Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter!
Since you're probably wondering how my weekend went, I guess I'll go ahead and tell you: My wife broke her foot on Friday, and for her, the only hilarious thing about this is that it meant I had to handle the grocery shopping.
I am the Arizona Cardinals of grocery shopping. She knows that. I know that. Everyone in the store knows that. The Cardinals are giving up on the season before it even starts, and that's what I wanted to do before I even stepped foot in the store. I sent my wife roughly 19 text messages worth of questions before I even got through aisle 2. I hate aisle 2. Why are there so many bread options? Back in my day, there was white bread, wheat bread and English Muffins. Now, there are 41 different varieties of bread, which is 37 too many.
The good news for everyone is that I mentally recovered enough from the grocery trip to get today's newsletter done.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. 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 the Packers' offseason
Between now and the start of training camp, we're doing things slightly different here at the Pick Six Podcast with our annual "All 32" series, which is where we devote an entire podcast to each individual team. Last week, we made it through four teams, and today, we'll be starting off our week with the Packers.
To talk about how things are going in Green Bay, we brought on Aaron Nagler, who might know more about the Packers than anyone. Not only has Nagler been covering the Packers for years, but he co-founded Cheesehead TV, which is a go-to spot for Packers news.
Here are a few topics host Katie Mox and Will Brinson covered with Nagler:
- How do Packers fans feel about the fact that Aaron Rodgers is gone? According to Nagler, most Packers fans felt Rodgers' relationship with the team had run its course. "It was definitely time [to move on]," Nagler said. "Both sides are going to come out of this in a good spot."
- What does the offense look like with Jordan Love? With Aaron Rodgers gone, Nagler thinks this could be a huge year for Aaron Jones, who could get some extra work as the Packers try to ease Love into the offense. "You've got Aaron Jones, who should be a superstar," Nagler said. "Without Rodgers at quarterback, I think it should allow Jones to step forward and become more of a focal point. That being said, it's still the NFL, you still win and lose by the play of your quarterback. I think that's going to be an up-and-down affair throughout the season."
Nagler spent a full 25 minutes talking about the Packers, 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 the NFL's top 10 interior offensive linemen heading into the 2023 season
As you may or may not have noticed, we love to rank things here at CBSSports.com, and because of that, we thought we would spend the next few weeks ranking every position group heading into the 2023 season.
After ranking the NFL's top 10 offensive tackles on Friday, we're going to move inside and ranking interior offensive linemen for today. They don't get as much glory as offensive tackles, but they're still important.
The top 10 list below was put together by Jeff Kerr, 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 interior offensive linemen for 2023
1. OG Zack Martin, Cowboys
2. C Jason Kelce, Eagles
3. OG Joel Bitonio, Browns
4. OG Quenton Nelson, Colts
5. C Creed Humphrey, Chiefs
6. OG Joe Thuney, Chiefs
7. OG Chris Lindstrom, Falcons
8. C Elgton Jenkins, Packers
9. OG Landon Dickerson, Eagles
10. C Corey Linsley, Chargers
One thing that's interesting about this list is that it shows how valuable interior offensive linemen can be. There were only two teams that each landed two players in this ranking, and those two teams just happened to play each other in the Super Bowl four months ago.
If you want a detailed explanation of Kerr's rankings, be sure to click here so you can check out his entire story.
3. Training camp battles to watch
With nearly a month to go until the first few teams report for training camp, it might seem too early to start talking about training camp battles, but I don't care. I want to talk about training camp battles now, so that's what we're going to do today. Cody Benjamin went through each team in the NFL to hunt down what should be some of the biggest camp battles this year.
Here are the battles you're going to want to be paying attention to when training camp kicks off next month:
- Buccaneers QB battle: Baker Mayfield vs. Kyle Trask. "This one doesn't necessarily qualify as "exciting," but it's a fight for one of 32 starting QB jobs, so it's on the list. Trask has previously gotten endorsements from ex-coach Bruce Arians, but Mayfield has been there, done that, even flashing some energy as a street pickup amid the Rams' collapse in 2022."
- Dolphins running backs: Jeff Wilson vs. Raheem Mostert vs. Devon Achane. "Like most teams, Miami is set to utilize a backfield rotation. But Achane is a wild card, bringing electricity as a third-rounder to pair with the speedy but fragile Mostert and versatile reserve Wilson. Then there's the added element of their reported Dalvin Cook pursuit. If the former Vikings star joins the fold, we might really get a squeeze on change-of-pace options."
- Jets receivers: Allen Lazard vs. Corey Davis vs. Mecole Hardman vs. Randall Cobb. "Reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson is a lock to serve as Aaron Rodgers' No. 1. Beyond him, it's a crowded group vying for the No. 2/3 jobs. Lazard and Cobb are all but guaranteed spots due to their familiarity with A-Rod from Green Bay, while Hardman offers speed but couldn't find a consistent role in Kansas City. Davis is the wild card, previously drawing Rodgers' endorsement but missing significant time due to injury in each of his two seasons since leaving the Titans."
To check out the full list of Cody's must-see training camp battles, be sure to click here.
