Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles has declared star quarterback Tom Brady is "all in" following his recent absence ahead of Week 1 of the new NFL season.

Brady returned to practice last month after an 11-day absence from the Bucs' training camp for "personal matters", with the Buccaneers due to take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday to open their season.

There has been speculation about Brady's absence impacting his focus on football but Bowles brushed that off.

"He's been all in since we got him," Bowles said. "He's all in now.

"I don't follow the off-the-field stuff. I listen to XM The Groove and Soul Town. My off-the-field activities are honestly not even football-related."

The questions emerged after an unusual off-season for Brady, who retired in February before reversing that decision 40 days later in March.

Brady last week declined to go into any depth on the personal matters behind his recent absence but said: "I'm 45 years old, man. There's a lot of s*** going on. Just gotta try to figure out life the best you can. It's a continuous process."

The seven-time Super Bowl champion said last week that he was "ready to go" and on Monday was named on of their offensive captains.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is focused on playing according to head coach John Harbaugh despite no contract extension being agreed yet.

Jackson, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, had previously indicated that he hoped to come to an agreement on an extension with the Ravens by a Week 1 deadline.

But the Ravens' season opener is fast approaching, with Baltimore up against the New York Jets on Sunday.

Harbaugh rejected any suggestion that Jackson would hold out on a new deal and insisted he was focused on playing for the Ravens after Monday's practice.

"Lamar has said he's focused on the season, he's under contract and he's going to have the best season he can have," Harbaugh told reporters.

"He's hopeful to get a new contract and we're hopeful to get him a new contract. All the rest of it is business. There is nothing other than coming to something that is mutually agreeable.

"That's the way that all of these deals are done. So, obviously, I'm very hopeful, and I know everyone is really hopeful to get it done."

The Ravens QB, who is representing himself without an agent, is set to make just over $23million guaranteed on his fifth-year option in 2022.

"I don't have any updates," Harbaugh said.

"My interactions with Lamar have been all football. He's been focused and locked in on that, 100 per cent, from a football standpoint."

The 32nd overall pick of the 2018 draft, Jackson is coming off an injury-marred 2021 season, averaging 240.2 passing yards and 63.9 yards rushing in 12 games.

He finished with 16 passing touchdowns, a career-high 13 interceptions and an 87.0 QB rating – eighth lowest among the 30 quarterbacks with at least 350 passing attempts last season.

The Ravens lost four of the five games Jackson missed last season and finished 8-9 to miss the playoffs for the first time in his career.

The Green Bay Packers have a good chance of getting a former All-Pro back on the field for their season-opening road game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.  

Left tackle David Bakhtiari, who has been rehabilitating from a serious knee injury since the end of the 2020 season, told ESPN Monday that he is ready to start in week one.  

"Yeah, I mean, I'm on the active (roster) just like anyone else," Bakhtiari said. 

The three-time Pro Bowl selection began the Packers’ offseason on the physically unable to perform list but has been a full participant in recent practices, including 11-on-11 workouts.  

Bakhtiari, 30, originally suffered a torn left ACL on Dec. 31, 2020, and has undergone three surgeries on the knee since.  

He returned briefly to the field in Week 18 last season, playing 27 snaps in Green Bay’s regular-season finale before experiencing complications and being shut down for the postseason.  

After 20 months of working to return to protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside, Bakhtiari believes he is ready to once again anchor the Packers’ offensive line.  

"I can get through the season," Bakhtiari said. "It's going to be fine. You have to just manage while playing. 

"I'm just getting back in the swing of things. So, I mean, I think there's normal rust and then new normal with three surgeries, so just kind of working that out and figuring out what my routine is." 

Green Bay’s second-most decorated offensive lineman, Elgton Jenkins, remains a question mark as he is working his way back from his own ACL surgery.  

Head coach Matt LaFleur was noncommittal on the possible return of Jenkins, a 2020 Pro Bowler.  

"We'll have to find out on Sunday," LaFleur said. 

The New York Jets' season kicks off in six days and coach Robert Saleh is still leaving the door open for Zach Wilson to start the opener.

"Yeah, it's possible," Saleh said on Monday.

Saleh told reporters Wilson threw some passes and tested his right knee during a workout on Monday and a decision will be made in the next few days to see if he will be healthy enough to start on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. 

"We put Zach through a workout today," Saleh said. "Looked good, felt good. We're going to see how the knee responds today and tomorrow, and we'll have an answer for everyone on Wednesday."

Wilson suffered a bone bruise and torn meniscus in his knee while scrambling in the Jets' preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on August 12, and the original diagnosis was he would be sidelined for two to four weeks.

That timeline remained the same after the second-year quarterback had successful arthroscopic surgery on August 16 in Los Angeles.

"Everyone heals differently," Saleh said. "Like I said, we'll see what happens tomorrow and all that stuff.

"I almost feel like some of the guidelines that are put on, they're guidelines, but everyone responds differently."

