MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Lance throws 2 TDs passes as 49ers rally to beat Chargers

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Trey Lance’s bid to be the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback was a bit of a rollercoaster Sunday night, but the rookie rebounded from a rough start to keep his hopes alive.

Lance, the third overall pick in April’s draft, threw two touchdown passes in a 15-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Lance played six series during the second and third quarters and finished 8 of 14 for 102 yards and an interception.

After struggling during joint practices against the Chargers on Thursday and Friday, Lance’s problems continued during the first three series. But he settled down during the final three drives, completing seven of his last eight passes for 93 yards, including both TDs.

“I think this week was huge just for my development as a football player, not even necessarily for tonight, if that makes sense,” Lance said. “I think I learned so much this week getting to practice against another defense, getting to be around different guys and have a different experience in a different setting.”

Whether it will be Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo who starts the Sept. 12 opener at Detroit, coach Kyle Shanahan has not provided any clarity. He said Garoppolo remains the “presumptive starter,” but hasn’t given a complete endorsement.

When asked when he will name his starter, Shanahan said he would whenever he feels like it.

“It’s hard for me to give a date when it’s based off of when we know and we feel like naming it, so whenever that happens. But I promise it’ll be by that Sunday,” Shanahan said.

Garoppolo started and played only one series for the Niners. Garoppolo was 3 of 6 for 15 yards during the 15-play possession, which ended when his pass intended for Brandon Aiyuk went off Aiyuk’s hands and was intercepted by Asante Samuel Jr. at the Chargers’ 15.

Garoppolo might have played a couple more series, if the opening drive was shorter. But he said he is taking the whole competition in stride.

“There’s just so many other things to worry about. Just, I’ll let the chips fall where they may type of thing,” he said.

 

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts returned to practice Sunday, three days after the Philadelphia Eagles scratched the second-year quarterback minutes before kickoff of a preseason game against New England because of a stomach illness.

 

CLEVELAND (AP) — Case Keenum and KhaDarel Hodge spend a lot of time practicing together and have developed chemistry.

They put it to use Sunday.

Keenum showed why Cleveland invested in him to back up Baker Mayfield, throwing a 7-yard touchdown pass to Hodge while leading the Browns to a 17-13 win over the New York Giants in an exhibition game.

 

wow Case Keenum is stil in the NFL how many teams has he tried out for or been on an NFL Roster

 

Looked it up.
He’s on team #6.
(Unless you want to count the relocating Rams as two different teams, then 7)

 

Falcons signing quarterback Josh Rosen



The Atlanta Falcons are signing former first-round quarterback Josh Rosen, a source has confirmed to PFT.

The Falcons are in need of additional help at quarterback following the loss of A.J. McCarron to a torn ACL on Saturday in a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.

The hope in Atlanta, a source said, is that head coach Arthur Smith can deliver a similar career resurrection with Rosen that he was able to accomplish with Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. While Smith’s work with Tannehill has helped push him in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL, Rosen is coming to Smith far less accomplished that Tannehill after his early seasons with the Dolphins.

Rosen will join Matt Ryan and Feleipe Franks at quarterback in Atlanta.

Rosen was waived by the San Francisco 49ers last week.

The 10th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, Rosen has spent time with the Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 49ers before landing in Atlanta.

 

Lamar Jackson doubts defenses have figured him out



Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is confident heading into his fourth NFL season.

Asked today about some media comments suggesting that this is the year when Jackson will discover that NFL defenses have figured him out, Jackson dismissed that idea.

“I’m gonna keep playing football and we’re gonna see. But I doubt it, dude. I doubt it. I strongly doubt it. I’m gonna play ball,” Jackson said.

Jackson wasn’t quite as good in 2020 as he was in his MVP 2019 season, with his numbers down across the board both running and passing last season. But he was still one of the top quarterbacks in football, and he has every reason to be confident that NFL defenses will still struggle to stop the unique running/passing threat he provides.

PFT

 

Dwayne Haskins will get a chance to run the Steelers’ first-string offense this week. Or at least what passes for a first-string offense in a final preseason game.

Haskins will start on Friday night as the Steelers conclude their preseason against the Panthers, coach Mike Tomlin confirmed today.

 

The worst-kept secret in the NFL is over: Trevor Lawrence is the Jaguars’ starting quarterback.

Jaguars coach Urban Meyer announced today that Lawrence will start Week One at the Texans.

