Happy midweek, everyone! The draft is in the rear view, and now we finally have some clarity on when the schedule will drop (more on that below). John Breech is taking the day to preorder new Bengals gear for their inevitable prime-time appearances, so you’ve got me, Cody Benjamin, to deliver the latest.
This is the Pick Six newsletter. Now let’s get to it. (And please, do yourself a favor and make sure you’re signed up to receive this newsletter every day! You don’t want to miss our daily offerings of everything you need to know around the NFL.)
We’ve got rookie camp insights, an all-new Quarterback Power Rankings, and much more:
1. Today’s show: Rookie minicamp special
With rookie camps underway, former NFL players Brady Quinn and Leger Douzable joined Will Brinson on the latest “Pick Six NFL Podcast” to explore the next steps of the offseason, and what’s ahead for key newcomers. Some highlights:
- Brady and Leger explain how rookie minicamp actually works, sharing stories of their own experiences
- Brinson ponders which of this year’s rookie quarterbacks will earn a Week 1 starting job
- Quinn suggests there’s already enough heat on Kirk Cousins in Atlanta, where the Falcons stunningly spent a first-round pick on Michael Penix Jr., that could lead to the rookie signal-caller winning over the city in a hurry
Catch the full episode (and subscribe for all kinds of daily NFL talk) right here.
2. Schedule release: Reveal date, strength of schedule
In each of the last three years, the NFL has released its regular-season schedule on the second Thursday of May. This year, as of late Tuesday, all indications are the 2024 schedule will actually drop Wednesday, May 15. In the meantime, we already know every opponent for all 32 teams, which is why John Breech was able to rank the entire league in terms of 2024 strength of schedule. Two NFC South clubs, in particular, may have a smooth road to playoff contention thanks to their draw.
3. QB Power Rankings: Purdy, Love open in top 10
With the draft complete, we have a pretty good idea of every team’s starting quarterback for the 2024 season, barring some last-minute upsets in training camp competitions or abrupt injuries that require lineup changes. So how do all the signal-callers stack up? We just dropped our first 2024 edition of Quarterback Power Rankings, and right behind the standard-setter that is Patrick Mahomes, we’re giving Brock Purdy his due:
Two seasons, two NFC title games, one valiant Super Bowl effort. Does he have a sterling setup in San Francisco? Yep. Does he operate like a 10-year vet, managing the pocket as both an efficient and mobile gunslinger? Also yep. Let’s give the kid the credit he deserves.
Check out the full 1-32 breakdown right here.
A month after turning himself into police in the wake of a high-speed, multi-vehicle crash, the Chiefs’ second-year wide receiver faces additional legal troubles, with Dallas police investigating a recent assault at a nightclub. Rice, 24, is accused of striking a photographer. He still faces eight felony charges from the prior motor accident. A late-year standout for Kansas City’s offense as a rookie, he could face NFL discipline regardless of his legal outcomes.
Months after signing Calvin Ridley to a lucrative deal, Tennessee has again added to its offensive arsenal, inking former Cincinnati Bengals standout Tyler Boyd to a one-year deal, as NFL Media reported. Once heralded as one of the game’s top slot wideouts, Boyd is likely to compete for No. 3 duties behind Ridley and DeAndre Hopkins, but he helps give Levis, the second-year quarterback, one of the NFL’s most experienced receiver groups.
The nephew of former Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly, the 30-year-old Toronto Argonauts signal-caller will miss at least 11 games — two preseason contests, and nine regular-season games — after the CFL concluded he violated the league’s gender-based violence policy. A third-party investigation led to the suspension, the CFL announced, which itself stemmed from allegations of unwanted romantic advances by a former strength and conditioning coach. Kelly briefly played for the Denver Broncos in 2017-2018, before his release amid an arrest.
