How likely are the Raiders to trade Amari Cooper? What would compensation look like? — Nick F.
Just five weeks after the Raiders traded their former first-rounder Khalil Mack, they apparently aren’t locked onto their next two first rounders either. They have been very actively shopping Karl Joseph, their first-round safety from 2016. It seems they are hoping for decent compensation for him with little interest thus far. But for Amari Cooper they want something substantial — a first-round pick.
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There are teams that would absolutely have interest in Cooper, though probably not for that high of a price tag. Cooper’s production hasn’t jibed in Jon Gruden’s offense. Teams are all over the board on what exactly they’d give up for him, but if the Raiders lower their asking price, they will have an abundance of interested trade partners.
What are the Panthers’ playoff chances? —Zach C.
The Panthers have been a team that usually get more dangerous as the season rolls into deeper waters. For years under Ron Rivera, it seems that they start figuring themselves out and make adjustments during the season more effectively than most teams. That’s what you want in this league. You don’t want to start hot, you want to finish hot.
I know they talk about Riverboat Ron, but it’s not just Riverboat Ron’s gambling, it’s really the consistency of his adjustments after the halfway mark that makes them playoff contenders.
Are the Seahawks a playoff contender? If so, how far could they go? —Jesse L.
It’s funny Jesse, because just a couple of weeks ago everyone was talking about them rebuilding and how the Legion Of Boom was gone. Now, to have questions asked about if they are a legitimate playoff contender is quite astonishing.
In the last 10 years I don’t think anyone in the NFL has drafted better than Seattle GM John Schneider. So when the Seahawks said they were rebuilding but they thought they had some good young players to rebuild with, I gave them more of a benefit of doubt than most because of Schneider’s draft success — especially in finding gems outside the first couple of rounds.
The Seahawks have not turned out to be the complete mess that everyone thought they were going to be. Everyone who jumped on the “demise of the Seahawks” bandwagon is finding out that the wagon’s spokes seem to be breaking.
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Seattle had to make an adjustment because their vaunted legion of boom was breaking up. This business is about tough decisions. Instead of holding onto remnants of that whole group, Seattle instead shifted its identity to build around Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson. They traded for Pro Bowl LT Duane Brown and drafted Rashaad Penny to build up that running back room.
The Seahawks had a plan, and right now, the plan is working out better than most of us thought it would.
What are you hearing about [Cardinals cornerback] Patrick Peterson? Rumors in the Twitter world are that the Saints have reached out. —Allen B.
This is sometimes how things happen in the NFL. There’s a report out there that the Cardinals could be shopping Patrick Peterson, so all of a sudden teams see it and start calling, while the opposite is actually true. Yes, teams have called about Peterson and DE Chandler Jones, but they have been told repeatedly by Cardinals general manager Steve Keim that those two are off limits. Yet, it’s like the game of telephone where a backwards rumor gets out there and teams think it’s true so they start calling and then those teams start talking. Next thing you know the truth is completely lost because more people are talking about the rumor. It becomes one big vicious cycle of misinformation. I’m just exhausted writing about the confusion.
Which team do you see as the most complete team in the NFL? —Sean B.
It’s difficult to find a team that’s playing dominant both offensively and defensively on a consistent basis. The Chiefs and Rams are the most dynamic, but obviously the Chiefs’ defense is giving up way too many points, and the Rams defense has been a bit leaky as of late as well.
The most complete team might be the Patriots, though it’s hard to tell right now, and their defense had a bad second half against the Chiefs on Sunday night. The Saints are playing well right now on both sides of the ball too.
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With these teams that are really strong, it’s becoming apparent that if you’re going to beat the Chiefs or the Rams, you’ve got to outscore them. I’d like to see the Rams defense start to pick it up and step up more so they become more complete.
The Eagles have been the topic of trade rumors, mostly Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, and other RBs. With other positions looking pretty thin due to injuries, are there any other trade possibilities out there? —Joe C.
Joe, the Eagles just freed up cap money by restructuring Fletcher Cox’s contract and I think they’re going to be pretty aggressive before the trade deadline. Last year they told me they wanted to be aggressive. They went out and traded for Jay Ajayi. This year I’m hearing the same thing from them. They are looking for playmakers. Not just at the running back position, but anywhere. If they can get a playmaker for the right price, they are going to go for it.
Is Seahawks RB Chris Carson the real deal or is he just going to be overtaken by [Rashaad] Penny/[Mike] Davis? —Brett S.
I think they think Chris Carson is the real deal but I also think the way the Seahawks run that offense, they are looking for one of these running backs to step up and take that featured-back slot. They want a guy to be the No. 1 and until someone can be the guy that teams have to worry about in the backfield, they’ll continue to go with a rotation to get the most productivity they can. Would they like one feature back? Sure. I think everyone would love to have someone step up the way Kareem Hunt did in Kansas City. They would like a Saquon Barkley or a Todd Gurley but these guys have to step up and take that role.
Should the Giants have taken a quarterback at No. 2 instead of RB Saquon Barkley? —Frank R.
This question comes up often, and there are still a lot of people who question why the Giants didn’t take a quarterback because of Eli Manning’s struggles. But I think Saquon could be a generational type player. When you can go out and get a player that is this consistent already, you can build around him. The crazy part is he’s only getting better.
The Giants had Barkley as the top guy on their board, you have to go with your board and who that top guy is. From what I understand, he is the type of kid where this drama surrounding Manning and the offense will not seep into him and affect him. When you talk to people who were around him in college, he showed a very professional work ethic early on at Penn State. With his unique makeup and character, I think his future is bright and they made the right call.
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
