MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Report: Tua Tagovailoa will return next Sunday vs. the Steelers



Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will soon be back in action.

Per multiple reports, Tua has been cleared to return to action next week, against the Steelers. The game will be played in prime-time, on NBC.


Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Tua received four outside opinions. He was unanimously cleared from the concussion protocol. All agreed that scans of his brain showed no signs of long-term impact.

Of course, Chronic Traumatic Encephelopathy can’t be detected in brain scans, or through any test performed on a still-living patient. That’s the unknown aspect of the question of whether and to what extent Tua suffered lasting damage as a result of the concussion he suffered on September 29, and the one he may have suffered on September 25.

Regardless, there’s apparently no risk of second impact syndrome, if he suffers another concussion when he faces the Steelers in Week Seven.

Although he’s officially cleared to return now, the Dolphins will hold him out until next Sunday.

PFT

 

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz's tough week continues.

The Commanders QB suffered a fractured ring finger on his throwing hand in the 12-7 win versus the Chicago Bears, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Saturday, per sources.

After Washington's win on Thursday, Wentz told reporters that his hand was feeling a little sore.

"It's a little sore," Wentz said of his right hand. "I think I'll be alright. ...The chilly conditions didn't necessarily help the jammed fingers. It was all right."

Wentz is now headed to Los Angeles to see a hand specialist to determine the next step and his availability moving forward is up in the air, Rapoport added.

The news follows Wentz's gutsy performance after throwing just 99 passing yards on Thursday. He completed 12 of 22 passes with no touchdowns, no interceptions and a 66.3 passer rating. In the first half, he appeared to have banged up his hand when he hit it against defensive lineman Justin Jones' hand.

Prior to Thursday's game, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported that Wentz also was dealing with a biceps tendon strain near his throwing shoulder.


The seven-year quarterback has thrown for 10 touchdowns and six interceptions in his first season in Washington.

Now, the Commanders will have to look at backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke and rookie Sam Howell to fill in if needed in Week 7 against the Packers.

NFL.com

 

The Steelers have ruled out rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett with a concussion.

Pickett’s helmet bounced off the ground after he was hit by Devin White with 7:02 remaining in the third quarter. He immediately left the game.



Pickett initially was evaluated in the sideline medical tent before walking to the training room for further evaluation.

He went 11-of-18 for 67 yards and threw his first career touchdown.

Mitch Trubisky has replaced him and is 11-of-18 for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Bucs tight end Cameron Brate also won’t return today after being placed on a backboard and leaving on a stretcher. Brate took a shot to the head and neck on 6-yard catch.

The Steelers lead the Bucs 20-12 in the fourth quarter.

PFT

 

Report: Carson Wentz to miss 4-6 weeks with finger injury



It looks like it is Taylor Heinicke time in Washington.

NFL Media reports that Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz is expected to miss four-to-six weeks after fracturing his finger in last Thursday’s win over the Bears. Given the timeline, an injured reserve stint is on the table for Wentz.


Wentz joined the Commanders in a trade with the Colts this offseason and he’s completed 144-for-232 passes for 1,489 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions so far this season. He’s also been sacked 23 times during a 2-4 start to the year.

Any missed time for Wentz could impact the compensation that the Colts receive from the Commanders. They will receive a 2023 second-round pick if Wentz plays 70 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. If he falls short of that total, the Colts will receive a third-round pick instead.

Heinicke started 15 games for Washington last season. He’ll be backed up by rookie Sam Howell.

PFT

 

Dak Prescott will receive medical clearance this week



Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott said Sunday that he expects to return to the lineup in Week 7. Executive vice president Stephen Jones tempered that in his regular radio appearance Monday.

But coach Mike McCarthy delivered good news at his press conference Monday afternoon.


“Dak is going to be cleared here officially,” McCarthy said, via video from the team. “The expectation is for Dak to be cleared today or tomorrow. Then, he’ll be returning to practice on Wednesday.”

Prescott underwent surgery on his right thumb Sept. 12 after fracturing it in the season opener. He practiced some last week, had a questionable designation for the game though he ultimately was inactive and threw during a pregame session Sunday night.

He appears ready to return to game action, but McCarthy isn’t ready to declare Prescott the starter for this week.

