Latest news with #passrushers
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10 hours ago
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Chiefs scouting report: Texas Tech Red Raiders DE David Bailey
The Kansas City Chiefs stayed true to their preferences when they selected Ashton Gillotte over more explosive pass rushers in the 2025 NFL draft. The front office might still be haunted by missing on Felix Anudike-Uzomah, but Kansas City needs to diversify its defensive end room. Fortunately, the 2026 NFL draft features several high-ranking, athletic sack artists. David Bailey began his career at Stanford before transferring to Texas Tech for the upcoming season. Draft analysts view him as one of the top edge rushers in the class. The Athletic's Dane Brugler recently ranked him in the top five for prospects at the position. The 2026 draft features several other explosive rushers, including Anto Saka, R Mason Thomas and Boubacar Traore, but Bailey is the best version of that archetype. Bailey accelerates off the line of scrimmage with an explosive first step that generates some instantaneous wins. Offensive linemen struggle to match his speed up the arc. The phrase 'if he's even, he's leaving' usually refers to wide receivers beating cornerbacks, but it applies to Bailey's style of play too. Even if the offensive tackle keeps pace, Bailey's springy agility helps him work across the lineman's face and into the B-gap for a counterattack. Bailey's loose frame bends low to the ground to dip under the offensive tackle's hands and flatten his rush angle to the quarterback. This is an element largely absent from Kansas City's current pass rush rotation, which focuses on defensive ends, like Gillotte and George Karlaftis, who build their rush plans around power. Bailey's pass rush plan includes club-swims, rips, speed rushes around the corner or through the B-gap, swipe-rips and a developmental spin move. He lacks the bulk to consistently win with bull rushes but generates some push by converting speed to power. Bailey's pass rush arsenal is still incomplete, but his skill set complements Kansas City's current defensive end room. Bailey isn't a high-level run defender, but his speed and range make him a threat to pursue screen plays or running backs downfield. This article originally appeared on Chiefs Wire: 2026 NFL draft scouting report: Texas Tech Red Raiders DE David Bailey
Yahoo
2 days ago
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Show Them The Money: Five Pass Rushers Set to Cash In After T.J. Watt's Record Deal
T.J. Watt just made several top-tier pass rushers extremely happy with his new deal. The four-time First-Team All-Pro defensive end agreed to a three-year, $123 million extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Watt will average $41 million annually, topping Myles Garrett by $1 million after he set the record earlier this summer. With Watt resetting the market for premier defensive ends, here are five pass rushers who will benefit from that deal. Micah Parsons With Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dragging his feet on giving Micah Parsons an extension, it just got more expensive thanks to Watt's new deal. Parsons appears to be getting annoyed by how long it's taking to get done, recently telling the 'Six Feet Under' podcast that ownership is making it 'more complicated than it has to be.' Jones did the same thing with Dak Prescott, eventually signing the quarterback for four years and $240 million with $231 million guaranteed. Parsons has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four seasons, is a two-time All-Pro, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and already has 52.5 sacks in his career. Jones is going to have to exceed Watt's contract at this point to keep Parsons in Dallas. Aidan Hutchinson Aidan Hutchinson's 2024 season was cut short after five games when the Detroit Lions star went down with a torn ACL. In those five games, he already had 7.5 sacks. The second-overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft has helped turn Detroit's franchise around. Once considered a laughingstock, the Lions have emerged as one of the top teams in the NFL, thanks in part to Hutchinson. He has 28.5 sacks in 39 career games and even though he has two years left on his rookie contract, the Lions will want to lock him up long-term and it will cost at least $40 million annually to do so. The good news for Detroit is Hutchinson will be back healthy for the 2025 season. Trey Hendrickson Trey Hendrickson has been in a contract standoff with the Cincinnati Bengals as he enters the final year of his deal that pays him $16 million. Thanks to Watt's new deal, Hendrickson has gained leverage in negotiations. Hendrickson is coming off back-to-back 17.5-sack seasons and was named All-Pro for the first time in his career. In fact, Hendrickson has more sacks than Watt over the last two seasons — 35 to 30.5. The Bengals don't appear to want to trade Hendrickson and with drama surrounding the contract stalemate with first-round pick Shemar Stewart, it would benefit Cincinnati to get a deal done with the four-time Pro Bowler. Will Anderson Jr. The Houston Texans selected Will Anderson Jr. with the third-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and all he has done is become one of the top young defensive ends in the league. