NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Yep... It was a no-brainer, just hope he does heal quickly, because they sure could use the bodies back there.

 

The Bills sent a 7th to the Falcons for Dean Marlowe also...

 

This seems like a good move for Justin Fields

 

This one surprised me a bit at first, but it fits more when you look at the overall picture.

The first thing it tells me is that the team expects starter Jaylinn Hawkins (who has been out under the concussion protocol) to be back VERY soon.

Second, it tells me that after the Bengals and Panthers games, the team wants to make room for someone other than Marlowe to play that backup role behind Hawkins. Going forward, any team watching that game film would know to attack Atlanta's secondary by going after #22 (Cornell Armstrong, the practice squad cornerback) and #21 (Marlowe).

I've heard that Mike Ford has been practicing at safety lately. Maybe he's it - the team hasn't been using him at CB in spite of the other injuries, so there's certainly something up with that. Why keep him on the roster at all if you're so dead set against putting him out on the field that you'd rather throw a practice squad guy up against Ja'Marr Chase and D.J. Moore?

Or it could be Jovante Moffatt, who is currently on the practice squad and was called up for additional depth last weekend. Or maybe Erik Harris will be the primary backup at both safety positions.

 

That was my thought too. The biggest problem I had doing the Bears in the mock was trying to get Fields immediate WR help. I managed to get him solid OL help (landing both Bernhard Raimann, now the starting left tackle for the Colts, and Jamaree Salyer, now starting at guard for the Chargers) plus Roger McCreary for their secondary, so I think I did okay.

But I whiffed badly for them at WR. We didn't have medical updates at the time, and there was a huge run on WRs right from the start, with 8 of them going off the board in the first 38 picks. (Chicago's first pick was #39.) So the best I could do while also filling the OL and DB needs was to take a gamble on injured Clemson WR Justyn Ross in the 4th round. Turns out that nope, he wasn't going to be able to play in 2022. KC signed him as a UDFA and immediately put him on the IR shelf for the year.

If I could have traded a future pick for Chase Claypool in the mock, I would certainly have done that instead of the gamble on Ross.

 

I don’t know how teams ignored Pickens for 51 picks. The dude has a boat load of highlight reel catches. You can teach WRs a lot of things, but they either can catch the ball or they can’t.

 

Report: Cowboys discussed a potential trade for Brandin Cooks



An NFL-record 10 trades were made on trade deadline day. None involved Brandin Cooks.

The Texans receiver was not at practice for personal reasons, and his social media post suggests he is unhappy at still being in Houston.


It’s unclear how close he got to traveling four hours north on Interstate 45, but the Cowboys discussed a potential deal with the Texans, Ed Werder of ESPN reports.

According to Werder, the draft pick compensation and the $18 million fully guaranteed salary for Cooks in 2023 ended the Cowboys’ interest.

Cooks previously was traded from the Saints to the Patriots, from the Patriots to the Rams and from the Rams to the Texans. He is in his third year in Houston and has 32 receptions for 354 yards and a touchdown in seven games this season.

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Cooks is definitely been cooked with that contract... he might as well be content where he is at and just play and count his guaranteed money. The Rams could have used him back also, but no deal was done.

 

Bears GM Ryan Poles says he’s “bummed” Roquan Smith was traded instead of extended



Bears General Manager Ryan Poles says he didn’t want to trade linebacker Roquan Smith to the Ravens, but ultimately determined that there was no way the Bears would keep him in free agency next year, and it was better to get something for him now.

“There’s a part of me that’s bummed because this was a guy that I thought was going to be here for a long time,” Poles said. “I felt like we put a lot of effort forward to get that done. We came up short, we couldn’t find common ground, and that’s just a part of this business, which I think we all understand.”


Of course, what that means is that Poles and the Bears weren’t willing to pay Smith as much money as Smith expects to get paid on his next contract. It’s highly likely that the Ravens are planning to pay Smith what it will take to keep him, as they wouldn’t trade a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick for him if they were expecting him to leave in free agency after the season.

NFL teams are increasingly deciding that even the best off-ball linebackers like Smith just aren’t worth the cap space required for a massive contract like the one Smith is surely seeking. Poles seems to have calculated that Smith will soon cost more than the Bears will devote to any off-ball linebacker, and so they’ve traded him to a team that values him more.

