Busting Myths About NFL OTAs And Offseason Narratives

We’re in the thick of the offseason now, folks. Take it all in. The headlines, the hype videos, the unrelenting narratives that beg you to overreact to every tiny bit of information you’re presented.

Speaking of overreaction, let’s do that after Matthew Stafford signed a one-year extension with the Rams, keeping him under contract for the next two seasons. At least.

That means the reigning MVP remains at the reins of the best offense (NFL-high 518 points scored) with weapons like Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Blake Corum and most of those tight ends are also under contract. Davante Adams may be 33 and signed just for this season, but in this offensive ecosystem what are the chances Stafford outperforms his 4,126 passing yards and 30.8 TDs in our projections? Ty Simpson, here’s your baseball cap and clipboard.

But let’s also take a breath and remember: Not everything that happens in the offseason is important. Sometimes it’s just … a thing that happens. 

Here are some annual offseason narratives that are more noise than newsworthy …

Narrative: A rookie receiver is “replacing” a total stud who left the team. Ergo, that rookie will be a stud.

Reality: That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works …

Remember when Treylon Burks was set to be the next A.J. Brown? It was assumed that the Titans traded away the old model for a shiny new version of the exact same receiver. Expectations were sky high.

Fast forward four years and Burks still has fewer career yards than Brown put up in his rookie season alone. I’m not trying to pick on Burks. And it was fair to assume much better fantasy production than what we got. But we need to stop this thinking that elite players are simply replaceable.

So while I wish Ted Hurst nothing but the best, I’m not going to say he’s “replacing” Mike Evans in Tampa Bay. Yet.

Narrative: A veteran is absent from voluntary OTAs. Sound the alarm!

Reality: Not every player goes to voluntary OTAs. That’s why they’re “voluntary.”

Just because Lamar Jackson missed some 7-on-7 drills, it doesn’t mean he’s mad at the Ravens. We don’t have to move him down our rankings. Everything is probably fine!

Granted, if said player has been vocal about wanting a new contract, skipping these activities could be a (small) signal. Or if a quarterback who signed with a new team is also infamous for needing a long time to get on the same page with his new receivers … yeah, you’d rather he be at OTAs than retreat into the darkness.

Otherwise? I say big whoop.

Narrative: A player is “shockingly” getting first-team reps early in training camp.

Reality: I am rarely “shocked” by whichever player they’re talking about in these headlines. 

Is it a rookie with somewhat high draft capital? A seasoned veteran who just signed with a new team? Or maybe it’s an underperforming player getting a fresh start with a new coach?

None of those surprise me. Certainly not in May!

Besides, we need to stop pretending that all coaches handle OTAs the same way. I assume some coaches like to send a message that no one’s position on the depth chart is safe. Others might try to get as much intel as they can on unknown players. Different strokes.

So unless Paul Rudd suddenly lines up with the Chiefs first-team offense … let’s all just cool it a little bit, OK?

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