AFC South

Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan said that it "was not about wins and losses" when the team fired head coach Urban Meyer just 13 games into the 2021 season.

"When you lose the respect, the trust and an issue of truthfulness, how can you work with someone like that?" Khan told Jarrett Bell of USA Today. "It's not possible."

Meyer went just 2-11 during his short tenure in Jacksonville, yet it was a different situation compared to previous coaches Doug Marrone and Gus Bradley, who also struggled on the field but were given multiple seasons to try to improve.

"I have nothing but the utmost respect and friendship with them," Khan said. "That's why they got the time, because it wasn’t a matter about respect or truth. It was a matter of wins and losses over four years. This is much bigger than that."

Bradley had a 14-48 record across four seasons while Marrone went 23-43 in parts of five years. Meyer didn't get nearly as long of a leash due to his behavior outside of games.

The former Ohio State and Florida head coach first made headlines when he chose not to travel back with the team after a Week 4 loss and was later seen in videos dancing at a bar with a woman who was not his wife.

There were later reports about his negative treatment of players and coaches, including allegedly kicking former kicker Josh Lambo, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported in December that tensions had been boiling over, with Meyer reportedly berating his assistant coaches in a meeting while calling them losers.

A member of the football operations staff called it "the most toxic environment I’ve ever been a part of," per Jayson Jenks and Mike Sando of The Athletic.

The Jaguars fired Meyer for cause and don't intend to pay the total of his initial five-year contract, worth a reported $10-12 million per year, via Bell. The two sides have reportedly been unable to reach a settlement agreement.     

Former NFL linebacker Cato June said his son, Cato Jr., was the target of racist chants at a youth baseball game Sunday:

Yesterday at my sons baseball game, he was pitching. The opposing team started to make monkey chants while he was on the mound. I am here in Indy and they are in Texas so My wife called me during the inning going off. I am crushed they were subjected to just plain old hate.

— Coach June (@CatoJune) May 2, 2022

Per TMZ Sports, June said the game featured players 14 years old and younger.

"CJ handled it with more class than I ever could have," June continued on Twitter. "He said he felt alone out there as the only black kid playing and only his mom there to have his back."

A representative for the opposing team told TMZ Sports that there were no racial slurs involved.

"The kids were making distracting noises just like they do in any other dugout with any other pitcher, none of which were racial slurs," the rep told TMZ Sports. "We as an organization would never tolerate any behavior in this manner."

June spent seven seasons in the NFL, including four with the Indianapolis Colts from 2003-06. He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2005 and was the leading tackler on the 2006 squad that went onto win the Super Bowl.

The 42-year-old returned to the franchise this offseason and will serve as the team's assistant linebackers coach. He also held coaching roles at Bowling Green, UMass and Howard since leaving the NFL in 2009.

The Tennessee Titans hope they found their quarterback of the future with the selection of Liberty's Malik Willis with the 86th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft on Friday in Las Vegas.

Although Willis was firmly on the draft radar throughout his final season with the Flames, his stock started to soar thanks to his strong performance during Senior Bowl week.

The 22-year-old Atlanta native, who started his college career at Auburn before transferring to Liberty in 2019 for a shot at more consistent playing time, features a combination of arm talent and playmaking ability with his legs that perfectly fits the modern NFL play style.

He's still a work in progress, but the upside is obvious. Here's a glimpse at how the Titans' depth chart shapes up following his arrival:

QB: Ryan Tannehill, Logan Woodside, Kevin Hogan

Willis played 23 games across two seasons with the Flames following the transfer. He completed 62.4 percent of his throws for 5,107 yards (222 per game) with 47 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. He added 1,822 rushing yards and 27 scores on the ground.

The key question is how long it will take for him to translate his jaw-dropping skill set into high-level production against NFL defenses.

Bleacher Report's Nate Tice described him as "more of a toolsy player than a viable starting NFL quarterback at this point in time" but noted there are a lot of things to like in his predraft scouting report:

"Willis is an athletic and tough quarterback who can create plays out of structure with his legs and arm. He has average height but a good build and has no qualms about taking repeated hits throughout a game. He's a major weapon on designed quarterback runs.

