NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Preseason be damned, those Chargers looked solid.

 

News worthy? Im not sure...

The Baltimore Ravens have extended their NFL-record preseason winning streak.

Baltimore beat Philadelphia 20-19 tonight, the Ravens’ 24th consecutive preseason win.

The Ravens got touchdown passes from quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Josh Johnson and two field goals from Justin Tucker, one of which was a 60-yarder and the other from 43 yards.

The win breaks a preseason winning streak tie with Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, who previously had a 23-game preseason winning streak against NFL opponents, although those Packers lost a preseason game to a college all-star team, so the Packers technically didn’t win 23 preseason games in a row.

No team has ever won in the preseason like these Ravens.

NBC

 

Deuce Vaughn dazzles in his preseason debut

Cowboys rookie running back Deuce Vaughn earned back-to-back All-America honors and finished his career at Kansas State with 4,884 yards from scrimmage and 43 touchdowns. If not for his size, Vaughn would have gone much higher in the NFL draft.

But because he’s only 5 foot 5 and 179 pounds, Vaughn remained on the board until the Cowboys selected him in the sixth round.

He showed Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium why every other team in the NFL might regret passing on him.

Vaughn had eight carries for 50 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown run, against the Jaguars. He showed off a spin move and his explosiveness in instantly becoming a fan favorite.

Vaughn accomplished what he wanted to accomplish.

“Just that I belong,” Vaughn said when asked what his big night meant, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “That’s the biggest thing for myself – coming in and proving the people that believe in me right. It doesn’t stop now. We go back to work on Monday, and we’re getting ready for the next preseason game.”

Vaughn has made the Cowboys’ roster and could enter the season as Tony Pollard’s primary backup.

“He played very well,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “I thought he had a heck of a night. It was a great, great introduction to the NFL.”

PFT

 

Browns wide receiver Elijah Moore exited Friday night’s preseason game, but the injury does not appear serious.

Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated today that the Browns don’t think Moore will be out for long.

“Yeah, I think we’ll see. I’d call him day to day. I’m hopeful, but I want to get there before I can make that comment,” Stefanski said.

 

A key member of the Eagles special teams units will miss the entire 2023 season.

Linebacker Shaun Bradley announced on social media that his season is over after he was injured in Saturday’s preseason opener. According to multiple reports, Bradley tore his Achilles.

Bradley was a 2020 sixth-round pick by the Eagles and he’s appeared in 45 games over the last three seasons. He did not appear in the team’s postseason run last year after being placed on injured reserve in early January.

Bradley has played 131 defensive snaps and 878 special teams snaps over the course of his career. He has 45 tackles and a pass defensed.

NBC

 

Saints RB Kendre Miller left the preseason game against the Chiefs with a sprained knee.

Speaking after the game, head coach Dennis Allen told reporters that Miller left the team’s preseason contest against the Chiefs with a sprained knee. He also mentioned that the rookie back would undergo further testing to identify the extent of the injury and that further updates would be made available once more is known about the injury. Not the news the Saints wanted to hear after their first preseason game considering the three-game suspension for Alvin Kamara to start the year.

 

Preseason Week 1 is kaput.

 

This has gone 'viral', as some say... it was a cool play, Mahomes sure thinks so.

 

Matt Canada: Steelers didn’t do anything Friday that we didn’t do last year

The Steelers finished 26th in points scored last season, so there wasn’t much mystery about where the team needed to improve heading into the 2023 campaign.

Friday night’s preseason opener against the Buccaneers offered some hope that they’ve taken the right steps. Quarterback Kenny Pickett punctuated an 83-yard opening drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to George Pickens and the quick way the Steelers moved down the field provided a hopeful note for the Steelers first team in their only action of the evening.

On Sunday, offensive coordinator Matt Canada said that the offense “got done what we wanted to get done” without reading too much into what the results of one drive mean for the team’s growth over the offseason.

