The NFL Combine usually works as an event where a lot of preliminary negotiations happen because every team is well represented there. There was no doubt that the Bears were willing to trade the N°1 pick since they have Justin Fields at QB, but the Panthers had to make a huge offer.

It is still too early to know who their pick will be. The main options are Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. One of them is going to become their next quarterback unless there is a surprising turn. Whoever it is, he will need help especially as a rookie.

Carolina Panthers get a new wide receiver

The trade with Chicago left Carolina without their top pass-catcher. Getting rid of D.J. Moore was something that facilitated the move, although it is a piece hard to replace. The Panthers took notice of that absence and signed former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen. However, he won’t be the only veteran presence there.

Carolina agreed to a deal with DJ Chark to add another option in the passing game. There weren’t many exciting possibilities at WR in free agency, but the Panthers made two solid additions without investing a lot. Chark played for the Detroit Lions last season, finishing with 30 receptions for 502 yards in 11 games.

The Cowboys are one of the most conservative teams in the NFL when it comes to free agency. Their approach isn’t taking big swings, although they showed something different trading for Stephon Gilmore of the Indianapolis Colts.

All their transactions were related to the defense. The other decisions were extending LB Leighton Vander Esch and safety Donovan Wilson, so Parsons should be happy with his unit. But the star pass-rusher wants some help for the offense.

Micah Parsons sends public message to an All-Pro wide receiver

The defense is where the Dallas Cowboys can rely on since they hired Dan Quinn as the defensive coordinator. Their best players are there, so the offense is what needs to add talent now. Especially for the struggles shown by quarterback Dak Prescott last season, making adding more weapons to pair with CeeDee Lamb the priority.

This time Parsons tried to recruit WR DeAndre Hopkins. He is under contract with the Arizona Cardinals, but his team seems to be in rebuilding mode. The former first-team All-Pro wide receiver appears to be available for those willing to trade for him. Cowboys star decided to help the front office by posting a simple message on Twitter while tagging Hopkins. “@DeAndreHopkins it’s about that time”, he wrote.

Carolina will be starting over next season. The hiring of Frank Reich as head coach was supposed to come with a retooling at quarterback as well. Having the 9th overall pick wasn’t going to be enough for all the QB-needy teams that were competing with them, so they went for the 1st selection with a risky bet.

Their future will be likely on Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud. Options like Anthony Richardson or Will Levis could also surprise. In any case, the front office moved to sign a veteran to give their young pick time to develop.

Who is the new quarterback of the Carolina Panthers?

There are interesting quarterbacks in free agency that could work as a bridge choice for those teams picking a rookie that isn’t ready to play right away. Carolina were a franchise to pay attention to in that market for the trade they just made, so their recent decision made sense to protect their most important investment.

The Panthers just signed Andy Dalton as a free agent. Dalton has 12 years of experience in the league in a career that started with nine seasons in the Cincinnati Bengals. He was also a starter for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, and the Bears in 2021 before Justin Fields took over as QB. His recent stint was starting 14 games for the New Orleans Saints last year.

Andy Dalton’s contract with the Carolina Panthers

Knowing they will be having a starting quarterback in his rookie contract gives the Carolina Panthers a lot of flexibility. This advantage was used to get one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league for all the experience he has. Dalton signed a two-year deal worth 10 million dollars with the Panthers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. It also includes eight million fully guaranteed, could be up to17 million with incentives.

The Chargers had one of the most disappointing season endings in the NFL last year. Having Justin Herbert now pushes them to be a Super Bowl contender, not just a competitive team. They were again victims of multiple key players getting injured, but the way things finished made head coach Brandon Staley be on the hot seat.

Los Angeles were scheduled to play against Jacksonville in the wild card round. Despite being a road game, they were able to take a 27-point lead. The Chargers then managed to lose 31-30 to the Jaguars in a score that puts a ton of pressure on them moving forward.

Los Angeles Chargers restructure contracts to clear cap space

This part of the year is when teams look for ways to save cap space for different purposes. Los Angeles had to tweak some contracts because they were over the limit, although the main goal is extending Herbert as soon as possible. They did so with wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams earlier in the week, and now they repeated it with two stars on defense.

The Chargers restructured the contracts of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack to open up 25.99millionof salary cap space, per Field Yates of ESPN. Bosa’s deal freed up 15.776M and Mack’s reworked agreement created 10.8M, figures that add to the 14.4M they saved with their offensive playmakers. Los Angeles now are 16th in the league with $19,545,886 in cap space, according to Spotrac.

The enormous jump that quarterback Jalen Hurts had in his third year was a key factor in that progress, but general manager Howie Roseman was a major part in his progress as well. Giving the QB a proven weapon like A.J. Brown was the transaction that started everything.

Their issue is that they have a lot of talent with expiring contracts. It is still unknown what is going to happen with veterans such as center Jason Kelce, although there are other situations the front office have to solve.

Philadelphia Eagles make decisions on two starting veterans

No other team has more meaningful players hitting free agency. The list for the Eagles is impressive, headlined by names like Kelce, Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Bradberry, and T.J. Edwards. It’s the defense the unit that seems more likely to need replacements sooner rather later. But at least they were able to secure one starter.

Philadelphia reached an agreement with Brandon Graham to keep him on the team. The Eagles signed the defensive end to a one-year deal worth six million. Graham was part of the roster that defeated the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl LII, although he stayed competitive recording 12 sacks last season including the playoffs. Although the day didn’t end there for them.

