2024 NFL Free Agency: 6 pending free agents on defense who deserve to get paid | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics - Pro Football Focus

• The consistently elite Chris Jones is primed for a big payday: While ranking behind Aaron Donald for most of his career, Jones has been even more productive since 2021 than the highest-paid player at the position.

• Antoine Winfield Jr. is arguably the best safety in the NFL: As he gets set to negotiate a new contract, he should have no problem garnering one of the top deals at his position.

• Dig into the numbers for yourself: PFF's Premium Stats is the most in-depth collection of NFL and NCAA player performance data. Subscribe today to get full access!

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

---

With NFL free agency right around the corner, plenty of star players are set to get new contracts, both big and (relatively) small. Several players on the defensive side of the ball truly deserve bigger deals, and they’ll be highlighted here. Check out the offensive players here.

These are players who deserve to be paid among the 12 highest-paid players at their position during this free agency cycle based on their body of work.

---

S Antoine Winfield Jr.

Click here to view Winfield's contract projection

While Winfield may not get the biggest payday in this year’s defensive free agent class, there may not be a better all-around player on that side of the ball set to hit the open market. He has been among the league’s best safeties since entering the league, finishing among the top three players at his position in at least one of the main defensive grade categories in each of his four NFL seasons

Winfield earned a position-leading 91.2 defensive grade and ranked first in run-defense grade (92.5), third in tackling grade (86.1), tied for second in pass-rush grade (92.7) and eighth in coverage grade (85.3) in 2023.

He proved that there weren’t many weaknesses in his game this past year, made all the more impressive by the fact that he lined up all over the field and wasn’t limited to only the slot or a deep safety alignment. Winfield finished second among safeties in PFF WAR in 2023. Since he entered the league in 2020, no safety has generated a higher WAR value (1.38) over that span. Winfield certainly has an argument to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, and there’s no doubt that he should be paid as a top-five player at his position when he signs his new contract.

Antoine Winfield | Ranks Among Safeties Since 2020, Regular Season

Metric	Value	Rank (min. 600 snaps)
Defensive Grade	91.2	1st
Run-Defense Grade	93.9	1st
Pass-Rush Grade	92.5	4th
Coverage Grade	90.3	10th
PFF WAR	1.38	1st

---

EDGE Josh Allen

Click here to view Allen's contract projection

The 2019 seventh-overall pick has consistently improved, even if the sack numbers haven’t always been there. That finally shifted in his favor with a massive 2023 season that yielded 17.5 sacks. Allen has steadily increased his overall grade each season, delivering an 89.5 mark in 2023 (11th) and an 89.4 pass-rush grade (eighth) to solidify himself as one of the best at his position.

Allen is more than likely going to get the franchise tag this offseason and, at 26 years old, is certainly deserving of a long-term payday. Over the past three seasons, Allen has finished among the top 15 edge defenders in PFF WAR. And he has generated the 11th-highest WAR value (1.12) at his position since entering the NFL in 2019.

Josh Allen | Ranks Among Edge Defenders in 2023, Regular Season

Metric	Value	Rank (min. 100 snaps)
Defensive Grade	89.5	11th
Pass-Rush Grade	89.4	8th
Total Pressures	90	5th
Pressure Rate	18.1%	5th
Pass-Rush Win Rate	20.5%	7th
True Pass Set Win Rate	33.5%	2nd
PFF WAR	0.41	11th

---

DI Justin Madubuike

Click here to view Madubuike's contract projection

2023 was a true breakout season for Madubuike, who improved his pass-rush grade and doubled his pass-rush production from 2022. Madubuike posted 32 pressures in 2022 and brought that number up to 64 in 2023, which ranked sixth among interior defensive linemen. He also more than doubled his sack production, going from 5.5 in 2022 to 13 this past year, in large part thanks to an NFL-record-tying 11 straight games with at least a half-sack.

Madubuike continued his strong play into the playoffs, posting 13 pressures and a half-sack to go along with a 76.7 pass-rush grade and a 78.7 overall grade across two games. He also cracked the top 15 at his position in PFF WAR for the first time in his career. At just 26 years old, Madubuike is likely to push for a deal similar to what Daron Payne got from the Washington Commanders last offseason (four years, $90 million).

---

DI Chris Jones

Click here to view Jones' contract projection

No interior defensive lineman has more sacks since 2019 than Chris Jones, and it isn’t particularly close. His 35.5 sacks across the past three seasons are 10 more than the next closest players, Aaron Donald and Javon Hargrave. He also has the most total pressures (217) across his 31 regular-season games since 2021.

Jones isn't just a beneficiary of volume, either. He has been as dominant as any other pass rusher from the interior defensive line position, according to his grades and underlying metrics. This didn’t change in 2023, as he finished third at his position in pass-rush grade (90.3) and second in pressures (75). He has now earned a top-five pass-rush grade for his position in each of his past six seasons and has never finished outside of the top 10 in a regular season. Jones comes in as PFF’s top-ranked free agent across all positions.

Chris Jones | Ranks Among Interior Defensive Linemen Since 2018, Regular Season

Metric	Value	Rank (min. 500 snaps)
Defensive Grade	92.9	2nd
Pass-Rush Grade	94.2	2nd
Pass-Rush Win Rate	17.9%	2nd
Pressure Rate	15.0%	2nd
Total Pressures	409	2nd
Total Sacks	67.5	2nd
Batted Passes	21	2nd

---

CB Jaylon Johnson

Click here to view Johnson's contract projection

After a somewhat average start to his NFL career, Johnson broke out in 2023 to the point where he became one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. A second-round pick out of Utah, Johnson has been a starter at outside cornerback for Chicago since 2020 and never surpassed a 65.0 overall grade until this season, when he finished as the highest-graded cornerback in the league (90.8). He led the position in coverage grade (91.0) while allowing an incredibly low 33.3 NFL passer rating when targeted across 530 coverage snaps.

Johnson allowed just a 50.0% completion rate on his 50 targets, which went for 195 total yards and one touchdown. He also came up with four interceptions and a strong 18% forced incompletion rate. He vaulted himself up the PFF WAR rankings, placing as the third-most valuable cornerback in after ranking outside the top 50 in his previous three seasons. Should the Bears not re-sign him, Johnson would fit best in a zone-heavy scheme. He has consistently earned higher coverage grades in zone, which was the case again this year, as he posted a 90.4 mark in zone versus a 74.9 in man.

Jaylon Johnson | Ranks Among Cornerbacks in 2023, Regular Season

Metric	Value	Rank
Defensive Grade	90.8	1st
Coverage Grade	91.0	1st
Zone Coverage Grade	90.4	3rd
Man Coverage Grade	74.9	10th
NFL Passer Rating Allowed	33.3	1st
Completion Rate Allowed	50.0%	T-7th
PFF WAR	0.85	3rd

---

CB L’Jarius Sneed

Click here to view Sneed's contract projection

The Kansas City Chiefs made Sneed a fourth-round pick in 2020, and he has excelled and played at least 900 defensive snaps in three straight regular seasons, earning a strong 74.7 coverage grade over that span. Sneed also ranks 10th among cornerbacks since 2021 in PFF WAR (1.56) and leads the position in defensive coverage stops (56) over that span.

Sneed has been a key piece of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense over the past few seasons, playing primarily in the slot before moving to the outside this past year. The Chiefs have utilized Sneed as an effective blitzer throughout his NFL career, where he’s been able to rack up a position-leading 6.5 sacks and 36 total pressures on 171 regular-season pass-rush attempts.

