A quick note of gratitude to everyone receiving this e-mail, I appreciate the continued support of my work and your commitment to following along and reading it via your inbox and here on Substack.
As promised, a stated goal for Between The Hashmarks is to make this newsletter a clearinghouse for my NFL coverage each week.
In an era where Twitter (now Elon’s wasteland known as X) is no longer a one-stop-shop for easily accessible news coverage and all content on social media is now subject to the always evolving algorithms, the best way to get eyeballs on content is becoming newsletters such as this one.
This week, I also released my first of hopefully many Between The Hashmarks exclusive insider reporting columns, previewing the five decisions across the league that will shape the entire offseason. It includes a quote from a current GM, a former Executive of The Year, and several other sources. If you haven’t yet, hopefully, you’ll check it out here.
In the future, those columns will be for paid subscribers only. So, if you enjoy that level of reporting, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription to continue supporting my work.
Without further adieu, below are the stories and columns I’m proudest of, and think you’ll find most informative from the week that was across the NFL:
Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Austin Ekeler, and Derrick Henry make up arguably the deepest free agent class at the position but all must navigate the pitfalls of running backs never being valued less by teams throughout the league.
I surveyed several NFL coaches and executives to get their thoughts on each top running back.
Here's a look at the free agency outlook, and best fits, for the running backs primed to hit the market. READ MORE AT FANBUZZ
One of the longest-tenured Philadelphia Eagles players could be elsewhere in 2024, which could push the defensive line up general manager Howie Roseman’s hierarchy of need in free agency.
Fletcher Cox is set to become an unrestricted free agent. While the 33-year-old has reportedly been considering retirement, the six-time Pro Bowler could see a robust market even if Cox decides to continue his career in 2024.
If Cox is not in the middle of the Eagles’ defensive line, Pro Football Focus believes Philadelphia is the “best fit” for Houston Texans defensive tackle Teair Tart.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not expected to use the franchise tag on veteran linebacker Devin White, league sources tell me.
Teams can always reverse course and apply the tag before the March 5 deadline. Likewise, Tampa Bay can now work to sign White to a long-term extension to keep him in a Buccaneers uniform for the 2024 season and beyond, and it is also possible that he will become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins on March 13.
There are about to be some big names at the most important position in sports on the move.
When NFL free agency begins, and perhaps even before, some top and potential franchise quarterbacks will be changing zip codes.
Here are some informed predictions on how what promises to be a fascinating quarterback carousel winds up looking like when the music stops spinning later this spring.
The 2024 season has the potential to be a make-or-break campaign for Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, and this offseason could be centered on adding playmakers to quarterback Dak Prescott‘s supporting cast.
Given that veteran wide receiver Michael Gallup could be earmarked as a cap casualty, combined with the Cowboys having limited spending flexibility even with the salary cap set at $255.4 million for 2024, prioritizing the wide receiver position in the NFL Draft could prove prudent.
That’s exactly what Pro Football Focus projects the Cowboys to do, in the outlet’s latest 2024 mock draft …