Bleacher Report NFL scout Derrik Klassen said: "Nakobe Dean has the best speed among linebackers in this class. Not only does he have easy sideline-to-sideline range, but he also has the explosiveness to fire downhill with great speed and the smooth hips to redirect himself in space, making him capable of finding the ball-carrier no matter the angle."

By adding Dean to its defense, Philadelphia has found a player who has the potential to develop into a perennial Pro Bowler.

On the heels of their stunning move to acquire A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was apparently one of the driving forces behind the deal. 

Speaking to NFL Network's James Palmer, general manager Howie Roseman said Hurts has been "whispering" in the ear of Eagles management about acquiring the star wide receiver. 

Philadelphia sent picks No. 18 and 101 in the 2022 NFL draft to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for Brown. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Eagles signed Brown to a four-year, $100 million contract extension with $57 million guaranteed. 

It wasn't a secret that Brown, who was entering the final season of his rookie contract, wanted a new deal. He is only going to count $3.99 million against the cap in 2022 before his extension kicks in. 

Despite Brown's stance on wanting a new contract, Titans general manager Jon Robinson attempted to quiet any speculation that the 24-year-old would be traded. 

"I do not foresee that happening," Robinson told reporters on April 21. 

The market for wide receivers has exploded this offseason. Davante Adams signed the then-richest deal for a wideout in NFL history (five years, $141.25 million) after being traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Tyreek Hill surpassed Adams' deal in average annual salary when he signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the Miami Dolphins after being traded by the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Stefon Diggs got a four-year, $104 million extension from the Buffalo Bills. 

Per Spotrac, Hill, Adams, Brown and Diggs are now four of the five highest-paid wide receivers by average annual salary thanks to their new contracts. DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals ranks third on the list at $27.25 million.

Brown joins an Eagles receiving group that also includes DeVonta Smith and Zach Pascal. Philadelphia hasn't had a wide receiver break the 1,000-yard barrier since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. (Tight end Zach Ertz had 1,163 yards in 2018.)

It's not hard to figure out why Hurts would have pushed the Eagles to acquire Brown. The Ole Miss alum has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL through his first three seasons. He had 2,995 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns on 185 receptions in 43 games with the Titans. 

After making the playoffs last season with a 9-8 record, the Eagles are surrounding Hurts with big-play weapons on the outside to make things easier on him as a passer. He threw for 3,144 yards and 16 touchdown passes in 2021.    

Wide receiver A.J. Brown said the Tennessee Titans weren't willing to offer him what he felt was a market-value contract, which led to his trade to the Philadelphia Eagles during the first round of the 2022 NFL draft Thursday night.

The Eagles acquired Brown for the Nos. 18 and 101 picks. The 2020 Pro Bowl selection told ESPN's Turron Davenport he didn't want to leave the Titans.

"This wasn't my fault," he 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."

Brown explained the Titans' proposal checked in around $16 million per year with incentives that could have allowed him to approach $20 million annually. That fell short of his asking price in negotiations.

"I would have stayed if they offered me $22 million," Brown told Davenport.

Several star receivers have inked contracts this offseason, which significantly raised the bar for the type of deals a player of Brown's caliber could expect.

A $16 million average salary would have ranked 19th at the position and only represent a shade over half the $30 million Tyreek Hill received in his contract with the Miami Dolphins after his trade from the Kansas City Chiefs, per Spotrac.

Declining the Titans' proposal worked out for Brown, who proceeded to receive a four-year, $100 million extension from the Eagles, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. It includes $57 million in guaranteed money.

Meanwhile, the Titans selected Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks with the No. 18 pick it received from Philadelphia in the trade. He'll likely receive a rookie deal in the neighborhood of $14.4 million over four years and carry a minuscule $2.6 million cap hit for 2022, per Spotrac.

So Tennessee, which features a run-first offense led by Derrick Henry, is taking the calculated risk that Burks can provide more bang for the buck over the next handful of years than Brown.

The Eagles had the financial flexibility to pay Brown, and now they'll feature one of the NFL's best one-two receiving tandems as he joins DeVonta Smith.

It creates a potential win-win situation for Philly and Tennessee, with both sides yielding some benefits from the trade.