NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Cardboard cutouts?

 

Dolphins have done plenty of work on Justin Herbert



For much of the 2019 NFL season, the Dolphins were accused of tanking so they could take Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the first overall pick in the draft. That wasn’t the case: Miami didn’t tank, ended up with the fifth overall pick, and now there’s growing talk that the Dolphins may pass on Tagovailoa even if he’s available at No. 5.

That’s because they may prefer Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald the Dolphins have done a significant amount of work studying Herbert over the last two years, and recently had a video conference with him. According to the report, the Dolphins are impressed with Herbert’s size and arm strength but have some concerns about his accuracy, as well as whether he’ll grow to be a team leader as a franchise quarterback.

Tagovailoa was a better college quarterback than Herbert, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a better pro quarterback. And there are injury concerns about Tagovailoa that aren’t there with Herbert.

With the draft one week away, Herbert’s stock seems to be rising, and it wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name called before Tagovailoa’s.

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“No secret” Raiders need to get better at wideout

The Raiders have two first-round picks and three third-round picks at their disposal this month and it sounds like a pretty safe bet that at least one of them is going to be used on a wide receiver.

Last season’s receiving corps struggled once the Antonio Brown experiment blew up in the team’s face and the team’s only free agent move at the position involved signing Nelson Agholor to a one-year deal. On Tuesday, General Manager Mike Mayock admitted that’s not enough.

“There’s no secret we need to get better at wideout,” Mayock said, via the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The good news for the Raiders is that this year’s draft class meshes well with their needs. They will have a shot at snagging one of the top wideouts with the No. 12 pick and the depth of the group means that Mayock thinks “there could be a wide receiver No. 1 in the third round.”

We’ll see how the Raiders play things next week, but Mayock sent a pretty strong signal about some of the team’s intentions.

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Al Davis wants Ruggs III. He loves burners. If Al was still here that would be the pick

 

Browns: Odell Beckham trade rumors “completely false”



The Browns traded for wide receiver Odell Beckham last year and they say they aren’t going to trade him this year.

Wednesday brought a report from Marc Malusis of WFAN that the team was discussing a trade with the Vikings that would send Beckham to Minnesota for 2021 second- and fifth-round draft picks. Browns Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta was asked about that report during a Thursday conference call and he dumped a bucket of cold water on it.

“It’s completely false,” DePodesta said, via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

The Browns talked up Beckham’s role in their plans for the 2020 season multiple times this offseason, so it’s not a big surprise that the team would now shoot down the notion that they’d be changing direction in order to add to their draft capital for next year.

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Von Miller tests positive for COVID-19

An NFL star has tested positive for COVID-19.

Broncos pass rusher Von Miller has a confirmed case of the disease, his agent told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP, is one of the biggest names not just in the NFL but in all of the United States to test positive for the disease, which has claimed the lives of more than 30,000 Americans.

According to the report, the 31-year-old Miller is resting at home, feeling OK, and planning to speak publicly tomorrow.

Miller is the second active NFL player to confirm he has tested positive, after Rams center Brian Allen did so yesterday. Saints coach Sean Payton has also recovered from the illness. Two former NFL players, Orlando McDaniel and Tom Dempsey, have died from COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic has put much of American life on hold, and that includes the NFL, which is conducting offseason work and the draft virtually, rather than in person. For a well-known and well-respected player like Miller to take positive may hammer home to other NFL players just how serious this is.

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Matt Breida signs tender with 49ers



San Francisco running back Matt Breida is back in the fold.

Breida, a restricted free agent, has signed his one-year tender offer with the 49ers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Last year Breida was second on the team in rushing with 623 yards in the regular season. But after he started the season as the 49ers’ primary ball carrier, he was largely phased out of the offense late in the year. Although he played in all three postseason games, he totaled just nine carries for 19 yards. In the Super Bowl he played only on special teams and never got a snap on offense.

The 49ers initially signed Breida as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern in 2017.

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President Trump confirms sports will return without fans, initially

On Wednesday, the President convened the first phone call of his new committee regarding the return of sports. On Thursday, he provided an update during his daily coronavirus briefing.

“Many of them are going to be starting without the fans,” President Trump said, “so it’ll be made for television. The good old days, made for television. And it’ll go that way and then fans will start coming in, maybe they’ll be separated by two seats. And then ultimately, we want to have packed arenas. When the virus is gone, we’re going to have packed arenas, and we’re going to be back to enjoying sports the way they’re supposed to be.”

Several have mentioned the “checkerboard” concept, with fans seated sporadically in order to maintain safe distance. That possibility raises plenty of questions regarding issues like ticket cost and ticket availability.

