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The New York Jets, armed with two top-16 picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, are uniquely positioned to turn the franchise around.With Dante Moore heading back to Oregon for another season of college football, there likely won’t be a quarterback rated high enough for the Jets to pull the trigger on a new starter at No. 2, but that doesn’t mean they can’t find playmakers and add talent to their offense and defense.In the latest mock draft from Pro Football Focus, Gordon McGuinness has New York doing just that with their two premium draft selections.Jets Select Texas Tech Edge David Bailey No. 2 OverallMcGuinness’ first selection for the New York Jets is Texas Tech defensive end David Bailey, one of college football’s most dominant defenders this past season.“The news that quarterback Dante Moore is staying at Oregon for another season is a blow to the Jets, who could have either selected him at No. 2 overall or traded the pick for serious draft capital,” wrote McGuinness.“With Moore off the board, the most logical route would be to target one of the top defensive players in the draft. Bailey’s 81 quarterback pressures in 2025 led all FBS edge defenders, and while he’s not as refined a prospect as Penn State’s Abdul Carter was last year, he is more than good enough as a pass rusher to be worthy of a top-five selection.”After Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza presumably goes No. 1 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, the real draft begins with the Jets at No. 2.They’ll have several avenues available to them in terms of high-end defenders, such as Miami’s Reuben Bain Jr. or Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, but Bailey could be the best of the bunch. David Bailey against a tackle on an island – nightmare — Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) January 1, 2026 ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper has Bailey as the fifth-highest rated prospect on his big board.“A transfer from Stanford, Bailey gets after the quarterback. He had 14.5 sacks over three seasons for the Cardinals, and he matched that total in 2025 alone after notably becoming more of a finisher this season,” said Kiper.His 20.2% pressure rate was the best in the nation — despite actually being lower than it was in 2024 (22.2%) and 2023 (22.1%).”With New York finishing with the 31st-least amount of sacks in the league in 2025, Bailey would be a welcome addition to their defensive line room.Jets Select Washington WR Denzel Boston No. 16 OverallWith their second first-round selection thanks to the Indianapolis Colts and Sauce Gardner, the New York Jets select Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston to improve their group of pass-catchers.“With the Jets likely to look to free agency or the trade market to fix their quarterback situation, finding the right players for their offense in the draft becomes even more important,” continued McGuinness.“Boston could be the perfect partner for Garrett Wilson at wide receiver, coming off a season in which he earned an 89.3 PFF receiving grade against man coverage and caught 76.9% of his contested targets.”Garrett Wilson was the Jets’ leading receiver in yards for the 2025 season, and his last reception came in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos.That is simply unacceptable, and while it’s easy to point to the quarterback play as the reason why, New York did nothing to add to their wide receiver room before the season, outside of adding Josh Reynolds and forcing Allen Lazard to take a pay cut.Adonai Mitchell and John Metchie, midseason acquisitions, showed some signs of life during the backend of the 2025 season, but I’m not sure you can count on either to be a legitimate threat across from Wilson on a down-to-down basis.That’s where Boston comes in. Another situation where Denzel Boston is in 1-1 coverage and the team trusts him to make the big play. His film is littered with 50/50 ball wins and impressive ability to work the boundary with his body control. NFL Stylistic Comps – Courtland Sutton pic.twitter.com/8bTbtn1YVJ — Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog)…

The New England Patriots are moving on, with Drake Maye and company getting the best of the Houston Texans during the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs this past weekend.With the Patriots getting the win after battling the elements and a tough Texans defense at Gillette Stadium, New England has advanced to the AFC Championship Game, where they’ll take on the Denver Broncos on the road at Empower Field at Mile High.Mack Hollins’ Playing Status Remains Uncertain GettyMack Hollins #13 of the New England Patriots Every team is banged up at this point in the postseason, especially the Broncos, who will have to play without star quarterback Bo Nix due to a season-ending injury suffered against the Buffalo Bills, but the Patriots are hoping to get a key piece back on offense for the AFC Championship Game on the road on Sunday in Denver.Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel spoke to the media on Monday and was asked about the status of wide receiver Mack Hollins, via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. Patriots HC Mike Vrabel when asked if he anticipates Mack Hollins practicing this week: "I can't be certain right now. Still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back." — Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) January 19, 2026 “I can’t be certain right now,” Vrabel said of Hollins’ status. “Still working through everything with some of those guys that could be back.”Although Hollins isn’t Stefon Diggs in terms of impact in the passing game, his return to the field will help Maye and the offense against a solid Broncos defense.In 15 games during the 2025 NFL season, Hollins caught 46 passes for 550 receiving yards and two touchdowns.Mike Vrabel on Facing Jarrett Stidham in AFC Championship Game GettyJarrett Stidham #8 of the Denver Broncos In a shocking twist after the Broncos took down the Bills, head coach Sean Payton announced that Nix would be out for the rest of the season with a broken ankle.With Nix’s season ending, Denver will lean on veteran quarterback Jarrett Stidham to shoulder the load under center, which obviously changes the Patriots’ approach. Vrabel addressed this during Monday’s presser.“Just going back to when Josh [McDaniels] had him, I think he sees things really well and I think he’s athletic enough to extend like we talk about a lot of quarterbacks,” Vrabel said of Stidham. “He’s really decisive in the games that we went back and watched, this is even going back to when I was in Tennessee as well.”During an appearance on The Greg Hill Show, Vrabel also talked about facing the former Patriots quarterback on Sunday.“He hasn’t thrown a pass since 2023, so we’ll have to kind of figure out,” Vrabel said. “I like Jarrett, we did a lot of work on him in the offseason here in free agency. Josh has coached him, he’s probably ready to go. Obviously he’s preparing as a starter each and every week. Really early in the preparation, not sure how much things will change based on the quarterback that’s in there and what they’re asking him to do.”It’ll be interesting to see how things change for the Broncos heading into this game with Stidham rather than Nix. New England is currently favored (-5.5) to win on the road and advance to the Super Bowl, which isn’t all that surprising given the situation heading into this matchup. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Patriots HC Mike Vrabel Shares Update on Injured WR Mack Hollins Before Broncos Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Atlanta Braves have had a busy offseason to this point, but were dealt tough news before the season has eveb started with the news that Ha-Seong Kim will miss 4-5 months with a hand injury. Injuries have plagued the Braves for the last two seasons, and GM Alex Anthopoulos has been adamant this offseason about adding another impact arm, which should be a starter. Atlanta has made ample additions to their bullpen, but it might not mean much if the rotation falters again. However, if the Braves can add one more durable starter to the current rotation, many fans and analysts would feel more comfortable with the roster heading into the upcoming season. As of now, the Braves have two strong frontline starters in Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach. After Sale and Schwellenbach, Spencer Strider appears to be the third option, and Hurston Waldrep, Joey Wentz, and Grant Holmes follow behind Strider with hopes of having a 4th/5th option role. Here are three starting pitchers the Braves could target this offseason to cap a busy offseason: Lucas Giolito Among the top available starters in free agency, Lucas Giolito is probably the fourth or fifth name on the market, but he would be a really valuable addition to the Braves. After missing all of 2024, Giolito enjoyed a nice campaign in 2025 by being able to make 25+ starts. In 26 starts, Lucas Giolito posted an ERA of 3.41 over 145 innings and struck out 121 batters. His market value projects him to earn somewhere between a $45 million and $60 million contract over three-four years. More MLB on Heavy: Four Low-Cost Free Agent Infield Options Braves Could Target After Ha-Seong Kim Injury Chris Bassitt A lot of teams are being linked to Chris Bassitt, and for the right reason. Â The 36-year-old starter has made 30+ starts and posted 170+ innings in four straight seasons. This is the type of durable arm that the Braves need to ensure some stability in the rotation. As great as Sale and Schwellenbach have been when healthy, Bassitt would add another layer of depth and could firmly slot in ahead of Strider on Atlanta’s depth chart. GettyCould the Braves end up signing Chris Bassitt? In 2025, Bassitt posted a 3.96 ERA over 170.1 innings. His market value projects him to receive an AAV deal of around $20 million, so Atlanta could opt to sign him to a one-year deal if they pleased. More MLB on Heavy: Braves-Rays Trade Pitch Offloads $73 Million All-Star For Griffin Jax Zack Littell The last option, and probably the most affordable option for the Braves among this group if Zack Littell. Littell has made 61 starts over the last two seasons and posted a sub-4.00 ERA in both seasons. 2024 was really the first time Zack Littell transitioned into a full-time starter, and he’s proved his value, similar to the other two names on this list, by being able to take the ball every fifth day. According to Spotrac, Zack Littell is projected to earn a three-year, $38 million deal. That’s a price the Braves can more realistically afford, but it would be looked at as a good signing if Atlanta ultimately did strike a deal with Littell. Other external options the Braves might target during the last four weeks of this MLB offseason include Patrick Corbin, Justin Verlander, Chris Paddack, and Nick Martinez. More MLB on Heavy: Mets Predicted to Land Former All-Star, 220-Strikeout Pitcher in Free Agency More MLB on Heavy: Mets-Pirates Trade Idea Sends $77 Million All-Star Starter to Queens for Top Prospect More MLB on Heavy: Braves Urged to Sign $61 Million Projected Starter in Free Agency Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Three Starters the Braves Could Target to Cap Off Busy Offseason appeared first on Heavy Sports.

