MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Dak Prescott (calf) will undergo MRI, but not overly concerned

Dak Prescott had a grin on his face after Sunday's game, but a boot on his right leg.

Nonetheless, Prescott assured the media everything will be fine and did so with that aforementioned grin despite sustaining what has been described as a right calf strain. Prescott said he will have an MRI on Monday, but is not overly concerned.

"That's the evaluation. That'll be fine. Have fun with this," Prescott told reporters as he walked away from the dais on Sunday following the Cowboys' exciting 35-29 overtime win against the Patriots.

While Prescott did not seem overly concerned, anytime the Lone Star State's biggest star is hampered by any sort of ailment it's worrisome.

Prescott never missed a start before sustaining an ugly ankle break in Week 5 of last season that put a sudden halt to his 2020 campaign. This offseason, Prescott's road to recovery hit a speed bump with a shoulder injury.

So now, with the Cowboys rolling to a 5-1 start, there's concern in Big D despite Dak's smile. Nonetheless, Prescott's attitude and the fact that the Cowboys are entering a bye week are reasons for optimism before the MRI results tell the true tale.

NFL.com

 

Browns QB Baker Mayfield on ailing left shoulder: 'It feels like s---'

Baker Mayfield isn't feeling great right now, and it's not just because his team lost another game.

Mayfield took the postgame podium Sunday night following the Browns' 37-14 loss to the Cardinals with his left arm in a sling after injuring his left shoulder for a second time this season. When asked how his shoulder was feeling, Mayfield was blunt.

"It feels like s---," Mayfield told reporters, via The Athletic's Zac Jackson.

Mayfield exited Sunday's loss in pain for a second time this season due to another issue related to his left shoulder. Mayfield landed awkwardly on his left arm after he was strip-sacked by J.J. Watt and writhed in pain on the ground, eventually heading to the tent for examination in the third quarter. He returned without missing a play, but wasn't able to lead the Browns to an improbable comeback.

Another injury-filled game for the Browns included their quarterback, and he'll be one of a trio of key players -- running back Kareem Hunt (calf) and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (ankle) being the other two -- headed for an MRI Monday.

When asked if the latest shoulder issue felt worse than the initial injury, Mayfield downplayed the severity.

"Probably. MRI tomorrow, so we'll be able to find out more," Mayfield said.

The quarterback suffered a partially torn labrum in Cleveland's Week 2 win over Houston and has worn a harness intended to limit his range of motion since then. The harness wasn't able to keep Mayfield from landing on the shoulder at a vulnerable angle, though, leading to another dislocation, according to Mayfield, who added the shoulder "slipped" out of socket again later on a non-contact play.

Shoulder slips aren't uncommon for those with a labrum tear and associated instability. Mayfield said he intends to play in Cleveland's Thursday night game against Denver, though the Browns will wait for additional information gleaned via Monday's MRI before making an official decision.

At 3-3, the Browns have been battered by the injury bug in the last two weeks. Mayfield was forced to play behind two backups at tackle Sunday and without receiver Jarvis Landry, who hasn't been available since early in Week 2. Cleveland's injury report continues to grow with Hunt's calf injury, the severity of which is not yet known.

The Browns will hope their quarterback can manage the pain associated with his ailing shoulder and suit up for their prime-time game against the Broncos. They'll have to make everything else work around him in the meantime.

NFL.com

 

Jimmy Garoppolo practices on Monday, Trey Lance doesn’t



49ers players returned from their bye week on Monday and that provided the first chance to see how quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance are faring with their injuries.

Garoppolo missed the team’s Week Five loss to the Seahawks with a calf injury, which allowed Lance made his first NFL start. He suffered a knee sprain during the game and head coach Kyle Shanahan said it wasn’t clear whether he’d be available for their Week Seven game against the Colts. Shanahan also said that he thought Garoppolo would be ready for that game.


It looks like Garoppolo is on track to prove Shanahan correct. According to multiple reporters at the team’s Monday practice session, Garoppolo was on the field but Lance was not.

The 49ers will not issue an injury report until Wednesday, so they don’t have to share either player’s participation level on Monday.