The Jets plan to be cautious with the 23-year-old, who they selected second overall in last year's draft, as they hope he will be the franchise's long-term answer at quarterback.

If he cannot play, Joe Flacco will get the start in Week 1 against his former team.

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford says there are "no limitations" on his right elbow ahead of the NFL season opener against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday.

The 34-year-old played through the pain as he helped the Rams to victory at Super Bowl LVI against the Cincinnati Bengals earlier this year.

Stafford required a mid-term injection to continue and did not throw during workouts in the spring, with a specific throwing schedule during the Rams' training camp.

But he has revealed he is ready for the new campaign, and says there will be nothing to hold him back, stating: "I feel good. I'm ready to go, no limitations.

"I feel great. I'm ready to go play. [You] can always be better, can always try to feel like [you're] 21 again. But no, I feel really good. I feel like I can make every throw."

Rams coach Sean McVay echoed Stafford's comments, adding: "He's throwing the ball excellent. He feels good. Everyting that I'm seeing is reflective of everything he's saying to me."

Stafford will be looking for another strong regular season in his second year with the Rams, after throwing 41 touchdowns prior to last season's playoffs, the joint-best of his career to date (also 41 with the Detroit Lions in 2011).

Having snuck into the playoffs last season, the Philadelphia Eagles were one of the NFL's surprise packages in 2021 but will have to shoulder larger expectations heading into 2022.

A 9-8 record from last year presents a solid platform to build upon as the Eagles seek to wrest the NFC East crown from the Dallas Cowboys.

Their heavy playoff defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round illustrated how far the Eagles were from legitimate contention in 2021.

Philadelphia have made a series of significant moves to put themselves in position to challenge the elite.

Indeed, theirs is a roster that appears among the most complete in the NFL, piling the pressure on both quarterback Jalen Hurts and a well-rounded roster to make the strides that will be anticipated by Eagles fans in one of US sports' most demanding cities.

Can defensive additions pay dividends?

There is obvious room for improvement on Philadelphia's defense following their efforts of last year on that side of the ball.

The Eagles had opponents have a 10-play drive on 38 occasions, with only the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants having more, while the percentage of opponents converting on third down and short was the highest in the NFL at 74.2 per cent.

As well as struggling to get off the field on third down, the Eagles also had issues stopping significant plays on first down, with opponents passing for at least four yards 59.4 per cent of the time, again the highest rate in the NFL, while opposing offenses found the endzone on 45 of 74 drives on which Philadelphia allowed them inside the 30-yard line. Only the Las Vegas Raiders (61.2) allowed a touchdown on a higher percentage of such drives than the Eagles (60.8).

Philadelphia focused a lot of energy on improving performance in both of those areas.

The Eagles traded up in the first round of the draft for Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who at 6ft 6in and 341 pounds put on one of the most remarkable displays of athleticism the Scouting Combine has seen.

Davis will look to be an immediate force against the run and use his massive frame to make life easier for a talented group of pass rushers that now includes hometown hero Haason Reddick, whose 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons are the fifth-most in the NFL.

The addition of Reddick is a significant one to a defense that was eighth in pass rush win rate last year, and the Eagles have also done plenty to boost their chances of slowing down opposing aerial attacks.

By signing James Bradberry to pair with Darius Slay at starting cornerback, the Eagles now have the only two players in the NFL to register at least 15 interceptions and 80 or more pass breakups since 2016.

And their recent trade for C.J Gardner-Johnson gives the Eagles an ultra-versatile safety with the ability to play slot corner at a high level. Gardner-Johnson lost 33 of his 111 man coverage matchups last year, his open percentage allowed of 29.73 on the right side of the league average of 30.89 for corners.

The Eagles were a top-10 defense by yards per play allowed (5.20) in 2021 and their additions should theoretically help address the issues that prevented from faring even better.

However, defensive efficiency is famously volatile. Success is no guarantee despite the raft of impressive additions, and that is why the microscope will predominantly be focused on Hurts and the offense.

Will Philly love Hurts after 2022?

More consistency will be the order of the day for Hurts, despite the Eagles racking up 28.5 points per game between Weeks 8 and 18 as they went 7-3 over the last 10 regular-season games.

In 2021, Hurts' pass completion percentage stood at 64.1 from 449 attempts. Of quarterbacks to have more than 300 passing attempts, only Baker Mayfield (63.9), Trevor Lawrence (63.4) and Zach Wilson (58.4) had a lower figure.

Hurts' well-thrown percentage for 2021 was also below the league average of 78.1 for QBs with a minimum of 100 attempts, but that was in part a product of his aggressiveness. He averaged 9.3 air yards per attempt, fifth among signal-callers with at least 100 passes. Among quarterbacks to meet the 300-throw threshold, his average was only bettered by Russell Wilson (10) and Lamar Jackson (9.7).

The Eagles look to have assembled the talent around Hurts to deliver more stable production.