Kansas City isn't afraid to let star players, such as cornerback Charvarius Ward in 2022, walk in free agency, which could result in Sneed also hitting the open market. He is expected to net close to $17.5 million per year, according to PFF’s free agency contract projections, which would land him among the 10 highest-paid players at his position on an annual basis.

Adblock test (Why?)

2024 NFL Free Agency: 6 pending free agents on defense who deserve to get paid | NFL News, Rankings and Statistics - Pro Football Focus
Read More

Disney's free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed but second lawsuit still pending - CBS Miami

Disney's free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed but second lawsuit still pending

Disney's free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed but second lawsuit still pending 00:53

TALLAHASSEE -- A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney's free speech lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, leaving the company's remaining hopes of regaining control of the district that governs Walt Disney World to a separate state court challenge.

Gov. Ron DeSantis

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee said in his decision that Disney lacked standing in its First Amendment lawsuit against the Republican governor and his appointees to the Disney World governing district. 

The separate lawsuit is still pending in state court in Orlando.

In a written statement released by the governor's office, DeSantis praised the judge's ruling.

"This ruling finally ends Disney's futile attempts to control its own special government and receive benefits not available to other businesses throughout the state," the governor's statement said. 

The feud between DeSantis and Disney started in 2022 after the company publicly opposed the state's so-called don't say gay law, which banned classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades.

The law was championed by DeSantis, who recently suspended his campaign for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. In retaliation for Disney objecting to the law, DeSantis and Republican legislators took over the district Disney had controlled for more than five decades and installed five board members loyal to the governor.

The state and its largest employer are also locked in another battle.

Disney has filed a lawsuit claiming that the oversight government for Walt Disney World, which was taken over by appointees of Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, has failed to release documents and properly preserve records in violation of Florida public records law.

More from CBS News

Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.

Create your free account or log in
for more features.

Adblock test (Why?)

Disney's free speech lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis dismissed but second lawsuit still pending - CBS Miami
Read More

Margaret Mbitu murder: Court detains suspect pending extradition to the US - Nation

A man who allegedly murdered his girlfriend in the United States of America in October 2023 and fled to Kenya has appeared in court and will be held in police custody for 30 days as the Director of Public Prosecutions prepares extradition proceedings.

Pending his extradition 

Mr Kevin Adam Kinyanjui Kang'ethe alias Kevin A Kang'ethe, who was arraigned at Milimani Law Courts, will cool his heels at Muthaiga Police Station pending his extradition to the US.

The suspect is accused of killing Margaret Mbitu, 31, in October last year. 

Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Zainabu Abdul remanded the suspect and said that the charges he faces are serious. She said the police need to be given time to complete investigations.

"The application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for 30 days to carry out investigations has merit and, is hereby allowed," said the magistrate.

First-degree murder 

While applying for the detention of the suspect, the DPP said Mr Kang'ethe is being investigated for first-degree murder which violates Massachusetts general law (GL), Chapter (C) 265 section (1) under the laws of the US.

Stabbed her severally

The suspect is alleged to have murdered Ms Mbitu by stabbing her several times on the face and neck.
He is then alleged to have locked her up in a vehicle parked at a garage at Boston Logan International Airport before he fled to Kenya.

The suspect was arrested on January 30 in Parklands, Nairobi County, and detained at Gigiri Police Station before being taken to court.

The prosecutor said that on November 2 last year, the Chelsea District Court received an application for a criminal complaint charging Mr Kang'ethe with murder. A warrant of arrest was issued against him.

Face justice 

The American court directed that upon his arrest, the suspect should be extradited to the US to face justice.

The investigating officer in Kenya, Patrick Wachira, told the court that the homicide division of the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) received a Diplomatic Note No. 0095 from the US Embassy in Nairobi requesting the Kenyan Government through the Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs to have Mr Kang'ethe arrested and extradited to the US to face prosecution.

As a result, Mr Wachira told Mrs Abdul that the DCI and the Inspector General of Police began looking for Mr Kang'ethe.