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year and has recorded 18 sacks in his first two years in the NFL. According to Pro Football Focus, Anderson was the 10th-highest rated defensive end in football in 2024. He still has two years left on his rookie contract, but extension talks will soon be looming, and since he's only 23, it wouldn't be surprising if he surpasses Watt's contract. Jared Verse Jared Verse's numbers in his first year might not immediately stand out — just 4.5 sacks — but the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year finished ninth in Pro Football Focus' pass rush grade at 85.5. On top of that, the Los Angeles Rams defensive end was credited with 24 incompletions and three interceptions created, and had the fourth-highest double-team rate at 23.3%. The players ahead of him: Parsons, Garrett and Maxx Crosby. Verse is an athletic and powerful presence at his position and if he keeps up his production, he will be getting paid in the next few years. Related Headlines Top MLB reporter: Teams Will 'Laugh At' Luis Robert Jr. If He Makes This Demand Did Kyle Schwarber's All-Star Game Heroics Drive Up His Price With Free Agency Looming? MLB Reporter Predicts Phillies 'Geared Up to Do Something Huge' At Trade Deadline Disgraced former NFLPA boss reportedly used union funds for jaunts at strip clubs
Yahoo
30-06-2025
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Dolphins Ecstatic to Have Trio of Pass Rushers Healthy
Dolphins Ecstatic to Have Trio of Pass Rushers Healthy originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Miami Dolphins have three dynamic pass rushers, who are all expected to be healthy heading into the 2025 season. Advertisement According to Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN, this is the first time that Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and 2024 first-round pick Chop Robinson have all practiced together. "I feel myself smiling," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said. "I think having you know both Bradley and Jaelan back is something... it's a different presence that I think has been understated and has been gigantic." Chubb missed all of last season recovering from multiple torn ligaments in his knee, while Phillips missed much of 2024 with a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The trio of defenders have all flashed their pass rushing abilities, with Chubb as the most established player in the group and Robinson taking the role of the rising star. Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92), linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) and linebacker Jaelan Phillips (15) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Hartline-Imagn Images Chubb says he is excited about the chance to work in rotation with Robinson and Phillips. Advertisement "Sitting down with Chop, seeing when he started to turn it on, I [was] just smiling from ear to ear because I know the potential we had," Chubb said. "I know when 'JP' got back, once I got back, it was going to be a lot of thinking for the offensive side to do." Robinson racked up six sacks last season, but Legwold says he was one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in the final 11 weeks of the season, with the third-highest quarterback pressure rate in the league during that span. Phillips had 6.5 sacks in eight games before going down with a torn Achilles in 2023, and Chubb had 11 sacks before getting hurt in Week 17 of the same season. The potential is clearly there, it will just be a matter of health for a group of edge rushers that could surprise some people as one of the best in the NFL. Related: Dolphins' $54 Million Pro Bowler Could Be Released After 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
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ESPN Predicts 'Nuclear' Giants Defense To Rank Among NFL's Elite
