In depth

None of this is unexpected—the illogical death of Floyd, Chauvin’s malevolent disregard for black life. An investigation by the Marshall Project revealed that recent police reform efforts in Minnesota have failed spectacularly, detailing that “even as officials have made some changes, law enforcement agencies have lacked either the authority or the will to discipline and remove bad officers from patrol.” Chauvin was one such officer. … [Read more...] about Depth of Field: George Floyd and the Illusion of Progress

Defense StarterBackupDepth DE Danielle HunterEddie YarbroughD.J. Wonnum*DTMichael PierceJaleel JohnsonArmon WattsDTShamar StephenJalyn HolmesHercules Mata'afa DE Ifeadi OdenigboAnthony ZettelKenny Willekes* OLB Anthony BarrDeMarquis Gates*Blake Lynch*MLBEric KendricksCameron SmithJordan Fehr*OLB Eric WilsonBen GedeonTroy Dye*LCB Mike HughesCameron Dantzler*Kris Boyd RCB Jeff Gladney*Holton HillHarrison Hand*FS Anthony HarrisJosh Metellus*Myles Dorn*SS Harrison SmithBrian Cole II*Coach Mike Zimmer's bread and butter might be lacking the butter this year. Because while the big chips on defense (Hunter, Barr, Kendricks, Harris, Smith) are definitely cornerstone starters, the rest of the unit is overflowing with uncertainty. Let's start up front: Odenigbo had a fine 2019 as part of the pass-rushing rotation, but the Vikings had better hope that someone like Wonnum, who's admittedly a raw prospect coming out of South Carolina, can step up to ensure … [Read more...] about Vikings depth chart 2020: Minnesota’s projected Week 1 starters heading into OTAs, training camp

The play of the offensive line will prove consequential for the Giants in 2020 after the team used two of their first three draft picks on offensive tackles and a later pick on an offensive guard (who could end up converting to center). No. 4 overall pick Andrew Thomas will be an immediate starter (he's the most NFL-ready tackle in the class), but the better question is where. The assumption is he'll start his NFL career like he started his collegiate career (at right tackle). However, if incumbent left tackle Nate Solder shows no improvement from his devastatingly poor play (a good portion of Jones' late-season fumbles were on Solder), then it's possible Thomas starts on the left side and Fleming at right tackle. … [Read more...] about Giants depth chart 2020: New York’s projected Week 1 starters heading into OTAs, training camp

"When you watch a player on film, I think in a couple of ways your takeaways are 'Well, this guy is a player. He is solid. He has athletic ability.' With Jedrick, it was a little bit different in that you can feel him on film. He came alive on tape, and you got excited about what he was doing throughout the course of the game. A lot of times, people talk about make-up and they talk about characters and all these other things, which are great -- which he does have -- but he has these intangibles that show up in tangible ways on film. You watch him finish. You watch the detail, the technique. You watch his consistent effort and his stamina throughout the course of the game from start to finish. I think that was the appeal for me. I think our scouts did a great job, and organizationally, I think everybody contributed to his selection and really speak highly of him. All the background work that our scouts did prior to the draft and also at the combine just speak volumes for the player. … [Read more...] about Browns depth chart 2020: Cleveland’s projected Week 1 starters heading into OTAs, training camp

For the offensive line, the Titans lost Jack Conklin in free agency, but drafted Isaiah Wilson in the first round. Don't expect him to enter training camp as the starter, but I do believe he will end up starting the season opener. The Titans also re-signed swing tackle Dennis Kelly, and they seem interested in giving him a shot as a full-time starter in case Wilson isn't yet ready. Taylor Lewan, Rodger Saffold and Ben Jones are solid starters as we know, but I'm interested in seeing how right guard Nate Davis progresses from Year 1 to Year 2. On paper, the Titans do appear to have a very, very solid offensive line.  … [Read more...] about Titans depth chart 2020: Tennessee’s projected Week 1 starters heading into OTAs, training camp