According to NFL.com, the New York Jets and Seattle Seahawks have agreed on a trade to send edge defender Sheldon Richardson to Seattle, in exchange for WR Jermaine Kearse and a second-round pick. The teams also swapped seventh-round picks.
Richardson was great for the Jets defense last year, logging snaps all across their defensive front, finishing the season with an 81.6 overall grade, which ranked 19th among all edge defenders. He was particularly good against the run, finishing with the league's fifth-best run defense grade of 91.0 among the same group. His 11.5 percent run stop percentage was also fifth-best in that group.
Kearse finished last season ranked 111th out of 115 qualified receivers with his overall grade of 44.2. He was targeted 76 times, hauling in 41 receptions, with one touchdown but saw four interceptions on his targets. His 57.5 passer rating when targeted ranked 93rd out of 96 receivers.
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead has been suspended for the first three games of the season due to an offseason DUI arrest as reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Though some expected Snead to be the number two in New Orleans, Ted Ginn was playing in two wide receiver sets, which the Saints ran 54 percent of the time in the preseason. Snead’s 84.1 overall grade ranked 16th in the NFL among wide receivers and Snead’s 79.6 run-blocking grade was tied for the highest among wide receivers with Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals.
Snead has made his living mostly from the slot in his career, his 1.89 yards per route run from the slot ranked ninth in the league among wide receivers and was a career high.
The Cleveland Browns have released quarterback Brock Osweiler, according Browns reporter Zac Jackson.
Osweiler spent the 2016 season with the Houstons Texans, after signing a blockbuster $72 million contract with the team. However, he thoroughly underperformed his contact, and ended the year ranked 32nd of 34 qualifying quarterbacks with a PFF overall grade of 48.6. A big reason for this was Osweiler’s inaccuracy. In 2016, Osweiler’s adjusted completion percentage (the PFF metric accounts for drops, throwaways, spikes, batted passes, and when the quarterback is hit as he throws to give a clear measure of accuracy) of just 68.9 percent was the league’s third-lowest mark.
Osweiler was traded to the Cleveland Browns in the offseason, and was given a shot at winning the starting job. He started the Browns first two preseason games, but registered poor game grades of 49.8 and 54.0. His accuracy problems continued, and through the first two weeks of the preseason, Osweiler ranked 50th of 53 quarterbacks with an adjusted completion percentage of 50.0 percent.
With Osweiler gone, the Cleveland backup job will fall to second-year quarterback Cody Kessler, who has been impressive this preseason. After four weeks of the preseason, Kessler ranks first among the league’s quarterbacks with an adjusted completion percentage of 84.6 percent.
The NFL has fully reinstated Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant. Bryant was serving a season long suspension following his second violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. This has been expected for some time considering his preseason reinstatement.
Coming out of nowhere as a fourth-round rookie in 2014, Bryant earned a solid 76.9 overall grade (38th among wide receivers) but perhaps more impressively ranked third in yards per route run at 2.76. He followed up his rookie year with a 75.5 overall grade, showing consistency.
Bryant gives the Steelers a legitimate deep threat opposite of star receiver Antonio Brown. During his breakout rookie campaign Bryant was targeted the second most by percentage on deep routes (20-plus yards downfield) at 41.7 percent. His 370 deep receiving yards ranked 14th among receivers despite seeing 32 less total targets than anyone else in the top 20.
Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay has acknowledged that Andrew Luck is unlikely to play in Week 1, according to Colts reporter Stephen Holder. Luck is still rehabbing from shoulder surgery, and remains on the PUP list for the time being. There is still no timetable for his return.
Despite playing with a torn labrum for most of last season, Luck ranked fourth among the league’s quarterbacks with a PFF overall grade of 91.6. His shoulder didn’t appear to hinder his accuracy, especially on deep throws. Luck posted an adjusted completion percentage of 54.1 percent on throws of 20 or more yards, the league’s fourth-best mark, an impressive feat, given the injury.
As Luck enters his seventh season, it is imperative that the Colts give him more protection. He was pressured on a league-high 44.4 percent of his dropbacks in 2016, and was either sacked or hit as he threw once every 10 pass attempts.
With Luck sidelined, the Colts are expected to start veteran quarterback Scott Tolzien against the Los Angeles Rams. In preseason action, Tolzien has performed favorably while throwing under pressure, and posted a passer rating of 91.0 on such throws, ranking 19th of 83 quarterbacks with at least 28 dropbacks and first among all Colts signal-callers.
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