There were some rumors of a potential trade regarding Darius Slay. The cornerback reportedly didn’t request to be sent to another franchise, but the team granted his agent permission to do so according to Dianna Russini of ESPN. It’s all because Slay is looking for a contract extension since he is in the final year of his deal with no more guarantees. He has the highest cap hit in the league for a CB at 26.1M, per Spotrac.

Selecting the right players in this event is essential to have a competitive team. The perfect example are the Kansas City Chiefs for what they did last year. They have some top players in the roster that require big cap figures such as Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce, so drafting the right rookies was something mandatory.

The Chiefs were so good at it that they had meaningful contributions from them in their Super Bowl win against the Philadelphia Eagles. There is why this news could help a team get better faster through the draft. One team in particular was the main beneficiary.

List of NFL compensatory picks 2023

There are several franchises that received multiple extra picks for the upcoming draft. Teams like Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Arizona Cardinals all received three selections. Among those who got two are Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders.

The winner of this distribution were the San Francisco 49ers. Their new picks reached a total of seven, but the thing to highlight is that three of them are third-round selections. Behind the 49ers are the Los Angeles Rams with four. Here is the full list of the 37 compensatory picks distributed for the 2023 draft.

What are the compensatory picks in the NFL?

The NFL has a mathematical formula used to assign compensatory picks. These are extra selections that teams receive depending on different factors. Although the exact method is unknown, it takes into account the free agency of the year prior. Those teams who had more meaningful departures than arrivals regarding salary, playing time and postseason honors are the ones who get picks.

It is key to mention they are awarded for the end of rounds 3-7. In the latest CBA there was an amendment made to promote minority hirings as head coach or general manager. San Francisco was granted more picks than the rest mostly for DeMeco Ryans, Mike McDaniel, and Robert Saleh being hired to be HC.

The window opened last Tuesday, February 21 and will remain available until March 7th. If a player with an expiring contract doesn’t receive either the franchise tag or the transition tag by then, he will be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 15.

For those who receive it the talks for a potential extension can extend a bit more, with July 15 being the deadline. This year there are a lot of superstars that could be heading in this direction because contract extensions don’t seem easy for them. These are the top 5 players that could receive the franchise tag in the coming days.

What players could receive the franchise tag?

5. Tony Pollard – Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers of using the franchise tag. In fact, they have been one of teams that have used it the most lately. DeMarcus Lawrence received it twice, but he only played under that designation once since he then got an extension. TE Dalton Schultz did so last year, although the main example is Dak Prescott.

The quarterback was designated as a franchise player in 2020, the year he suffered a gruesome injury. This seems to be the path for the running back as well. The massive extension the team gave Ezekiel Elliott in 2019 still has a lot of weight, so they must be inclined to that instead of giving a long-term contract to someone that plays this position. Pollard deserves a raise after being the most explosive back in the roster.

4. Josh Jacobs – Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders made an unfortunate decision a year ago regarding the future of the RB. They picked him in the first round of the 2019 draft, so they had the fifth-year option to keep player for a relatively cheap investment. However, the running back had a lot of injuries that led the franchise to decline it. Jacobs instead of regressing put up the best numbers since he is a professional. He was named a first-team All-Pro for leading the league in rushing with 1,653 yards.

3. Orlando Brown Jr. – Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs lost Super Bowl LV against the Buccaneers mainly because they couldn’t protect Patrick Mahomes. Their plan to revamp the offensive line included a big trade with the Baltimore Ravens to get the disgruntled player. Brown Jr. had the dream of being a left tackle, so he requested to be moved since he was locked to the right side in Baltimore.

Kansas City made a deal with their AFC opponents to solidify the most important position of the line. But they haven’t been able to agree on a contract extension with him since then. Brown already played on the franchise tag last season, so this wouldn’t be surprising. Securing the blind side protector of the NFL MVP is the priority for Andy Reid.

2. Daniel Jones/Saquon Barkley – New York Giants

The Giants have the hardest decision to make in the NFL in this situation. New York had the same thought process about Jones than the one of Las Vegas with Jacobs. They could have picked up the quarterback’s fifth-year option, though they didn’t. His progress under new head coach Brian Daboll puts them now in a rough spot.

Barkley had that option accepted a year prior to evaluate his performance last season. The running back also had an enormous leap compared to his previous two injury-filled campaigns, although he is about to become an unrestricted free agent. Saquon reportedly isn’t close in the contract extension talks with the team. Jones is said to be asking a lofty salary to remain there. What will they do with their top offensive weapons if they don’t get extensions is uncertain.

1. Lamar Jackson – Baltimore Ravens

The player that could shift the league power rankings is not Aaron Rodgers. Having a young quarterback with an expiring contract is not something common in the NFL, especially for a former MVP of his age. In a normal situation the Ravens should give Jackson a massive contract extension to give the franchise stability. But the problem for them is what a divisional rival did a year ago.

With the fully guaranteed contract that Deshaun Watson received from the Cleveland Browns the benchmark is now higher. Jackson rejected a huge offer before last season began because he wanted to match those conditions, something the front office didn’t want. Either if they decide to trade him away or both sides agree on an extension, the franchise tag seems obvious to buy time for any of those negotiations.

Other candidates: QB Geno Smith of the Seattle Seahawks, DT Daron Payne of the Washington Commanders, and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles.