Baltimore Beat, Season 1, Q1:

The Ravens open up the 2018 season having not played a playoff game in 4 of the last 5 years since their 2013 Super Bowl title. With a roster full of both young studs like Lamar Jackson and aging stars like Eric Weddle, optimism is high in the DMV area.

The first move for Baltimore to make is to shore up the secondary with the addition of some much needed speed. Brandon Carr has been moved to safety due to having lost a step in his age-32 season. They have also traded a couple draft picks to the Green Bay Packers to acquire Josh Jones, a speedy, hard-hitting safety whose coverage skills are always in question.

Look for the Ravens to continue to add pieces in the coming weeks after feeling out the roster. Speculation includes using a key piece of their dearth of Defensive Line talent to acquire another offensive weapon or an Offensive Lineman to help protect the rookie signal caller.

Trade rumors are swirling around the Patriots and are reported to include the Ravens. We're hearing the exchange will be centered around players who need new contracts after this season, and speculation is that it could include QB Lamar Jackson, LT Isaiah Wynn, and DE Dante Fowler Jr.

The Pats are yet to play their first game with Cam Newton as the starting QB, but it doesn't seem like a good sign for his future with the team if they are reportedly acquiring a shiny new QB.

League sources are already clamoring to figure out how the Pats will be able to afford to re-sing Jackson, whose next contract is going to average more than $25m per season. Can't wait to see how it all unfolds!

Draft: After wheeling and dealing some 2022 picks to gain additional picks in the 2021 draft, the Pats decided they weren't done. The loss of Rob Gronkowski left a gaping hole at the TE position, so the Pats decided to address this by trading one of their two 1st round picks to the Browns for OJ Howard, who looks to resurrect his career after a disappointing stay in the Cleve.

With their other 1st round pick, the Patriots selected a starting LB to replace Donta Hightower by the name of Parker Hedgecock. Hedgecock had a solid career at FCS school Drake University, which catapulted him into the late 1st round. With the 2nd round pick, the Patriots took another TE to help reload at the position, pairing Ross White out of Oregon with the newly acquired OJ Howard. He's not the greatest blocker right now, but he excels as a receiver, creating mismatches with linebackrs and smaller safeties with his 4.6 speed and 6'5" frame. 

Re-signing: The Pats made the bold move NOT to re-sign starting QB Blake Bortles after a season in which he threw 40 TDs and was near the top of the league in every statistical category. They won 14 regular season games, had the #1 seed, and made the AFC Championship Game. It is nearly unprecedented for the Patriots to have let him walk, but you have to figure Robert Craft and Coach Murphy know what they're doing.

Free Agency: The Pats made a huge splash in Free Agency, and really they needed to after letting Blake Bortles and Jimmy Smith walk. Early in the period they signed a 32-year old Cam Newton to a below market value-contract - just one more example of players taking less to play for championships. In the same week they also dropped a MONSTER contract on safety Marcus Williams. Duke Dawson agreed on a switch to SS so Marcus could take over the FS spot, which he will gladly do with a 7 year contract paying him $20M per year. The later weeks of the free agency period brough cheap veteran depth signings to the Pats, again, all below market value as players really want to play for rings!  
 

Prepare your BHoles. Chiefs are coming for that Super Bowl title with a rookie class that cannot be stopped. A Mack truck of a running back, a Lamborghini of a wide reciever, and a QB that reminds coaches of a young Randall Cunningham - things are going to get out of hand more than a few times.

Doesn't even mention then best TE pair in the league, an emerging deep threat in Chris Conley, and the best DE in the league is Justin Houston. 

Fun times ahead Chiefs fans!