Lamar Jackson's greatness is further confirmed in two revealing metrics
The defense improved steadily under Zach Orr during his first run as defensive coordinator. He's back, and he has some talent to work with, everyone from veteran Roquan Smith on down to rookie Malaki Starks.
On a roster this loaded, it can become easy to lock in on one or two guys and forget the other stars. That isn't true of Lamar Jackson, however. The two-time MVP is always a topic of discussion, and recently, he took center stage in a recent write-up by Pro Football Focus.
PFF gives Lamar Jackson top billing with a recent take on QB dominance
The eyeball test never fails, but there are also times when statistics and data add a little cherry on top. PFF is one of the kings in the latter category. Some are fans. Others aren't. All can find ways to create conversations about what they said.
One of their recent studies focuses on the NFL's best quarterbacks against every type of coverage. Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow is the game's best vs. Cover 1 and Cover 2. Lamar Jackson steals the show, dominating in three of the essential categories.
Baltimore's signal-caller earns top mentions and a passing grade of 91.0 vs. Cover 3. He also leads all NFL passers with grades of 92.5 and 90.0 vs. Cover 6 and in Red Zone situations. He's always dangerous when creating as a scrambler, but PFF proves he's just as deadly with his arm.
"Jackson was unstoppable to defend on any blade of grass, and that extended to inside the opponent's 20-yard line. The Baltimore dynamo earned the highest PFF passing grade against red-zone looks by almost a full five points ahead of Justin Herbert (85.1) in second place. It's not shocking to learn that Jackson wasn't tagged with a turnover-worthy play against red-zone looks, either."
Still not convinced? Here's more if you still have any doubts.
"Just 25 quarterbacks confronted 15 or more 'red-zone' coverage looks last season, which was used as the baseline minimum. This coverage type is more amorphous because of safeties and cornerbacks being unable to establish as much depth with their backs closer to the goal line, but it still reveals useful information."
Two other signal-callers are mentioned. Jayden Daniels, now entering his second year, received the highest grade vs. Cover 0 (91.0). Matthew Stafford, who suddenly feels like a potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer, earned the top grade vs. Cover 4 with a mark of 83.6.
All of that has been said to say this. In a world where Lamar Jackson haters still exist, it's nice to see many respected platforms provide some balance. Year eight begins for the two-time MVP. The goal is simple. Get to Santa Clara, and win this whole thing. It's time to give Baltimore that third Lombardi Trophy.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: New PFF stats further prove the full scope of Lamar Jackson's impact
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New York Times
a minute ago
- New York Times
How the Eagles are preparing Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean for graduate-level roles
PHILADELPHIA — The sideline offered a sight line for how the Eagles' overhaul of their secondary may work out. Quinyon Mitchell was airborne. Tanner McKee may not have seen him. Too late. Mitchell snagged McKee's tight spiral for his second interception of training camp. It was fine timing. Minutes before, the NFL's social media team announced that the league's players voted Mitchell No. 49 in this year's top-100 player rankings. Chasing Mitchell down to celebrate the play: Cooper DeJean, voted No. 60. Advertisement The pairing is unprecedented in the Howie Roseman era. None of the general manager's other back-to-back draft picks had ever secured such immediate stature after such consequential rookie seasons. Mitchell and DeJean reinforced a veteran-laden secondary in 2024 that was in dire need of schematic repairs. They have now advanced from features to footholds. If the Eagles are to again field a premier passing defense as their roster is currently constructed, Mitchell and DeJean may have to flourish in the graduate-level roles their coaches are preparing them to fulfill. The roles, particularly Mitchell's, are designed to mitigate potential shortfalls at cornerback and safety. The Eagles decided young and cost-effective players would replace Darius Slay and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They also decided the ones they believed would replace Slay needed a nudge. They traded defensive tackle Thomas Booker to the Raiders to acquire Jakorian Bennett, a 24-year-old cornerback who played through multiple shoulder dislocations in a 2024 season that ended with a torn labrum. The deal is pending a physical, according to a league source. The position battle between Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson has stagnated. Ringo's inconsistency so far in training camp is foreboding. That Jackson, 29, whom the New York Giants relegated to a reserve role in 2024, is still sharing first-team reps with Ringo at cornerback isn't altogether encouraging. Bennett will soon arrive in a Philadelphia-bound charter, but it may be too tight a turnaround to expect him to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals. Barring