PFT

 

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott went for an MRI on his injured calf on Monday and head coach Mike McCarthy shared the results of that test during a Monday press conference.

McCarthy said that the test showed a calf strain for Prescott. The Cowboys have a bye this week and McCarthy said that the team is “optimistic” about Prescott’s availability for their Week Eight game against the Vikings.


Prescott will rest and do rehab work this week and the Cowboys plan to re-evaluate his condition early next week.

Prescott has completed over 73 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,813 yards, 16 touchdowns, and four interceptions during Dallas’ 5-1 start to the regular season. If all goes well, he’ll be adding to those titles against Minnesota in a couple of weeks.

PFT

 

Dak will play against the Vikings it's not a good match up for the Vikings cause there defensive back field is WEAK! and the Cowboys wr's are really good

 

We can only hope they play well enough tho. Vikings ball control with the run-game would be a great way to keep Dak and the Boys off the board.

 

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was already dealing with a shoulder injury and aggravated it on Sunday, but he’s still planning to play on Thursday night against the Broncos.

Mayfield told reporters today that he does expect to play on Thursday.


The injury is to the right-handed Mayfield’s left shoulder, so it doesn’t affect his ability to throw the football, but it did appear to bother him at times on Sunday, most notably when he landed hard on the left shoulder and had to miss four snaps while it got checked out.

But Mayfield got a second opinion and it appears to have checked out, and so he’ll be there when the 3-3 Browns host the 3-3 Broncos.

PFT

 

Case Keenum will start for Browns Thursday night



Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield felt like he could play on Thursday night despite a torn labrum in his left shoulder, but the Browns felt otherwise.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Wednesday that Case Keenum will start at quarterback against the Broncos.


“Case Keenum will be our starter tomorrow night and we have full confidence in him to lead us and do the things necessary to put us in position to win,” Stefanski said, via the team’s website. “Baker fought really hard to play, he’s a competitor and obviously wants to be out there but just couldn’t make it on a short week. We know he will continue to do everything in his power to return as quickly as possible.”

The game will mark Keenum’s first start since he was with Washington in the 2019 season and it will provide him a chance to face off with the team he quarterbacked for the entire 2018 campaign. Assuming Teddy Bridgewater‘s foot allows him to start for the Broncos, it will also be a matchup of former teammates as Bridgewater served as a backup to Keenum while returning from a serious knee injury with the Vikings in 2017.

PFT

 

Gee I wonder does he any game left this should be interesting

 

Report: Dolphins’ deal for Deshaun Watson could happen this week



The Texans have kept Deshaun Watson on their roster all season, but they have made him inactive for every game. Watson soon may have a new home and a chance to revive his career.

The Texans could have a deal with the Dolphins completed this week, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. The trade deadline is Nov. 2, and the Dolphins play the Texans on Dec. 7.


Miami long has been linked with Watson, whom Dolphins owner Stephen Ross reportedly has coveted since the quarterback requested a trade from Houston in the offseason. The sides have talked on and off for months, but McClain reports those “talks have intensified into serious negotiations.”

The Dolphins have lost five in a row, the most recent coming Sunday in London against the previous winless Jaguars. Jacksonville hadn’t won a game since the 2020 season opener. Second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Miami’s first-round choice in 2020, has not worked out as hoped with three touchdowns and two interceptions in the three games he has played this season.

Texans General Manager Nick Caserio has been asking for three first-round draft choices and two second-round picks. Watson has a no-trade clause and would have to approve any deal, but it is expected he would accept a trade to the Dolphins.

Watson still faces 22 civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual assault and misconduct, and police and NFL investigations are ongoing. The NFL, to this point, has not had a decision to make about whether to place Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.

Watson, 26, has thrown 104 touchdowns and 36 interceptions. He made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons.

PFT

 

I'm sorry but any GM who trades for Watson right now should be fired. To me there is no wah you touch him until after all his legal woes are sorted out.

 

Neither the GM or the Head Coach want to bring him in right now.

This is all on the ownership, and he is going to fuck up a real chance for the Dolphins to continue to build the roster and become long term contenders in the East.