Regardless, sports will be returning — even if at first they will look and sound a lot different than they used to. However it looks and however it sounds, it will be much better than no sports at all.

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How about giving free Sunday Ticket to all Americans. Use stimulus money for it

 

Chris Godwin eyes getting on same page with Tom Brady, helping Bucs reach expectations



With the signing of Tom Brady as the team’s new quarterback, wide receiver Chris Godwin knows there will be plenty of expectations placed upon the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the 2020 season. He also knows that expectations are pointless unless they’re able to meet them.

“Preseason expectations are cool to talk about, but at the end of the day we still have to put in a lot of work to get to where we want to be,” Godwin said Thursday, via Fred Goodall of the Associated Press. “All that stuff on paper looks really cool. But if we go out there and stink it up, it will be for nothing.”

With Godwin, Mike Evans, O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate as a part of the passing attack, Brady will have numerous weapons to work with on offense. The Buccaneers ranked third in the league in yards per game and tied for third in points per game last season with Jameis Winston at quarterback. The group has shown itself capable of producing even before adding a six-time Super Bowl champion to the mix.

This offseason will present unique challenges for a receiver to build a relationship with his new quarterback. Godwin considered reaching out to other receivers that have played with Brady before but ultimately felt like it wouldn’t accomplish much.

“At the end of the day, I’m a completely different person than anybody he’s played with, and he’s a completely different quarterback than any quarterback I’ve played with. It’s going to be really hard for somebody to tell me something that’s going to directly relate to me,” Godwin said.

“I think the biggest thing in terms of getting adjusted will be having conversations with Tom and trying to get a feel for what he likes from receivers and what he expects and make sure we’re on the same page.”

Godwin gave Brady the No. 12 jersey he’s worn the last three seasons in Tampa Bay. Godwin is coming off his best season with 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns last year for the Buccaneers.

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Von Miller on positive COVID-19 test: I’m in good spirits, not feeling sick



Broncos pass rusher Von Miller said he got a cough a couple of days ago that concerned his girlfriend and assistant. So he got tested for COVID-19, and it came back positive Thursday.

“I’ve just been here in the crib, and I started to get a little cough,” Miller told Mike Klis of 9News. “You know I have asthma, and I started getting a little cough a couple days ago. My girlfriend she told me [that while] I was asleep, she said my cough it didn’t sound normal.”

Miller used his nebulizer, which he inhales for asthma before strenuous activity. It didn’t help.

“I got tested, that was two days ago,” Miller said. “I started to feel like normal yesterday and then this morning Dr. [Steve] Geraghty called me and told me.”

Miller becomes the second active NFL player to acknowledge a positive COVID-19 test and one of the biggest names in sports with it. On Wednesday, Rams center Brian Allen announced his diagnosis. Saints coach Sean Payton has recovered from the coronavirus.

“It’s crazy,” Miller said. “I have to be quarantined here at the house. There’s not really any medicine or anything like that. Dr. Geraghty told me if my breathing changed. . . .Honestly, I’m still new to this. This is like an hour. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I tell you what, I’m in good spirits. I’m still Von. I’m not feeling sick or hurting or anything like that.”

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Eagles C Jason Kelce confirms he's returning for 2020

Jason Kelce affirmed what most expected to see in 2020: The center will be in an Eagles uniform.

The veteran confirmed that plan via Instagram Thursday with a humorous post, saying he'll be back to play football to start the decade, but he'll be giving up arm wrestling.

"After thinking long and hard about this I have come to a decision," Kelce wrote on Instagram. "I have decided to RETIRE... from arm wrestling.

"Despite this retirement, I am fully excited for the 2020 season and will be out there with my teammates, coaches and hopefully fans this coming season."

Kelce retires from arm wrestling with a self-reported 2-0 mark, touting wins over a stranger pictured in the post and Philadelphia Flyers skater Claude Giroux in an announcement that may have been a little...Over The Top.

 

Dolphins have the most draft capital, by far



The Dolphins’ rebuilding effort has been focused on the 2020 NFL draft, and next week a ton of new talent will be heading to Miami.

No matter how you slice the draft, the Dolphins have the most picks and the best picks. Miami has 14 picks, the most of any team. Miami has three first-round picks, the most of any team. And Miami has by far the highest point total on any of the various draft value charts that assign every pick a point value.

The Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers for their first-round pick and traded Laremy Tunsil to the Texans for their first-round pick. The Dolphins also have two picks in the second round, thanks to trading for the Saints’ second-round pick.

Now it’s all about making those picks pay off. Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier has talked about the importance of hitting a home run next week. If the Dolphins whiff on this draft, they may be picking near the top of the draft for years to come.

