The Outsiders

The Falcons lure yet another opponent into a false sense of anxiety, the 49ers squeeze an entire series of M*A*S*H into one road trip, and Seahawks-Patriots comes down to a single yard again.

Somehow, someway, there is going to be an NFL season of some sort.

The first game (official or otherwise) of the 2020 season was kind of a snoozer, with the Super Bowl champions coasting to an easy win. That gave us an opportunity to reflect on the DeAndre Hopkins and Brandin Cooks trades, changes in Houston's offensive philosophy, and the NFL debut of Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Everyone picks a different team to surprise, while there is plenty of pessimism surrounding Detroit and Philadelphia and conflicting opinions on Tampa Bay. We also have draft predictions, in which the entire FO staff picks the same player to go number one overall.

Here's an annual feature we do for ESPN+ with a bunch of lists based on quarterback metrics from 2019. Included: which quarterbacks were most accurate, which quarterbacks were most aggressive, and which quarterbacks added the most value compared to the rest of their teams.

The Raiders and Broncos go all in on offensive weapons. The Eagles pair Jalen Hurts with Carson Wentz. The Packers ... we have no idea what the Packers are doing.

After a predictable and quiet first start to the night, things went nuts late in the first round. The Packers traded up for their quarterback of the future, the Seahawks didn't trade down for the first time in years, and the 49ers traded up and down to make some surprising selections.

This is an open thread for discussion of the 2020 NFL Draft. You can use this thread all night Thursday night during the first round, or to discuss the aftermath of Round 1 the next day, and then again Friday night (Rounds 2-3) and Saturday (Rounds 4-7).

Here's our annual draft guide package for ESPN+, listing every team with their biggest need, a quiet need, and a position that's not a need, as well as appropriate prospects who might be available when that team is set to draft.

This is our annual open thread to discuss all the free agent movement, trades -- a LOT of big trades -- cuts, and other news for the first few days of free agency, starting with the "legal tampering period" that begins at noon Eastern on March 16. (Click to read more.)