PFT

 

After sitting out the Bengals’ first two preseason games, quarterback Joe Burrow will play in the preseason finale on Sunday.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed today that Burrow will play a limited number of snaps on Sunday against the Dolphins. Taylor indicated he thinks it will be good for Burrow to have a feel for live action before the regular season begins.

Taylor’s decision is surprising, as the Bengals have indicated they wanted to play it safe with Burrow after his rookie season ended with a knee injury. The safest course of action would be to keep him in bubble wrap until the regular season starts.

But Burrow himself has said his knee is fine, but that he has struggled a bit mentally during training camp. Perhaps getting playing in a live game will help Burrow move past that mental block, and be ready to go for real when the Bengals open the regular season against the Vikings on September 12.

PFT

 

Broncos name Teddy Bridgewater starting quarterback



The quarterback competition is over in Denver.

The Broncos have announced that Teddy Bridgewater will start the season as Denver’s QB1, winning the job over incumbent starter Drew Lock. The franchise tweeted out the news on Wednesday morning.

 

Patriots teammates praise Mac Jones’ control of the offense



Cam Newton‘s absence from practice this week has been a great opportunity for Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones to prove he can run the offense, and Jones is making the most of that opportunity.

Multiple veteran teammates have expressed their confidence in Jones this week, and the 22-year-old appears to have already won over the locker room.

“He’s getting a lot of reps now. He’s taking control of the huddle and just trying to do the best he can,” veteran running back James White said, via the Boston Herald. “He’s just making sure everybody is on the same page, so we can go out there and execute not just for one period, but throughout the entire practice.”

Said wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, “I think Mac is doing a good job, taking leadership, controlling everybody, having everybody in the right place and stuff like that — making the team be a real team.”

Even the defense has been taking note of Jones’ solid work. Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise made a point of congratulating Jones on the practice field, then told reporters afterward that he loved what he saw from Jones.

“Did you see the period?” said Wise of Jones’ performance during 11-on-11 practice work. “I think he looks pretty good.”

Newton will be back at practice today after missing five days because he is unvaccinated and had a misunderstanding about the NFL’s COVID-19 testing requirements for unvaccinated players. It’s unclear who will lead the Patriots’ first-string offense today, but Jones made a good case that he deserves the job.

PFT

 

Ryan Tannehill heads to COVID reserve list



It’s clear that COVID will continue to be a major reality for the NFL in 2021. The latest example comes in Tennessee, where starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill reportedly has been placed on the COVID reserve list.

The team has announced the development. Despite characterizations in some circles that Tannehill will automatically miss five to 10 days, the fact that he’s vaccinated means that: (1) he tested positive; and (2) he’ll be able to return after generating two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

Tannehill said last month that he got vaccinated because of the NFL’s 2021 COVID protocols, which include dramatically reduced testing and no five-day absence for close contact with an infected person.

Thus, he can land on the COVID reserve list only by testing positive. And he can get off with a pair of negative tests at least 24 hours apart.

PFT

 

Kyler Murray isn’t a fan of the preseason. He won’t have to play in his team’s third and final preseason game of the 2021 season.

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters on Thursday that Murray won’t play on Saturday night at the Saints.

PFT

 

Jameis Winston will be Saints’ Week One starter



Jameis Winston is the Saints’ starting quarterback.

Winston will start for the Saints in their Week One game against the Packers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Saints coach Sean Payton hadn’t publicly named his starter, but from all appearances Winston was ahead of Taysom Hill after a strong performance in the Saints’ Week Two preseason game.

Winston has much more experience as a starting quarterback than Hill does, and Payton also likes having Hill available as a running back, receiver and special teams player. So the news comes as no surprise.

To keep the starting job all season, Winston will need to play better than he did the last time he was a starting quarterback, with the Buccaneers in 2019. Payton is apparently confident that he can.

PFT

 

Mike Tomlin: Assume what you want about QB depth chart, but you may be wrong



The Steelers aren’t playing Ben Roethlisberger or Mason Rudolph at quarterback against the Panthers on Friday night and head coach Mike Tomlin said “that’s probably reflective of their position going into the process” of setting up this year’s depth chart.

Tomlin isn’t willing to say that those are the team’s top two quarterbacks, however. Dwayne Haskins and Josh Dobbs will play in the preseason finale and Tomlin told the team’s website that people “can assume whatever it is you want, but it may be wrong” when it comes to how things will stack up in Week One.

