Matthew Judon: I think I can still play, just weighing the options
Veteran edge rusher Matthew Judon has not signed with a team for the 2025 season and he's not sure if that's going to change.
Judon had 41 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and an interception in 17 games for the Falcons after being acquired in a trade with the Patriots last year and he said that he's heard from a couple of teams since becoming a free agent in March. His sack numbers were down on a per-game basis from his time in New England, but Judon said he believes it was due to being asked to drop into coverage more often and that he remains confident in his ability to play.
'I think I can still,' Judon said, via Kyle Odegard of CardPlayer.com. 'But that's not up to me. I'm not a G.M. making that decision. I just have to be ready if and when my name is called.'
Judon said a return to the Falcons is 'probably' unlikely after they drafted two edge rushers in the first round and that he's happy to continue 'weighing the options' while teams go through their offseason programs.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Drake Maye film review: What the Patriots QB can do to improve in Year 2
Drake Maye stepped into a difficult situation last season and the No. 3 pick of the 2024 draft elevated an anemic Patriots offense. New England had one of the worst offensive lines and receiving corps in the league, so the rookie quarterback finding success in that environment was a minor miracle. This season brings a reset for Maye, with the Patriots hiring a new play caller with a productive track record (as an offensive coordinator, not head coach) in Josh McDaniels and upgrading the talent around their QB through the draft. After watching the film from Maye's rookie season, here are five questions he and the Patriots have to answer to take the next step. Advertisement In most of McDaniels' career as a play caller, the Patriots didn't throw the ball downfield a ton but focused on quick to intermediate passing. Tom Brady masterfully executed McDaniels' offense, frustrating defenses as New England dinked-and-dunked the ball downfield and hit the occasional shot when the defense grew impatient. However, McDaniels has shown the ability to adapt his philosophy to suit the talent on his roster. For example, when the Patriots acquired Randy Moss in 2007, Brady had the highest average air yards per attempt (AY/A) of his career (9.42). The Patriots were calling deep option routes for Moss that they didn't have in the playbook before. As the Raiders' head coach, after McDaniels and company acquired All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, quarterback Derek Carr had the highest AY/A (9.2) of his career. I imagine McDaniels will want to call a more vertical offense for Maye to take advantage of his arm talent, but to do that, someone has to step up as a consistent deep threat. That's why they drafted receiver Kyle Williams in the third round. He'll have to quickly learn McDaniels' offense, which has been notoriously difficult for young receivers. Diagram from the Patriots' 2016 playbook McDaniels also catered to other quarterbacks, including Cam Newton, and ran a creative option offense that was hampered by Newton's injuries at that late point in his career. With Maye's athleticism and the lack of proven weapons, I wouldn't be surprised if McDaniels installed a small option package for him. McDaniels is a sharp offensive coordinator who will create one of the more interesting schemes around his uniquely talented quarterback. The scheme won't matter unless Maye can learn it. Though McDaniel will tweak his scheme, it will likely remain complicated, which contrasts with the league-wide trend of making things as simple as possible for quarterbacks. To be as adaptable and multi-layered as McDaniels wants, the offense must be complicated. An onus is on the quarterback to handle the verbiage, pre-snap adjustments and option routes. It's not easy on quarterbacks, which is why coaches from this system prefer players with experience in it. Advertisement McDaniels' pre-snap operation is as intricate as any other in the league. For example, if the quarterback says 'molasses,' it means he has two play calls but will use a 'dummy' count to get the defense to show its hand to see if the quarterback has to 'kill' the first call to get into the second call. It's a useful tool but one of many that Maye will have to learn and master. Maye had trouble executing and threw four interceptions in an organized team activity (OTA) practice — not that it's anything to panic about, but it shows that his head is understandably overloaded a bit at this point. Maye's mobility was a difference-maker for an offense that couldn't block last season, but there were times when he could have avoided pressure or sacks by throwing with a tick more anticipation. 