HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFL Suspends Falcons CB Jordan Miller

December 26th, 2019 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL announced that Falcons cornerback Jordan Miller has been suspended for four games due to a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. The suspension will go into effect immediately, with the remaining three games on the ban being enforced in 2020. 

Miller, 22, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Falcons in 2019. He still has three years to go on his four-year, $2.75MM rookie deal.

In his freshman season, Miller appeared in ten games and notched four tackles and one fumble recovery. Next year, he may get a better chance to showcase his bump-and-run coverage skills, but, first he’ll have to sit out the early weeks of the 2020 season.

The Falcons will close out the 2019 season against the Buccaneers, without Miller on the roster. The game won’t have any playoff implications, but a win would give the 6-9 Falcons four straight wins to close out the year.

Wade Phillips Wants To Continue Coaching

December 26th, 2019 at 3:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips wants to continue coaching, regardless of whether he receives a new deal from the Rams this offseason. When asked about rumblings of a coaching shakeup in L.A., the 72-year-old made it known that retirement isn’t on his mind. 

“I enjoy coaching. I want to continue. I’m going to do the best I can do,” Phillips told reporters at a press conference on Thursday. “If that’s not good enough for somebody, it isn’t.”

Phillips, who will turn 73 before training camp gets underway next year, has been the Rams’ defensive coordinator for the past three seasons as a part of head coach Sean McVay’s inaugural staff. His coaching career, which started all the way back in 1976, includes too many stops to list in this space. Among his more notable positions: a three-year run as the Cowboys’ head coach and a second act as the defensive coordinator of the Broncos, yielding a Super Bowl ring and the creation of their vaunted “No Fly Zone” secondary.

Under Phillips, the Rams have yet to finish as a top-ten teams in points or yards allowed, despite their ample defensive star power. Still, he’s one of the most highly-respected defensive minds in the league today and should have plenty of opportunities ahead of him if he parts ways with the Rams.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/19

December 26th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Oakland Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys’ Jason Witten To Keep Playing?

December 26th, 2019 at 2:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Sunday’s regular season finale could mark the final game of the Cowboys’ 2019 season and, in turn, the last game in Jason Witten‘s storied career. For what it’s worth, the tight end isn’t viewing Sunday’s contest against the Redskins as his swan song. 

[RELATED: Cowboys Still “Bullish” On Dak Prescott]

“I really don’t envision this being my last game. I just haven’t approached it that way,” the 37-year-old said (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News). “We’ll see what happens down the road.”

Witten rejoined the Cowboys after a year in the broadcast booth. Despite his advanced age and, perhaps, a bit of rust, Witten has remained productive. Appearing and starting in all 15 of the Cowboys’ games to date, Witten has notched 59 catches for 505 yards and four touchdowns. His per-catch average of 8.6 yards is a step back from his career average (10.7 per grab), but it appears that Witten still has plenty of offer, if he wants to continue his career.

Witten’s one-year, $3.5MM base-salaried deal will expire at the end of the season. After that, he figures to have plenty of options – the Cowboys would likely welcome him back for a 17th season on the field or he could even transition to coaching. If Witten wants to go to the sidelines, the Cowboys could have an opening for him.

Jacob Eason Enters NFL Draft

December 26th, 2019 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Jacob Eason is going pro. On Thursday, the Washington quarterback announced that he’ll forego his remaining eligibility to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. 

“Playing this season for the University of Washington has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. UW has given me an incredible opportunity to develop as a football player and a person, and I am forever grateful and honored to be a Husky,” Eason wrote in a letter to his fans and followers.

Eason, a five-star recruit out of Washington’s Lake Stevens high school, started his collegiate career at the University of Georgia, but a knee injury late in the 2017 season caused him to change course. When Eason was unable to regain his job from Jake Fromm, he transferred to UW and took over as the starter in 2019. In 13 games this year, Eason completed 64.2% of his throws for 3,132 yards with 23 touchdowns against eight interceptions.

Eason is widely projected to be selected in the first two rounds of the NFL draft and could very easily go in the top 32 if he performs well in workouts. Some evaluators may prefer Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, Jordan Love, but Eason is widely regarded as having the best arm strength of any top QB in this year’s class.

Bengals To Place William Jackson III On IR

December 26th, 2019 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Bengals cornerback William Jackson will finish the year on the injured reserve list. The team is expected to shut Jackson down this week so that he can start rehabbing his injured shoulder, as Geoff Hobson of the team website tweets. 