While Tomlin left that unclear, he made it clear that he likes having those quarterback options on hand.

“I like the position we’re in,” Tomlin said. “I think we have four NFL quarterbacks in our camp, and you know just based on my experience over the years, you can’t go wrong when you have four NFL quarterbacks (on your 90-man roster). I think back to the years where we had Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch, and Dennis Dixon, and we were always trying to figure out how to sort through those four guys and by circumstance something always played where we continued that process, and we managed those four guys for a number of years. A number of years ago, we had Landry Jones and Mason Rudolph and Josh Dobbs, and I thought we had four NFL quarterbacks in camp, and in that circumstance one of the two young guys really supplanted Landry Jones in that camp. So, I like the fact that we have four NFL quarterbacks in this camp. It’s a good position to be in. Those guys are deserving of how this plays out and I imagine if there’s a guy on the outside looking in at the end of this, he’s still going to find work in this league.”

The Steelers got a fifth-round pick when they traded Dobbs to the Jaguars in 2019 and they could be in position to pick up another asset in a trade this summer if other teams agree with Tomlin’s assessment of what the Steelers’ also-rans could do in the future.

PFT

 

John Lynch seems to confirm that 49ers plan to use both Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance



On Wednesday, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seemed to inadvertently disclose that, if he’s the starter, he’ll be leaving the field periodically for Trey Lance. Since then, 49ers G.M. John Lynch seemed to confirm that.

Appearing on KNBR, Lynch explained that the 49ers have refrained from using that approach in the preseason, in order to keep regular-season opponents guessing.

“f we are in a situation like that, yes, it’s difficult to prepare for,” Lynch said, via 49ersWebZone.com. “We haven’t shown a lot in the preseason as well in terms of the things we can do with both Trey and Jimmy. But that’s not only for us. That’s league wide. You really don’t know, going into the first couple of games, what you’re going to see.”

The 49ers clearly want to force opposing defenses to be ready for both players.

“That is something that we kind of are looking forward to, the amount of time that people are going to have to put in, preparing for each quarterback,” Lynch said.

That still doesn’t mean Garoppolo will be the Week One starter. While it seems to be pointing that way, everything is subject to change. The preseason finale will give the 49ers another data point before Week One at the Lions.

“We’re still looking for the answers, and we’re going to throw these guys out there a little bit on Sunday and see if we find out a little more,” Lynch said. “You just take in as much information, and you see who gives us the best chance.”

The 49ers seemingly hope that will be Lance, given what they gave up to get him. If it’s Garoppolo, expect to still see plenty of Lance.

PFT

 

Jaguars ship Gardner Minshew to Eagles



The goofiest quarterback competition of 2021 ended with Trevor Lawrence beating out Gardner Minshew, who notoriously said last month that he hasn’t moved his bowels in weeks because “No. 2 is not an option.”

Minshew will now have a chance, in theory, to become something more than No. 2 in Philadelphia.

The Jaguars are trading Minshew to the Eagles, we’re told. Jacksonville gets a sixth-round pick in 2022. It can become a fifth-rounder based on playing time.

Minshew, who inherited the starting job in Jacksonville in Week One of his rookie season after Nick Foles broke a collarbone, has 37 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions in two seasons.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Jalen Hurts remains the starter and Joe Flacco will be the backup. Minshew, at a base salary of only $850,000, provides depth in a 17-game season with the ever-present specter of COVID knocking players out, vaccinated or not.

The Jaguars got Minshew in the sixth round of the 2019 draft. They presumably were hoping for more for Minshew, and it’s now safe to conclude (given what they took for him) that the quarterback competition was aimed at propping Minshew up in the hopes of getting more than what they got. And it didn’t work.

PFT

 

Bills LB Andre Smith fined $5,806 for hit on Justin Fields



Bears quarterback Justin Fields has experienced a few NFL firsts since the start of the preseason, including his first shot to the head from a defensive player.

Fields lost his helmet on the hit, which led to both a fumble and a flag for roughing the passer that negated the play entirely. He shrugged it off as no big deal after the game, but the NFL has fined Smith $5,806 for the blow.

PFT

 

That’s all???!

In a day when if you accidentally tap a QB on the helmet with your pinky you get a roughing the passer penalty, I expected a lot harsher punishments to be doled out for this play. It was blatantly bad.

At least he didn’t get injured.