a Ringo revelation, a Jackson renaissance or a Bennett reinforcement, the Eagles are preparing to leverage Mitchell's versatility to defend their opponents' most volatile receivers. Mitchell is training to travel. He's played both left and right cornerback throughout training camp, following the biggest threat on the field. That was A.J. Brown until the wideout started missing practices Sunday with an injured hamstring. Advertisement Mitchell's performance leading into Year 2 is promising. He hasn't yet surrendered an explosive pass in one-on-one coverage and his ball skills are noticeably advanced. Fangio said Mitchell, as a rookie, wouldn't have caught the interception he snagged last week while covering Brown. Christian Parker, the team's defensive passing game coordinator, said Mitchell already had a 'natural instinct to go toe-to-toe with anybody.' Parker is now seeing progress in Mitchell's processing. He's seeing Mitchell sniff out pre-snap splits, formations and situations to eliminate more plays and routes before they even happen. When asked if Mitchell can be one of the great cornerbacks, Parker quickly answered: 'Yes.' 'I've been around a lot of really good ones and I think that it starts with just how they're built and he's built the right way,' Parker continued. 'He has a natural confidence in himself. He doesn't get rattled. He's always trying to work. So there's very little idle time during practice. When it's special teams, we're working. When the offense is on the field during the scout team period, we're working. Pre-practice, we're working. Post-practice, we're working. He's in the building early. He stays late. He's always about ball. He's always trying to find guys that he wants to watch around the league to see what elements in this game he can add. He just has a huge appetite for development and improving himself. And he's very accountable to himself. So he knows that the load that we need him to carry from here on and what we put on him last year, he has the mental stability for it.' As confident Parker is in Mitchell's ability to travel, he acknowledged it is not a simple solution. Mitchell's movement affects the coverage responsibilities of the rest of the secondary. Traveling is also rendered moot against receivers in motion. The strength of the offense (and therefore the way the Eagles are defending it) changes when a receiver switches sides in a jet motion, and, if Mitchell were to follow that receiver, Parker said 'you get all discombobulated.' That limits the strategy to teams with a more stagnant pre-snap approach. The Eagles will play six of the 10 teams that used pre-snap motion the most in 2024, according to TruMedia. Among them are teams with distinctly dangerous receiving corps: the Lions and Rams. There is a captivating quality about watching a cornerback and wide receiver wage war play after play. It's akin to watching the court clear for a competitive one-on-one matchup in basketball. But the Eagles don't have to think back too far to remember that traveling a cornerback signals a deficiency more than it does a strength. Slay shadowed top receivers toward the end of the 2023 season under former defensive coordinator Sean Desai, when the Eagles surrendered the league's third-most passes of 15-plus yards, according to TruMedia. The Eagles surrendered the fewest in 2024. Due to the collective reliability of Slay and Mitchell, both cornerbacks spent the entirety of the season on their own side of the field. When asked how the confidence level in the cornerback battle would dictate whether Mitchell traveled, Parker offered a candid response: 'Last year, if you look at it with Slay and Q, both of them were capable of taking away number one receivers,' Parker said. 'However that pans out this year… We have a couple weeks to try to figure that out what it looks like. Because if you don't need to do it… We're not just doing this for fun. If you need to do something, we're gonna do it. If we don't need to, we're not. So we have a couple more weeks to kinda see what that development looks like and how fast we can make it happen.' There is moderately more certainty within the safety battle, though it has been marred by injury. Sydney Brown has absorbed first-team snaps in the six practices since second-round pick Drew Mukuba hurt his shoulder while diving to disrupt a pass without wearing shoulder pads. Fangio said Mukuba will 'probably not' be available in Thursday's preseason opener. It's a significant setback for Mukuba. Fangio, who was also fielding Mukuba in dime packages, emphasized how there's no substitute for physical reps. Mukuba returned to the field Friday in a limited capacity, but has only participated in individual drills. Advertisement 'I feel good about it,' Mukuba said Sunday. 