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It's because he was just coming back from a torn ACL and was limited in his ability to make cuts / breaks going into the spring pre-draft workouts. Probably still a bit limited even now. Without the injury he likely would have been a top 15 pick.

Of course, for Pittsburgh that means he'll be even better next year (if he stays healthy) than he is now.



Justyn Ross is the same type of receiving talent, except that he's not back on the field yet after needing to repeat his foot surgery. The big scare with him is that he needed spinal fusion surgery in 2020, but he came back from that already. It's the foot injury that's keeping him out of action. Apparently the first round of surgery (from last November) wasn't successful.

Like Pickens, he was projected as a first round pick before the injury and surgery. KC ended up signing him as a UDFA. So for a cap cost of less than half a million this season, the Chiefs have a potential first round WR already locked in and set to join their roster in 2023. He can't do anything out on the practice field, but he's able to sit in on film sessions, meetings, etc. and review the playbook with the coaching staff. He'll already know the offense when he's finally able to get out on the practice field.

And that's a scary thought... Mahomes gets another legit #1 WR next year on top of whatever KC does in the draft and free agency.

 

Bears believe Chase Claypool will allow Justin Fields to continue to grow



One of the more surprising pre-trade deadline moves on Tuesday was the deal that sent wide receiver Chase Claypool to Chicago from Pittsburgh.

While Claypool’s name came up often as a trade candidate, the Bears were not seen as a potential landing spot. They traded Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith in deals that seemed to point to the team building assets for the offseason, but the Bears sent a second-round pick to the Steelers as part of the Claypool deal.


After the deal went down Tuesday, Bears General Manager Ryan Poles said he was more comfortable making a move now than waiting for free agency to find a receiver who can help quarterback Justin Fields to build on the progress he’s shown recently.

“I like the way Justin is trending,” Poles said, via the team’s website. “And I think adding another big body who’s physical, explosive, great leaping ability, can stretch the field but also is violent with the ball in his hands, as well as a blocker, enhances everyone around him. . . . “You can never have enough weapons and guys that help your quarterback gain confidence. I know a lot of the guys are starting to make plays for us. Adding another receiver is going to allow him to continue to grow and gain that confidence.”

Fields has completed 30 of 43 passes for 330 yards with three touchdowns and one interception while also rushing for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the last two weeks. The Bears have scored seven touchdowns overall in their last two games, which is a step up from nine in their first six outings and the hope is that Claypool will help the points keep coming.

PFT

 

Christian McCaffrey Named NFC Offensive Player Of The Week
Nick Folk Named AFC Special Teams Player Of The Week
Will Dissly Named NFC Special Teams Player Of The Week
Dre’mont Jones Is The AFC Defensive Player Of The Week
Za’Darius Smith Is The NFC Defensive Player Of The Week
Derrick Henry Named AFC Offensive Player Of The Week

 

When claypool drops a ball that could have won a game Poles will be kicking himself in the ass for giving up his teams second. For all of the nice catches he made in the three games leading up to the trade deadline he had some crap drops and in the earlier games to help us secure losses. Plus one he tipped into the air for a Jets int to welcome Pickett into the NFL.

 

NFL issues comment on news of potential Commanders sale



On Wednesday morning, the Commanders announced that they have hired a firm to assist with the potential sale of the team. Early Wednesday afternoon, the NFL issued a comment on the situation.

“Any potential transaction would have to be presented to the NFL Finance Committee for review and require an affirmative vote by three quarters of the full membership (24 of 32 teams),” Chief NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.

The league also apparently hopes to address proactively any speculation that Snyder has been nudged toward selling the team, based on the Mary Jo White investigation.


“Mary Jo White is continuing her review,” McCarthy said. “We have no update on a timeline.”

Last week, Commanders outside counsel John Brownlee said during an interview with #PFTPM that White has not yet interviewed Snyder.

Given the potential price of the team and the multi-billionaires who may be trying to buy it, there will likely be no issue for the finance committee. And the key word is “finance”; again, the only requirement to owning an NFL team is having the cash. No other questions are asked, such as whether the person will be good for the franchise, the fans, the league, or the game.

Money talks. And if we’re talking about someone who can pay $5 billion, that’s all that needs to be said.

PFT

 

Cardinals sign Kamu Grugier-Hill



The Cardinals made an addition to their linebacking corps on Wednesday.

