Spring is a time filled with hope for most NFL fans. Their teams are spending money on new players that will surely help them win. Some are bringing in better coaches. And the draft is right around the corner and will surely bring even more good news. At least that\u2019s how it seems. But I\u2019m here to splash cold water on your face, and to remind you that no Super Bowls are ever won in March. So you want to know how your team has really done this offseason? I have the answers you are seeking in my latest mailbag. Rating on the Cowboys’ free agency? How do you think they should use their draft picks? \u2014 javiv818 Jerry Jones said things are going great, so that\u2019s good enough for me! Actually, the problem with rating how the Cowboys did in free agency is that every year Jones sets the level of expectations high. Two years ago, he promised to be “all-in” and then wasn\u2019t. This year he promised to “spend more money” than he has in the past, and then he really didn\u2019t do that, either. I think the trade for edge rusher Rashan Gary was OK, and safety Jalen Thompson was a nice signing, but was that enough to fix one of the worst defenses in the league and adequately replace Micah Parsons? Not even close. That was their clear offseason objective and it was a failure. So my rating for them wouldn\u2019t be very high. And in case my point wasn\u2019t strong enough, the defense is still not good, so they should use their draft picks to fix that. I\u2019d recommend an edge rusher and a cornerback with their first two picks. What do the Cowboys need to do to guarantee a playoff spot? Are they in a good position now? Could they be better? \u2014 bigdogdaddyyy Perhaps I wasn\u2019t clear enough answering the question above. Their defense stinks! They need to fix that. You know what they need? A guy like Micah Parsons. They should look into trading for him. Actually, to be uncharacteristically serious for a moment, they aren\u2019t in a terrible position. They have one of the most potent offenses in the league. And if they can figure out how to generate a pass rush, their defense might not be as terrible as it was. But that\u2019s what they need to do. Play not terrible defense. Even adequate defense may be enough to get them into the postseason. Will the Browns enter training camp with Shedeur Sanders as the starting QB? \u2014 bradstainbrook I mean, at this point, nothing about the Browns would surprise me. They seem perfectly happy with three quarterbacks, and they stubbornly refuse to rule out Deshaun Watson being a factor. I mean, honestly, if they suddenly traded for J.J. McCarthy and threw him in the mix, would you be shocked? I mean, really shocked? They\u2019re not doing that (I don\u2019t think). My best guess is that Sanders will enter training camp as the No. 1 quarterback, because that\u2019s what makes the most sense. Neither he nor Dillon Gabriel were particularly good as rookies, but Sanders was slightly better and seemed to have more upside. It\u2019s nice that new coach Todd Monken wants to wipe the slate clean and give everybody a chance. But it can only help a young quarterback to get all the first-team reps and to know he\u2019s the starter all spring and summer. So pick one and give him the best shot possible. If it doesn\u2019t work out, you can always switch. That\u2019s what they should do. Will they? Again, these are the Browns. They\u2019ve been finding ways to mess up the quarterback position ever since Bernie Kosar left town. Do the Jets trade for another QB? \u2014 leoaxli Why, so they can see if they can find someone worse than Geno Smith? Actually, I don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to trade for another quarterback, but I do think they\u2019re likely to sign another veteran as sort of Geno insurance. There had been a lot of speculation about them signing Carson Wentz, who has a history with new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, but he just signed with the Minnesota Vikings. But someone like him makes sense \u2014 guys such as Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, or any former starter who is clearly now more suited for a clipboard-holding role. I also wouldn\u2019t be shocked to see the Jets draft a quarterback on Day 2. I don\u2019t think that\u2019s a smart thing to do. I think they should fill other holes on their roster now and wait to find a franchise quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft. But the Jets don\u2019t always do the smart things, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. Honestly, the best thing that can be said about their history at quarterback is, “Hey, at least we\u2019re not the Browns!” Who do you think the Giants will take at 5? \u2014 nabers.szn I don\u2019t mean this as a cop out, even though it kind of is, but it\u2019s a little too early to tell. And it\u2019s especially difficult this season because we\u2019re all still learning what John Harbaugh thinks of his new roster. And he\u2019s in charge