ESPN Predicts 'Nuclear' Giants Defense To Rank Among NFL's Elite originally appeared on Athlon Sports. General manager Joe Schoen has committed ample resources into the defense in an attempt to drag the New York Giants out of the NFC East basement and back to relevancy. Advertisement While those efforts haven't yielded a division title since their last Super Bowl win in 2011, many believe this offseason's moves have has been as productive as any in recent years in making up some ground with their rivals. They remain a long shot to win the division, but the Giants' defense could see some major improvements this season after another productive offseason addressing that side of the ball. ESPN's Mina Kimes has predicted the Giants' defense to rank in the top 10 across the league this season, thanks in large part to their depth up front. 'I chose this team entirely based on the idea that the defensive line can just completely take over games and ruin the lives of quarterbacks,' Kimes said, as the G-men were the final team she named in this projection. Advertisement The headliner of New York's offseason on defense was the organization going back to its old ways and loading up on pass rushers. Joining Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns is the No. 3 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, Abdul Carter. "It's a nightmare," Kimes said about the ferocious defensive line. She also mentions, however, that other free agency moves should be helpful as well. 'They also added some players in the back end that I think could stabilize things with Javon Holland at safety, [cornerback] Paulson Adebo, [Dru] Phillips is really good. I really like the combination of Javon Holland and Tyler Nubin together, because I think you can have Nuban playing closer to the box where he's better, personally,' Kimes said. Advertisement Even battling injuries last season, the Giants still managed to finish within or near the top 10 in multiple pass rush categories: eighth in sacks, fifth in sack rate, and 13th in pass-rush win rate. The concern arises with the secondary and whether New York can cover receivers long enough for the D-line to rush the quarterback before he lets it go. In takeaways, the Giants were abysmal, finishing with just five interceptions in 2024. Opposing offenses netted 6.5 yards per passing attempt, which was tied for the sixth-most in the league. As Kimes emphasized, the Giants' defensive line is what powers this defense, and as long as the secondary can avoid getting into trouble, they could be in store for a destructive season. 'Every year there's a defense where the pass rush just goes nuclear and I feel like 'why not the Giants?'" Advertisement Related: Giants' Kayvon Thibodeaux Included In Trade Rumor As He Sets Major Sack Goals Related: Giants Receive NFL-Worst Ranking in Madden 26 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Giants Trade Prediction Disrupts Super Bowl Formula
Giants Trade Prediction Disrupts Super Bowl Formula originally appeared on Athlon Sports. With the No. 3 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New York Giants selected Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter, further strengthening the G-men's elite defensive line. Advertisement The move places Carter next to fellow pass rush stars Kayvon Thibodeaux, the Giants' first-round pick in 2022, and Brian Burns, who was traded for last offseason. This trio should terrorize opposing offensive lines if defensive coordinator Shane Bowen can create unique formations to utilize their skillsets. However, Bleacher Report - as they typically do - says it's too good to be true and predicts that New York will trade Thibodeaux in search of improving other areas on the roster. "A potential Kayvon Thibodeaux trade has made sense ever since the New York Giants drafted Abdul Carter to team up with Brian Burns," writer Brad Gagnon said. Advertisement Then, in contradictory fashion, Gagnon defends why the Giants would want to keep Thibodeaux. "However, having three good pass-rushers isn't a bad thing and it's possible the Giants hold on to their 2022 first-round pick for a while." This "isn't-a-bad-thing" formula may be one of the biggest factors in how the organization has reached the pinnacle of the sport in years past. The Giants won two of their Super Bowls with three menacing pass rushers like this. In 2008, Michael Strahan, Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck got the job done. Then in 2012, Tuck, Umenyiora and Jason Pierre-Paul saw the same success. Advertisement The Giants could be following this recipe again, so why trade Thibodeaux? The former Oregon Duck has been the center of trade discussions for months, even leading up to the Draft. The idea of trading him isn't a surprise ... until the Giants made the decision to pick up his fifth-year option which keeps him in the Big Apple for at least 2025. Last year wasn't a big season statistically for Thibodeaux, but with the addition of Carter, he could face less blocking attention and have more one-on-one opportunities to rush the backfield. If the Giants are going to have success on defense this season, the focal point will be this rush, so breaking it up may not be as beneficial as it seems. Advertisement New York hopes that if it's worked in the past, it could work now. They have all the reasons to be excited about that outlook with this trio in tact. Related: Is There Hope For Giants In 2025 After Strong Offseason? Related: Giants Ready To Unleash 'Uncanny' Abdul Carter This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
