D’wayne Eskridge and new Kickoff rules

[chris98251]

Leon Washington, Charlie Rogers, Bobby Joe Edmunds type guys will have good value again.

 

[projectorfreak]

I was really surprised they let the kid go who two seasons ago busted quite a few big returns , blankin on his name but he seemed to be excellent in that regard

 

[CPHawk]

Well, there's a reason Barry Sanders was more highly-regarded than Jerome Bettis.

Because one was the best ever, and the other was a fat turd

 

[far north]

Was hoping they would draft the most explosive returner in the draft late

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Because one was the best ever, and the other was a fat turd

Did you know that Bettis is from Detroit?

 

[Cyrus12]

Did you know that Bettis is from Detroit?

Win one for the bus at home!

 

[SoulfishHawk]

And they barely talked about it leading up to the pre-determined SB.

 

[CPHawk]

Did you know that Bettis is from Detroit?

I seem to remember something about that, right before the fix was in with the refs.

 

[Chukarhawk]

No player in the NFL , regardless of net worth ; should ever have to submit his/herself to be physically or mentally damaged .

What? this is violent sport. You will be injured. Period.

 

[chris98251]

Yeah I called it the Bettis Bowl along with many others, Pissburgh home field advantage in Bettis's home town, whole weekend catered to him and his team.

 

[jammerhawk]

I have zero faith in Eskridge though he is on his very last chance here.

I'd rather draft a jitterbug KR/WR candidate or even pick him up as a UDFA.

I'm interested in this guy:

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/anthony-gould-draft-scouting-2024/

He's quick and fast, there are others though.

 

[xray]

What? this is violent sport. You will be injured. Period.

Huh ? I wasn't being serious ; but you seem to be .

 

[WarHawks]

Did you know that Bettis is from Detroit?

Didn't he play for the Steelers?

 

[SoulfishHawk]

I need to look it up on "the google"

 

[WmHBonney]

I was really surprised they let the kid go who two seasons ago busted quite a few big returns , blankin on his name but he seemed to be excellent in that regard

Godwin Igwebuike?​

 

[Cyrus12]

Yeah I called it the Bettis Bowl along with many others, Pissburgh home field advantage in Bettis's home town, whole weekend catered to him and his team.

Yet even after this people think the nfl is legit...

 

[onanygivensunday]

Time will tell but I believe that the new k/o rules will favor those returners with quick feet and ability to make a tackler miss... which are not Eskridge's strengths... but certainly are K9's strengths.

K9 should be the kick returner imo.

 

[BlueTalon]

Before we anoint any new KR, I want to see Kenny McIntosh try it a few times.

 

[Lagartixa]

I was really surprised they let the kid go who two seasons ago busted quite a few big returns , blankin on his name but he seemed to be excellent in that regard

Godwin Igwebuike?​

Igwebuike got a one-year, $1.01M contract from the Falcons last year. He was with them for two games, but didn't return any kickoffs. The Stealers then signed him off the Falcons' practice squad. He then played in ten games for the Stealers (inactive for the other five, including his first three as a Stealer), returning 11 kickoffs for an average of 25.6 yards each (282 yards total).

2024 would be Igwebuike's age-30 season. He was considered a DB in 2018-2019, went to the Seattle Dragons for 2020, and then was considered a running back and primarily kick returner in 2021 for Detroit, 2022 for the 'Hawks, and 2023 for the Falcons (technically) and Stealers.

OverTheCap says Igwebuike is an RFA this offseason. Spotrac says he's a UFA. Even if OverTheCap had been right and Igwebuike was an RFA for the Stealers, the cheapest RFA tender (right of first refusal) is nearly $3M. I doubt the Stealers will pay him that. I don't think the Stealers have offered him an RFA tender, but they might be negotiating with him as a UFA.

 

[flv2]

This has already, in essence, been tested in the XFL. The XFL averaged almost 9 return attempts per game while the NFL averaged 2.2. The XFL average return was 21.3 yards vs. the NFLs 23.0.

No one, and I do mean no one, is going to give up almost 9 yards per drive on average just to prevent the very unlikely possibility of a return touchdown, or even a long return.

There are going to be more returns. There's absolutely no question about it. There is no incentive to booting it out of the endzone anymore. At all.

They wouldn't necessarily be giving up 9 yards. A touch-back would be at the 30. A 21 yard return from the 4 yard line would be at the 25. Teams might bean-count the value of 5 yards versus the risk of injuries. The NFL's return yardage figure is questionable because it's calculated from the reception point, (which is normally in the endzone). A 30 yard return from 7 yards deep under the old rules looked nice statistically but in real terms it was a return for -2.