Philadelphia's marquee move of the offseason was to send a first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for wide receiver A.J. Brown, who offers Hurts a physically imposing true number one option who excels in creating separation. His burn rate, which measures how often a receiver won his matchup with a defender on plays where he was targeted, of 64 per cent and his burn yards per route average of 4.0 yards was tied for the best among receivers with at least 100 targets (inc. playoffs).

But Hurts won't solely be able to rely on Brown. Though he displayed good chemistry with DeVonta Smith last year, Hurts needs his former Alabama team-mate to step up in terms of defeating coverage. Smith burnt his opponent on 55.7 per cent of his 115 targets. Of receivers to be targeted more than 100 times, only seven had a lower percentage.

Tight end Dallas Goedert was Hurts' most reliable passing game option last year, posting a 77.3 per cent burn rate from 88 targets that was the highest of any player in the position to be targeted on at least 80 occasions.

Yet Hurts was at his most dangerous on the ground in 2021, his 80 carries the most of any quarterback. Sixty of those came on scrambles – a tally only bettered by Patrick Mahomes – with Josh Allen (7.48) and Mahomes (6.27) the only signal-callers with at least 100 attempts and 50 scrambles to average more yards per carry on such runs.

His 29 explosive runs of 10 yards or more were the fourth-most in the NFL and nine more than Eagles running back Miles Sanders, who was second among running backs with at least 100 carries with a yards before contact average of 3.65. Sanders, despite failing to find the endzone in 2021, was also fourth in the league in yards per carry on runs that were disrupted by a defender, putting up 4.17 per attempt.

Playing behind an offensive line that ranked fifth in pass protection win rate and second in run block win rate last year, all the ingredients are there for Hurts to be centre stage in what could be one of the NFL's most dynamic and diverse offenses.

The Eagles will be aided by a schedule that sees them face only five teams that made the playoffs last season, but there are potential potholes on their path to contention in the NFC.

Backup tackle Andre Dillard has already suffered a fractured forearm in a blow to the depth on an O-Line featuring a veteran in Lane Johnson who has consistently dealt with injury issues.

While the Eagles acquired one of the league's more underrated coverage linebackers in Kyzir White, there remain doubts over the spine of the defense, particularly at the safety position.

On paper, the Eagles have almost everything required for a deep playoff run, but rarely are NFL seasons straightforward. A season of defensive regression or further injuries to the trenches could leave the onus firmly on Hurts to elevate those around him.

The overarching question in Philiadelphia is whether Hurts can be their franchise quarteback. Given how impressive the Eagles' roster is, it may take some adversity for the team to get a definitive answer.

A board of university presidents voted unanimously on Friday to expand the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, possibly as early as the 2024 season.

An announcement on the College Football Playoff website stated the new format will begin in the 2026 campaign.

It was added, though, that the College Football Management Committee have been tasked with "assessing the possibility of beginning the expanded playoff in either the 2024 or 2025 regular season."

The Board of Managers – comprised of university presidents representing the 10 FBS conferences, plus Notre Dame – is hoping to implement expansion as soon as possible.

When Friday's meeting was announced, CBS Sports reported that universities had grown impatient with the commissioners' hesitancy to adopt a seemingly inevitable expansion and worried about missing revenue by keeping the playoff at four teams.

Media rights for a 12-team playoff could be worth double their current value, up to $1.2billion annually, CBS Sports also reported.

Friday's vote was the culmination of a process dating back to last June when the board of managers first heard a proposal for a 12-team playoff.

The confirmation on Friday laid out the new format, which will include "six conference champions ranked highest by the selection committee (no minimum ranking requirement), plus the six highest-ranked teams not included among the six highest-ranked conference champions."

It was also revealed the "four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye.

"The other eight teams will play in the first round with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded institution."

President of Mississippi State and the chairman of the CFP Board of Managers, Mark Keenum, said: "This is an historic and exciting day for college football.

"More teams, more participation and more excitement are good for our fans, alumni, and student-athletes. I'm grateful to my colleagues on the board for their thoughtful approach to this issue and for their resolve to get expansion across the goal line and for the extensive work of the Management Committee that made this decision possible."

Among the crucial next steps include deciding who broadcasts the extra games.

While ESPN has television rights for the semi-final and championship games through 2026, first and second round games could be broadcast by multiple networks.

The AFC West has been dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs in recent seasons, with six division titles in succession.

In fact, if the Chiefs can extend that streak to seven, they will tie each of the Denver Broncos, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers on 15 division titles.

Unfortunately for those in Kansas City, their rivals appear especially determined to ensure this year is different.

No division has prompted as much intrigue during the offseason as the AFC West, which has appeared at the centre of numerous big trades as its pretenders attempt to become contenders.

So hard to split is the division that Stats Perform has not even attempted to try – instead explaining what needs to happen for each of these teams in turn to be successful...