"When Willis is in rhythm, his arm strength pops off the screen. He throws a catchable deep ball and can drive intermediate throws into tight spaces. When he's able to anticipate throws—usually on the outside or on RPOs—he flashes good accuracy. Willis is able to easily break a defense's contain with his agility and burst, and he has the ability to flip his hips and change arm angles when throwing on the move while also remaining accurate."

Those traits are basically a shot-for-shot breakdown of what it takes to become an ideal modern QB, as illustrated by the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen and Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert, among others.

Bleacher Report's Scouting Department listed Willis as the No. 2 quarterback in the class behind Desmond Ridder, ranked 48th overall.

Willis must become better at reading defenses and using all sectors of the field in the passing game, but his long-term potential makes him an intriguing addition.

Regardless of what happens during his rookie year in Tennessee—he'll likely begin his pro career as a backup—this is a pick based on the long-term outlook. If he develops quickly and ends up finding stardom quicker than expected, that's merely a bonus.

The Titans are placing a bet that the highlight-reel moments he produced throughout college will eventually become his norm in the NFL, too. It's not a guarantee that will happen, but it's hard to argue against taking a chance on his type of talent.

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.

The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd with the 27th overall choice in the 2022 NFL draft on Thursday.

Here's how Jacksonville's 2022 depth chart looks with the versatile playmaker in the mix.

OLB: Josh Allen, Arden Key

MLB: Devin Lloyd, Foyesade Oluokun, Chapelle Russell

WLB: Shaquille Quarterman, Tyrell Adams

OLB: K'Lavon Chaisson, Jordan Smith

The 6'3", 237-pound Lloyd earned 2021 Consensus All-America honors. He made plays all over the field in 2021, amassing 111 tackles (66 solo), seven sacks, six pass breakups and four interceptions.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department ranks Lloyd 38th overall and fourth among linebackers in the draft class of 2022.

B/R notably ranks Lloyd as the class' most versatile linebacker.

Thanks in part to Lloyd, Utah won the Pac-12 Championship and advanced to the Rose Bowl, where the Utes fell 48-45 to Ohio State. Utah still enjoyed an excellent season, though, finishing 10-4 and ending No. 12 in the Associated Press poll.

In addition, he's a tremendous leader and role model. Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham raved about the former Utah captain to Jeff Call of the Deseret News on Dec. 10.

"His impact and value cannot be overstated. He is such a great leader, such a pure talent. He could have come out last year and been a first- or second-round draft choice," Whittingham said.

"He's probably played his way into the top 10 or 12 of the first round. That's what I’m hearing.

"He came back and he was a man on a mission. He wanted to win the championship, he wanted to be an All-American. He had these goals. We sat down and he told me all of his goals about a year ago when he was making that decision. He said, 'I'm coming back and here's why and here's what I want to accomplish.' And he's checked every box so far."

Now Lloyd will look to carry his collegiate success over to the NFL. Lloyd has perennial Pro Bowl potential in the NFL thanks to his versatility and ability to be a dominant three-down linebacker.

Defensive end Travon Walker, who was selected No. 1 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 NFL draft, reportedly was involved in a serious car crash sometime before the draft.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Walker crashed into two parked cars in Athens, Georgia, but "emerged without injuries" and no citations.

Walker did not attend the draft in Las Vegas and instead watched from his home in Athens with a large contingent of his family while he was announced as the top pick.

A 6'5", 275-pound edge-rusher for the national champion Georgia Bulldogs, Walker was a massive riser throughout the predraft process. He was initially projected as a player who would be selected in the middle of the first round, but he impressed teams with his eye-popping measurables and strong performance at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Walker ran a 4.51 in the 40-yard dash and has a 7'0¼" wingspan and 35.5" vertical leap. He recorded 33 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and six sacks during the 2021 season. Despite his low statistical numbers, many believe that his skills will translate well at the next level.

Georgia used Walker more as a run-stopper, and he excelled in that role. But the 21-year-old has the speed and athleticism to get to the quarterback when deployed as a pass-rusher.

After experiencing a scary car crash, Walker surely appreciated the moment of being the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday even more.

The door isn't shut on free-agent wide receiver T.Y. Hilton returning to the Indianapolis Colts.

“We’ll still have some talks with T.Y. ... I think he can still play; he can still play productive football,” Colts general manager Chris Ballard told reporters Friday (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk).

