Latest news with #OffensiveRookieOfTheYear
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
2025 Rookie Stat Prediction: Ashton Jeanty
The Las Vegas Raiders made a tempo setting move when they took Memphis running back Ashton Jeanty at the top end of round one in the 2025 NFL Draft. A Heisman finalist and one of the best players in the country, Jeanty is a slam dunk for a team wanting to forge a new identity under head coach Pete Carroll. With Las Vegas boasting a new quarterback in Geno Smith who can put up the deep ball as well as anyone in the league, Jeanty should have plenty of opportunity with teams unable to load the box against him. Given Jeanty should be the easily number one back on the team, and that he should be the tempo setting engine that makes the offense move, he should see plenty of action throughout the season and be one of the leagues most productive backs. Given his skillset and the amount of opportunity he will get, expect Jeanty to be the heavy favorite for 'Offensive Rookie of the Year' as he should be one of the top producers at his position. Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty (2) against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Prediction: 1,300 rush yards, 550 receiving yards, 14 touchdowns This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: 2025 Rookie Stat Prediction: Ashton Jeanty
Associated Press
5 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Bulked up Jayden Daniels looks to have put on weight coming off rookie season with the Commanders
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels evades the topic as if he's an oncoming pass rusher and ducks away from the questions as if he's avoiding a sack. It sure looks as if the Washington Commanders' franchise quarterback has bulked up, adding some muscle after his AP Offensive Rookie of the Year season. He just won't say how much and insists it was not a particular mission of his. 'That's up for grabs — I don't know,' Daniels said Wednesday after an offseason practice session. 'I was just working out. It wasn't about this amount or much. Just go out there, have a plan and naturally just put on weight.' Daniels is happy to let others talk about his weight, and that extends to his teammates and coaches. They notice, chalking it up to him being a competitor looking to gain another edge. Kliff Kingsbury, back for a second season as offensive coordinator, has not seen what Daniels is lifting but observes the 24-year-old looking a little thicker. 'He's still pretty lean, but he's definitely worked really hard at his fitness and the weight room,' Kingsbury said. 'He knows what he has to do to protect himself and where he feels comfortable playing. But the arm strength: He looks better, and you can tell he's stronger. There's no doubt.' That wasn't a message from the coaching staff coming off Daniels leading the way in Washington exceeding all expectations to make the playoffs and go on an improbable run to the NFC championship game. Kingsbury wanted Daniels to get some rest rather than rush back into preparing for his second professional season. Easier said than done. A year since being the second pick in the draft and going through an entirely new process, he took some time to reflect and adjusted his priorities. 'You just have so much time and freedom to kind of do what you want,' Daniels said. 'It was difficult trying to navigate that, but you on lean on people closest to you and obviously you've got to keep the end goal in mind. You're trying to get better each and every day, and you're trying to progress each and every season, each and every month and snap.' Part of getting better was absolutely getting some more upper-body heft — especially given Daniels' penchant to escape the pocket and run for big gains and given reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Giants have no shortage of bruising defenders ready to hit him. 'Put on a little muscle, huh?' center Tyler Biadasz said. 'For sure. He said what he was going to do, and he did it.' Daniels upon arriving in Washington developed the reputation as a player who arrives early to the team facility and stays late. No one around the Commanders anticipates that will change now that he may be a few pounds heavier. 'I haven't gotten like side by side in the mirror or anything, but he's doing great,' coach Dan Quinn said. 'You can sense when people are going for it, and he's certainly one that is. ... There is no flinch in Jayden Daniels. He is as focused and relentless as you could (be) about getting better.' No McLaurin Trade pickup Deebo Samuel was in attendance for organized team activities Wednesday, but fellow wide receiver Terry McLaurin was not around for the voluntary stage of offseason workouts after taking part in mandatory sessions recently. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and cornerback Marshon Lattimore were also absent. McLaurin's camp is believed to be discussing a new contract with general manager Adam Peters. McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, is only signed through next season. 'I understand the business side of the things, and when he stopped coming I understand his side of the story,' Samuel said. 'I just not try to get bothered with it and just let him deal with it on his own and just kind of handle it on his own.' Quinn said he has been in touch with every player, plus Peters to see if there are any extension updates. 'Those guys have been excellent in terms of the communication with me,' Quinn said. 'I can speak to Terry, specifically: He's having a great offseason.' No one seems to be worried about McLaurin. Certainly not his QB. 'Me and Terry got a good relationship outside of football,' Daniels said. 'He's got to handle what he has to handle, but that doesn't change anything with the fact that he's a part of our brotherhood. We know Terry's working and everything, so we got to get better and he knows he's got to get better each and every day.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brock Bowers graduates from UGA while playing in the NFL
While NFL teams hold their voluntary workouts, Las Vegas Raiders tight end, and former University of Georgia star, Brock Bowers has other priorities. Bowers returned to UGA to finish his degree and graduated on Friday. The 22-year-old majored in finance before the Raiders drafted the former Bulldogs star in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Advertisement [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The tight end finished his Bulldogs football career as a John Mackey Award winner and two-time national champion. He led the team in receiving yards during each of his three seasons and finished with 175 passes, 26 touchdowns and over 2,500 career receiving yards. In his first season with the Raiders, Bowers set a rookie record with 112 catches. He recorded 1,194 receiving yards. The Associated Press named Bowers a finalist for its Offensive Rookie of the Year award. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Commanders Jayden Daniels Ranked Among NFL's Best Quarterbacks
No rookie quarterback in NFL History enjoyed the kind of success and turnaround that Washington Commanders star Jayden Daniels enjoyed last season. In 2023, Washington won just four games and had one of the worst teams in the league. The arrival of Daniels gave the Commanders a 12-win season and their first trip to the conference title game in 30 years. Advertisement So great was Daniels' rise to dominance that he won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and is now considered a top 10 quarterback going into the 2025 season. Bleacher Report writer Brad Gagnon ranked the top 12 starting quarterbacks in the league, and Daniels clocked in at No. 8, behind the likes of Jared Goff, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Herbert. "After an OROY season in which he posted similar numbers to Stroud in 2023 while leading Washington to the playoffs, Jayden Daniels is essentially the Texans QB without the sophomore slump," Gagnon wrote."Only Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow posted higher QBRs, and Daniels was consistently the man in clutch situations despite a good-not-great supporting cast. "That said, we can't assume the LSU product will keep it rolling in 2025. He could encounter obstacles just as Stroud did, even though the Commanders have smartly added to his arsenal as well as his offensive line this offseason." Advertisement It's very rare to see a quarterback ranked in the top 10 after their first year in the league. No one deserves that more than Daniels at this point, though. And he has the Commanders thinking Super Bowl for the first time in decades. Related: Commanders Reign Of Terror Finish Reveals Key NFL Fact Related: Commanders Protecting 'Greatest Asset' Earning Power Ranking Praise
