WINNERS:
Corey Davis
Davis hasn’t lived up to the quality of a top 5 pick, but he has shown flashes of why he was such a highly touted prospect. Although it may seem strange to label Davis as a winner after the franchise shut the door on him; he needs a change of scenery to take another lunge at that potential.
David Njoku
After showing tremendous potential his first two seasons in the league, Njoku only played in four games during the 2019 season. After signing Austin Hooper, things may not look so hot for Njoku, but with Stefanski coming over from Minnesota, we could see a very high tight end usage rate in Cleveland.
I’d say worst case scenario, he impresses as a TE2 in Cleveland for a year, and signs a 2 year contract somewhere.
OJ Howard
After trade rumors flying around for the past two seasons, Licht and the Bucs exercised Howard’s 5th year option. As we all know, Bruce Arians has never been one to rely on tight ends, but Tom Brady has always loved throwing to the position. The franchise clearly recognizes how talent Howard is, and are going to keep him around for at least a 5th year.
LOSERS:
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts shocked me when they announced they wouldn’t be exercising the 5th year option of Malik Hooker, who is one of the best pure cover safeties in the NFL. It is rare to find a 24 year old safety who can truly take away the middle of the field.
Injuries have been a factor in this decision, but I’m hoping Ballard gives Hooker a contract sometime before he hits the open market.
Mitchell Trubisky
I was a big Mitch Truther coming out of North Carolina, regrettably, and after a promising year two where he was a top 20 quarterback, I had high hopes entering his second season with “offensive mastermind”, Matt Nagy.
The Bears crashed and burned, and Trubisky was a big reason for that. Pace acquired Nick Foles from Jacksonville, and with that move, Trubisky is all but gone from Chicago. He will likely hit the open market with little to no momentum, as I expect Nagy to not hesitate to send in Foles the instant Trubisky gives him a reason to.
Photo: Alyssa Barbieri/Bears Wire