2:00 remaining in the fourth quarter, second-and-6 For example, on this play against the Rams, the defense rotated into Cover 1 (man-to-man with one deep safety and a robber). Maye had his first read open on a dig route but waited until after his receiver's break to start his throwing motion. The protection broke down quickly but Maye had an opportunity to get the throw off if he had released the ball a half-second earlier. Of course, this could be more of a trust issue against man coverage between Maye and his receiver. Maye did a better job of throwing with anticipation later in the season, particularly against zone coverage. 2:22 remaining in the second quarter, second-and-15 Here, the Colts rotated into a Cover 3 zone (three deep, four underneath). Maye read the coverage and looked off the weakside, underneath defender to open space for his in-breaker to the right. Before his receiver cleared the underarm defender and ran into the first window, Maye had already let go of the ball. The window would have closed if Maye had waited. Without anticipation, this ball would not have been completed, even with the RPMs Maye has on his bullet passes. The Patriots faced the second-highest rate of Cover 1 blitzes in the league because teams didn't respect their receivers and wanted to keep Maye bottled up in the pocket with an extra rusher. 4:30 remaining in the third quarter, second-and-7 The Patriots had a play-action concept with a dig route on this play against the Bills. The defense crowded the box and played man coverage. A blitzer got past the line of scrimmage as Maye was executing the play fake. Running back Antonio Gibson should have aborted the fake and blocked the blitzer, but he saw it too late and seemed to freeze. Pass protection was one of the reasons the Patriots drafted running back TreVeyon Henderson in the second round this year. Maye had to escape to the right, away from the break of the dig. Still, Maye was able to make a miraculous pass for the first down, throwing against the grain. Throws like this are why Maye was drafted so high, but you don't want to have to ask him to make plays like this against the blitz too often. McDaniels' system will give him more answers schematically but the Patriots must be able to block, and receivers must be able to beat man coverage more consistently. Advertisement Last season, Henry was targeted on 23.4 percent of the Patriots' third-down passes, ranking fourth among tight ends, right below Travis Kelce. Hunter is a fine player and developed a strong rapport with Maye last season, but he isn't nearly good enough to warrant that sort of usage. 4:25 remaining in the second quarter, second-and-7 Here, Henry had an out route against man coverage. Henry was bumped and didn't create a lot of separation but Maye knew he could throw the tight end open and trusted him to make the play. Maye threw a perfectly placed pass over the defender and Henry hauled it in. It was clear Maye's comfort level with Henry far exceeded his comfort level with any other receiver. In Maye's last full game of the season, Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter did a good job of taking Henry away, throwing Maye and Patriots offense out of whack. 6:35 remaining in the third quarter, third-and-2 On this play, the Chargers initially gave the Patriots a man coverage look with no one on top of Henry to bait Maye to look in his direction. After the snap, the defense dropped into a Cover 2 zone and linebacker Troy Dye (No. 43) sprinted from the other side of the formation to get underneath Henry. With Henry bracketed with an underneath defender and a safety over the top, Maye had to look elsewhere. However, the spacing on the play was poor, with three receivers bunched too closely. No one was open and the rush scheme created a free rusher who eventually chased Maye down. Who else can the Patriots lean on next season on third downs? Presumably, it'll be free-agent addition Stefon Diggs, but the data isn't kind to receivers coming off of an ACL injury. Diggs is also 31 and was already seen as a player no longer in his prime. And a video of Diggs appearing to hand out an unknown pink substance to a group of women at a party on a boat has become a potential issue, so we'll see whether that leads to a suspension. Advertisement If Diggs isn't the playmaker the Patriots thought they were getting and Williams needs some time to develop, Kendrick Bourne might be a go-to player for Maye in high-leverage situations. Bourne will be a year removed from an ACL injury that kept him out for most of last season and he's always been a sharp route runner with reliable hands. Maye's play last season should have Patriots fans optimistic and the young pieces they added in the draft are exciting, but this is a very young offense that has to learn a difficult offensive system. It could take some time to get going this season but after a year marred by dysfunction, the makings of a bright future appear to be in place for New England.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stefon Diggs' Job With Patriots Could Be In Jeopardy After Disturbing Viral Video: Report
