Welcome to the end of the work week, football aficionados! With John Breech getting some much-deserved time off, you have me, Tyler Sullivan, wrapping up the week and covering everything you need to know surrounding the NFL. Also, I hope your March Madness bracket is in much better shape than mine and that you enjoy all the great coverage CBS will provide around the tournament throughout the next few weeks.
As you know by now, this is the Pick Six newsletter. As we continue to move forward through the offseason, do yourself a favor and make sure you're signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don't want to miss our daily offerings of everything involving the NFL.
Now that we have the formalities out of the way, let's get to the news:
1. Today's show: Post-free agency best bets
On the latest Pick Six Podcast, Will Brinson was joined by SportsLine's R.J. White and Alex Selesnick (aka PropStarz) to react to the first waves of free agency, how they impact futures, and hand out some best bets.
Off the top, the crew dove into arguably the biggest free agent signing of the offseason with Kirk Cousins landing with the Falcons. While there was an argument that there could be some value with Cousins leading the league in passing yards at +1600, the odds for the Cousins-led Falcons didn't catch their eye much, particularly as it relates to the division future at -110.
As for another big-time signing, the guys expect a strong year out of new Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, with Brinson highlighting his prop to score three or more touchdowns against the Giants at +650. Of course, health is the major variable with Barkley, which the guys also noted.
Finally, they gave out their favorite post-free agency future:
- PropStarz: Minnesota Vikings to win NFC North (+750)
- White: Philadelphia Eagles to win NFC East (+135)
- Brinson: Kansas City Chiefs to win AFC West and San Francisco 49ers to win NFC West (-102)
You can listen to the full show by clicking here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. NFL will not propose banning the 'Tush Push'
As we noted yesterday, a couple of rule changes could be coming to the NFL in 2024. However, one of those changes will not be to the Philly-favorite "Tush Push." NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent confirmed that the controversial play will remain legal this season and there will not be a proposal presented this offseason in an effort to ban it.
CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones has also reported that while there may not be a strong push to ban it currently, the NFL will continue to monitor the play.
3. Grading each move made by Eagles, Patriots, more
This week, our CBS Sports NFL staff dove into a number of teams across the league and handed out grades for each of their moves in free agency. Myself (Patriots), Jeff Kerr (Eagles), Garrett Podell (Cowboys) and Bryan DeArdo (Steelers) all took on the task for various clubs. Here's a look at the highest-graded addition for each of these teams:
Eagles: Signing Saquon Barkley (Grade: A) -- The Eagles needed a three-down back in the worst way, and they got the best one on the market in Barkley. Philadelphia wasn't getting the production in the run game with D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Gainwell last year, which makes the Barkley signing even more important for their offense. Barkley is going from the third-worst run-blocking offensive line in the New York Giants to the third-best in the Eagles. Barkley was still able to have three 1,000-yard seasons and have 7,311 yards from scrimmage (4.9 yards per touch) despite playing behind what was arguably the worst offensive line in football over the last six years. Barkley is playing behind the best offensive line and best skill position group he's ever played with in the NFL. Not to mention the best quarterback in Jalen Hurts. Barkley isn't the same player he was when he was drafted, but he's still dynamic and has the potential for an explosive play every time he gets the ball. If Barkley can stay on the field, he -- and the Eagles offense -- are primed for a big season.
Steelers: Signing Patrick Queen (Grade: A) -- The Steelers' long quest to find a standout middle linebacker appears to be over with the arrival of Queen, who filled the stat sheet during his final year with the Ravens. In Pittsburgh, Queen said that he is motivated to prove that he can be "the guy" after playing alongside Roquan Smith in Baltimore.
Cowboys: Signing Eric Kendricks (Grade: A) -- This was a move the Cowboys needed to make, and the price tag is low. Pro Bowl inside linebacker Leighton Vander Esch suffered a career-ending neck injury in Week 5 at the San Francisco 49ers. Third-round rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown tore his ACL last training camp, and he is someone Dallas is counting on to contribute in 2024. Second-year linebacker Damone Clark, Markquese Bell (a 6-foot-3, 205-pound converted safety), and safety Jayron Kearse (6-4, 215 pounds) ended up with the bulk of the snaps at inside linebacker in 2023. There were times in practice at The Star, the team's headquarters in Frisco, Texas, where only one or two guys were going through linebacker position drills because of the injuries. Kendricks, a 2019 Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro, is one of only two players across the last eight seasons (since 2016) with 100 or more tackles along with six-time First Team All-Pro Bobby Wagner. He will be critical in helping the team transition to Zimmer's scheme as well as being a presence in the middle of the field the Cowboys sorely lacked last season.
Patriots: Re-signing Mike Onwenu (Grade: B+) -- Re-signing Onwenu was New England's top in-house priority this offseason and it was able to secure him with a three-year, $57 million contract. That's a bit rich, but the move does solidify the right side of the offensive line where Onwenu is expected to play tackle. That right side featuring Onwenu (tackle), Sidy Sow (guard), and Davis Andrews (center) was solid down the stretch, and keeping that continuity will be important in the development of whatever young quarterback the team brings in.
4. Bijan Robinson has a perfect bracket after Day 1 of March Madness
As you may have expected, the start of the NCAA Tournament was wild on Thursday with several upsets taking place across the country. That included No. 14 seed Oakland taking down No. 3 seed Kentucky, and Duquesne (No. 11) defeating BYU (No. 6). And as the dust settled on a hectic day in college basketball and most of the sports world having their brackets busted, Falcons running back Bijan Robinson stood unscathed.
Somehow, the back had managed to put together a perfect bracket for the opening day of March Madness, getting all 16 games correct on Thursday. To put it in better context, less than 1% (.00038%) of all brackets remain perfect after Day 1, and Robinson is in that elite group.
In case you were wondering, Robinson has Texas (where he played college football) defeating UConn in the championship in his bracket with Houston and Baylor also reaching the Final Four.
5. Keenan Allen's agent calls out Chargers GM
It looks like the final chapter of Keenan Allen's tenure with the Chargers is ending on a sour note. While money did prove to be a key reason why L.A. moved off of the star wideout and ultimately shipped him to Chicago for a fourth-round pick, there does seem to be conflicting stories of how that trade came to pass. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz said the team presented "multiple different options" to Allen during contract talks, but the receiver's agent, Jay Branion, quickly refuted that statement.
"To be clear, only one offer was made," Branion wrote on X. "It was a pay cut for 2024 with a 2-year extension (and both years had even deeper cuts to his current pay). We made a counteroffer. It was rejected. Then we were informed of the Chargers' intention to trade Keenan Allen."
No matter how many offers were made, it's clear that Allen was not going to take a pay cut after a career year, which now finds him in Chicago likely catching passes from USC's Caleb Williams next season.
6. Extra points
Hungry for more headlines? We've got you covered:
- Tyron Smith explains why he picked the Jets over Cowboys in free agency
- Saquon Barkley's daughter innocently roasts Giants after signing with Eagles
- NFL GM explains why he thinks the devaluing of veteran running backs 'has gone a little too far'
- Former Lions WR Josh Reynolds to visit Ravens
- Eagles sign former Giants WR Parris Campbell