Kansas City Chiefs

After topping the AFC West in six straight seasons, there are plenty of reasons to believe the Chiefs can be toppled in 2022: Patrick Mahomes is coming off perhaps the worst season of his career, Tyreek Hill is gone, and the competition in the division is intense.

Yet those are also three reasons why Mahomes will be determined to lead the Chiefs to another strong year.

One of the game's leading lights will hope the 2021 season, with its 3-4 start and hugely disappointing finish in the AFC Championship Game, does not live long in the memory, but his attempts to move on swiftly could easily be hampered by the departure of WR1 Hill to the Miami Dolphins.

However, tight end Travis Kelce – the career leader in Mahomes targets (540), completions (383) and passing yards (4,960) – remains in Kansas City, and the quarterback has the ability to make a partnership work with any receiver.

Mahomes just needs time, and that is what he can expect to get behind one of the best offensive lines in the game.

The Chiefs rebuilt their O-line last year, and they ranked third in the NFL in pass protection win percentage (80.16) in 2021. Crucially, that unit improved as the season went on; the six games in which Mahomes faced the most pressures were all before the Week 12 bye.

Mahomes' pass completion rate of 77.4 per cent when not pressured ranked second among QBs with 100 or more attempts last season; this dropped to 56.7 per cent when pressured – only marginally above the league average in such scenarios (56.6).

Widely considered the most talented passer of his generation, the Chiefs have focused on protecting Mahomes rather than worrying about who he is throwing to, and that should be a safe bet despite his postseason wobble.

Las Vegas Raiders

As one elite receiver leaves the AFC West in Hill, another arrives. Davante Adams has quit the Green Bay Packers to bring his star power to Vegas.

Since his rookie season, Adams ranks fifth in the NFL for catches (669), sixth for receiving yards (8,121) and second for receiving touchdowns (73), although he has spent his entire career playing with four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Now, Adams will be paired with zero-time MVP Derek Carr, who threw for 23 TDs and 14 interceptions last year, ranking 24th in touchdown percentage (3.7). Rodgers, by comparison, threw for 37 scores and four picks, with his 7.0 TD percentage the best in the league.

Yet Carr will surely benefit from having Adams to throw to. He saw 25 passes dropped in 2021 – tied for the third-most in the NFL – and a solid completion percentage of 68.4 could have been better, as his expected completion percentage of 74.5 trailed only Mahomes (75.9).

Carr is clearly an accurate passer; he just needs a little help turning this talent into tangible rewards.

Adams is the ideal man to do that, with the duo teaming up previously for two years at Fresno State, in which time the receiver's 38 TDs led the FBS by some distance.

Last year, Adams – who dropped a career-low one pass, just 0.6 per cent of his targets – added 633 yards after the catch, fourth-most in the league, and led the way in recording a first down with 49.7 per cent of his targets.

He can have a transformative impact on a team who were already the Chiefs' nearest challengers in this division and will now be overseen by former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as coach.

Los Angeles Chargers

This division is so exciting not only because it contains four potentially great teams but because it contains four potentially great offenses.

For the Chargers, there are few doubts on that side of the ball. They have largely brought back the same offense that made Justin Herbert a star in 2021 with just the 14th 5,000-yard passing season in league history. Of course, the 17-game season helped in that regard, but only Tom Brady (5,316) outperformed Herbert (5,014) on the year.

As a result, the Chargers were fourth in the league in yards per game (390.2) and fifth in total points scored (747).

So, why did they miss out on the postseason?

Well, the Chargers had a bottom-10 defense in terms of yards per game (360.1), and only two teams allowed more points across the season (459). That Herbert-powered offense ranked 23rd in time spent on the field, with the defense giving them too much to do in too little time.

There are reasons to believe that will change this year, though, with the acquisitions of Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson particularly notable for a team that ranked in the bottom half of the league for takeaways (21).

Only three players have had eight or more interceptions in a single season over the past two years; Jackson, one of those three, has done it twice.

No player has ever previously had eight or more picks in three straight seasons, but Jackson has shown no signs of slowing and could be exactly the type of superstar the Chargers need on defense to complement Herbert's efforts on offense and seize control of this division.

Denver Broncos

These might not be the four most talented quarterbacks in the NFL, but they may well be the four most motivated.

Russell Wilson undoubtedly has a point to prove after ending a 10-year stint with the Seattle Seahawks that went downhill fast in its final 18 months. In early MVP contention after a 5-0 start to the 2020 season, Wilson went 13-12 over the rest of his Seahawks career.

He last year missed the postseason for only the second time and, according to Seattle, pushed for a trade. "I didn't initiate it," was Wilson's reply. "It was definitely mutual."

Regardless, Wilson will find a very receptive audience in Denver, where Broncos fans were desperate to see an end to the QB merry-go-round that had them in a spin for six straight years after Peyton Manning's farewell Super Bowl 50 win. They have had 10 different starters under center since 2016, second only to Washington (11).

