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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Packers roster among NFL's 'most complete,' but with caveats entering 2025
Eric Edholm picked the Green Bay Packers as one of his 10 "most complete" teams entering the 2025, and while Edholm doesn't see many "major red flags," there are caveats to the Packers' positioning as one of the best rosters this season. Can a good team on the cusp take the next step? Advertisement Brian Gutekunst's draft strategy -- especially in the post-Aaron Rodgers era -- has created a young and talented roster that has made back-to-back playoff appearances and should be ready to compete in 2025. "Brian Gutekunst was promoted to general manager in 2018, and the Packers have selected 80 players in his eight drafts -- an average of 10 per year, for the non-math majors out there. This volume-heavy approach has allowed them to field one of the league's most solid and competitive rosters up and down," Edholm wrote. The caveats are obvious. Quarterback Jordan Love must stay healthy and play better at the game's most important position, the Packers defense needs more from a talented but inconsistent front, and Jaire Alexander must return at cornerback. Love suffered a Week 1 injury and, at times, labored through his second season as the starter. The wide receivers -- who won't have Christian Watson for a chunk of 2025 -- must catch passes more consistently. Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt must power improvement rushing the quarterback in the second year of the Jeff Hafley era. And while Alexander's status in Green Bay remains a question mark, he's a difference-maker when healthy and available. Cornerback would be a potential "red flag" position if Alexander isn't back. Advertisement Still, even with all the issues weighing down the Packers in 2024, Matt LaFleur's team won 11 games, made the playoffs and gave the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles a good fight on the road in the first round. The bar for a great season in Green Bay is much higher, but the Packers have established a strong floor with this group. "But all told, this is a fairly strong team, lacking major red flags. Green Bay's ranking would be solidified should Love show improvement," Edholm wrote. The path ahead for the Packers won't be an easy one. Edholm picked both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings among his most complete teams, and three other teams in the NFC made the top 10. This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers roster NFL most complete 2025 Jordan Love Jaire Alexander
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Packers roster among NFL's 'most complete,' but with caveats entering 2025
Packers roster among NFL's 'most complete,' but with caveats entering 2025 Eric Edholm picked the Green Bay Packers as one of his 10 "most complete" teams entering the 2025, and while Edholm doesn't see many "major red flags," there are caveats to the Packers' positioning as one of the best rosters this season. Can a good team on the cusp take the next step? Brian Gutekunst's draft strategy -- especially in the post-Aaron Rodgers era -- has created a young and talented roster that has made back-to-back playoff appearances and should be ready to compete in 2025. "Brian Gutekunst was promoted to general manager in 2018, and the Packers have selected 80 players in his eight drafts -- an average of 10 per year, for the non-math majors out there. This volume-heavy approach has allowed them to field one of the league's most solid and competitive rosters up and down," Edholm wrote. The caveats are obvious. Quarterback Jordan Love must stay healthy and play better at the game's most important position, the Packers defense needs more from a talented but inconsistent front, and Jaire Alexander must return at cornerback. Love suffered a Week 1 injury and, at times, labored through his second season as the starter. The wide receivers -- who won't have Christian Watson for a chunk of 2025 -- must catch passes more consistently. Rashan Gary, Kenny Clark, Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt must power improvement rushing the quarterback in the second year of the Jeff Hafley era. And while Alexander's status in Green Bay remains a question mark, he's a difference-maker when healthy and available. Cornerback would be a potential "red flag" position if Alexander isn't back. Still, even with all the issues weighing down the Packers in 2024, Matt LaFleur's team won 11 games, made the playoffs and gave the eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles a good fight on the road in the first round. The bar for a great season in Green Bay is much higher, but the Packers have established a strong floor with this group. "But all told, this is a fairly strong team, lacking major red flags. Green Bay's ranking would be solidified should Love show improvement," Edholm wrote. The path ahead for the Packers won't be an easy one. Edholm picked both the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings among his most complete teams, and three other teams in the NFC made the top 10.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Rams not named among top-10 most complete teams in 2025