The team announced the signing of Kamu Grugier-Hill. He asked for and received his release from the Texans last week,


Grugier-Hill started all six games he played for the Texans, but saw his playing time drop sharply after the team returned from its bye in Week Seven. He had 40 tackles in those appearances.

The Cardinals also have Zaven Collins, Ben Niemann, Tanner Vallejo, and Ezekiel Turner in their inside linebacker group.

Arizona made room for Grugier-Hill by waiving kicker Rodrigo Blankenship with an injury settlement. Blankenship played in the last two games for the Cardinals, who are waiting for Matt Prater to return from a hip injury.

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Four things to watch for in Eagles-Texans game

The Eagles will be going for franchise history on Thursday in Houston: the first 8-0 record in the history of the team.


The last time Philadelphia started 7-0, it ended up in Super Bowl XXXIX, losing to the Patriots. This year’s team has shown so far that it too could end up making a big run this season.


Jalen Hurts is now in the MVP discussion, and he’s won his past 10 starts -- the longest streak by an Eagles QB since starts were recorded in 1950, per NFL Research.


The 1-5-1 Texans could be overmatched if they don’t play a lot better. Their offense has produced 116 points in seven games so far; that’s fewer than the Eagles have scored in second quarters alone this season. Last week, the Texans were below the 100-yard mark offensively until the final drive of the game in a 17-10 loss to the Titans.


Houston also hasn’t provided much of a home-field advantage for the Texans, either. They are now 4-15-1 in their past 20 games at NRG Stadium. The Eagles are 3-0 on the road this season and have won nine of their past 12 on the road, dating back to last season.


One more daunting bit of history for the Texans, as if they needed the bad-news pile-on: They’re 0-5 all-time against the Eagles.


Will this be yet another showcase game for Hurts and the Eagles? Or can the Texans spring a surprise showing in a short week, coming off one of their worst games of the season?


Whatever happens, it will be a monster night for Philadelphia and Houston sports. Monday’s World Series rain delay means the Philadelphia Phillies will take on the Houston Astros in Game 5 in Philly, with first pitch coming roughly 12 minutes before the Eagles and Texans kick off in Houston.


Here are four things to watch for when the Eagles visit the Texans on Thursday night on Prime Video:

1. Jalen Hurts is coming home. Hurts, who was born in Houston and went to high school in nearby Channelview, Texas, said Thursday’s game is a “business trip.” But Hurts is excited that this is his first chance to play at NRG after having watched many Texans games and high-school championship games in that stadium as a kid. As an added bonus, he said he’ll have “a lot” of family and friends in the stands. Among them will be his father, Channelview High head coach Averion Hurts, whose game had been scheduled for Thursday night but was moved to Friday. Hurts has been terrific this season, with a 10-2 TD-INT ratio, completing 67% of his passes, averaging 8.5 yards per pass attempt and rushing for 303 yards and six TDs. Houston’s defense has been heavily reliant on turnovers to keep it in games, but Hurts has only turned it over twice this season. Texans head coach Lovie Smith praised Hurts' development and called him “one of the best quarterbacks in football” this week.
2. Where is Brandin Cooks’ head now? The trade deadline came and went without the Texans making any significant transactions. That includes WR Cooks -- heavily rumored to be on the trade block -- staying put. That didn’t appear to sit very well with Cooks, whose cryptic tweet after the deadline suggested the team might have told him one thing and done another. Cooks is by far the Texans' best receiver, especially with Nico Collins (groin) unavailable for this game; Cooks, for what it's worth, is questionable with a wrist injury after not practicing Tuesday. Cooks' receiving numbers (31-354-1) have been fairly modest. But when you consider the limitations of the Texans’ passing game this season, he’s one of the few players who can generate some downfield plays. QB Davis Mills has targeted Cooks 7.6 times per game, and Cooks has four or more catches in six of seven games this season. But will he be engaged in this game after the news he won’t be traded to a contender? Making matters even tougher is that Cooks possibly could be locked up against Eagles CB Darius Slay, one of the best in the game.
3. The Eagles’ run game has a chance to shine again. Much has been made of the Eagles’ passing game, with Hurts, A.J. Brown (three TDs on Sunday), DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and others -- and for good reason. But the run game quietly has provided a backbone for this offense, twice topping the 200-yard mark as a team and ranking sixth in the NFL in rush yards per game (149.6). Miles Sanders’ resurgent season has been a big part of the Eagles’ success, but so has Hurts. According to NFL Research, the Eagles lead the NFL in rushing touchdowns (45) since Hurts became the starter in Week 14, 2020. In that same span, the Texans have allowed the most rushing TDs (43) in the NFL. The Titans generated 314 rushing yards last week in Houston, which was nearly double the number of total yards the Texans had offensively. How bad are things in Houston? They’ve been forced to start two rookie defensive tackles, Kurt Hinish and Thomas Booker, and Lovie Smith’s explanation for that speaks volumes. “The rookies, that’s who we have right now.”
4. Huge game for Davis Mills. Time is running out for Mills to show something this season that he should be considered for the starting job at all in 2023. Mills wasn’t your typical QB prospect coming out of Stanford, having started 11 games in college as a former 5-star recruit. Through 18 NFL starts, he hasn’t been bad, really, and the Texans’ other offensive pieces are not very impressive on the whole. But Mills really struggled for the first three-plus quarters last week and is starting to run out of chances. Right now, he looks like a higher-end backup who could thrive on a talent-laden offense -- and this is not that. The Texans could end up with two top-10 picks in the 2023 NFL draft, currently sitting in the No. 2 slot overall. The Eagles present a tough challenge defensively, as they have beefed up their pass rush, allowed the fourth-fewest points per game and lead the NFL in takeaways with 16, including 10 interceptions.

