Latest news with #CodyBenjamin
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Evaluating Why Giants Shouldn't Trade for Kyle Pitts
Evaluating Why Giants Shouldn't Trade for Kyle Pitts originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Giants will enter the 2025 season with one of the league's weakest tight end rooms. That isn't necessarily an indictment of second-year tight end Theo Johnson's potential or Chris Manhertz's effectiveness as a blocker. But with little proven talent in the passing game, it is among the team's biggest questions. Advertisement That lends itself to speculation when high-profile targets become available at that position. Recently, the rumor mill has revolved around Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts. As he enters a contract year, now three seasons removed from his lone 1,000-yard season, a change of scenery feels necessary. Some feel that New York is primed to provide that pivot. The Giants shouldn't trade for the 2021 first-round tight end, though, despite the weakness on the depth chart. 'Are the Giants in a position to pay for immediate help? They may be short on salary cap space, but Pitts' appeal, at age 24, is that he could also stick around for the long term,' Cody Benjamin wrote for CBS Sports. 'Head coach Brian Daboll would surely be OK pairing the big man with Malik Nabers, giving Russell Wilson an added safety valve for an offense sorely lacking secondary playmakers over the last few years. Assuming this link-up would extend beyond 2025, Pitts' arrival would also bode well for Jaxson Dart, the presumptive quarterback of the future.' Advertisement Cap implications aside, New York isn't a fit for Pitts. For one, Pitts is among 14 tight ends set to make over $10 million in 2025. There's a decent argument that he's worse than all of them, along with a few more on rookie deals. If the Giants believe Johnson is taking any type of significant leap in the coming months, then they inherently believe he'll be better than Pitts, anyway. In Daboll's offense, Pitts profiles as a rotational player, too. Pitts is a receiver in a tight end's frame, often playing in the slot and rarely blocking successfully. He's supposed to be able to stretch the field, sure, but is he doing that at the expense of receiver Wan'Dale Robinson in the slot? The best version of Pitts isn't as a safety valve. It's as a downfield threat operating as a receiver. That makes it awfully hard to coexist with Johnson, who the regime clearly likes, and it would take away from the versatility that Johnson's blocking flashes allow New York to tap into. Between injuries and inconsistencies, Pitts has descended into disappointment. There's a world in which he blossoms for another team, but neither the Giants' scheme nor timeline suggests that jump will come in East Rutherford. Advertisement Related: Giants Lag Behind in NFC East Tight End Rankings Related: Giants Schedule Reveals Potential Dart Debuts This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Where do Bengals rank among teams likely to win first Super Bowl?
Where do Bengals rank among teams likely to win first Super Bowl? The Cincinnati Bengals enter the 2025 NFL season as one of 12 teams yet to win a Super Bowl. When it comes to actually ranking those teams by their chances to win a Lombardi Trophy, things get tricky after rattling off the first few names. Franchises like the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers, at least as of this writing, round out the very bottom of the list. But how far up the list do the Bengals deserve to sit? For CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin, the answer is third overall: "Not even Joe Burrow's MVP-level passing production could get the Bengals into the playoffs last time around, which is real cause for concern. But the defense can't be much worse with Al Golden now atop that staff, and we won't have contract drama surrounding Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins going into September. If somehow Zac Taylor can get his team ready to roll out of the gate rather than halfway through the year, the Bengals should return to form as a challenger to the AFC powerhouses." RELATED: Bengals UDFA is already turning heads at OTAs That ranking going into the 2025 season puts the Bengals only behind the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills. Both of those teams have more well-rounded rosters and the latter happens to roster MVP Josh Allen. Behind the Bengals, other AFC hopefuls like the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers are right on their heels. Given this fair outlook, it's all the more understandable why fans and the team were so upset about last year's close call -- and why head coach Zac Taylor changed up his coaching staff going into this season. RELATED: Cincinnati Bengals players missing OTAs list ahead of training camp
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs receive a favorable AFC West prediction ahead of the 2025 season
Kansas City Chiefs receive a favorable AFC West prediction ahead of the 2025 season CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin is the latest to weigh in on the Kansas City Chiefs' odds of repeating as AFC West champions. He gathered a list of last season's division winners and explained which teams are the most vulnerable going into the 2025 season. "All three of their rivals should theoretically be better: the Denver Broncos have a promising gunslinger in Bo Nix, the Los Angeles Chargers are physical under Jim Harbaugh, and the Las Vegas Raiders now have Pete Carroll and Geno Smith running the show." wrote Benjamin, "Are any of those clubs ready to unseat a Chiefs team that's been to five of the last six Super Bowls? Yes, Kansas City was steamrolled in its last big game, but Patrick Mahomes' weaponry should be healthier and sprier this time around. It's just hard to bet against a dynasty." Kansas City has won nine consecutive division titles, the second-longest streak of division championships for any team in league history. Only the New England Patriots, who won 11 successive AFC East titles from 2009 to 2019, had a longer streak. The Chiefs' dominance at home has contributed to their success. Last season, they finished with a perfect 10-0 record at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, the first undefeated year in franchise history that included the playoffs.