In that time outside the title picture, though, the Broncos have rebuilt the rest of the roster, waiting for the sort of QB-coach combo they now have in Wilson and former Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett.

Denver allowed the eighth-fewest yards per game last season (326.1) and the third-fewest points (322); on offense, a better QB than Teddy Bridgewater would have made more use of playing behind an O-line that ranked eighth in pass protection win percentage (78.64).

With personnel changes at the two most important positions, the Broncos can expect to be much, much better than 19th for yards per game (330.5) and joint-23rd for total points (335).

That improvement should take the Broncos from nowhere to somewhere, even in this AFC West.

Jimmy Garoppolo was as surprised as everyone else to stay with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2022 season.

Garoppolo was expected to be released by the 49ers before Tuesday's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to 53 players ahead of the regular season but instead agreed a renegotiated one-year deal to stay in San Francisco.

The team had attempted to move Garoppolo this offseason as part of the transition to Trey Lance as their starting quarterback, having traded three first-round picks to select the younger man with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

An offseason shoulder injury for Garoppolo did not help matters, though, and he will instead serve as back-up to Lance after 45 starts for the 49ers and a strong 31-14 record.

"[Returning] really wasn't on my mind to be completely honest," Garoppolo said on Thursday, speaking for the first time since the news broke.

"I was training out here. I had to be here, so I was here for that reason. I was just trying to get my body right.

"I felt very confident out there, and I knew that I was ready to roll. I just needed to figure out where it was. Things kind of fell into place these last couple days."

Garoppolo had considered asking to be released by the team but said it "just wasn't the way I wanted to go".

Now, with clauses to prevent him being traded or tagged, the quarterback will have control of his career beyond 2022.

"Trust me, there was a lot of back and forth going on just with other teams and what I wanted my future to look like," he explained. "This is what I wanted."

For now, Garoppolo will continue to work with Lance, who insists that is no issue.

"It's not my decision; it's an organisation decision," Lance said.

"Jimmy's been on the roster this whole entire time. Obviously, I knew it was a possibility of bringing him back.

"There's been no bad blood at all between me and Jimmy since day one. I was all arms open, excited to have him back."

The Tennessee Titans have lost their best pass-rushing threat and one of their top overall defenders before the 2022 season has begun.  

Outside linebacker Harold Landry III will miss the entire season after suffering a torn ACL in practice Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.  

Landry set career highs last year with 75 total tackles, 12 sacks and 14 tackles for loss.  

A second-round draft pick in 2018, Landry signed a contract extension with the Titans earlier this offseason worth up to $87.5million over five years.  

Landry has 31 career sacks, more than double any other Tennessee player since 2018.  

Landry’s loss will put more pressure on Bud Dupree to pressure opposing quarterbacks, although the former Pittsburgh Steeler had a disappointing first season in Tennessee in 2021, starting six games and managing just three sacks.  

Ola Adeniyi and Rashad Weaver are the other outside linebackers who made the Titans’ 53-man roster, but that pair has just 2.5 career sacks combined.  

New Orleans Saints starting safety Marcus Maye was arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm on Thursday. 

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana said Maye was arrested on a warrant that was obtained after he was identified as the driver of a black SUV that was involved in a road rage incident on Monday. Maye is accused of pointing a firearm at another vehicle that was occupied by several juvenile females. 

He was released after posting a $30,000 bond. 

"Marcus vehemently denies the allegation from a motor vehicle incident, and looks forward to defending himself when all the facts come out," Maye’s attorney, Eric Hessler, said. 

Maye signed a three-year, $28.5million contact with New Orleans in March after spending his first five NFL seasons with the New York Jets. 

The 2017 second-round pick has started all 60 of his career games and totaled 308 tackles (216 solo) with six interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 24 passes defensed and four forced fumbles. 

The Saints open their season on September 11 with a visit to the Atlanta Falcons. 

Russell Wilson has signed a lucrative contract extension with the Denver Broncos, tying him to the franchise for a further five seasons.

The 33-year-old moved to Denver from the Seattle Seahawks ahead of the 2022 season, with the Broncos parting with three players – two first-round picks and two second-round picks – to land the Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

Wilson penned a two-year deal with the Broncos upon his arrival but could now stay with the team into his 40s, with an extension tying him down for a total of seven seasons.

Widespread reports have confirmed the news, with the deal worth $245million and $165m guaranteed.

The move also serves as further evidence of the quarterback market skyrocketing, with Aaron Rodgers' recent extension with the Packers at $50m setting the bar.

Wilson will begin his career with the Broncos in familiar circumstances as Denver travel to face Seattle on the west coast on September 13.

During his time with Seattle, Wilson led the Seahawks to back-to-back Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl XLVIII against the Broncos at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

He has also been a Pro Bowler in all but one of his 10 seasons in the NFL and should hit 300 career touchdowns with the Broncos, holding 292 ahead of the 2022 season.