 

Then the owner is an idiot and they may want to read his emails so they can force him to sell the team

 

I kinda thought Watson was history and would never play another snap in the NFL, but who knows. I guess with some mind-sets, winning IS everything.

 

Seahawks claim QB Jacob Eason off waivers from Colts

With quarterback Russell Wilson set to miss at least two more games while on injured reserve, the Seattle Seahawks improved their quarterback depth by claiming Jacob Eason off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts Wednesday, via the league transaction wire.

On Tuesday, Eason was waived when the Colts activated rookie QB Sam Sam Ehlinger from the injured reserve list.

It didn't take long for the 2020 fourth-round draft pick to find a new uniform, however.

The Seahawks lost Wilson to a finger injury on his throwing hand in a Week 5 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Wilson underwent surgery on his middle finger and was placed on injured reserve last Friday. At the soonest, he could return for a Week 10 game against the Green Bay Packers.

Backup QB Geno Smith led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter to keep the Seahawks close, but a late interception sealed the Rams' win. Last week, Smith lost his first NFL start since 2017 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As he did against the Rams, Smith played well overall but was foiled by another costly turnover – this one a lost fumble – in a 23-20 loss.

Eason and Smith are the only two quarterbacks on the Seahawks active roster as they prepare for a Monday night home game against the New Orleans Saints. Two more quarterbacks, Jake Luton and Danny Etling , are on Seattle's practice squad.

Ehlinger will serve as the club's No. 3 quarterback behind Carson Wentz and Brett Hundley, which made Eason expendable.

NFL.com

 

Report: Baker Mayfield likely to need surgery, hopes to wait until after season



Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield will not play tonight because of the left shoulder injury that he has been playing through for weeks. His status for the rest of the season appears uncertain.

Mayfield is expected to need surgery on the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. That sounds a little worse than previous reporting indicated; Rapoport reported two weeks ago that Mayfield wasn’t expected to need surgery “as of now.”


But Rapoport reports that the surgery could be delayed until after the season and that Mayfield can play through the injury. However, the same report says that “incurring more damage would make it challenging.”

Realistically, it’s unlikely that Mayfield can play the rest of the season without incurring more damage. Quarterbacks get hit, and they land awkwardly, often with 300-pound men landing on top of them. That’s a recipe for more damage on an already injured shoulder.

Because he’s missing tonight’s game, Mayfield will have two weeks off before the Browns’ next game, October 31 against the Steelers. How healthy his left shoulder is heading into that game remains to be seen.

PFT

 

I have a question, and this by no means suggests i disagree with what jeanquev wrote, but is anyone a little surprised that no formal criminal charges have been brought yet? These allegations came up just before FA right, and within weeks we were up at 22 people with accusations. So the authorities have had like 6-7months to investigate this and still not a single criminal charge brought. That seems like a pretty long time. This is a high profile case, resources are undoubtedly being brought to bear, personally im a bit surprised at the lack of progression.

Let us not forget, Watson is from a legal perspective an innocent man at this point, and yet his life and his career is on hold. How long will this continue? All season? All next season? I don't know what kind of processes are involved here so would welcome any insight.


Note: Im talking specifically about the criminal angle, not civil cases. If no criminal charges were brought that dramatically alters the landscape re Watson. Not in terms of whether his behaviour was distasteful or not, but what Jeanquev was talking about in terms of interest from other teams. Teams have given contracts out to plenty unsavoury characters over the years. The ultimate goal as it always has been, is still winning.

 

Im not sure you can ever say that tbh. I mean this is the league that let Vick back in and he was a fucking pariah. Winning trumps everything.

 

Lets face it, the Browns gave Kareem Hunt a second chance and he has become a feel good story. This too will pass.. I hate that saying because I still burn from the video that Hunt was in and if Watson’s story turns out that it is nonfiction, then I will never respect him again.. ever.. but this too will pass and when the dust settles and the victims have been paid, Watson will return to prominence and people will lift him up on high. The only thing I can hope for is that he actually does learn from the situation and it makes him a better human being.