Admin March 30, 2024
The NFL has banned the hip-drop tackle, and the players are angry
USA Today’s Safid Deen is at the NFL’s annual league meeting and discusses the controversial rule change banning the hip-drop tackle.
Sports Pulse
The 2024 NFL offseason got off to a hot start with hundreds of millions of dollars given out in free agency. Big names like Kirk Cousins, Danielle Hunter, and Saquon Barkley signed new deals with other teams in a flurry of moves.
But the signings were just one part of the first month of the NFL offseason. As the new league year began, many teams traded away notable players. Multiple Pro Bowlers will be playing for new teams this upcoming season. Here’s how the five biggest moves grade out with grades from USA Today, ESPN, CBS Sports, Sporting News, and NFL.com.
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- Houston Texans receive: running back Joe Mixon
- Cincinnati Bengals receive: 2024 seventh-round draft pick (No. 224 overall)
Mixon had more than 1,400 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns in 2023. Houston hasn’t had an 1,000-yard rusher since Carlos Hyde in 2019 and Mixon will help emerging quarterback C.J. Stroud. Cincinnati bolstered their backfield already by signing former Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss to pair with second-year back Chase Brown.
Grades:
- USA Today: B (Texans), B+ (Bengals)
- Sporting News: B (Texans), A (Bengals)
- CBS Sports: C- (Texans)
- NFL.com: B (Texans), B (Bengals)
- Chicago Bears receive: wide receiver Keenan Allen
- Los Angeles Chargers receive: 2024 fourth-round draft pick (No. 110 overall)
Los Angeles entered the new league year millions of dollars over the salary cap. Moving Allen ended up as one of the decisions to help the Chargers free up some cap space. Chicago gets a six-time Pro Bowler to upgrade the slot receiver position and help the team’s new quarterback, likely a rookie No. 1 selection.
Grades:
- USA Today: A- (Bears), C+ (Chargers)
- ESPN: A- (Bears), C- (Chargers)
- CBS Sports: A- (Bears)
- NFL.com: B+ (Bears), C- (Chargers)
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- Tennessee Titans receive: cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, 2024 seventh-round draft pick
- Kansas City Chiefs receive: 2024 seventh-round draft pick, 2025 third-round draft pick
Sneed was one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL last season. Sports Information Solutions (SIS) data put Sneed as the sixth-best defensive back in the league in 2023. The 27-year-old corner allowed a career-best completion percentage when targeted (38.6%) and notched a career-high 14 pass breakups. Tennessee’s upgrade doesn’t come at too much expense for the Chiefs, who have a Pro Bowl cornerback still on the team in Trent McDuffie.
Grades:
- USA Today: B+ (Titans), C (Chiefs)
- Sporting News: A (Titans)
- CBS Sports: B (Titans)
- NFL.com: A- (Titans), C- (Chiefs)
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- New York Giants receive: edge Brian Burns, 2024 fifth-round draft pick (No. 166 overall)
- Carolina Panthers receive: 2024 second-round (No. 39) and fifth-round (No. 141) draft picks and 2025 fifth-round draft pick
New York gets a two-time Pro Bowler to pair with 2022 No. 5 overall draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux for new defensive coordinator Shane Bowen. The Giants made Burns the second-highest paid edge rusher in the NFL after Nick Bosa with a five-year, $141 million contract extension. Carolina gets draft capital in return after trading away multiple first-round picks last offseason to eventually draft Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Grades:
- USA Today: A (Giants), D (Panthers)
- ESPN: A (Giants), F (Panthers)
- CBS Sports: A (Giants), C+ (Panthers)
- NFL.com: A+ (Giants), D- (Panthers)
- Cleveland Browns receive: wide receiver Jerry Jeudy
- Denver Broncos receive: 2024 fifth-round (No. 136 overall) and sixth-round (No. 203) draft picks
Another former first-round pick on the move, Jeudy’s yet to surpass 1,000 yards receiving after four years in the NFL. The 25-year-old athletic wideout gives the Browns an upgrade across from Amari Cooper. The Broncos needed to clear cap space and recoup some draft picks that were lost in the Russell Wilson trade. This move does both ahead of a loaded wide receiver class in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Grades:
- USA Today: B (Browns), C+ (Broncos)
- ESPN: B (Browns), C (Broncos)
- CBS Sports: B+ (Browns)
- NFL.com: B- (Browns), C (Broncos)
