In Super Bowl LX, the Seattle Seahawks did something that made absolutely no sense — and it worked like a charm.

Against a New England Patriots offense that had specialized in the power run game throughout the 2025 season, Seattle played base defense exactly 1.5% of the time. The Patriots played into that by using 11 personnel on 79.1% of their snaps, but still… when you play nickel (five defensive backs) on 44.8% of their snaps (14.2% below the NFL average) and dime (six defensive backs) on an astonishing 53.7% of their snaps (43.9% of the NFL average), something was afoot — and it made all the difference in Seattle’s 29-13 win.

The name of that something was Nick Emmanwori. The 35th overall pick in the 2025 draft out of South Carolina, the 6’ 3⅛”, 220-pound Emmanwori (who completely dominated the 2025 scouting combine) became head coach Mike Macdonald’s multi-position enforcer, in many of the same ways Kyle Hamilton filled that role back when Macdonald was the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023.

“We’ve had him at 9-technique, 5-technique, he’s playing the slot,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of Emmanwori last December. “We’re putting a lot on his plate. That’s part of my message to him, ‘You’ve got a lot on your plate, there’s a lot of expectations, and rightfully so, you’ve earned those opportunities. Go prepare your tail off so you can play the brand of ball you want to play. Then go let it rip, and if something happens throughout the game, we’ll fix it or we’ll put you out of that situation, but just go to the next one and keep rolling.’”

Overall, it worked very well. Emmanwori played 51% of his snaps last season in the box, 45% in the slot, 2% in the deep third, and 2% as an overhang defender. His success was the latest in a long line of do-it-all safeties that goes back to Charles Woodson, through Eric Berry, Tyrann Mathieu, Derwin James, and Hamilton. These types of players have never been more relevant in the NFL, and that proved itself out in the 2026 draft.

Now that these guys are in the NFL, what can they do for their new teams all over the field?

Caleb Downs, Dallas Cowboys

Last season for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Downs played 37% of his snaps as a two-deep safety, 30% in the slot, 17% as a single-high safety, and 9% as an outside cornerback or overhang defender. Overall, he had one sack, five pressures, 58 solo tackles, 35 stops, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and in coverage, he allowed 25 catches on 38 targets for 168 yards, 92 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 53.4.

Downs may be the most NFL-ready player in this class regardless of position; he ran the show in Matt Patricia’s NFL-conversant defense, and there’s no reason to believe that he can’t do that at the next level — especially in a new Christian Parker-led defense that takes its two-high shells, match coverage principles, and defensive back versatility from the Vic Fangio tree (Parker was the Philadelphia Eagles’ passing game coordinator & defensive backs coach in 2024 and 2025). Certainly a glow-up from whatever the heck it was that Matt Eberflus was doing with that defense last season.

“Premium instincts,” Parker said of Downs in early May. “You can tell his football intellect, the way he directs traffic out there, the way he reads and reacts, his brain is connected with his feet. It was constant. You’re watching three years of film, and there’s not a difference in the tape.

”He’s constantly making the right decision, constantly down in the football, constantly making contact with it, constantly just in the right spot. It’s just a smooth, smooth transition and smooth play.”

Dillon Thieneman, Chicago Bears

Last season for the Oregon Ducks, Thieneman played 54% of his snaps as a split safety, 22% as a single-high safety, 12% in the slot, 8% in the box, and 4% as an outside cornerback or overhang defender. He had four pressures, 72 solo tackles, 30 stops, three tackles for loss, and in coverage, he allowed 18 catches on 29 targets for 145 yards, 42 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 80.4.

“Range,” Bears Director of College Scouting Breck Ackley said when asked to detail Thieneman’s most impressive trait. “The versatility to play. He has nickel-flex. He has the versatility to play both free and strong. But the thing that stands out, if you can go back to his Purdue tape, 2023, when he had six picks, he’s really got some center field range stuff.

“Oregon used him a little bit in a rover role, and at times in a different role. Safety is one of those positions where you really have to watch a lot of tape, but there’s plenty of snaps for him. He can flip his hips, he can cover ground, and then you add in the versatility, the run support, the physicality. But I would say the range stands out.”