The NFL is all about evolution. The constant fight to gain a decisive advantage, in a league where those who can adapt fastest are kings, consistently leads to sweeping changes every offseason.

While it is the raft of head coaching changes that dominate the headlines when the regular season gives way to 'Black Monday', it is the more granular alterations to a team's approach that can often have the greatest influence on a franchise's fortunes in a given season.

Switches in scheme or a diversion away from a team's long-standing tendencies are regularly brought on by the arrival of a new coaching staff or a change in coordinator, but personnel moves also frequently dictate the approach coaches settle on as they plot a path towards success.

Schematic decisions that may not cause much of a league-wide stir can end up having a huge influence on the outcome of a season, and there are no shortage of such changes that figure to have a significant bearing on the race for the playoffs in 2022.

Here, with the help of its advanced data, Stats Perform looks at five switches in scheme or tendencies that could play a defining role in the coming campaign.

Can McDaniel transform Tua?

The Miami Dolphins' second-half surge in 2021 was tied to their reliance on the run-pass option as they tailored their offense to Tua Tagovailoa's strengths.

Not only were the Dolphins prolific in going to the RPO, they were very effective when they called them.

Miami called a RPO on 12.27 per cent of their pass attempts, the league average was 3.5 per cent. They averaged 7.25 yards per play on RPOs, comfortably above the league average of 5.85.

Given their success on those plays and Tagovailoa's comfort in executing them, RPOs will still be a part of the Miami attack in 2022.

But the usage numbers are unlikely to be as high under new head coach Mike McDaniel, who brings his take on the Kyle Shanahan offense to Miami afer serving as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator last year.

McDaniel will likely reduce the number of straight dropback pass plays for Tagovailoa. The Dolphins ran them on 34 per cent of passes last year, below the league average of 36.1 per cent but well above the 2021 49ers, who used such plays only 22.9 per cent of the time while utilising the quick game on 40.97 per cent of passes compared to 25.97 per cent for the Dolphins.

The arrival of McDaniel will likely tip the balance towards the quick game for Miami in 2022 as he looks to give Tagovailoa easy buttons in the same way Shanahan did for Jimmy Garoppolo, getting the ball into the hands of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill to do damage after the catch.

McDaniel, who was San Francisco's run-game coordinator prior to his promotion last year, will undoubtedly lean on Raheem Mostert, Chase Edmonds and a ground attack certain to be heavily based around inside and outside zone runs to take the burden off Tagovailoa and set up play-action.

Miami used play-action on 14.57 per cent of their passes in 2021, above the average of 12.7 per cent but still trailing the 49ers (15.89 per cent). With Tagovailoa's ability to hit Hill and Waddle downfield with consistent accuracy in question, look for McDaniel to put significant stress on defenses by attracting linebackers up to the line of scrimmage with play-action and then running Hill and Waddle cross-field on horizontal routes at the intermediate levels that are well within his quarterback's range.

Under Shanahan, McDaniel has had an education into scheming his weapons into space, and he should thrive at doing so when running an offense himself for the first time. Tagovailoa's challenge will be to prove he can deliver and make the most of the advantageous situations in which his coach will put him. Fail, and the Dolphins may soon be searching for a new franchise quarterback.

More deep balls and diversity for Niners

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Shanahan has insisted nothing in his playbook has changed as he enters the season with a new starting quarterback, and the 49ers head coach will unexpectedly have the same top two signal-callers as he did last season.

It is the order that has flipped, with Jimmy Garoppolo agreeing a reworked contract for 2022 to be Trey Lance's backup. Regardless of what Shanahan says, the 49ers' approach is likely to be different with Lance under center.

Lance averaged 10.10 air yards per attempt across his 10 full quarters of action last season (he started two games and played the second half when Garoppolo was injured in Week 4), the second-most among quarterbacks with at least 50 pass attempts.

On the other end of the scale, Garoppolo's 7.38 air yards per attempt were well below the league average of 7.99. Garoppolo attempted just 26 passes of 21 or more air yards the entire season, while 11 of Lance's 70 passes were of that distance.

The scheme isn't changing, but the tendencies certainly will. Lance will be more aggressive and attack downfield more often, likely leading to explosive splash plays that are not necessarily reliant on receivers creating yardage after the catch.

Though the plays may have already been in Shanahan's playbook, there is certain to be more of an emphasis on the threat of the quarterback run with Lance at the helm.

Just 2.62 per cent of the 49ers' run plays came on the zone-read last year, below the league average of 4.2. That number should increase, as should San Francisco's usage of the RPO game, which the Niners used on only 1.09 per cent of pass plays last year but averaged 8.43 yards per play when they did.

With Lance and the running back both threats to run on such plays, defenses will have to account for three possibilites when defending RPOs against the 49ers, exemplifying how much more diverse their offense can become with the 2021 third overall pick under center.

