Arrowheadlines: Chris Jones would love to play with J.J Watt

The latest

Chris Jones: I would love to play with J.J. Watt | NBC Sports

“J.J. Watt has been my favorite player throughout the league my whole career,” Jones said. “He was the Aaron Donald before Aaron Donald — he was J.J. Watt, you know? So he’s still my favorite player. Would I love to play with him if the opportunity presents itself? Hell yeah. But you never know how these things go. He’s a free agent for the first time in his career. He might want to play with his brother or something, I don’t know.”

Patrick Mahomes nominated for Global Sports Award

Does race still remain a factor in the evaluation of a quarterback? | NFL.com

The question might sound ridiculous on the surface when considering three of the last six league MVPs were Black quarterbacks, including Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson in back-to-back seasons; when the passing yards leader in each of the last two seasons was Black; when five of the last 13 quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall were persons of color; and when any top-five list of individuals currently playing the position undoubtedly includes multiple Black people, often with Mahomes at the top of it.

Bold predictions for the 2021 NFL offseason | YardBarker

Bears sign Sammy Watkins

Watkins has a playoff hero for the Chiefs in 2019, but much of his three seasons in Kansas City was marred by injuries. He still has some upside in a deep wide receiver free agent year, and the Bears might be in the market if they’re unable to bring back Allen Robinson.

2021 NFL Mock Draft: Updated Picks Entering Combine, Pro Days | Bleacher Report

31. Kansas City Chiefs: Edge Jayson Oweh, Penn State

The Bills would probably be stealing Bolton from the Kansas City Chiefs, who struggled with defending the run in 2020 and desperately need help at linebacker. But with him off the board, they could turn their attention to a so-so pass rush that didn’t see a single edge-defender record more than six sacks in 2020.

Frank Clark is a big-time player who disappears a little too often, while Alex Okafor and Tanoh Kpassagnon haven’t gotten the job done. Thank goodness for the presence of Chris Jones inside, but K.C. still needs more talent on the edge.

Penn State’s Jayson Oweh can provide that.

The lengthy and explosive 6’5”, 252-pounder is a little raw after limited starting time in college, but the Chiefs can afford that based on their personnel up front. His high ceiling makes him an ideal player to groom as a situational rusher until he’s tapped for a larger role in a year or two.

2021 NFL Mock Draft: Trey Lance goes ahead of Justin Fields, no Deshaun Watson trade | CBS Sports

Jackson Carman OL

Kansas City

Carman is a monstrous tackle with big-time upside thanks to good athleticism and long limbs.

Around the NFL

Allen Robinson landing spots: Colts, Dolphins among 12 potential destinations for one of top 2021 free agents | CBS Sports

Contenders

Bengals: As A.J. Green likely heads for new scenery, Cincinnati doesn’t necessarily need to make huge investments at wideout, with Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd locked into the lineup. But getting Joe Burrow another weapon should — and likely will — be among the primary priorities, and the Bengals showed in 2020 they’re not afraid to spend money. They’ve got plenty once again.

Pittsburgh Steelers want Ben Roethlisberger to return in 2021, team president Art Rooney II says | ESPN

“Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting” Rooney said. “We were able to discuss a lot of things that relate to where we are and where we want to go. Ben assured me that he is committed to coming back to help us win, and I told Ben that we would like to have him back to help us win a championship. We both understand that the next step is to work out Ben’s contract situation.”

Broncos would need to use franchise tag on Justin Simmons if deal isn’t reached by deadline | Mile High Report | Denver Broncos SB Nation site

“This is one of the big things on the plate of new general manager George Paton,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said this week. “They’d like to get a new long-term deal done with Simmons. They’re going to try to do this before they have to tag him a second time. If they do tag him a second time it’ll be $13.75 million, but obviously the goal of the organization is to avoid that and just lock him in now.”

With George Paton taking charge in Dove Valley, he will be looking to lower the strain the team’s salary cap heading into free agency. He has already released cornerback A.J. Bouye earlier this month and will likely be taking a long look at defensive lineman Jurrell Casey as another potential cap casualty. However, an underrated salary cap consideration would be Simmons in a long-term deal. The first year of those deals tend to be cap-friendly, which is something this year in particular will need to consider.

It would be great for both sides to come to an agreement ahead of free agency for exactly that reason. It would help Paton to have a firm grasp of what salary cap he has to work with before the free agency window opens.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

Mitch Schwartz announces he is having surgery on Wednesday, aims to play in 2021

After never missing a start in his nine-year career, Schwartz, 31, exited the team’s Week 6 game against the Buffalo Bills due to a back issue — and he never took another snap in 2020. The Chiefs placed Schwartz on injured reserve in November.

Asked about the four-time All-Pro several times throughout 2020-21, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid would not rule out an in-season or playoff comeback, but it never happened. Schwartz posted end-of-season thoughts to his official Instagram account in early February.

SCHWARTZ: “I’ve never talked/posted about my workouts or health in the media, and I know a lot of you are curious what’s been going on. I’ll share that at some point but I’m looking forward to getting healthy and getting my body right! Thanks for all the support and well wishes, wish I could’ve been out there, but proud of the season we had nonetheless!”

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