It is entirely likely that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will use Thieneman as his range guy in 2026 and beyond, because that is indeed his most impressive trait. Kevin Byard was the team’s primary free safety last season, and he signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the New England Patriots this offseason. Former Seahawks safety Coby Bryant is now in the fold on a three-year, $40 million deal, which gives the Bears some flexibility, but you can be sure that Thieneman’s particular range and coverage traits will be a big part of Allen’s defense.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Cleveland Browns

Last season for the Toledo Rockets, McNeil-Warren played 45% of his snaps as a single-high safety, 20% in the slot, 19% as a split safety, and 2% on the outside. He had one sack, five pressures, 42 solo tackles, 17 stops, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and in coverage, he allowed six catches on 15 targets for 116 yards, 50 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 50.3.

“I think what’s so special about Emmanuel is the versatility that he brings,: Assistant GM & Vice President of Football Operations Catherine Hickman said. ”You’re thinking of a player that can play high, can play low, a player that has excellent ball skills, size, strength, physicality. So really a player that the way we want to play defense, just gives our defensive coaches so many options. And they’re going to be extremely pleased to work with him.”

I have no doubt about that, and I was surprised that McNeil-Warren lasted until the second round. He has some things to work on like any draft prospect does, but he may also have the most pure athletic upside among these three players. At 6’ 3½” and 201 pounds, he has all the tools to be one of the new wave of complete safeties — the new type of player that every NFL team not only wants… but desperately needs.

We are on the verge of seeing one of the most fascinating summer transactions in NFL history. Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is standing down from a drawn-out legal battle with the NCAA, announcing on Monday that he is opting to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, rather than continue his attempt to win eligibility. It marks the first time in over 30 years that a legitimate top quarterback can be secured in the secondary draft, making it truly a once-in-a-generation opportunity to land a potentially elite talent on the cheap.

Sorsby was suspended by the NCAA in May of 2026 after entering a rehabilitation facility to treat gambling addiction. He admitted that he had lost over $90,000 placing bets on his own team, using the accounts of family and friends in an attempt to evade detection. The proliferation of sports betting, paired with college players having an influx of disposable income via NIL deals, means that Sorsby isn’t the first, and certainly won’t be the last player to have gambling problems.

That leads us to the moment right now. Sorsby is a 1st round quarterback talent who would have gone anywhere from the Top 5 to late-first round in 2027 — even in the middle of one of the most QB-rich classes in history. The raw talent is undeniable. Not only that, but Sorsby showed tremendous growth at Cincinnati, where he threw for 2,800 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 5 interceptions in 2025. Those numbers would have only grown, considering he transferred to an explosive Texas Tech offense before his suspension.

There are only two questions left when it comes to Brendan Sorsby: “Who is going to bite?” and “What will the cost be?” There have been ample reports of teams willing to pony up a 3rd round pick in the supplemental for him, which either means they intend to bid a 2nd round pick — or stay out of the game altogether. As for where he should end up, that one isn’t quite as simple as picking teams out of a hat without a quarterback. There is a tanking class in the NFL right now which contains the Cardinals, Jets, and Dolphins, and I argue that none of these teams should throw their hats in the Sorsby ring.

Sure, it might be tempting to imagine landing Sorsby now, then getting an elite complementary piece like WR Jeremiyah Smith next April, but at the end of the day you’re still actively choosing to take a worse quarterback than you would at the top of the 1st round next year. While Sorsby is a really solid prospect, he’s still not on the level of Arch Manning, Dante Moore, or Julian Sayin.

Instead, the focus should be on teams in need of quarterback help who aren’t already in that tanking tier. The teams who normally would have no shot of landing a talent like Sorsby without trading up can now potentially get him in exchange for a Day 2 pick. For these teams it’s the opportunity of a lifetime, and worth diving into.