USA Today
28-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Rams named the most vulnerable reigning division winner in 2025
Rams named the most vulnerable reigning division winner in 2025 The Los Angeles Rams won their fourth NFC West title under head coach Sean McVay this past season after rattling off five consecutive wins in December. It was a huge moment, as it returned the crown to L.A. after it spent two years up in San Francisco with the 49ers. However, the Rams might not have an easy time keeping their title. CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin ranked the Rams' as the most vulnerable reigning division winner because of how potent the other three teams are in the NFC West. "There's a case to be made that the Rams deserve more props for the way they finished 2024, nearly knocking off the Eagles in the postseason, and giving Matthew Stafford another perimeter weapon in Davante Adams should help Sean McVay oversee a high-flying attack," Benjamin wrote. "They could go deep! And yet the San Francisco 49ers are always a force under Kyle Shanahan when healthy; they're due for a rebound. The Seattle Seahawks at least offer an imposing defense under Mike Macdonald. And the Arizona Cardinals just beefed up their own "D" as well." It doesn't help that the Rams will also play a first-place schedule this year and will see the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions in 2025. Those are three of the best teams in the NFC and L.A. will need to win at least one of those matchups to remain competitive in the conference and the division. Retaining Stafford is huge, but he's getting a bit older and will need to stay healthy for this Rams squad to continue playing at a high level.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Predicted To 'Flirt' With Playoffs
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will enter the 2025 season needing to prove many skeptics wrong about two things. His ability to stay healthy and his ability to lead his team to a deep playoff run. Advertisement And one can't happen without the other. After a hamstring injury ended his season in Week 9 last year, Prescott is on the comeback trail and will take part in training camp in Oxnard. Still, with the offseason the Cowboys have had, many doubt if Dak can lift this team up to the playoffs and beyond. But for CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin, he thinks Dak will bounce back in 2025. "It's bad enough that Prescott missed nine games -- roughly half the Dallas Cowboys' season -- in 2024," Benjamin writes. "The fact he's now missed extensive time in three of his last five seasons means there's even more pressure on the 31-year-old to stay upright. Still, with Tyler Booker plugged in up front and George Pickens now opposite CeeDee Lamb out wide, Prescott should have the support to flirt with the playoffs again. The real question is whether he can carve out the defining January run his resume still lacks." Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Zack Emmons-Imagn Images To put it in easy terms, when Dak is healthy for a full season, more often than not, Dallas makes the playoffs. Six times Prescott has played all regular-season games, and five times the Cowboys were playoff-bound. Advertisement So the recipe going forward is simple. Keep Dak healthy. With a revamped offensive line, another weapon in George Pickens to go with CeeDee Lamb, and a run game that will be better than last season, Dak won't have to be Superman anymore. And that won't put him in harm's way, and that should, in theory, allow him to stay healthy. And when he stays healthy, the Cowboys are a playoff team, and there's every reason to suggest Dallas will be just that in Dak stays out of the treatment room. Related: Cowboys Fans Saddened by Projection to Cut Loose Deuce Related: Cowboys Preseason Schedule Released with 2 Rare Rivals