“With that small sample size of what we had with that whole group and Kenny, we achieved what we wanted to do,” Canada said, via Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com. “There was nothing we did Friday night that we didn’t do last year. Execution is what we are trying to get. We had a plan of what we wanted to do and how many chances we had if we could. We were trying to do that within the framework because we didn’t know how many opportunities we were going to get . . . we weren’t just going force on and do something silly.”

The Steelers were 6-2 to close out last season and the move to Pickett at quarterback clearly pushed the offense in the right direction in the second half of the year. A repeat of 2022 won’t make anyone in Pittsburgh happy, however, and their preseason opener provided reason to think that things have progressed regardless of how Canada couches the team’s play.

NBC

 

Kyle Shanahan not concerned after third-round pick Jake Moody goes 0-for-2 on field goals

The 49ers used a third-round pick on Jake Moody this year, making him the highest-drafted kicker since Roberto Aguayo in 2016. Moody can’t possibly turn out to be as bad as Aguayo was, but his preseason debut was not encouraging.

Moody went 0-for-2 on field goals in the 49ers’ first preseason game, missing wide left from 40 yards and wide right from 58 yards. He did make his only extra point attempt.

San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said he’s not concerned.

“I’m not,” Shanahan said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s unfortunate because I know the pressure on him and everyone’s looking. And I know he missed those two today. He’s been great in practice. He’s hit them all.”

Moody says he’s not worried about it.

“It’s already washed away,” Moody said. “I was hoping we could have one more [attempt] just so I could prove that those were flukes. Those were not normal. I wanted one more to just kind of feel better. But I just have to wait until next week.”

49ers fans hope they don’t have to wait long to see Moody make a kick.

PFT
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Here's my editorial, 2 cents, opinion, observation... IF Im GM, Im not drafting a kicker in the 3rd round, period. IF Im the head coach, Id be very concerned. IF Im the kicker, Id be embarrassed and apologetic. GM, HC, K = kinda stupid.

Thats a lot of If's, and's, and the butts are the 49ers who are nonchalant about this.

 

Panthers’ offensive line already needed closed-door meeting after 1 preseason game



The Carolina Panthers’ preseason opener did not go well. It went so poorly, in fact, that one unit has already needed a private meeting.

The Panthers’ offensive line held a closed-door meeting after being called out by coach Frank Reich following Saturday’s 27-0 loss to the New York Jets. The performance certainly justified the criticism, as rookie quarterback Bryce Young took three big hits, including a sack, on just seven passing plays.

“We had to keep it real with each other,” tackle Cam Erving said, via David Newton of ESPN. “The s— wasn’t good enough. Top to bottom, no matter if it’s preseason, regular season, the s— was not good enough. Any level, from any position, myself included, especially my f—ing self. All we can do is try to regroup and fix it.”

The Panthers need their offensive line to be good. Not only are they protecting the No. 1 overall pick, but Young is a guy who has heard plenty of concerns about his size. He bounced back fine from the hits he took Saturday, but the Panthers will not want him to have to make a habit of it.

Young wound up finishing a modest 4-of-6 for 21 yards on 10 plays, partly because of the pressure he was under.

YARDBARKER

 

The Ravens have cleared the way for running back J.K. Dobbins to return to practice.

Baltimore is activating Dobbins off the physically unable to perform list on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

Dobbins, 24, has been on the PUP list while recovering from a knee injury. But there has also been speculation that Dobbins is not pleased with his contract as the second-round pick of the 2020 draft enters the final year of his rookie deal.

Last week, head coach John Harbaugh said he was expecting Dobbins to be back “very soon,” while noting that it was up to Dobbins to determine when he would get on the practice field.

Dobbins tore his ACL during the 2021 preseason. He appeared in eight games last year and recorded 520 yards rushing, averaging 5.78 yards per carry.

As a rookie, Dobbins averaged 6.0 yards per carry in 15 games and scored nine touchdowns.