The Colts are taking their QB position year-by-year at this point, signing Daniel Jones to a two-year extension that shows they aren’t quite sold on making him their long-term starter. This doubt makes a lot of sense and opens an opportunity for Sorsby to enter the fold.

Finding a starting QB through circumstance is such a profoundly Colts move. This is the organization that landed Peyton Manning, and got to dovetail that into Andrew Luck. Getting Sorsby on the cheap would be extremely on-brand for them, and it makes a ton of sense to get out ahead of the draft not only to get a player of his caliber, but potentially mitigate their worries with Jones. Sorsby wouldn’t cost them anything against the cap like Jones would, making this a really great landing spot.

If they can then flip Anthony Richardson, even for a mid-round pick, then they’re playing with house money.

The Steelers will be a decent team this year. I don’t know if they’re a playoff team, but they’re going to be decent enough in Aaron Rodgers’ twilight to be picking in the late teens at the earliest. For each of the past two years we’ve been expecting the team to take a quarterback, and no Drew Allar doesn’t count.

Brendan Sorsby is so much better than anyone the Steelers could hope to get, especially if he only costs a 2nd or 3rd round pick. At this point nobody knows if Rodgers is going to play one more season, two more seasons — 20 more seasons until he crumbles into dust at the 50-yard-line. Regardless of his intentions, the Steelers need to bring in more quality bodies at the QB position so they’re not constantly in a state of being held ransom by the whims of Aaron Rodgers.

Giving Sorsby a year to sit and learn, then giving him an offense with D.K. Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. is a very, very good scenario for him.

Who knows what the Browns will be this year? I keep vacillating between thinking they might be the worst team in football and thinking they could notch five or six wins. That makes them really tricky to project in the Sorsby sweepstakes, but I also think it makes infinitely more sense for them than winning some game and needing to package 1st round picks to move up and get into that top tier of 2027 quarterbacks.

Sorsby is definitely better than Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel (especially Dillon Gabriel). The biggest risk here is adding to their island of misfit toys without a clear direction, but if Cleveland thinks Sorsby has the talent then Todd Monken is someone who can get it out of him.

Let’s go ahead and throw a big-old curveball. Sure, the Bucs have Baker Mayfield, and there’s seemingly no reason to change up that plan, but Baker is looking to get a massive payday, and Tampa seems really hesitant to give him that deal with their regime in flux.

The Bucs need to decide whether they think they can actually win with Mayfield under center, or if they need to rebuild. If the decision is the latter, then it’s worth them throwing their hat in the ring to land Sorsby on cheap deal, rather than potentially re-sign Mayfield to a top-dollar contract and stay on the treadmill of barely competing.

It’s a rare chance for a division-contender to get a young QB on the cheap.

I am a big, big fan of putting Kyler Murray in Minnesota — but there’s no guarantee this will work like it did with Sam Darnold a couple of years back. That means Sorsby would be a high-level contingency plan, should this go belly up and Murray is a middling quarterback in 2026.

The Vikings have shot themselves in the foot so many times by refusing to really rebuild at the QB position and trading up for J.J. McCarthy was a symptom of this. McCarthy has shown he’s not the guy, and maybe he can still be developed — but Sorsby has more physical tools that Kevin O’Connell can work with. A second or third rounder is worth taking the flier on adding to a needy QB room for a team that could easily win 10+ games this season.

The Falcons don’t have a lot of faith in Michael Penix Jr, and they sure shouldn’t have faith in Tua Tagovailoa. That means Sorsby is a “why not?” for Atlanta. There’s very little to show that either Penix or Tua can get the Falcons over the hump, and this team is not going to be bad enough to pick high for a quarterback.

This is the spot I feel the least-confident in, because ultimately I think new head coach Kevin Stefanski is going to want a year to evaluate his passers before making a determination, but there’s also a chance he’s already seen enough to warrant tossing a Day 2 pick into the supplemental draft to land a player Atlanta wouldn’t get otherwise.

And now the next chapter could be written in the NFL.

Sorsby was initially ruled ineligible for the 2026 season due to violations of the NCAA’s gambling bylaws. Through his attorneys, Sorsby challenged that ruling by the NCAA, alleging among other things that he suffered from a gambling addiction.

