Welcome to the Friday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
I have some good news everyone: June is finally over. Actually, it's not quite over yet, there are still a few hours left, but I have to admit, I've already mentally moved on to July. To be honest, I think I mentally moved on to July back on June 4.
We love to rank things here at the newsletter and if I had to rank all the months, I don't think June would be in my top 10. Speaking of rankings, we'll be ranking the top 10 linebackers in the NFL today, plus we'll also be taking a look at what in the name of George Halas is going on in Illinois, where five different cities are trying to get the Bears.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. We'll be delivering NFL news here all summer. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown.
1. Today's show: Breaking down Titans offseason
Once again, it's time for another episode of our "All 32" series, and for today's show, we're focusing on the Tennessee Titans.
To talk about how things are going in Nashville, we brought on Turron Davenport, who covers the Titans for ESPN's NFL Nation. Davenport has been covering the Titans since 2018, which also happens to be when Mike Vrabel took over as head coach, so Davenport is highly familiar with everything that has happened under Vrabel's watch.
Here are a few topics host Katie Mox and Will Brinson covered with Davenport:
- The Titans are not rebuilding. Although the Titans' moves this offseason make it look like they're in the middle of a rebuild, Davenport doesn't think that's the case. "I wouldn't say that, necessarily" Davenport said when asked if the team is rebuilding. "I think it's more like a reload. If you talk to the players, they have every intention of competing for a Super Bowl this season. ... If you look at them, their formula has always been run the football, play defense and limit turnovers and they're built once again to be able to do that."
- How many games can the Titans win? The Titans over/under is set at 7.5 games and Davenport seems pretty confident that they can hit the over. "I think they get nine wins this year," Davenport said. "It's just that when they have Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Mike Vrabel and that defense, you're always going to be good enough to compete. ... I think nine wins is very attainable." Tannehill has an impressive 36-19 record as Tennessee's starting QB, so if he can stay healthy, it's not too far-fetched to think that nine wins can happen. A big part of his prediction is that Davenport thinks the Titans can go 4-2 in the AFC South, which means they'd only have to go 5-6 in their other 11 games.
Overall, Davenport spent roughly 20 minutes talking about the Titans, and if you want to hear everything he had to say, you can listen to today's show here. You can also watch today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Ranking NFL's top 10 linebackers heading into 2023 season
For the past two weeks, we've been ranking every positional group in the NFL, and that run will continue today with our ranking of the league's best linebackers.
One thing you'll notice about this list is that we didn't include outside linebackers who play in a 3-4 defense, because those guys are generally pass-rushers, and all pass-rushers were included in our EDGE rankings (Someone like T.J. Watt would fall into this category). OK, now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, let's get to the actual ranking.
The top 10 list below was put together by Jordan Dajani, and if you'd like to tell him how perfect it is, you can do that by clicking here. That link will take you to his Twitter profile, where you can also argue with him if you don't like his list.
Top 10 linebackers for 2023
1. Fred Warner, 49ers
2. Roquan Smith, Ravens
3. Bobby Wagner, Seahawks
4. Lavonte David, Buccaneers
5. Demario Davis, Saints
6. Shaquille Leonard, Colts
7. Matt Milano, Bills
8. Tremaine Edmunds, Bears
9. Dre Greenlaw, 49ers
10. Nick Bolton, Chiefs
The 49ers had one of the top defenses in the NFL last year and when you look at this list, it's easy to see why. They have two linebackers ranked in the top 10, including the guy at No. 1: Fred Warner.
Anyway, if you want a detailed explanation of Jordan's rankings, be sure to click here so you can check out his entire story.
3. Ranking NFL teams solely based on which had best offseason
After ranking position groups for the past two weeks, we decided it was time to rank something else here, so we're going to rank teams based on who had the best offseason. Between the NFL Draft, trades and free agency, some teams definitely did better than others over the past few months so Garrett Podell decided to rank them all.
After looking at the bottom half of the rankings yesterday, we've got the top half today. These rankings were based on "which teams did the best to position themselves as Super Bowl contenders while also having a coherent vision going forward given the cap space and draft capital each team had entering the 2023 offseason."
Here's a look at the top three teams in Garrett's rankings:
1. Dolphins. "No team extracted more value out of the 2023 offseason than the Miami Dolphins. Defensively, the Dolphins upgraded their personnel and coordinator at the highest levels. Miami completed a slam dunk trade by sending a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and tight end Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for six-time Pro Bowl and three-time first-team All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. ... Pairing established Pro Bowl veterans like Ramsey, cornerback Xavien Howard, and linebacker Bradley Chubb and ascending youngsters like linebacker Jaelan Phillips and safety Jevon Holland with one of the best defensive coaches in the league in Vic Fangio could take that side of the ball to the next level."
2. Cowboys. "Owner and general manager Jerry Jones made some smart moves this offseason, trading late-round picks for quality veterans who can plug key roster roles. He did so in the deals to acquire wide receiver Brandin Cooks and cornerback Stephon Gilmore. ... Dallas enters 2023 with a much-improved roster in comparison to last year's squad despite not spending much money or draft resources to do so. They're in a great position to contend now while also smartly managing their salary cap."
3. Eagles. "They lost Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the 49ers, but general manager Howie Roseman maneuvered his way up one spot from the 10th to the ninth overall spot in the 2023 NFL Draft, which is where they selected Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who was once the draft's highest-touted prospect prior to legal issues. ... Jalen Hurts' contract situation was resolved with a five-year deal that locks the Eagles into a position of stability offensively that should allow their passing game, entering Year 2 with Pro Bowl wideout A.J. Brown, to continue to make strides to catch up to their dominant ground game -- now led by trade acquisition D'Andre Swift and former first-round running back free-agent signee Rashaad Penny."