"The respondent was arrested on January 30 in Parklands, Nairobi County and booked at Gigiri Police Station vide OB No. 02/30/01/2024 at 12:37am in connection with the ongoing investigation in the murder of Margaret Mbitu in Lowell, Massachusetts on October 31, 2023," said Mr Wachira.

Residents of Massachusetts

The officer told the court that both the respondent and the deceased were residents of Massachusetts and were in a relationship.

Ms Mbitu was a home healthcare aid in the town of Halifax, Massachusetts.

The deceased went missing on October 30, 2023, after leaving her place of work, and efforts by her family to trace her were futile.

Missing person

The family made a report of a missing person at Whitman Police Department, which later enlisted the assistance of Massachusetts State Police.

Preliminary investigations found that the deceased left her place of work and travelled to Lowell with Mr Kang'ethe. 

The US police found that the deceased and Mr Kang'ethe travelled to Lowell in a white Toyota Venza on the morning of October 31, 2023.

“The suspect violently attacked and repeatedly stabbed Ms Mbitu on the face and neck, causing catastrophic injuries, which led to her death," Mr Wachira told the court.

Disposed the deceased's cell phone

After allegedly killing Ms Mbitu, the suspect is reported to have driven the vehicle to a different location and disposed the deceased’s cellphone in a trash dumpster. He is then alleged to have driven to Logan International Airport and parked the vehicle in a garage with the body of Ms Mbitu concealed under a bag and other items.

On November 1, 2023, police discovered the body of Ms Mbitu in the front passenger seat of Mr Kang'ethe’s Toyota Venza.

Gone into hiding

The suspect returned to Kenya through Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and is reported to have gone into hiding until the police arrested him.

The police said that Mr  Kang'ethe used various phone numbers to call his friends, family members and relatives in the US as well as his friends in Kenya.

Flight risk

Inspector Wachira said that the suspect is a flight risk since he had allegedly run away from the US to avoid prosecution for the murder of his girlfriend.

"He has no fixed abode. Since he fled to Kenya from the US he has not been seen at his home in Thogoto, Kiambu County. He has been hiding from his family and the authorities," said Mr Wachira in his affidavit to the court.

He said that Mr Kang'ethe’s security is at risk because the death of Ms Mbitu overseas has elicited negative public emotions.

He urged the court to allow the police’s request to the suspect detained for 30 days.
 

Adblock test (Why?)

Margaret Mbitu murder: Court detains suspect pending extradition to the US - Nation
Read More

Charges pending following 100 mph pursuit in Hampton - WJHL-TV News Channel 11

HAMPTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Charges are pending against a man after he reportedly led police on a pursuit through Carter County Tuesday morning that reached speeds of nearly 100 mph.

According to a news release from the Carter County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), numerous calls came in regarding an elderly man who was behaving oddly and driving recklessly in Hampton. The CCSO said callers stated the man was cutting drivers off, illegally passing vehicles, making lewd gestures and yelling at other motorists.

THP: Two injured in Highway 19E crash

CCSO deputies located a vehicle matching the description given by callers near Main Street in Hampton and attempted a traffic stop. The release said the suspect fled from the stop and turned onto Highway 19E northbound heading toward Elizabethton.

According to the CCSO, the suspect reached speeds up to 90 mph on Highway 19E before turning onto River Road, then Jenkins Hollow Road, and eventually making his way back to Hwy 19E.

The release states the driver then reached speeds up to 100 mph, and once the pursuit reached a clear area where no other cars were around, officers conducted a PIT maneuver on the suspect’s vehicle, bringing the pursuit to an end.

The CCSO reports that once the suspect’s vehicle came to a stop, the male driver “exited the vehicle wielding a pair of scissors aggressively.” The release said deputies were able to get the suspect to the ground and restrain him.

The man was taken into custody and transported to a local medical center for evaluation, according to the sheriff’s office. Charges in connection to the pursuit are pending, the CCSO said.