'I feel like all the meetings, the walkthroughs — we meet more times than we're on the field. So, I feel like that helps a lot knowing that I'm spending more time in the film room, trying to improve, trying to ask all the questions I can ask, trying to lean on the older guys for anything I need help on.' Mukuba laughingly said he 'won't shut up around' starting safety Reed Blankenship. The fourth-year starter is the source of the majority of Mukuba's questions. Blankenship obliges. So does Brown, who sits next to Mukuba in meetings. But Brown, a 2023 third-round pick, is entering the third week of his first training camp learning Fangio's system after spending the majority of the 2024 season recovering from a torn ACL. Brown played just 79 defensive snaps in 2024; he played 335 snaps in 2023. He started in six games as a rookie, played some nickel, and recorded a 99-yard pick-six against the Arizona Cardinals a week before suffering his season-ending injury in the regular-season finale. Fangio said he believes Brown has taken 'overall' strides with his 'entire game.' Brown still must 'recognize things a little quicker,' Fangio said, and just 'put some polish on his operation.' Brown is still adjusting to truly playing in the post as a deep safety. He played more than half of his career defensive snaps at Illinois in the box, according to Pro Football Focus. He played close to a third of his snaps as a rookie at free safety. Parker said Brown is still 'learning how to play' while diagnosing progressions from a longer range. 'He's done a really good job of just slowing his brain down,' Parker said. 'You can see it with his footwork. He's slower with his feet. He's more decisive when he has to go. And it's not like a lot of second-change directions that we're having him make. So, he's making a lot of progress in that area.' Fangio and Parker have spoken with a higher degree of confidence when referencing DeJean, who has been replacing Brown in base packages during training camp. The DeJean Experiment is going well, according to Fangio. The seven-time defensive coordinator said in OTAs he'd be testing DeJean out at cornerback and safety in base packages in an effort to keep DeJean, their starting nickel, on the field at all times. (The Eagles played nickel on 81.2 percent of their 2024 snaps, per TruMedia.) DeJean has only played safety in training camp. Parker said the Eagles still plan on playing DeJean at cornerback, but 'he's starting to kind of get his legs under him at safety.' A recent play in practice signaled DeJean may already have his safety legs under him. Fangio said DeJean picked up a route that the Eagles had struggled against last year, 'like he'd been a safety his whole life.' 'So yeah,' the ever-blunt Fangio said. 'He'll be a good safety if we ever want, if we need him there.' Advertisement DeJean, a former outside cornerback at Iowa, has often cited how he began studying cornerback, nickel and safety when the Eagles first drafted him because he knew there was a possibility he'd play any of them. The defense's lack of depth at nickel required him to play there in 2024. If the cornerback battle doesn't yield a reliable starter in 2025, perhaps he can play there. (That would require a replacement at nickel: second-team nickel Mac McWilliams is managing a quad injury.) So far, the Eagles are pleased with DeJean's performance at safety. Parker said DeJean's experience at nickel affords him the added knowledge of knowing where his help in coverage is and where it isn't. DeJean wasn't challenged in the passing game in any of his eight base snaps in Monday's practice, but after each series, he stood next to Parker on the sideline and reviewed his play. DeJean said Parker holds him accountable. They've become close since last season. During a break in a practice last week, the two playfully shadowboxed along the sideline. 'He's been a great coach and a great person to get to know for me,' DeJean said. 'Just by things he sees on the film, if I'm not doing things technically right, he's gonna let me know. And he's always coaching no matter what. So just hold me accountable in the way I play. And he knows how I play. And if I'm not to that standard, he's gonna let me know.' The team's dependence on DeJean may run even deeper. 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USA Today
30 minutes ago
- USA Today
NFL's most improved units entering 2025 season headlined by Chicago Bears offense
Every offseason, NFL teams have the opportunity to upgrade their rosters and coaching staffs to make a marked improvement over the prior year. The Washington Commanders were one of the biggest surprises in the 2024 season. They improved from 4-13 to 12-5 and made the NFC championship game for the first time in three decades. That turnaround came from a new coaching staff as well as a new starting quarterback in No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels. Washington became a top-10 offense by points (fifth) and yards (seventh) after finishing in the bottom third league-wide the year prior. The improvement was almost as stark on the other side of the ball; Washington's defense went from last in the league in points and yards allowed to 18th and 13th, respectively. Not every team will experience a jump like the Commanders did in 2024, but some teams may see significant improvements in 2025. That could be from free agent signings, draft selections, coaching changes, or a combination of all three. Some teams stand out from what they've done this offseason which makes them prime candidates for improvement. Here are our eight most improved units entering the 2025 NFL season: NFL's most improved units The Bears' offense finished the 2024 season 28th in points and last in yards league-wide. Considering the talent of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback, that was a huge letdown. But there are few units more primed for an improvement in 2025 than Chicago. The Bears hired former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He was the play-caller for one of the top offenses in the NFL over the last two seasons. The franchise utilized free agency and a trade to upgrade the offensive line by acquiring guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, as well as center Drew Dalman. The Bears completed the trifecta of factors by using their top two draft picks on tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III. 