“The final threshold is always you have return to play, but then there’s the timing,” McCarthy said. “You’ve got to get the timing. That’s for any position. When you look at players who return to play, they’re cleared medically to play, but if you don’t just totally feel the timing is quite there, they may need another week. That’s why if you look at the regimentation of how we’ve been bringing Dak back, obviously we’ve been following the medical process of it, but we’ve been trying to do as much throwing, particularly the routes on air, the individual route running, as much as we can.

“I think we’ve checked the boxes. He’s got a [throwing] plan for tomorrow. Just a number of throws tomorrow, and then we’ll spin that into a full throwing load on Wednesday.”

McCarthy said if Prescott goes this week, the quarterback “needs to play his game.”

PFT

 

Dolphins plan is for Tua Tagovailoa to work as starting QB this week

The Dolphins have started three different quarterbacks in their last three games and they’ll be making a change back to the first of those signal callers if all goes according to plan this week.

Head coach Mike McDaniel said at his Monday press conference that the team’s plan is for Tua Tagovailoa “to approach the week as the starter.” Tagovailoa has not played since suffering a concussion in Week Four, but he practiced fully last week and has made his way out of the concussion protocol.


Teddy Bridgewater started the Week Five loss to the Jets, but was placed in the concussion protocol after one offensive snap. Skylar Thompson replaced him and started Sunday’s loss to the Vikings, but left after suffering a hand injury. Bridgewater was active after being cleared from the protocol and took Thompson’s place.

McDaniel noted that Tagovailoa has not had a full week of practice since Week Three, but he’ll have a chance to to get in three days of work this week in order to ready himself to face the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

PFT

 

Expect Steelers to Start Mitch Trubisky Against Dolphins



PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely hand the starting job in Week 7 to Mitch Trubisky, even if Kenny Pickett is cleared of concussion protocol.

Why? Because players typically need 4-6 days to pass through all the stages, and with two starts and eight quarters under his belt, the Steelers are likely going to lean toward the side of caution both with health and experience.

The Steelers' policy for most players in the locker room is the need to practice at least once throughout the week in order to play in the game. That list doesn't include players like Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. It does include rookies, though.

Pickett will need to be cleared by an independent doctor after passing all stages of the concussion protocol. That usually happens on Saturdays, but a player could be a full participant for some or all practices throughout the week.

If Pickett practices at full capacity from Wednesday to Friday and is cleared Saturday, he would most-likely start. If he misses any practice time, even if he is cleared Saturday, the Steelers are believed to use Trubisky as the starter.

SI

 

Might as well go for a soda it’s better than slander, it’s better than

 

This amazes me. The guy was a potato just a few weeks ago. This is f***ed up.

 

I just wrote something about this on the Steelers board. I really believe that the league should at least shut him down for the season, if not retire him with a permanent paycheck. You paid your dues for the game. Try to live without becoming a vegetable.

 

It’s a good thing TJ Watt is on IR when it comes to Tua. If I saw the video of myself on the ground with my fingers all contorted like Tua was I would have to think about retirement. You know that did permanent damage to your brain. Twenty years of drinking a fifth of whiskey everyday couldn’t be as bad on your brain as that concussion was.

 

From a different perspective... isnt this what the guys sign up for, its part of the game, there is risk involved. If he's cleared and if he wants to play, so be it... to me its just a job hazard and comes with the territory.

 

I hear you. He is a free man and is allowed to do what he wants. However, things like his pay and work environment are heavily controlled / regulated by the employer, so we're already outside the bounds of pure employee freedom / rights. Tua knows that he needs to get to his next contract in order to make REAL money, and to earn pension funds / support for his time after football. And his team is no doubt hounding him to get back, especially with the other QB's hurt.

I guess my point is that Tua seems to be sincerely underserved by the league here, and potentially dangerously (lethally) so. I support making employment a more equitable arrangement, and it seems that here we have a situation that feels inherently inequitable to an obviously dangerous degree.

 

Mike Tomlin: Kenny Pickett is in concussion protocol, but if he can play he will play Sunday



Sunday night’s Steelers-Dolphins game may feature two quarterbacks coming back from concussions.

Tua Tagovailoa is expected to start for the Dolphins for the first time since the scary concussion he suffered in Week Four, and Kenny Pickett may be ready to start for the Steelers after he was removed from last Sunday’s game with a concussion.


Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said today that Pickett is in the concussion protocol, but the Steelers hope he’ll be able to play Sunday.

“If he’s cleared to play, he will play,” Tomlin said.

Mitchell Trubisky played very well in relief of Pickett, helping the Steelers beat the Buccaneers, but if Pickett can go, Trubisky will be back on the bench.

PFT

 

Russell Wilson having MRI on hamstring Tuesday



Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson played through a hamstring injury in Monday night’s overtime loss to the Chargers and he’s headed for tests on Tuesday to find out what impact it will have on his availability.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Wilson will have an MRI on the hamstring on Tuesday. Wilson said after the game that the injury “got me pretty good in the fourth quarter,” but he remained in the game through its conclusion.


Pelissero added that there is concern it could be a “pretty significant” injury, so Wilson may not be able to go against the Jets this week. Wilson missed three games during the 2021 season with a hand injury, but he had never missed a game in his first nine NFL seasons.

Brett Rypien is the No. 2 quarterback in Denver with Josh Johnson on the practice squad.

PFT

 

That explains why Wilson looked like he was moving in slow motion late in the game. Because he WAS moving in slow motion.

 

You can’t do much if your hamstrung.

 

Lamar Jackson Limited At Wednesday’s Practice With A Hip Injury
Dak Prescott Medically Cleared To Return To Full Practice Participation
Kenny Pickett Was A Full Participant In Wednesday’s Practice
Russell Wilson “Hoping” To Play Sunday
Saints To Make Game-Time Decision On QB

 

Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey says the offensive line loves Tom Brady’s passion



Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady chewed out his offensive line during Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Bucs center Robert Hainsey says he has no problem with that.

Hainsey said Brady’s message to the linemen was simple: “Improve. Got to do better.” (Brady himself acknowledged that he punctuated the message with some F-bombs.) And Hainsey said the offensive line appreciates Brady’s leadership and passion.


“I want nothing else from a quarterback than that, than a guy who’s willing to tell us what we need to do and step up,” Hainsey said. “If he was just sitting over there and not getting us going, and not trying to help us, he wouldn’t be who he is today. So I love that from him. I know we all love that from him. It might look weird on TV, but that’s football. It’s a team sport, and that’s what you want from great teammates and great leaders, and he’s the best there is.”

Hainsey said sharing a huddle with Brady is an honor.

“He’s an awesome dude and I love learning from him,” Hainsey said. “He’s got so much knowledge of the game so any time I can pick his brain and figure out what he wants and how he sees it is a really cool opportunity for me. I enjoy that a lot.”

Sunday’s loss to the Steelers dropped the Buccaneers to 3-3, and questions have been raised about whether the 45-year-old Brady, who briefly retired this offseason and has taken far more time off than usual, is really all-in on this season. But Hainsey says the offensive line isn’t asking those questions.

PFT

 

Kenny Pickett was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice



Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett is in the concussion protocol, but it appears he’s already making good progress through it.

Pickett was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, according to the team’s injury report. That’s a good sign for his potential availability for Week Seven, as the Steelers take on the Dolphins for Sunday Night Football.


“He looked good,” receiver Diontae Johnson said of Pickett’s Wednesday practice, via the team website. “He didn’t seem like nothing was wrong with him. He seemed locked in, ready to go for this week. Just normal Kenny out there bringing the same energy he brings every day. He looked good today. It didn’t seem like nothing was throwing him off, like he was fine throwing the ball.”

Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that Pickett will start as long as he’s cleared.

The quarterback played 58 percent of the offensive snaps in the win over Tampa Bay before he was ruled out. He completed 11-of-18 passes for 67 yards with a touchdown.

The team also had positive news on safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee), who was a limited participant after missing Sunday’s game. Tight end Pat Freiermuth (concussion) was also a full participant.

Cornerback Cam Sutton (hamstring), cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring), linebacker Myles Jack (ankle), offensive lineman Mason Cole (foot/ankle), offensive lineman James Daniel (ankle), and defensive lineman Chris Wormley (ankle) were all limited

Receiver Steven Sims (hamstring) and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (knee) did not practice. And cornerback Levi Wallace (concussion) was full.

PFT