Dalvin Cook Would Like To Team Up With DeAndre Hopkins
PLUS: Thoughts on the Skip Bayless/Shannon Sharpe Breakup
Sideline Scoop is a daily NFL Newsletter giving you the newest headlines and exclusive insights every weekday morning.
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In today’s newsletter:
Dalvin Cook On Wanting To Team up with Hopkins
More info released on Stefon Diggs unhappiness
My Thoughts on the Skip Bayless/Shannon Sharpe Breakup
Dalvin Cook Would Like To Team Up With DeAndre Hopkins
Both Dalvin Cook and DeAndre Hopkins were released by their teams in the past month. Both have yet to sign with a new team. Dalvin Cook spoke with ESPN reporter Adam Schefter yesterday and shared his thoughts on joining up with Hopkins.
"If we end up on the same roster, that would be something epic for the NFL… I know his mindset, and I done play against D-Hop a numerous amount of times. When I been with D-Hop, we done chill together, we done been around each other like, and it's like I kind of see the person that he is like, he want to win and that's what my mind at to.”
The odds of any team wanting both Cook and Hopkins are slim to none. Both guys want to get paid handsomely. Teams would need to have enough cap space to add both players to their roster. Dalvin Cook is likely looking for $10+ million per year and Hopkins could be looking in the $15 million per year range.
I’d prefer a cheap running back to a guy like Dalvin Cook. There’s no doubt he’s talented, but you can get similar production for a lot less money. It’s much more sensible in my opinion to take the money you’d pay to a running back and instead invest in a top tier receiver.
You need receivers who can get open. Running backs just need big holes created by the offensive line. If your offensive line stinks, good luck having even the best running back produce consistently at a high level.
Right now the Titans and Patriots are the two teams with the highest chance of signing DeAndre Hopkins. He met with both last week.
There has been no report of Cook meeting with specific teams, but he did share last week that teams have been reaching out. Cook and Hopkins are still two of the most notable free agents available as we get closer to training camp.
More information Released On Stefon Diggs Unhappiness
The Buffalo Bills have been one of the hottest and most consistent offenses in the NFL. In 2020, 2021, and 2022 they finished as the 3rd best scoring offense in the NFL. Clearly they’re doing something right. Josh Allen has been the key reason for the turnaround in Buffalo. They’ve yet to get over the hump and play in a Super Bowl, but it doesn’t feel that they are too far off. Even in the midst of this success, there’s one guy that is not happy with his role in the offense.
Last week the drama between the Bills and Stefon Diggs took over the NFL headlines. Before the first mini camp practice Diggs left the facility after meetings with GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott. Mcdermott was “very concerned” on Tuesday after it happened but when speaking with reporters the following day made it clear that the issue was resolved.
My guess is that McDermott didn’t realize the chaos that would ensue following his comments. He was doing his best to put out the fire.
In the past few days Ben Voilin of the Boston Globe revealed the specific reasons Stefon Diggs is unhappy.
“Diggs’s frustration is with his role in the offense and his voice in play-calling, per a league source close to the Bills’ locker room.”
Over the later half of the 2022 season Diggs production took a hit. I shared the specific numbers last week.
“Here’s a look at his stats comparing the first 9 games of the 2022 regular season to the final 7 games:
First 9 games: 8 rec/game, 109.4 rec yds/game, .77 tds/game
Final 7 games: 5.1 rec/game, 63.4 yds/game, .57 tds/game”
Stefon Diggs was not as productive in the later part of the season, but he still finished the year with 108 rec, 1,429 yards and a career high 11 touchdowns. The truth is that it’s hard to keep all your players happy. Some guys just get more openly frustrated when things don’t go their way.
This has been a theme in Stefon Diggs’ career. He left Minnesota because he was unhappy with his role in the offense. Now he’s unhappy with his role in Buffalo after having the 3rd most receiving yards in the league last year. For now the fire has been put out. But there’s no doubt that even a small spark could set things ablaze.
Thoughts on the Skip Bayless/Shannon Sharpe Breakup
If you’ve been paying attention to the sports media landscape you know that Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe, who were a part of the FS1 sports debate show Undisputed, had their last show together this past week. It was reported that Sharpe is having his contract bought out by Fox.
There were moments in the final months of the show that Skip and Shannon butted heads more than they had in the past. Love them or hate them, they had one of the most watched sports shows on TV for the last 7 years.
I honestly admire Skip Bayless. Yes, he has wild takes but there’s no doubt he’s consistent. He’s 71 years old for crying out loud and he’s still debating sports for nearly 3 hours every single weekday. His work ethic is unmatched. A few years back I did deep dives into many different media personalities to see how they got where they are today, and Skip Bayless has quite the story. He went from being a writer with the Dallas Cowboys to eventually making his way to TV.
Skip is hilarious. I disagree with lots of what he has to say, but he makes me laugh.
It will be interesting to see what each guy does next. Shannon shared on twitter yesterday that he’ll be back soon and Skip made it clear that he’ll be back on undisputed in the near future.
Random Stat Of The Day
Tom Brady holds the record for the most super bowl MVP awards with 5.
Random Question Of The Day
“If you could domesticate any animal in the world, which would you pick?”
I think I’d go with a bear. If bears weren’t ferocious beasts I’d love to walk up to one. If there was no chance of a bear attacking me and I had a massive house and lots of land, a bear would be a nice pet. I would love to see people’s faces when I’d take my friendly bear for a walk.
That’s all for today!
Yesterday’s newsletter: Aaron Rodgers Reportedly Rejected Trade To The Patriots