NFL News & Analysis

5 things you need to know for Friday

Good morning football fans! Here are the five things you need to know coming out of Thursday to get your morning started right:

  1. Josh Norman had a relative downturn in performance for the Washington Redskins in 2016 after such a star turn the season before, but how much would that have changed if he was able to bring in some of the league-leading six dropped interceptions he had? PFF Senior Analyst Sam Monson takes a look at the league leaders when it comes to dropped interceptions on defense.
  2. The Oakland Raiders and QB Derek Carr completed a monster contract extension on Thursday, locking their signal-caller down for another five years, at $25 million per season for a total of $125 million extra. Carr took another huge step forward in development last season and was one of the league’s best-performing quarterbacks before being lost for the season through injury.
  3. The Baltimore Ravens reportedly plan to use Alex Lewis at left guard exclusively. Lewis played extensively as a rookie, but was asked to fill in at left tackle at times when injury struck, and struggled badly there. Inside at left guard, he was far better, and had some impressive performances there. His potential certainly looks far better inside.
  4. The Los Angeles Rams have cut DT Tyrunn Walker after OTAs. Walker was only signed on March 23, but the team obviously saw enough during the offseason program to convince them he wasn’t going to be a viable option on the roster going forward. Walker’s grades over the past two years in Detroit were poor, and his roster spot was likely lost to the drafting of Tanzel Smart in April.
  5. PFF Fantasy’s Mike Castiglione takes a look at the risers and fallers in targets per route, as receivers that get looks the most often when they run routes naturally have the best chance of success long-term. He looks at the list of the players targeted the most and least frequently in 2016, but also at some players clearly trending upward and downward to help you lock in your fantasy targets.
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