The Ravens will have a pair of joint practices with the Commanders this week.

NBC

 

The Saints have avoided a major injury at the running back position.

Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports that rookie running back Kendre Miller is not expected to miss extensive time after suffering a knee sprain in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Chiefs.

Per the report, the injury is not serious. Miller could be available for Week One.

The Saints will need him, given that veteran running back Alvin Kamara will miss the first three games, due to a suspension under the Personal Conduct Policy.

The Saints likely will be adding another running back to handle the load in practice and in the final two preseason games. They hosted veteran Kareem Hunt last week, but he left without signing a deal. He remains unsigned.

The Saints open the regular season on September 10 with a visit from the Titans.

 

Zack Martin, Cowboys reach deal on reworked contract

Jerry Jones said he wasn’t going to budge, but the Cowboys and right guard Zack Martin have worked out a new deal anyway.

Martin has been holding out of Cowboys camp because he wanted to adjust his contract before taking the field with the team this year and the two sides have come to agreement on a revised pact. According to multiple reports, Martin will have salaries of more than $18 million in 2023 and 2024 under the new terms.

Martin was scheduled to make $13.5 million this year and $14 million next year. Some of that new money will be going back to the Cowboys as Martin has racked up daily fines of $50,000 since the start of training camp. Those fines cannot be rescinded.

With the deal done, Martin will join the Cowboys at training camp and resume working with his teammates as they prepare to face the Giants in the first week of the regular season.

NBC

 

Falcons plan to play Bijan Robinson this week

Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson is set for his first taste of NFL game action.

The first-round pick did not play against the Dolphins in last week’s preseason opener, but head coach Arthur Smith said on Monday that the team plans for Robinson to be in the lineup against the Bengals this Friday. Smith said that the team will not be unveiling the full package of plays they have in mind for Robinson.

“We’re not going to go crazy,” Smith said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. “We just need the reps. We need to get our bread-and-butter concepts in there and he’ll see his tracks. We’re not going to sit there and show everything but we need to execute well.”

Robinson said he’s “really excited” for the chance to see his first NFL snaps later this week and the hope in Atlanta is that it will be the start of a long and successful career for the running back.

PFT

 

Looks like Ezekiel Elliot is signing with the Patriots.

 

1 year worth up to $6M.

Elliott joins a Patriots backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson, who tallied 1,040 yards rushing with five touchdowns in 2022. New England also has Pierre Strong, J.J. Taylor, Kevin Harris, and CJ Marable on their roster at running back.

 

The Bears have swapped out one linebacker for another.

Chicago announced the club has claimed Mykal Walker off waivers.

The Falcons let go of Walker on Sunday after he appeared in 49 games with 20 starts over the last three seasons. A fourth-round pick in 2020, Walker recorded 107 total tackles for Atlanta last year with four tackles for loss, six passes defensed, and two interceptions. He also tallied his first career sack.

As a corresponding move, Chicago has waived Kuony Deng.

NBC

 

Dan Campbell: Lions fans were so loud Giants had to use silent counts in a preseason game

The Lions haven’t won their division in 30 years, but this year they’re the NFC North favorites, and the Detroit fan base is fired up.

So fired up that Lions coach Dan Campbell said he’s never seen an environment in a preseason game like he saw at Ford Field in the Lions’ preseason opener. Campbell said Lions fans were so loud that neither the Lions players nor the Giants players were prepared for that kind of atmosphere.

“Our fans were unbelievable the other night,” Campbell said. “I mean, for a preseason game, you’re telling your young players and your rookies, ‘This is the first one, NFL game, it ought to be a pretty good atmosphere.’ But my god, I didn’t expect that. I don’t think any of them did. That’s unbelievable. That’s a packed house for preseason. It was awesome. They were using silent count on offense — in a preseason game! So it certainly helps. So that was awesome.”

Lions fans are buying into what Campbell is building, and after years of frustration, Lions games are a very a hot ticket in Detroit.

PFT