Adblock test (Why?)

Charges pending following 100 mph pursuit in Hampton - WJHL-TV News Channel 11
Read More

Colorado police chief on leave pending criminal case after reported rapes during party at his house - Yahoo News

OURAY, Colo. (AP) — A southwestern Colorado police chief has been placed on paid administrative leave after charges were filed against three men in the case of a 17-year-old girl who reported being raped by more than one person during a party at the chief's house.

The city of Ouray announced Monday that Police Chief Jeff Wood would remain on leave "pending the outcome of the criminal proceedings.” Wood does not have a listed personal phone number, and there was no immediate response to a message seeking comment left at a number given for him on the city's website.

Felony sexual assault charges were filed against the men, including a relative of the chief, for alleged actions during the May 2023 party at Wood's house where drugs and alcohol were used, according to court records. Wood was reportedly asleep during the party.

The defendants were ages 17, 18 and 19 at the time, records said.

The charges became widely known when a man stole nearly every copy of the Ouray County Plaindealer from newspaper racks on Jan. 18, the day it published a story about the case.

The man, who is not related to anyone in law enforcement or the defendants, was cited for the thefts. In social media posts, he said he was trying to protect the victim.

Sgt. Gary Ray has been named acting police chief, the city said.

Adblock test (Why?)

Colorado police chief on leave pending criminal case after reported rapes during party at his house - Yahoo News
Read More

Pending FSIS petitions continue to generate new comments - Food Safety News

Without naming his company or town, Mr. Chris Jenkins became the first to ask USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service to “strike down” Petition 23-07 from Animal Partisan last week.

“I feel these requests would only add greater confusion to an industry that has become riddled with gray areas and misinterpretations due to these requests,” Jenkins wrote.

Animal Partisan, one of the nation’s many animal activist organizations, last September petitioned  FSIS to issue a notice to convey that: 

1) State government officials are not categorically preempted from enforcing state anti-cruelty laws by the Federal Meat Inspection Act, the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, or the Poultry Products Inspection Act, and 

2) FSIS personnel should cooperate with state government officials to enforce state anti-cruelty laws and improve clarity and frequency of communication with those officials.

Jenkins, however, points out that FSIS regulations already exist for cooperation between state and Federal in meat and poultry processing.

“I feel there is plenty of clarity already, “ he added. “Any additional notices or directives could create greater confusion or misinterpretation.”

The petition has been pending since it was filed on September 2, 2023. It mainly asks FSIS to publish a notice clarifying that federal law does not necessarily prevent state government officials from bringing animal cruelty charges when farmed animals are abused in slaughter plants.

The Animal Welfare Institute filed comments in support of the petition just ahead of Jenkins.     It said the Animal Partisan petition “ is a  simple request and would require relatively little of the agency; yet, it could significantly improve the welfare of animals at slaughter.”

Petition 23-07 is pending at the FSIS Office of Policy and Program Development for review.

Meanwhile, the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), another animal activist organization,  submitted comments in support of an Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) petition to prohibit the use of “climate-friendly” claims or similar claims on beef products or in the

alternative, to require independent third-party verification of such claims and a numerical carbon disclosure whenever such claims are made on beef product packaging.

In Petition 23-04, EWG asks FSIS to:

●  Prohibit the “Low-Carbon Beef” Claim recently approved by USDA. 

●  Require third-party verification for similar carbon claims. 

●  Require a numerical on-pack carbon disclosure when such claims are made. 

ALDF comments run 154 pages.

(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)

Adblock test (Why?)

Pending FSIS petitions continue to generate new comments - Food Safety News
Read More

Patrick Queen Talks About His Pending Free Agency - BaltimoreRavens.com

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

Patrick Queen Talks About His Pending Free Agency  BaltimoreRavens.com
Patrick Queen Talks About His Pending Free Agency - BaltimoreRavens.com
Read More