May 2023 - New Orleans Saints Wiretap

49ers, Bengals, Eagles In Top-3 Of ESPN's Playmakers Rankings

Jun 27, 2023 1:06 PM

ESPN's Bill Barnwell ranked all 32 NFL teams in terms of the strength of their wide receivers, tight ends and running backs, which is headlined by the San Francisco 49ers.

The 49ers ranked third in 2022 and then upgraded by trading for Christian McCaffrey to join their core of Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.

The Cincinnati Bengals are ranked second, down first first a year ago.

The Philadelphia Eagles jumped from eighth to third. 

Full Rankings
1. 49ers
2. Bengals
3. Eagles
4. Seahawks
5. Chargers
6. Vikings
7. Cowboys
8. Dolphins
9. Jaguars
10. Falcons
11. Raiders
12. Browns
13. Steelers
14. Saints
15. Ravens
16. Lions
17. Bears
18. Buccaneers
19. Chiefs
20. Bills
21. Commanders
22. Jets
23. Rams
24. Broncos
25. Colts
26. Patriots
27. Giants
28. Packers
29. Titans
30. Cardinals
31. Panthers
32. Texans

Bill Barnwell/ESPN

Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Football Team, IQ

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Saints' Derek Carr Happy To Be With 'Stable Organization'

Jun 27, 2023 9:07 AM

Derek Carr is very content in his first offseason with the New Orleans Saints.

"I'm happy to be somewhere where we're in a stable organization that's been proven for years," Carr said, "and I hope that the [Las Vegas] Raiders find something good there too, where they can keep that stability for the next guys because I know how important it is and I care about my old teammates. But for the time being, I'm just excited to be a part of the Saints organization because they've won at a high level for a long time."

Carr, 32, had spent his entire NFL career with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Nick Shook/NFL

Tags: New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Misc Rumor

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Saints' Taysom Hill Working Toward Expanded Role As Receiver

Jun 19, 2023 8:32 AM

Taysom Hill says he's been catching more passes in practice for the New Orleans Saints this spring compared to throwing and rushing.

"I think maybe doing more as, like, a receiver," Hill said. "I think that's kind of stuff that hasn't been explored a ton with me here. The throwing stuff as a quarterback or running, you know, that's stuff we've been doing that for a long time, and that's come really natural for me. I think running routes and catching balls and stuff that was a foreign thing for me, and I also think because of that we haven't done a ton of it, and I think there's some opportunities there that we just haven't explored yet.

"So as I look at next season, I think the hope and the expectation is that that expands a little bit. You know, I think the nice thing is I'm put in different situations. I can go at it and say, 'Hey, if I was throwing the ball to me,' like, I'm just going to do whatever I want the receiver to do if I was throwing it to him. So, having that perspective, I think, has also helped me and maybe made that transition a little smoother."

A jack-of-all-trades for the Saints, Hill had nine catches in 2022. However, he rushed 96 times and attempted 19 passes.

Brenna White/NFL

Tags: New Orleans Saints, Misc Rumor

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Derek Carr Apologizes For Not Giving Raiders His Best Last Season

Jun 16, 2023 8:56 AM

Derek Carr has apologized to the Las Vegas Raiders, saying he failed to give them the best version of himself last season.

"They just didn't get my best and that drove me crazy at the end of the year because I felt so spread out in so many different ways," Carr said. "I just didn't feel like myself and I feel bad for the [Raiders] coaches and players."

Carr finished last season with his worst passer rating (86.3) since his rookie season of 2014. He threw 14 interceptions.

He blamed his self-described regression on a combination of professional and personal challenges.

Brett Martel/Associated Press

Tags: Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Misc Rumor

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ESPN Ranks Chiefs, Bengals, Eagles Atop List Of Best Cores In NFL

Jun 8, 2023 11:19 AM

ESPN ranked the Kansas City Chiefs first in the NFL in terms of having the best core five players on their roster. Kansas City's core consists of QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, DT Chris Jones, C Creed Humphrey and G Joe Thuney.

The Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills comprise the remainder of the top-5.

1. Chiefs
2. Bengals
3. Eagles
4. Dolphins
5. Bills
6. Cowboys
7. Chargers
8. Jets
9. Ravnes
10. 49ers
11. Browns
12. Jaguars
13. Vikings
14. Seahawks
15. Giants
16. Saints
17. Raiders
18. Lions
19. Steelers
20. Broncos
21. Rams
22. Titans
23. Panthers
24. Packers
25. Bears
26. Buccaneers
27. Patriots
28. Commanders
29. Texans
30. Colts
31. Falcons
32. Cardinals

Seth Walder/ESPN

Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, Washington Football Team, IQ

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