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Ben Roethlisberger: Defense will be integral part of potential championship run



Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to play observer for most of the 2019 season and that meant watching the team fall short of the playoffs with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges at quarterback.

The play of the offense with those two at the helm had a lot to do with why the Steelers lost their final three games and finished the year with an 8-8 record. The play of the defense was a bit more impressive, however.

Pittsburgh finished fifth in points and yards allowed during the 2019 season and Roethlisberger said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the unit’s work has him excited about trying to balance things out upon his return to action.

“To me that was one of the exciting things to watch this year from the sideline, was that defense,” Roethlisberger said. “They were fun. Some key additions. Guys just stepping up, taking their game to another level. Man was it fun watching those edge rushers come off the edge. It reminded me of [James] Harrison and [LaMarr] Woodley. And it was neat to see on the back-end, seeing Minkah [Fitzpatrick], seeing [Terrell Edmunds] and all those guys and the way that our corners were playing. That whole defense was so much fun to watch. And so I am excited to come back because I think that they’re going to be an integral part of a potential championship run, which is what we’re all looking for.”

Any talks of postseason runs will remain muted until there’s a chance to see Roethlisberger on the field after last year’s right elbow injury, but getting the same production on defense with upgraded play on offense would be a good formula for the Steelers to get back to where they want to be.

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They are not deep on defense but that starting 11 is really good. Hope they can stay healthy.

 

NFL holding mock draft Monday for teams to test-drive technology

As the NFL prepares for next week’s first-of-its-kind stay-at-home draft, they’re going to give it a trial run.

Via Tim McManus of ESPN.com, the league is holding a mock draft session on Monday, to make sure the teams in remote offices are able to communicate picks and arrange trades smoothly.

Most teams are going through their own exercises this week, to make sure their technology is working on their end. Next week will give them a chance the communal experience is a smooth one.

“We’ll have fun making some mock trades,” Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman said.

A league spokesman said they can stop the clock if a team is struggling to get a pick in on time.

“Three separate team individuals are able to submit the pick, so if there’s an issue at one person’s house, two other team execs could submit,” the league spokesman said. “If a team is experiencing technological issues, the player personnel department would be in position to stop the clock to ensure a pick is submitted or a trade occurs.”

While things can always get weird on the clock, Monday’s practice round will at least give the league a chance to see what issues could come up later in the week, when many people will be watching (if not anticipating old people to struggle with technology).

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The Bears signed tight end Trey Burton to a four-year deal in 2018, but he won’t be in Chicago for the second half of the deal.

According to multiple reports, the Bears are releasing Burton.

Burton had $4 million in guaranteed money this season and the team will be on the hook for $7.5 million in dead money with just over $1 million in new cap space if he isn’t designated a post-June 1 cut. If he is, the dead money number will improve to $5.75 million and the cap space will grow to $2.8 million.

Burton had 54 catches for 569 yards and six touchdowns in his first year with the Bears. A core muscle injury limited him to eight games, 14 catches and 84 yards last season.

The Bears have signed Jimmy Graham and Demetrius Harris this offseason. Adam Shaheen, Ben Braunecker, JP Holts, Jesper Horsted and Eric Saubert round out the tight end group.

NBC

 

Jason Spriggs agrees to one-year deal with Bears



The Bears are signing offensive tackle Jason Spriggs to a one-year deal, Dan Graziano of ESPN reports.

Spriggs, 25, spent last season on injured reserve with a trapezius muscle injury. He also dealt with an elbow issue last summer.

The Packers made Spriggs a second-round choice in 2016.

He played 36 games with nine starts in his four seasons in Green Bay. He made two starts at right guard and seven at right tackle.

Spriggs has seen action on 807 career offensive snaps and 156 on special teams.

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Ryan Pace spends every year aggressively and predictably trying to make up for the many mistakes he aggressively and predictably made the year before. And the Bears extend Pace's contract so that he can keep doing it.

I'm convinced I'm in hell.

 

DeAndre Hopkins wasn’t surprised by trade



Plenty of people were taken by surprise when they heard that the Texans traded wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals last month, but Hopkins wasn’t one of them.

Hopkins spoke to the media on Friday for the first time since the trade became official and said that talk of a trade had been swirling around since last year. He added that he’d heard enough about it to start planning for his departure from Houston.

“It wasn’t a big surprise. I was preparing for it,” Hopkins said, via Kyle Odegard of the team’s website.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien pointed to Hopkins’ desire for a new contract as the driving factor behind the deal. Hopkins said on Friday, via multiple reporters, that he’ll let his agent and the team handle contract matters while he works to settle in with his new team during its virtual offseason program.

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