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The AFC West will be a tough division once again in 2025 but Las Vegas should be in much better shape on offense to fight for wins. The Titans didn't overhaul their staff, instead relying on the draft and free agency to improve the offense. Tennessee was a bottom-five scoring offense and led the league in turnover percentage in 2024. No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Ward should be an upgrade at quarterback as a rookie. The Titans invested in the offensive line by signing free agents Kevin Zeitler at guard and Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle. Neither are top talents at their positions, but they raise the floor for the position group. Tennessee used both free agency and the draft to improve the pass-catching group. Veteran wide receivers Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson as well as fourth-round picks Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor will contend for starting roles and offer better options at the position. It'd be a surprise if Tennessee ended 2025 as a top-10 offense but they should be closer to league-average than last season. The Patriots had one of the worst offensive lines and skill position groups in the NFL in 2024. For 2025, a new coaching staff is in place, led by proven offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. New England used free agency and the draft to bolster the rest of the offense around second-year quarterback Drake Maye. Veteran wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins may be past their peaks but provide better talent at the position than what New England fielded last season. Proven starters Garrett Bradbury and Morgan Moses will shore up center and right tackle, respectively. The Patriots used the No. 4 overall pick on the top left tackle in the draft class in Will Campbell. In Round 2, New England selected one of the more dynamic running backs in the class in TreVeyon Henderson. They invested in the offensive line again in Round 3 by selecting center Jared Wilson and took wide receiver Kyle Williams as well. Improvements with new coaching, veteran upgrades and draft investment should push the Patriots up the rankings on offense. Contending for a division title may be a tall task but they'll be more competent on that side of the ball. Carolina's defense ranked last in the NFL in points, yards, rushing yards, passing touchdowns and first downs allowed in 2024. The team lost top pass rusher Derrick Brown to injury in Week 1 and that set the tone for a subpar year. The franchise retained defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, which demonstrates their confidence in him as a play-caller on that side of the ball. Instead, the team went about upgrading the talent he's working with. Carolina hit the defensive line in free agency by signing Bobby Brown III and Tershawn Wharton as well as edge rusher Patrick Jones II, who was productive in a rotational role with the Minnesota Vikings last season. The Panthers also bolstered the secondary by signing former Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig. Those moves should make life a bit easier for defensive stars Brown and Jaycee Horn. In the draft, Carolina added a pair of edge rushers with different skill sets. Second-round pick Nic Scourton has a high floor thanks to his pass rush moves, motor and strength. Third-round pick Princely Umanmielen is a bit lighter but wins with his flexibility, length and speed. They may not contribute much in year one but should provide depth worth developing for Evero and company. Arizona stocked up on offense in the draft in 2024. This offseason, they spent their resources on defense. The Cardinals bolstered the front seven in free agency. Veterans Dalvin Tomlinson and Calais Campbell will help up front, while top free agent edge rusher Josh Sweat should be an improvement off the edge. The team used its draft capital to fill out the rest of the defense as well. Top pick Walter Nolen won't have to produce immediately alongside Tomlinson and Campbell and can get up to speed in time. Second-round pick Will Johnson could've been a top-15 pick if not for injury concerns. If he's healthy, he could be a good starter at outside cornerback as a rookie. Arizona selected versatile defensive lineman Jordan Burch in Round 3 and he could provide a rotational piece on the inside or at edge in the Cardinals' system. Arizona is entering its third year under head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis. With more veteran talent and high-profile rookies, the Cardinals could take a step on defense in 2025.