The GM added "we’ll see" in regards to a question about whether any additional talks with Hilton would wait until after the NFL draft, which takes place April 28-30.

Hilton, a four-time Pro Bowler, has spent his entire 10-year career with Indianapolis. He had 23 catches for 331 yards and three touchdowns in 10 games last year.

On Wednesday, Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters that they would "see how things play out with T.Y."

A neck injury kept him out for the first five games of the 2021 season. Hilton also suffered a quad injury and a concussion and missed one more game apiece. He ended up sitting out seven of his team's 17 games.

Hilton was one of the best wide receivers in the game earlier in his career. While that stage has passed, he can still be a productive player to round out a wideout depth chart.

His three touchdowns came in his last six games, including a four-catch, 51-yard effort at the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals. His 2021 debut ended with four receptions (on four targets) for 80 yards versus the Houston Texans.

Pro Football Focus praised Hilton in its free-agent rankings, calling him capable of being a "low-end" No. 2 wide receiver:

Injuries continue to keep Hilton on the sidelines, but he still generated his fourth-straight season grade of 70.0+ with zero drops on 37 targets. Set to be 33 years old in 2022, Hilton will likely continue to take one-year fliers like the one-year, $8 million deal he signed with the Colts in the 2021 offseason. 

PFF added: "When healthy, Hilton is a sure-handed chain-mover who can still sneak behind the defense on occasion. He just needs to stay on the field as he heads into Year 11 of his career."

If he returns to Indianapolis, Hilton would likely slot behind No. 1 wideout Michael Pittman Jr. Hilton, Parris Campbell and Ashton Dulin would round out the top four on the depth chart.

The Houston Texans are reportedly considering multiple prospects with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, including the two top cornerbacks in the class.

In his latest NFL mock draft released Tuesday, NFL Network's Peter Schrager mocked NC State offensive tackle Ickey Ekwonu to the Texans, but he noted that there is "a lot of noise" within the league regarding Houston taking either Cincinnati cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner or LSU corner Derek Stingley Jr.

While it isn't typical for a cornerback to go inside the top three, the position is a huge need for Houston entering the 2022 season.

Although Schrager did not mock a corner to the Texans, he does have Gardner going seventh overall to the New York Giants and Stingley going ninth overall to the Seattle Seahawks.

In recent years, the top three of the draft has typically been reserved for quarterbacks, offensive tackles and defensive ends, but it isn't unprecedented for a corner to go that high.

In fact, it happened in the 2020 draft when the Detroit Lions took Jeff Okudah third overall, although that was the first time since 1997 that a cornerback was taken that early.

Thus far, the Okudah pick has not worked out for the Lions, as injuries have limited the former Ohio State standout to just 10 games in two seasons, including only one contest in 2021.

Gardner and Stingley are both perhaps at or near the same talent level as Okudah, though, and either of them could be worth the risk for a cornerback-needy team like Houston.

In each of his three seasons at Cincinnati, Gardner finished with three interceptions. He also set career highs with 40 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks last season, making him one of the most versatile and well-rounded corners in the draft.

Stingley seemed like a slam dunk to be the top cornerback in the 2022 draft entering last season, but the injury bug bit him again and limited him to just three games.

That came on the heels of Stingley appearing in just seven games in 2020 due to injury, and it is difficult to ignore the fact that he didn't have a single interception in his final two collegiate seasons after reeling in six as a freshman.

Given what has happened to Okudah in the NFL and the durability issues Stingley dealt with at LSU, it is understandable why there may be some pause to spend a high pick on him.

The Texans have no shortage of needs on both sides of the ball, but it wouldn't be at all surprising to see them use the No. 3 overall pick on a defensive player given the history of head coach Lovie Smith.

Smith was the Texans' defensive coordinator last season, and he has been both a head coach and defensive assistant throughout his career, both in the NFL and collegiately.

With Smith at the helm last season as DC, the Texans ranked 23rd in the NFL in passing yardage allowed and tied for 16th in passing touchdowns allowed.

While that means Houston wasn't a bottom-of-the-barrel team against the pass, there is a ton of room for improvement, and the selection of either Gardner or Stingley could help significantly in that regard.

The Texans have addressed the cornerback position this offseason by signing veteran Steven Nelson, but they have no elite talent at corner.

That could be a significant issue for them in an AFC that is stacked with top-flight quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson and others.