San Francisco's attack will be even more varied and more aggressive in 2022, but it is also likely to be more volatile due to Lance's inferior precision to Garoppolo on the intermediate passes that set up the yards after catch opportunities on which the 49ers have done such damage in recent years. How that volatility impacts the win-loss column will determine whether Garoppolo gets on the field at any point in the final year of his contract.

Vikings look to the 3-4

The Vikings swapped out basically everything this offseason. New general manager, new head coach – who will also be the offensive play-caller – and new defensive coordinator.

Though head coach Kevin O'Connell's offense will be different to the one run by former offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the systems are similar enough that Kirk Cousins and Co. are unlikely to endure too much pain in acclimating to the new scheme.

The biggest adjustments will come on the defensive side of the ball, which will be run by Ed Donatell, who spent the last three seasons coordinating Vic Fangio's defense for the Denver Broncos.

The Fangio defense has become the en vogue scheme in the NFL as acolytes such as Brandon Staley have put their spin on it and the two-high safety shells that have been a hallmark of the system have helped limit explosive plays and level the playing field a little in an offense-dominated league.

Denver played Cover 1 robber – which is where a safety from a two-high look drops down into the box to disrupt in-breaking routes in the congested area – as the defense's primary coverage in 2021. The Broncos ran Cover 1 robber 41.87 per cent of the time in a season where the league average was 14.17 per cent.

The Vikings were more varied but still used Cover 1 robber more than any other coverage, relying on it for 21.81 per cent of defensive snaps.

Whether Donatell uses that coverage to the same extent in Minnesota remains to be seen, but the transition for the Vikings' secondary may be a smooth one given how often they ultilised the same shell under Mike Zimmer. 

The most significant change to the defense comes up front, with the Vikings switching from a 4-3 to a 3-4.

Though defensive fronts are much more hybrid in the modern NFL, the tenets of the 3-4 front are the same. The three-man line is tasked with holding ground and filling up gaps at the point of attack, offering more space to the four linebackers to take better pursuit angles against the run and opening a wide menu of blitz packages against the pass. 

Minnesota's two starting outside linebackers are de-facto edge rushers and both players who should each theoretically thrive in that role. Za'Darius Smith has significant experience with the 3-4 from his time with the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers while the athletic profile of Danielle Hunter – whose 60.5 sacks since 2015 are tied for the seventh-most in the NFL – makes him an ideal candidate to excel as a stand-up pass rusher.

Possessing two impressive space-eating interior defenders in Harrison Phillips and Damon Harrison and an inside linebacker in Eric Kendricks who had five sacks last year, the Vikings have the personnel to continue to succeed rushing the passer despite the change in front. They were 10th in pass rush win rate in 2021, had the sixth-most pressures (291) and the second-most sacks (51).

Despite their joy in getting after the quarterback, the Vikings were 26th in yards per play allowed (5.66), with their struggles tied to a run defense that allowed 51 runs of at least 10 yards. Only 12 teams allowed more. If the switch to the 3-4 helps the Vikings grow more stout against the ground game, then a team with the talent on both sides of the ball to contend for the playoffs will be in a much better position to make noise as a potential Wild Card team.

The Raiders' overdue defensive switch

The Las Vegas Raiders will have a new offensive system after hiring Josh McDaniels as their head coach and will also have the benefit of expanded firepower following the blockbuster trade for All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams. 

Las Vegas will have the personnel and the offensive scheme to go blow for blow with their high-powered rivals in the AFC West.

The question is whether their defense can do enough to contain their divisional foes, and its success in doing so likely rests on how the Raiders adapt to new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.

In 2021, the Raiders only gave up 5.2 yards per play, the ninth-fewest in the NFL; however, former coordinator Gus Bradley's steadfast commitment to single-high Cover 3 defenses saw Las Vegas shredded for 888 net yards in a pair of defeats to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Las Vegas played Cover 3 zone on an incredible 65.79 per cent of snaps last season. The league average was 23.75 per cent.

In his final year as the New York Giants' defensive coordinator, Graham relied heavily on Cover 3, which the Giants used 45.58 per cent of the time. 

But Graham used a wider range of coverages more regularly than his predecessor. The Giants played Cover 1 robber, Cover 2 and Tampa 2 at a rate above the league average.

The Raiders' secondary talent is questionable, but Graham is a coordinator who predominantly plays the coverage with which they are most familiar but is more flexible than Bradley. As such, the transition to Graham should be a relatively smooth one for the Raiders' defensive backfield; however, it will be their ability to excel in a defense that promises to be much more multiple than it was a year ago that determines whether this unit improves.

Las Vegas' defense did not embrace the two-high revolution in 2021. With Graham running a unit that will be tasked with stopping three explosive downfield passers in Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Russell Wilson in the AFC West, such shells will almost certainly become a bigger part of the Raiders' gameplan. How their defenders adapt to playing those coverages more frequently will have a huge bearing on the Raiders' success in competing for top spot in a loaded division.

Will 'Big Red' turn to the run?