New York Times
30 minutes ago
- New York Times
Whose Steelers' stock is up and down after 10 practices? Ramsey, Metcalf and more
Ten practices into training camp, GM Omar Khan's busy offseason is already paying dividends. Two of the Steelers' top performers are trade acquisitions: DB Jalen Ramsey and WR DK Metcalf. Had the Steelers dealt Minkah Fitzpatrick for just Ramsey, they may have won that trade. Ramsey has been that instinctive, that athletic and that versatile while playing in the nickel, free safety and outside corner. He'll help the Steelers bring more nickel pressures, lock down tight ends, disguise coverages and get back to playing more man-to-man defenses. This looks like a defense much more capable of, for instance, defending the Bengals' many receiving threats, and Ramsey's arrival is a huge reason why. Advertisement Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers' quick release and Metcalf's massive frame have led to numerous successful slants. That appears to be a big part of the playbook. Let's look at who else's stock is up and whose is down, with plenty of training camp still to come… DT Derrick Harmon: The first-round pick has been thrown right into the mix as a starter in the base defense and sub packages. He's been as-advertised. His physicality has helped bottle up runs during padded practices. His quick hips and strong hands have made him a pass-rush threat, capable of being an impact player in passing situations. TE Darnell Washington as a receiving threat: The massive tight end has always been a dominant blocker, but the Steelers haven't taken advantage of his pass-catching ability enough. That could be changing, as Washington has made a number of outstanding catches during camp. That stood out when the Steelers were struggling Sunday during goal-line drills; the lone touchdown came when Aaron Rodgers put the ball up high where only Washington could catch it. WR Scotty Miller: The Steelers kept five wide receivers last year. The top five coming into camp were DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods and Ben Skowronek. However, when Rodgers has struggled and needed to find a completion, Miller has often been the player stepping up. Stylistically, Miller's crisp route running and shifty playing style would marry well with Rodgers, who wants to play with timing and anticipation. I wonder if Miller can lap Woods or if the Steelers may consider keeping six WRs to get Miller onto the roster. Depth DBs (Brandin Echols, James Pierre): By adding high-end talent atop the depth chart like Ramsey and Darius Slay, the Steelers have strengthened the group as a whole. Echols is making his case to be the first CB off the bench and has the versatility to play in the nickel, creating a bit of a competition with Beanie Bishop for playing time. (They should both make the team.) Meanwhile, Pierre sits on the roster bubble because of all those upgrades. However, he intercepted Mason Rudolph to end the two-minute drill during Friday Night Lights and picked off two more passes the next day during one-on-one periods. Pierre's excellent gunning ability could help his cause. Advertisement RB Kenneth Gainwell: Gainwell caught the Steelers' eye last year, when the former Eagles running back beat Pittsburgh in the flat repeatedly. OC Arthur Smith has taken full advantage of Gainwell's diverse skill set, lining him up as a receiver and throwing him the ball out of the backfield. He'll be another chess piece in an offense that likes wildcards. I've also been struck by Gainwell's feel for outsize-zone runs, where he has good patience and the quick-twitch necessary to hit holes when they form. He could be carving out a large role in the offense. No. 1 defense talk: Multiple Steelers players, including Cameron Heyward and DeShon Elliott, haven't been afraid to say this year's team could be the NFL's No. 1 defense. It's a star-studded lineup full of All-Pros and Pro Bowlers. Especially with Ramsey playing closer to the line of scrimmage, they've made life miserable for the Steelers' offense. There's a ton of talent and depth on that side of the ball. ILBs who can cover: Tomlin said he believes the Steelers now have the cornerbacks to play man coverage against anyone. To do so, the inside linebackers are also part of that conversation. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson have both been excellent in coverage. Wilson competing against Gainwell during one-on-one passing drills has been must-watch. Defensive schematic changes: Beyond the personnel changes, the Steelers have also evolved their defensive philosophy, specifically with more Cover 4. When the Steelers have played quarters coverage, they're capping verticals with corners and safeties to force Rodgers to check the ball down underneath. It also seems the communication issues that plagued this team last year have been remedied to a degree by some of these coverage tweaks. OT Broderick Jones: A groin injury robbed Jones of valuable developmental time in camp. He was better in one-on-one pass-rush drills in pads on Sunday. But overall he's missed a lot of camp, and until he consistently shows progress, it's worth wondering how much he'll improve in Year 3. Maybe as he gets healthier and has the chance to play in pads more often, the 20 pounds he lost will make a difference. Advertisement The WR2 contenders: Roman Wilson looks the part after a strong offseason — however, he's still not on the same page with Rodgers. The two most noticeable reps were incompletions in which Rodgers and Wilson didn't come close to connecting. Meanwhile, Calvin Austin III has missed the last two days with an injury. The chemistry with receivers not named Metcalf needs to improve considerably. DeMarvin Leal: With a tweener body type, Leal has never been able to carve out his niche on defense. He's been playing mostly as an outside linebacker in camp, but the Steelers already have four locks in T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer. I could see Leal landing on the outside looking in after cut-down day. Needed improvements in run game: Through three practices in pads, the offense has struggled to find anywhere to run the ball. Maybe the Steelers' remade defensive front is just that good. But as Sunday's goal-line period showed, even when they only need a yard, it's been tough sledding. Vertical passing game: Metcalf has been one of the NFL's best deep threats throughouth his career. So far in team settings (seven-on-seven and 11-on-11), Rodgers and Metcalf haven't been able to take the top off the defense at all. The optimistic way to look at this is that the defense is doing a better job of staying on top of verticals (in part because of coverage changes). But if opponents know that they don't have to worry about the go ball, it's going to make short, quick passes more challenging to convert.