4. Ranking rookie tight ends by who could be the most productive
It's not easy for a tight end to come in and make a huge splash during their rookie year. As a matter of fact, one of the longest-standing records in the NFL is the tight end rookie record for most receiving yards. Mike Ditka racked 1,076 yards in 1961, and no rookie tight end has topped that number since. Although we probably won't see that record broken this year, there are still several rookie tight ends who could end up having a banner year.
CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso took a look at a few rookie tight ends and then explained why each player could have a big year in 2023.
- 1. Sam LaPorta, Lions. "The Dan Campbell-led Lions love running the football, playing old-school, hard-nosed football, don't they? Well, not really. Jared Goff attempted the sixth-most passes during the regular season in 2022. ... Amon-Ra St. Brown will garner the most targets, but beyond that, with Jameson Williams suspended to start the year, the Lions' depth consists of Marvin Jones on a reunion tour and Josh Reynolds. In other words -- there's opportunity galore for LaPorta in Year 1."
- 2. Dalton Kincaid, Bills. "The Bills know they have to be more dynamic, and deeper, on offense, which is why they made Kincaid the first tight end off the board in April. He was the most explosive tight end in the class with the sharpest, natural route running skills, and his ball skills are what quarterbacks dream of. Missing from the 2022 Bills offense was the reliable, possession presence Cole Beasley brought from 2019 to 2021 (yes, Beasley was brought back late in 2022 but wasn't exactly the same). Kincaid can resemble Beasley against zone and when linebackers attempt to match him in man. ... Kincaid will have a rock-solid rookie year on one of the best offenses in football."
- 3. Michael Mayer, Raiders. "We are all fully aware of Josh McDaniel's history with tight ends in his offense (hello Gronk), so it's not like Mayer will hardly see the football. His game was about as pro-ready as they come at the position, and Jimmy Garoppolo's spread-it-around style indicates Mayer could have a fine albeit far from spectacular debut in the NFL. His high floor was the most appealing part of his profile as a prospect."
Trapasso actually made a list of five tight ends. If you want to see his full list, be sure to click here.
5. USFL Championship game is set
The revamped USFL is only in its second season, but it already looks like the league has a budding dynasty in the Birmingham Stallions. For the second straight year, Birmingham is headed to the USFL title game. After beating the Philadelphia Stars in a wild 33-30 championship game last year, the Stallions will look to repeat this year when they play another Pennsylvania team, the Pittsburgh Maulers.
The Maulers started the season 2-6, so the fact that they're in the title game is somewhat of a shock.
Here's a look at how the two semifinal games played out over the weekend:
- Pittsburgh Maulers 31-27 over Michigan Panthers. The Maulers were outgained by more than 100 yards (410-291), but a big reason they were able to pull off the win is because of a defense that forced three turnovers. All three turnovers came in the second quarter and led to seven points for the Maulers. Even with the turnovers, the real drama in this game started in overtime. In the USFL, the OT format is simple: It's a best-of-three shootout with each team attempting to make as many two-point conversions as possible from the two-yard line. In this game, the Maulers made their first two attempts while the Panthers missed their first attempt. This meant that Michigan had to make its second attempt or the game would be over. You can see what happened on that play here.
- Birmingham Stallions 47-22 over New Orleans Breakers. The Stallions are the best team in the league and they showed why on Sunday. Birmingham shot out to a 40-7 lead through the first three quarters and then just coasted to the win from there. Stallions quarterback Alex McGough had an impressive game, throwing for 310 yards and four touchdowns while ALSO leading the team in rushing with a touchdown on the ground. McGough finished with 84 yards on the ground on a night where the Stallions rushing attack totaled 245.
The wins by the Maulers and Stallions sets up a USFL title game that will be played on July 1. The game, which will be televised by NBC, will kickoff at 8 p.m. from Canton, Ohio. For more details on the title game, be sure to check out our full story here.
6. Extra points: Charges dismissed against Davante Adams
It's been a busy weekend 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.
- Davante Adams won't face charges for pushing cameraman. It took more than eight months, but Adams is finally in the clear for pushing a cameraman after a game last October. The misdemeanor assault charge has been dismissed, which means Adams won't face any criminal charges. However, the victim in the case has filed a lawsuit against Adams, which means the Raiders star could still take a financial hit.
- Stefon Diggs might be mad at Josh Allen. The Bills receiver is clearly frustrated with his team right now, and a big reason for that might be Josh Allen. According to Robert Griffin III, who has the same agent as Diggs, the Bills receiver still seems to be upset over the fact that Allen didn't really target him during a key second half drive against the Bengals. You can read what RG3's full comments here.
- Eagles receiver continues to show off wild speed on the track. When it comes to running the hurdles, Eagles receiver Devon Allen is one of the best in the world, and he proved that again over the weekend. During an event in New York City, Allen ran a 13.04 in the 110m hurdles, which not only put him in second place, but it was tied for the fourth-fastest time run in the entire world this year.
- Antonio Brown is still mad at everyone in Tampa Bay. Remember when Brown ran off the field shirtless during a Buccaneers game against the Jets? Well, Brown offered more details about that situation during a recent interview on Tyreek Hill's podcast, and you can see what he had to say here. (Spoiler alert: He blames a lot of it on Tom Brady.)
