For 15 years, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has guided his team to a winning record. He eclipsed Marty Schottenheimer’s 14-season run last season to become the measuring stick. No head coach in league history had started his career with so many seasons without a losing record. But all good things must come to an end.
Barry Sanders. Emmitt Smith. Terrell Davis. In the 1990s, some of the NFL’s biggest stars were running backs. But times have changed. It’s not because America’s favorite sport has become a pass-happy league. It’s because teams have adopted a plug-and-play strategy that benefits their bottom lines.
It’s no secret that Russell Wilson had a terrible season last year. The nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback threw a career-low 16 touchdown passes and logged double-digit losses for the first time in 11 NFL seasons. But the notion that Wilson is washed up is garbage. Russ will be cooking again in 2023, and you can take that to the bank.
Parity is again rearing its head in the National Football League, and a whopping five divisions boast teams with a legitimate shot at winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Although injuries to key players will play a significant role in determining which squad is victorious at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas next February, the number of contenders promises to make the 2023 regular season a roller coaster ride for NFL fanatics.
Hall of Fame pass rusher DeMarcus Ware will become the 23rd member of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor this season. The Cowboys’ all-time sack leader, Ware is more than deserving of joining the exclusive club. But so is the second-winningest coach in franchise history, Jimmy Johnson.
The writing was on the wall for Trey Lance in March when the San Francisco 49ers signed free-agent quarterback Sam Darnold. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, who won the starting job over Jimmy Garoppolo a year ago, was no longer in the organization’s long-term plans.
The NFL regular season will kick off in less than a month, and a bevy of big-name free agents remain on the market. Although most teams are finalizing their 53-man rosters, injuries and position depth will have general managers adding veteran talent before Week 1. Except for a few players, the free agents still available are mostly insurance plans for teams looking to fill out their rosters. Below are the top 10 free agents still available with the regular season fast approaching
The NFL free-agent marketplace is a high-stakes business littered with hits and misses. While free agency is a much-needed system that helps teams upgrade their rosters, this quick-fix approach often leads to a trail of disappointment, regret, and horror stories.
Celebrated as one of the deepest and most talented in NFL history, the 2021 quarterback draft class heads into the upcoming season with high expectations, intrigue, and question marks. A record-setting eight quarterbacks were taken in the first three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft, including three signal-callers selected with the first three picks. However, after two seasons, the jury remains out on all but one of these heralded field generals.
Now that the 2023 NFL preseason games are underway, it’s the perfect time to look into the future and offer some bold predictions for the upcoming regular season. Remember that these are bold predictions. While not all of these forecasts will be correct, more than a few have a reasonable chance of happening. Although it would have been easier to go along with the status quo, I prefer to put on my big boy pants, let loose, and have some fun.
© 2024 Black Sports Live.
