Jimmy, Rudolph, Waller, Barmore, Cooks, Broncos, McKinney

Latest on the Jimmy Garoppolo situation + Bucs add a tight end for Brady ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ July 21, 2022 [Sign up]( [Legit Football]( Jimmy [Jimmy Garoppolo] 49ers give Jimmy Garoppolo permission to seek a trade Details: Granting permission publicly signifies that the 49ers [do not]( intend to keep Garoppolo on the roster for the 2022 season. It also serves as an acknowledgment that the torch has officially been passed to Trey Lance. Silenced: Any chatter (nonsense) about a quarterback competition between Garoppolo and Lance can now be silenced. Cleared: Garoppolo, who had shoulder surgery in March, began throwing a few weeks ago and has been cleared to practice. - Though the 49ers will “exercise caution” in practice to lower the risk of reaggravation. Winner: Whichever team acquires Garoppolo will be getting a proven winner — the 30-year-old has the third-highest winning percentage (0.714) among active quarterbacks. Landing Spots: The Seahawks are apparently interested, though are unlikely to get involved unless Garoppolo is released. Various rumors have also connected Garoppolo to the Texans, Giants, and Browns (if Deshaun Watson is suspended for a lengthy period). Though an inevitable training camp/preseason quarterback injury remains the most likely opening. Image: Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire Rudolph [Kyle Rudolph] Buccaneers sign TE Kyle Rudolph Details: The contract is for [one year](. Financial terms have not been revealed. Profile: Rudolph, 32, caught 26 of 39 targets (66.7% catch-rate) for 257 yards and 1 touchdown with the Giants last season. Across his 11-year career, he has 479 receptions, 4,475 yards, and 49 touchdowns. TE Depth: Rudolph could emerge as the starting tight end. His main competition for that role will be with Cam Brate, who caught 30 of 57 targets (52.6% catch-rate) for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns last season. Other tight ends on the roster include rookie third-rounder Cade Otton (Washington) and rookie sixth-rounder Ko Kieft (Minnesota). Image: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire Waller [Darren Waller] Darren Waller chooses not to hold out, reports to training camp Details: Waller is seeking a new contract and there had been speculation that he could skip training camp absent an extension. Underpaid: Waller’s average annual salary ranks 17th among the league’s tight ends and the final two years of his contract contain no guaranteed money. - Among tight ends, Waller is second to only Travis Kelce in receptions (252) and receiving yards (3,006) over the past three seasons. Good Sign: According to Ian Rapoport, Waller and the Raiders have had conversations about a [new deal](. Waller’s decision to show up for camp can probably be interpreted as a sign that he is content with the state of negotiations. Image: Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire Barmore [Christian Barmore] Patriots DT Christian Barmore showed signs of greatness as a rookie Details: Barmore, a 2020 second-round pick, totaled 48 pressures as a rookie. To put that into [perspective](, consider that Aaron Donald — arguably the greatest defensive tackle in NFL history — totaled 44 during his rookie year in 2014. - PFF’s Michael Renner notes that it is rare for a defensive tackle to have such success as a rookie, as the “physical learning curve going from manhandling teenagers to doing the same thing against grown men is massive.” Improvement: Barmore showed “scary” improvement in the second half of last season — going from a 63.5 pass-rushing grade in the first eight weeks to an 82.6 grade across the final nine. - The 82.6 grade was the fifth-highest among NFL defensive tackles over that span. NE D-Line: Barmore, who only made two starts as a rookie, figures to move into a full-time starting role in 2022. He’ll play alongside Lawerence Guy, Davon Godchaux, Henry Anderson, and Deatrich Wise Jr. Image: Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire Cooks [Brandin Cooks] Brandin Cooks was a top-tier fantasy performer with Davis Mills at quarterback last season Details: Cooks ranked in the [top ten]( in fantasy points per game over his final four games with Mills last season. - Cooks averaged 9 targets, 6.3 receptions, 73.8 yards, and 0.8 touchdowns over that span. - Spread over a full-17-game-season, these averages equate to 153 targets, 107 receptions, 1,255 yards, and 14 touchdowns. Mills: Mills, who showed franchise quarterback upside as a rookie, developed excellent chemistry with Cooks — who commanded 44% of Houston’s wide receiver targets. Consistent: Since 2015, Cooks has averaged 114.5 targets, 1,052 yards, and 6.1 touchdowns per season — which makes him one of the league’s most consistently productive receivers. Image: George Walker/Icon Sportswire Broncos [Russell Wilson] Broncos’ passing game to feature lots of downfield attempts and running back involvement Downfield: Nick Kosmider (The Athletic) expects HC Nathaniel Hackett to embrace a deep-ball identity with Russell Wilson at quarterback. The goal is to [replicate]( the success Wilson had in Seattle during the first portion of the 2020 season. Wilson in 2020: During the first five weeks of the 2020 season, Wilson completed 72.8% of his passes for 1,502 yards, 19 touchdowns, and just 3 interceptions. He led the league in quarterback rating (129.8) and guided the Seahawks to a perfect 5-0 record. - On deeper passes (21 yards or more), Wilson had a near-perfect passer rating of 142.8. - Wilson’s production dropped later that season when Pete Carroll took more control of the offense and adopted a conservative, run-based approach. Sutton: Kosmider sees Courtland Sutton as the receiver “most likely to fit” into a D.K. Metcalf role for Wilson. Kosmider defines a “Metcalf role” as a player Wilson “trusts to use his big frame to shield defenders and make critical plays in tight moments.” Metcalf caught 83 passes for 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2020. RBs: Kosmider also expects the Broncos’ running backs to be heavily targeted in the passing game. From 2019 to 2021, the Packers — with Hackett at offensive coordinator — led the league in passer rating when targeting running backs (111.2). Over that period, Green Bay backs caught 19 touchdowns. - Earlier this offseason, Broncos RB Javonte Williams said, “We’re pretty much wide receivers and running backs this year. We have to learn all the different (route) concepts.” Image: dangerusswilson McKinney [Xavier McKinney] Giants S Xavier McKinney is “knocking on the door of becoming a Pro Bowler” Details: The insight comes from Dan Duggan (The Athletic) who writes that McKinney is [primed]( for a full-fledged breakout in 2022. Profile: The Giants selected McKinney (out of Alabama) in the second round of the 2020 draft. He was limited to six games as a rookie due to injury but quietly emerged as a force last season — 93 tackles, 5 interceptions, 10 pass deflections, and 1 defensive touchdown (75.4 PFF grade). Turnaround: The Giants are counting on McKinney and other young defenders — like OLB Azeez Ojulari, first-round rookie OLB Kayvon Thibodeaux, and CB Aaron Robinson — to turn around a defense that allowed the 23rd most points last year. Image: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire Stat of the Day [@NFL_Stats] [@NFL_Stats]( More News - [Packers]( hosted WR John Brown for a tryout - [Raiders]( signed USFL star WR Isaiah Zuber - [Jason Peters]( willing to sign with a contender Share SHARE LEGIT FOOTBALL WITH FAMILY & FRIENDS [CLICK TO SHARE]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © 2022 Legit Football. All rights reserved. 710 Main Street South #572, Southbury CT 06488