As the Raiders perhaps shift towards a more two-high heavy world, the Chiefs' hopes of regaining the Lombardi Trophy will in part be tied to their proficiency in attacking such defenses.

The Chiefs' often exaggerated struggles against two-high coverage shells dominated much of the discussion in the first half of last season as defenses looked for a way to take away the shot play to Tyreek Hill.

By the end of the year, the Chiefs appeared to have solved the riddle and averaged 33.2 points per game over the final six weeks of the regular season.

Yet with Hill gone, the Kansas City offense has lost the reason many opponents not named the Raiders defended them with such coverages.

Defenses are unlikely to suddenly move away from the two-high looks when playing Kansas City now Hill is a Miami Dolphin, and teams will continue to dare Mahomes to take what he is given underneath and attempt to limit his opportunities to go downfield to the deep threats the Chiefs do have, namely Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Mecole Hardman.

Mahomes will need to be patient and connect with tight end Travis Kelce and other receivers who should excel attacking the underneath areas such as Juju Smith-Schuster and rookie second-round pick Skyy Moore.

But the Chiefs may also look to run the ball more to get defenses out of those coverages and draw more defenders into the box, opening the deep areas of the field for Mahomes to attack.

Kansas City ran the ball on only 31.8 per cent of offensive snaps last season, and there is plenty of evidence to suggest they would succeed if they did so more often.

The Chiefs ranked first in run block win rate in 2021 – their exploits in that regard allowing Clyde Edwards-Helaire to average 3.08 yards before contact per attempt, the eighth-most among running backs with at least 100 attempts – and Kansas City were seventh in yards per play on the ground (4.54). Rookie undrafted free agent Isaiah Pacheco has caught the eye in training camp and could blossom into a dynamic threat out of the backfield.

It is tough to make the case for taking the ball out of Mahomes' hands. However, as defenses continue to present him with more varied and complex looks, there is a need for a greater balance in the Chiefs' offense.

Between using a first-round pick on Edwards-Helaire and building an O-line that can produce dominant run-blocking, the Chiefs have spent significant resources on players with the potential to help them achieve that balance by committing to what has been an efficient run game. A modest shift in their offensive tendencies could be the key to the Chiefs getting back to the top of the pile despite the loss of one the league's most fearsome playmakers.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has downplayed a brawl in their Thursday practice against the Cincinnati Bengals where he was seen swinging a Bengals helmet as a weapon.

Footage emerged of the incident from the practice session between last season's Super Bowl teams with three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Donald at the center of it.

The situation led to calls for a suspension, but clubs, and not the league, are responsible for overseeing the players' conduct in practice, with no ban transpiring since.

Rams coach Sean McVay played down the significance of the fracas later in the day and Donald reiterated that on Wednesday.

"It was just a practice. It was football," Donald told AP Pro Football Podcast.

"I don't really want to go back to nothing negative that happened and talk about something that happened in a practice. My main focus is Buffalo."

Donald indicated he had addressed the incident with McVay and teammates but would not be drawn on it further.

The Rams start the new NFL season against the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Baker Mayfield has denied saying he wants to "f*** them up" about his former side the Cleveland Browns who they will face in their September 11 season opener.

Mayfield has been given the nod as the Panthers' starting QB after a prolonged battle with Sam Darnold to start the 2022 NFL season.

Mayfield's exit from the Browns, who took him with the first pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, occurred after they traded for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

As a result, Mayfield requested that the Browns trade him, joining the Panthers in July, although he has been reluctant to criticise his former franchise publicly.

NFL Network analyst Cynthia Frelund claimed on Monday night's Around The NFL podcast that Mayfield echoed the remark to her, albeit innocuously, after last week's preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills.

"First, I didn't say it," Mayfield told reporters. "Everybody is going to write whatever story they want.

"There's history because I played there the last four years. I'm an extremely competitive person. Everybody knows that. If I wasn't wanting to win, then there would be a really big issue of me being the quarterback here.

"I want to win in everything I do. That'll never change. But it's not how I phrased it. It's not even what I said, so let's leave it at that."

He added: "I didn't even say anything. All I did was, 'Great, hope we win.' Pretty plain and simple. I'm competitive. I want to win. I don't think that should be harped on.

"That's the extent of it. It's obviously a bigger story because I haven't given the media what they've wanted me to give them this year in this offseason."

Mayfield conceded that the season opener against his former side meant something to him although he did try to downplay the narrative.

"Obviously, there's a lot of attachment there," he said. "I'm not going to sit here and be a robot and say it doesn't mean anything. It will.

"It's a great storyline. It really is because I wasn't expected to be out of Cleveland. But after Week 1, there's 16 more that really, really matter. That's how I'm approaching it."

Mayfield started 59 games in his four seasons in Cleveland and helped lead the Browns to their first playoff victory since the 1994 season in 2020. The QB went 29-30 in 59 regular-season starts with the Browns.