The Chicago Bears will not play any more meaningful football games until September, but there is a great deal to which fans can look forward in the interim.The first will be free agency, which begins when the new league year does in March. But roughly six weeks after the opening barrage of free-agent signings and probably a handful of meaningful trades across the NFL, the draft will take place in late April.Chicago’s exact position in that process was unclear until the team lost the final playoff game of the Divisional Round on Sunday night, January 18.The Bears (11-6) are now locked into the No. 25 spot, which is the highest available for teams that fell in the second round of the postseason. The Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans all finished 12-5 and will select at Nos. 26-28, respectively.Chicago owns a total of seven picks in the upcoming draft, including Nos. 25, 57, 89, 129 (via the Los Angeles Rams), 163, 239 (via the Philadelphia Eagles) and 241.Bears Likely to Focus on Edge-Rusher in Offseason, as Big Pickups in 2025 Failed to Pay Dividends GettyChicago Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. The Bears are likely to focus on the defensive side of the football after using the first three selections of Ben Johnson’s tenure as head coach on tight end Colston Loveland (No. 10 overall), wide receiver Luther Burden III (No. 39 overall) and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo (No. 56 overall) in 2025.Specifically, Chicago needs help on the defensive front. The pass rush is probably the area of greatest need, as the Bears finished the year with the 29th-ranked defense and tallied just 35 sacks in 17 regular season games while producing among the lowest pass rush win rates in the NFL (31st).“The Bears’ inability to pressure opposing quarterbacks was a glaring weakness all season,” according to ESPN. “Despite spending big last free agency on defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo (one sack in eight games before a season-ending injury) and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (two sacks), the Bears got very little return on investment. The No. 1 focus must be a big swing on an edge rusher in free agency or the draft.”Bears Predicted to Select DE or DT With First-Round Pick in NFL Draft GettyClemson defensive end TJ Parker. Jordan Reid of ESPN suggested a player like defensive end TJ Parker out of Clemson in the first round.“In Round 1, TJ Parker (Clemson) would fit the prototype of the team’s defensive scheme, as he’s a power rusher who is also an NFL-ready run defender,” Reid wrote Monday.However, Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus predicted on Monday that Chicago will use the No. 25 pick to select defensive tackle Christen Miller out of Georgia.“The Bears could benefit from some reinforcements against the run, and Miller should be able to make an impact in that regard from day one,” McGuinness wrote. “He earned a 90.2 PFF run-defense grade in 2025. While his 70.0 PFF pass-rush grade is far from bad, he will likely be most valuable in the run game as an NFL player.”Chicago may look to trade for an edge-rusher like Maxx Crosby or sign a free agent like Jaelan Phillips even if the team drafts a high-end defensive lineman in the first round, given how great the need is on that side of the football. Like Heavy Sports's content? Be sure to follow us. This article was originally published on Heavy SportsThe post Bears First-Round Draft Pick Revealed After Playoff Exit appeared first on Heavy Sports.