now, so his is the only opinion that counts. If I were to guess \u2014 which is all we ever really can do anyway \u2014 I\u2019d lean toward Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles, since linebacker is a black hole on the roster and Styles showed at the combine that he has the skills to really make an impact on a defense that needs impact players. But they have real needs on the offensive line, at cornerback and at receiver as well. So in the next month, I may waffle from Styles to Ohio State WR Carnell Tate to Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa to LSU CB Mansoor Delane. What about Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love, you ask? (I know you didn\u2019t ask. Just play along, OK?) Those rumors are strong, but I am not convinced that Harbaugh would take a running back that high. I\u2019m also 1,000 percent sure GM Joe Schoen wouldn\u2019t. So if they do, it\u2019s a pretty clear signal that Schoen has no more power in the organization at all. Are the Seahawks aiming to make a big move or are they going to wait till draft time? \u2014 lrickert10 I\u2019m honestly not sure what that “big move” could even be at this point? All of the significant free agents are gone. Most of the big pieces we knew to be on the trade block have been dealt. I guess Eagles receiver A.J. Brown is available, but he doesn\u2019t really seem like a fit for the Seahawks. So that leaves the draft, where at this point I\u2019d be keeping an eye on the second tier of running backs with the last pick of the first round. They need to figure out a way to replace Kenneth Walker. That\u2019s a pretty huge loss. What\u2019s the No. 1 problem the Green Bay Packers have in free agency and how can they fix it? \u2014 gonneraj Do I need to just pick one problem? I could make a good argument that they need an edge rusher, another cornerback, help on the offensive line and at receiver. It\u2019s also a pretty big problem that they didn\u2019t have much cap space to spend at any of those positions in free agency, and they don\u2019t pick in the 2026 draft until midway through the second round (No. 52). I guess if I had to pick one top problem, it\u2019s finding someone to help the pass rush, now that they\u2019ve traded Rashan Gary and while Micah Parsons works his way back from a torn ACL. I\u2019m not so sure they\u2019re going to find big-time help with the 52nd overall pick, though. Their overall strategy this offseason seems to be counting on internal options to fill their holes. I\u2019m not sure how well that\u2019s going to work out. Why do the Bears never address the fact that they need to get more pass rush? We NEED PRESSSURE. \u2014 LockAuthor What, getting 10 sacks out of Montez Sweat last season wasn\u2019t enough for you? Me neither. And I agree. And I think the Bears agree, too, which is why they were reportedly at least sniffing around Maxx Crosby before he was traded to the Ravens and then shipped back to the Raiders. It seemed clear to me that they needed to build their pass rush this offseason to push them over the top in the NFC. Thus far, they’ve appeared to have other defensive priorities. I still think there\u2019s a pretty good chance they\u2019ll add an edge rusher with their first-round draft pick next month. But I can tell you\u2019re not convinced that they will. Who else should the Saints sign at receiver? \u2014 kendell_taylor Anyone! Seriously. They can\u2019t go into next season with Chris Olave and a bunch of other guys most people haven\u2019t heard of before. They should consider drafting a receiver with the No. 8 overall pick, too. And if Carnell Tate is still there and they pass, they should all just quit and go home. Look, the free-agent market has obviously been thinned out. The best available receivers are all old (32-year-old Tyreek Hill, 32-year-old Stefon Diggs, 30-year-old Deebo Samuel, 28-year-old Jauan Jennings). None of them fit the profile of a growing team, but at the right price could they help QB Tyler Shough by giving him a reliable second target? Sure, if that\u2019s a role they\u2019re wiling to fill. But receiver has always been a young man\u2019s position, so I really would focus on the draft if I were them. They have other needs, too, but nothing is more important for that franchise than helping out their young quarterback. Getting the best receiver they can get their hands on is the best way to do that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Spring is a time filled with hope for most NFL fans. Their teams are spending money on new players that will surely help them win. Some are bringing in better coaches. And the draft is right around the corner and will surely bring even more good news. At least that\u2019s how it seems. But I\u2019m<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32424"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32424\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinebettingnewyork.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}