The NFL is undoubtedly a pass-first league, meaning cornerbacks are more important than ever before, and that could lead to them being taken much higher in the draft than they traditionally have been.

Aidan Hutchinson is reportedly losing his grip on being the No. 1 overall pick.

Multiple people around the NFL spoke to Peter King of NBC Sports and said they expect the Jacksonville Jaguars to ultimately select Georgia's Travon Walker with the top selection.

"I look at [Jags GM] Trent Baalke's history going back to San Francisco," one general manager said. "That year he picked Aldon Smith [2011]; look who he passed on—J.J. Watt, Cam Jordan. Bigger guys, sturdier guys. Trent picked the guy with tools and traits, Smith. That's why I think he'll take Travon Walker. Great kid, and he's got all the traits except consistent production."

Walker has been among the fastest-rising players in the draft because of his incredible physical talent. The Georgia product ran a blazing 4.51-second time in the 40-yard dash at the combine while measuring in at 6'5" and 275 pounds. He has the capability to play all over the defensive line, lining up both on the interior and as an edge-rusher last season.

"I wouldn't draft Walker thinking you're getting Von Miller," another general manager said. "He's not a classic edge. He's more an all-around guy who plays the run well too. He's a great example of this draft—not a no-doubt prospect, but intriguing."

As much as Walker has impressed with his physical gifts, his college production pales in comparison to Hutchinson's. The Michigan defensive end was a rare Heisman finalist from the defensive side of the ball after recording 62 tackles and 14 sacks during his breakout 2021 campaign. He swept essentially every possible defensive individual honor and had been pegged as the No. 1 pick for months.

While Hutchinson isn't quite the same physical athlete as Walker, he's still more than quick enough off the edge and carries enough size (6'6", 265 lbs) to be a perennial Pro Bowler.

Taking Walker over Hutchinson would be a bet on potential over production, and it's not clear that Walker's ceiling is high enough to justify taking him over arguably the safest pick in this class.

Veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore told CBS Sports' Josina Anderson that he's agreed to a contract with the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported it's a two-year deal worth $23 million with $14 million guaranteed.

In 2019, Gilmore was honored as the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in both interceptions (six) and pass breakups (20). The fact that he was immediately the subject of trade rumors during the subsequent offseason was a warning sign.

Gilmore was a Pro Bowler again in 2020 but only appeared in 11 games because of a knee injury and then a torn quad. His recovery from the latter prevented him from making his 2021 debut until Week 8, by which time the New England Patriots had traded him to the Carolina Panthers.

The 31-year-old vented his frustration with how the Patriots handled his rehab. He expressed to The Athletic's Joseph Person how he thought the organization was "doing more workouts than rehab, more working out like someone (who) was 100 percent healthy and in the offseason program."

Once finally on the field for Carolina, Gilmore made an immediate impact. He had an interception in each of his first two appearances.

GILMORE PICKS OFF MAC JONES!!!

📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/q74N0fgvod

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 7, 2021

He finished with 16 tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups in eight games.

Despite the setbacks he encountered across 2020 and 2021, Gilmore was still one of the better cornerbacks on the market this offseason. He was the No. 21 overall free agent at ESPN and No. 11 at Pro Football Focus.

"From 2017 to 2019, Gilmore was the premier cornerback in the league while matching up against the NFL's best receivers in New England's man-coverage system," his PFF outlook read. "Scheme fit and his age are the big question marks moving forward."

Because of how the Panthers' season unraveled, it's a little difficult to judge Gilmore based on his time with the team. Carolina closed out the year on a seven-game losing streak.

Now that he's on the wrong end of the aging curve, a return to his dominant stretch with the Patriots might be too much to ask. Injuries have been a theme throughout his career as well. He has played a full season just three times over 10 years.

Even if Gilmore is about 80 percent of what he was in 2019, though, he'll be an effective addition to Indianapolis' secondary.

Xavier Rhodes left as a free agent, and Rock Ya-Sin was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders for Yannick Ngakoue. Together, the pair started 21 combined games in 2021.

Signing Brandon Facyson didn't go far enough toward addressing an obvious need at cornerback for the Colts. This is a franchise that's looking to contend for a Super Bowl right now, as evidenced by trading for a 36-year-old Matt Ryan.