Despite a Texas judge granting Sorsby a temporary injunction against the NCAA, opening the door for Sorsby to play for the Red Raiders next season, the quarterback now plans to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft, according to multiple reports. Texas District Court Judge Ken Curry granted Sorsby’s injunction request, while implementing several conditions on the quarterback including a two-game suspension, while the legal battle between the NCAA and the quarterback remained on course for a full trial. But with that trial likely to occur after the college football season, Sorsby was on a path back to college.

However, in the days following that ruling, several schools had canceled athletic events that were scheduled against Texas Tech. That included Michigan on Monday, canceling a volleyball match that was scheduled against the Red Raiders.

In addition, the Big 12 itself filed a federal complaint against Texas Tech on Monday, seeking a declaratory judgment as well as an injunction in an effort to enforce the conference’s bylaws, and potentially sanction Texas Tech, in response to the Sorsby situation. That complaint also named Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton as one of the defendants.

As part of this decision by Sorsby, his attorneys plan to withdraw the lawsuit against the NCAA, which would make him ineligible under the governing body’s ruling and therefore eligible to enter the NFL Supplemental Draft.

The deadline for players to apply for entry in the NFL Supplemental Draft is June 22. The NFL Supplemental Draft is expected to occur in late July.

Brandon Aiyuk’s war of words with the San Francisco 49ers reached new heights on Tuesday.

In a video posted to social media, Aiyuk blasted the organization as “stupid” for paying him, and “mad” at themselves for how the team was handling the situation.

The video came after Aiyuk posted one over the weekend, where he called the 49ers “little-ass boys” who needed to “stop running from the bill.”

The two videos are the wide receiver’s first lengthy public comments since the team placed him on the reserve/left team list back in December of last year. Aiyuk has not played in a game for the 49ers since midway through the 2024 season, when he suffered a torn ACL.

Prior to the 2024 campaign, Aiyuk was a hold-in during training camp until he agreed to terms with the team on a new four-year extension worth up to $120 million.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with general manager John Lynch, continue to assert that Aiyuk has played his last snap for the 49ers. Speaking at the team’s end-of-season press conference in January, the coach indicated he had lost contact with Aiyuk, going on to say that “eventually you understand that it’s not going to change and you’ve got to move on with your football team.”

On that January day, Lynch explicitly said that Aiyuk had “played his last snap with the Niners.”

Then at the end of March at the league’s annual meetings, Shanahan maintained that stance, but did not put a timeframe on a resolution.

“I don’t have a date for it, but I know eventually it’ll resolve itself,” Shanahan said in March. “Hopefully, we could get something for [him]. And I know we’re in no rush to do that. You’ve got to do what’s right for the Niners, and you’re not trying to hook up any other team as fast as you possibly can. Hopefully, we can get something for that, and it’ll take care of itself.”

As far as what that resolution looks like, many believe Aiyuk will find a home with the Washington Commanders. Aiyuk played with Jayden Daniels at Arizona State, and over this past weekend did share a photos of himself wearing a Commanders hat.

However, he is still technically under contract with San Francisco through the 2028 season. And while the 49ers did void the guaranteed money he was owed for 2026, the guaranteed money Aiyuk is owed for 2027 is still on the books.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport addressed the situation on Monday.

“First of all, here’s what the San Francisco 49ers would like: They have his rights, he’s not due any guaranteed money because he forfeited that by not showing up to his rehab,” said Rapoport. “So, they would like to trade him, probably to the Commanders, with his old friend Jayden Daniels and an organization that obviously knows him well, considering (Commanders general manager) Adam Peters was in San Francisco, and all that.

“What the Commanders would like to do is sign him without having to trade him. … We’re in a situation where nobody wants to move at all. They’re all staring at each other. There’s really no deadline to make a move at all. So, until and unless everyone gets tired of Brandon Aiyuk sending Instagram messages, this is going to be a storyline that takes us through the summer.”

Happy offseason, everyone.