Stefon Diggs' Job With Patriots Could Be In Jeopardy After Disturbing Viral Video: Report originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs' New England Patriots tenure may be over before it even gets started. Advertisement The 31-year-old wideout found himself in hot water after a video emerged on social media of him on a boat surrounded by women in swimsuits passing a bag containing an unknown substance to one of his guests. The Patriots are aware of the video, and the team is reportedly deciding on how to address it with Diggs. 'It's something that we're aware of, and obviously we want to make great decisions on and off the field,' Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters. 'The message will be the same for all our players, that we're trying to make great decisions. And any conversations that I've had with Stefon will remain between him and I and the club.' Diggs, a two-time All-Pro selection who signed a three-year, $69 million contract with the Patriots in March, hasn't been present at Patriots OTAs, and his future with the team is now in question according to a recent report from Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer. Advertisement 'I sort of think all things are on the table,' Breer said in a radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub. 'And I think it's really, to me at least, it's going to boil down to what [Stefon] told Vrabel and how believable it was, because I think it's going to be hard for anybody — the league's going to look into this and they're going to hit a dead end because they're not going to be able to prove what was in the bag. So, then it's up to the team to make a decision.' Diggs' deal, which included a $12 million signing bonus, comes with $25 million guaranteed. Breer noted if New England has any chance of getting some of that money back for essentially firing Diggs for cause, they have to move swiftly. Former Houston Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs during a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Taormina-Imagn Images 'If the team wants to recoup any of the guaranteed money, they have to cut him right away because you can't hold him on the roster for two weeks and decide, 'OK, we're done with you then,'' Breer continued. 'So, my guess would be the reason he wasn't at practice—and this is purely a guess—might be because [Vrabel] told him to stay away and maybe they're sorting through everything now.' Advertisement Breer also noted that Diggs' behavior is exactly what Vrabel is trying to discourage with the culture shift he's trying to instill in his first year as Patriots head coach. 'This sort of thing can undermine all of that,' Breer added. 'If [Diggs] falls on the sword and does everything right, then fine, but, if [Vrabel] thinks he is lying to him I just wouldn't doubt Mike having the stomach to cut him.' Related: Patrick Mahomes Reacts to Taylor Swift's Major Career Announcement Related: Shedeur Sanders Sounds Off on Browns QB Competition Amid Rumors He Could be Cut This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on May 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cole Strange is Falling Behing in Patriots' OTAs
Cole Strange is Falling Behing in Patriots' OTAs originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New England Patriots are taking a serious approach to the 2025 season with competitions lining up on both sides of the ball. Advertisement The offensive line is an area that the Patriots needed to address after last season's latest disastrous performance. New England added some new veterans and used three picks on the offensive line, including drafting former LSU Tigers star Will Campbell with the No. 4 overall pick. While reports are positive for Campbell, there is one former first-round pick of New England who is failing to exceed expectations. Cole Strange has not only not locked up the starting left guard position, but he is reportedly letting other competitors look better for the position. Former New York Jet Wes Schweitzer has had some good looks in OTAs for the Patriots. ESPN reporter Mike Reiss says that Tyrese Robinson has been taking multiple first-team reps in practice. Advertisement This is bad news for Strange, who was the Patriots' first-round pick (No. 29 overall pick) in the 2022 NFL Draft. Strange is in the final year of his rookie contract while the Patriots declined his fifth-year option. He is on the road of being considered as a bust for the Patriots. © David Butler II-Imagn Images In 2022, Strange started and played in all 17 games for the Patriots posting an overall grade of 54.6 by Pro Football Focus. Since then, Strange's career has been derailed by injuries. In 2023, Strange played and started 10 games and only played three games (two starts) last season. There is still a great opportunity for Strange to re-enter the starting lineup. He is, however, off to a poor start if he is allowing a much older veteran in Schweitzer and a player who only played in the regular-season finale last year in Robinson to take his reps. Advertisement Related: Stefon Diggs' Job With Patriots Could Be In Jeopardy After Disturbing Viral Video: Report This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