NFL.com

 

Bradley Chubb agrees to five-year extension with Dolphins

Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier said on Wednesday that he expected to have a contract extension with edge rusher Bradley Chubb finalized in the near future and Grier was not just blowing smoke.

According to multiple reports, the Dolphins and Chubb have agreed to terms on a five-year extension days after the Dolphins sent a first-round pick and other compensation to Denver for Chubb. Chubb is in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract this season.


Per those reports, the deal is worth $119 million. It includes $63.2 million in guaranteed money.

With that bit of business off the table, Chubb can focus his full attention on making the Dolphins look wise for adding him to their defense. That process will begin in Chicago this Sunday.

PFT

 

Ray Guy, the only pure punter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died at the age of 72.

The Raiders selected Guy out of Southern Miss in the first round of the 1973 NFL draft, making him the first punter ever drafted in the first round. Guy would go on to spend 14 seasons with the Raiders, and be chosen first-team All-Pro six times.

Guy’s punting was at times so good that it drove opposing coaches crazy: In 1977, Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips suspected Guy of filling footballs with helium to improve his hang time, and so he and Oilers punt returner Billy “White Shoes” Johnson agreed that after a punt return, Johnson would hold onto the football and give it to the Oilers’ equipment manager, who brought it to Rice University to have it analyzed. The subsequent testing cleared Guy of wrongdoing.


Guy was selected to seven Pro Bowls, and during the 1976 game, held at the Superdome in New Orleans, he made one of his most memorable plays: A punt that went so high it hit a video screen 90 feet above the field.

Hall of Fame coach John Madden, who was the Raiders’ head coach when they drafted Guy and for Guy’s first six seasons, said of Guy, “He was one of our most valuable players in all those years with the Raiders.”

Guy is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame, he was chosen to the NFL’s 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, his number was retired by Southern Miss, and the award that goes to the best punter in college football is called the Ray Guy Award.

 

I remember him hitting that same thing in New Orleans during a Monday night game against the Saints. They just replayed the down and made him punt again. I just reread the article and they make it sound like the pro bowl game. It’s the Monday night game that I’m talking about that it happened during.

 

Hearing early reports that Michael Thomas may be headed to IR.

 

Michael Thomas having toe surgery, likely to miss rest of season



Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas hasn’t played since Week Three because of a toe injury and the Saints don’t expect to have him in the lineup again this year.

Head coach Dennis Allen told reporters at a Thursday press conference that Thomas will be having surgery on his toe and that he will be placed on injured reserve. Allen said that the toe is dislocated and that the team believes he will miss the rest of the season as a result.


“It hasn’t healed the way everybody was kind of hoping that it would,” Allen said, via Brett Martel of the Associated Press.

Thomas missed all of the 2021 season with an ankle injury and his injury history will make it difficult for the Saints to rely on him being a vital part of the team during the 2023 season. Parting ways with him would leave a heavy dead cap hit thanks to an offseason contract restructure, however, so the Saints will have to hope he’s able to return to form.

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