The Los Angeles Rams returned a lot of their marquee players this season. Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Alaric Jackson and Tutu Atwell are among the biggest names on offense, while the young defensive corps remains intact, too. This group finished middle-of-the-pack in terms of stats at the end of the season but was good enough to win 10 games, the NFC West and make the NFC Divisional round. Advertisement However, Eric Edholm doesn't think the Rams have one of the most complete teams in the league in 2025. Edholm graded each position group and weighed those units based on "positional importance." Through those calculations, Edholm determined that L.A.'s roster didn't make the cut, although he noted that the No. 10 Denver Broncos had enough talent to squeeze past the Rams and the Washington Commanders. The obvious reason why the Rams weren't ranked in the top 10 is their defense. Edholm noted that he might have "put too much emphasis on defense," and L.A. didn't do much to upgrade the unit. The group is young and developing, but the secondary and linebacker corps are also pretty poor. They returned the same starters from 2024, and those were the weakest groups on the team. At the end of the day, the Rams don't need a complete team to compete in 2025. Stafford is the most important part of this team, and the duo of Nacua and Davante Adams at receiver gives L.A. one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. Reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse is also always a threat from the edge alongside the collection of other young defensive players like Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner and Byron Young. We'll see if the Rams finish as a top-10 team despite this ranking. This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams ranked outside the top-10 of most complete teams list
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Derek Barnett dubbed Texans' most underrated player in 2025
The Houston Texans have some big names on their roster, mostly on the defensive side with Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. But some talented players've flown under the radar, including defensive lineman Derek Barnett. Barnett, a former first-round pick by the Eagles in 2017, was picked up off waivers in the middle of the 2023 by Houston amid a run to the playoffs. He's been a pleasant surprise on defense as a No. 3 pass-rusher behind former starter Jonathan Greenard, Hunter and Anderson, totaling at least seven tackles for loss in each season while combining for 8.5 sacks. Barnett has also started in a pinch for both Anderson and Hunter, who missed at least one game last season. Advertisement Tom Blair dubbed Barnett the most underrated player on the Texans roster. "Barnett played just 38% of the Texans' defensive snaps in 2024, easily the lowest in any season in which he suited up for more than one game, while compiling 5.0 sacks, tied for 72nd-most in the NFL. So what is he doing here?" Blair said in his explanation about why he selected Barnett. "Well, scan his Pro Football Reference page a little further, until you see the one bolded number indicating he led the league with two fumble recoveries returned for a touchdown last year. "The former Eagles first-round pick, who was waived by Philly less than two years ago, might be long removed from his days as a regular starter, but he put himself in position to score when the ball bounced his way, matching a single-season high for fumble recovery TDs reached by just 35 other players since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. He also made an impact on his team -- and that surely played a part in him landing another deal in Houston this offseason." Barnett will also have to contend for playing time with new signee Darrell Taylor, who joins Houston after four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and one with the Chicago Bears. Houston also still has seventh-round pick Solomon Byrd, who carved out a role in the rotation late last season. The Texans open the season on the road against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans DE Derek Barnett dubbed most underrated player in 2025
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Can Buccaneers' Emeka Egbuka Be Baker Mayfield's No. 1 Weapon?
Where you get drafted in the NFL matters, and for Emeka Egbuka, we are struggling to think of a better situation he could have landed than in Tampa Bay with the Buccaneers. Why? With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Egbuka can learn from two studs in his first year, plus he has Baker Mayfield as his quarterback, who is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons. Advertisement Those are as good a reason as any. So Emeka will slot into an offense as the third option, maybe fourth behind Jalen McMillan, who hauled in eight touchdowns in his rookie season, and that will allow Egbuka to quietly go about his development in the background while not getting a lot of attention from defences. For Marc Ross, Egbuka has landed in one of the best situations to kickstart his career. "Tampa Bay returns both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, meaning Egbuka can learn from them and make plays in the slot while the veteran duo garners all the attention on the perimeter," Ross writes. "I envision Egbuka playing on a track similar to that of his fellow former Buckeye Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was third fiddle to DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett early on in his career before eventually emerging as Seattle's leading receiver." Egbuka To Buccaneers By Tony Fisher Training camp will make for an interesting watch with McMillan and Egbuka "fighting" for the No. 3 receiver role, and if those two are your third pass-catching options, you're doing well. Advertisement Loving doing the dirty work in the run game, Egbuka will also be a key cog for Bucky Irving, too, because the Buccaneers are one of the best rushing teams in football, and show no signs of being anything other than that in 2025. Egbuka comes into the NFL able to learn from a future Hall of Famer in Evans, a Pro Bowler in Godwin, so he can see how they go about their business both on and off the field, and there isn't pressure for him to come in and be a star from the get-go - he can ease himself into his career. Where you get drafted matters. Related: Bucs Sign Most Famous Rookie Free Agent To 3-Year Contract Related: Bucs' Shilo Takes Comical Jab at Lonely Brother Shedeur