If you want to check out the top 16 teams in Garrett's rankings, be sure to click here.
4. Bears relocation drama: Five cities battling to land team
It's been more than two years since the Chicago Bears first leaked out their plans to possibly leave Soldier Field, and in that time, not much has been solved. The Bears did buy a 326-acre chunk of land in Arlington Heights, Illinois, with hopes of building a stadium there, but that situation is now at a stalemate due to a tax issue.
With the Bears' future now completely up in the air, five different cities in Illinois are now making a play to land the team. Here are the cities involved:
- Chicago. Although the Bears are looking to leave Chicago, the city is hoping to keep the team. The city has pitched plans for a $2.2 billion domed stadium at Soldier Field. Those plans were first released in July 2022 with a video of the proposal coming out six months later in January. The Bears have said they're not interested in this proposal, so it will be interesting to see if the city can change the team's mind.
- Arlington Heights. After the Bears made a $197 million land purchase in Arlington, it looked like a done deal that they would move there, but then the tax man threw a wrench into things. The Bears thought they would be paying property taxes of $2.8 million per year, but a recent assessment of the property could raise that tax bill to $16.2 million per year, something the Bears aren't on board with. The tax situation has created a "stalemate" and because of that, the Bears are now considering other options, which is where our next three cities come in.
- Aurora. The mayor of Aurora, Richard Irvin, sent a letter of interest to the team this week. "The opportunity to partner with the historic Chicago Bears as you search for the perfect new home is one we are eager to take on," Irvin wrote in the letter, via the Chicago Sun-Times. Although Aurora is mostly known for being the home of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar, it could be an enticing option because it's the second-largest city in Illinois.
- Waukegan. The Bears have been piling up the mayoral letters this month, because they also got one from Waukegan Mayor Ann B. Taylor. In her letter, Taylor described why her city would be the perfect landing spot for the Bears. The city's biggest selling point might be the fact that it's located just 20 minutes from the team's practice facility.
- Naperville. Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli also sent the Bears a letter this month. The Bears were interested enough that they took a meeting with Wehrli earlier in June. The Bears likely took the meeting because they don't want to close the door on any of their options after what happened in Arlington.
Arlington still seems to be the front-runner, but if the tax situation doesn't get resolved to the Bears' liking, it wouldn't be surprising to see them end up somewhere else. The good news for the Bears is that they can point to the interest from the other cities and use that as a bargaining chip in Arlington.
5. Mahomes and Kelce top Curry and Thompson in 'The Match'
The month of June has been a fun one for Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. They started the month by getting their Super Bowl rings and they ended the month by destroying Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in "The Match" on Thursday night.
Under the rules of "The Match," both players on each team would hit their tee shots before selecting the best drive to use for their second shot. From the spot of the best drive, they would then play their own ball. The only score that counts on each hole is from the teammate that gets the best score, so if Mahomes got a birdie and Kelce got a par, their team would use the birdie (I'm not good at explaining golf rules, so hopefully that made sense).
If you didn't catch the event, here's what you missed:
- It was a total blowout. The competition was scheduled to go for 12 holes, but Mahomes and Kelce ended things after just 10 holes. The Chiefs duo topped Curry and Thompson 3 & 2, which means they were up three holes with just two holes remaining.
- Curry and Thompson only won one hole. Although the competition ended in 10 holes, it actually could have ended in nine holes, but Mahomes couldn't close out the competition. The Chiefs duo was up by four holes heading into the ninth, and Mahomes had a chance to end things, but he missed a short putt that you can see here. The miss by Mahomes gave Curry and Thompson the win on the hole, which ended up being the only hole they won all night. Despite the miss, Mahomes did have several nice shots, including a chip shot that you can see here.
- Travis Kelce appeared to chug a few beers. The most amazing part of the victory by Mahomes and Kelce might have been the fact that the Chiefs tight end spent part of his night chugging beers, and I have to say, there aren't many people who chug a beer better than Kelce (You can see a clip of him chugging here). Despite the alcohol in his system, Kelce still played well enough to help his team win. However, he did miss a 10-foot putt on the seventh hole that would have allowed his team to win. Instead, the match went on for another three holes before the Chiefs duo could close things out.
If you want to read a full recap of the event, be sure to click here.
6. Extra points: Jaguars starting left tackle hit with suspension
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Cam Robinson suspended for four games. Robinson, who's going into his seventh season as the Jags' left tackle, will miss the first four games of the season after getting hit with a four-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The suspension means that Robinson will miss games against the Colts (away), Chiefs (home), Texans (home) and Falcons (London).
- Patriots hand out another extension. One day after giving DeVante Parker a new deal, the Patriots have also given one to Ja'Whaun Bentley. The linebacker has earned a two-year extension that could be worth as much as $18.75 million, according to NFL.com. Bentley led the Patriots defense in tackles last season with 125.
- Patriots star calls out NFL for its gambling rules. Patriots corner Jonathan Jones doesn't think NFL players should be suspended for gambling on their own team, as long as they're betting on their team to win. The NFL allows players to gamble on any sport EXCEPT for the NFL while all other league personnel are forbidden from gambling on any sports.
- USFL Championship game is on Saturday. The USFL season will be coming to an end at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night when the Birmingham Stallions face the Pittsburgh Maulers in a championship game that will be televised by NBC. Our USFL expert is picking the Stallions to win their second straight title. You can get a full preview of the game here.