Jackson, 27, has recorded 37 stops and one interception in 14 games (13 starts) this season. Unfortunately, the shoulder injury that forced him out of the Bengals’ narrow loss to the Dolphins last week will also keep him from playing in the season finale against the Browns.

Jackson kept a lid on Odell Beckham Jr. in the team’s Week 14 matchup against Cleveland, but the Bengals will have to find coverage help elsewhere as they aim for their second win of 2019. Whether they win or lose, the Bengals will own the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft, so they have that to look forward to, at least.

Jackson, the No. 24 overall pick in the 2016 draft, is set to play out 2020 on his fifth-year option, which will carry a $9.594MM cap number. His salary is guaranteed for injury, so he’ll be secure regardless of what happens from here.

Mike Harris Eyes NFL Return

December 26th, 2019 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

Former Vikings offensive lineman Mike Harris is hoping to return to the NFL, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. A congenital brain condition forced him to retire in 2017, but he’s keeping his fingers crossed for good news in January when he meets with specialists. 

Harris stayed close to the Vikings this year, serving as an NFL uniform inspector for Vikings home games. His itch to play hasn’t subsided much from the sidelines.

“Every game I’m out there at U.S. Bank Stadium, hearing that (Gjallarhorn) blow, hearing the crowd going, I miss being on the field playing,’’ said Harris.

Before the diagnosis, Harris served as a key cog for the Vikings in 2014 and 2015. In 2015, he started all 16 games at right guard, but he spent the 2016 season on the non-football illness list. If he gets good news, Harris could be back on the field sometime next year.

“That would be a cool comeback story, wouldn’t it?’’ Harris said. “It would truly be a miracle. But anything’s possible. I just turned 31, so I’m a little bit older, but my body feels great. The only thing that made me retire is just one little thing in my brain, but the rest of my body is excellent.’’

Harris’ brain arteriovenous malformation was repaired with surgery in 2017. After the operation, doctors told him there was just a 5% chance of recurrence. In a few weeks, Harris will find out whether or not a comeback attempt is advisable.

Wink Martindale Plans To Stay With Ravens

December 26th, 2019 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale could draw interest as a head coaching candidate this offseason, but he doesn’t plan on leaving Baltimore. On Thursday, Martindale shrugged off the speculation and reiterated his desire to stay put (Twitter link). 

“I don’t know anything more,” Martindale said. “It doesn’t really matter until you get a call, but we love this city, we love this organization here. It would have to be a dream-type job to take, where you know you can build a winning culture like we have here.”

Martindale, 56, entered the pro ranks back in 2004 when he became the linebackers coach of the Raiders. In 2009, he made a lateral move over to the Broncos before spending the 2010 season as Denver’s DC. After that, he hooked on with the Ravens as their LBs coach in 2012, before being bumped up to the DC title in 2018.

Martindale has lots of defensive knowhow, and an XLVII Super Bowl ring, but has zero head coaching experience. Right now, he says he’s not looking to move up a rung, unless he’s blown away by an offer.

We’ve heard similar talk from other playoff-bound coordinators in the past, only to see them accept head coaching positions elsewhere. If the 13-2 Ravens make a deep playoff run, you can expect to see lots of tempting opportunities come Martindale’s way.

Bengals’ Andy Dalton Aiming To Start In 2020

December 26th, 2019 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

Andy Dalton isn’t sure where he’ll be in 2020, but wherever he winds up, he intends on starting. Dalton also acknowledges that Sunday’s game could be the final game with the Bengals, but he says it won’t be the final game of his career (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Ben Baby). 

[RELATED: Andy Dalton Eager To Be Traded In 2020]

When asked if he wants to be a starter next year, Dalton replied, “Yes, absolutely.” It remains to be seen whether he’ll be given that chance – there figure to be plenty of QB-needy teams this offseason, but Dalton’s stock is at an all-time low after a season in which he temporarily lost the starting gig to rookie Ryan Finley.

Dalton was immediately installed as the Bengals’ starter after being drafted in 2011 and guided the team to multiple playoff berths. But, after an 0-8 start this year, he was benched. A few weeks later, he regained the starting job, but he hasn’t fared much better.

With one game to go, Dalton has a sub-60% completion percentage with just 15 touchdowns against a staggering 13 interceptions. On the plus side – he led the Bengals to their lone win this year against the Jets in Week 13 and threw for four TDs (with zero INTs) against the Dolphins on Sunday.

The Bengals can move on from Dalton after this season without any dead money, so he’s unlikely to return to Cincinnati for a tenth year. It’s hard to see Dalton landing a guaranteed No. 1 QB post anywhere, but he could easily land a one-year deal with a low base salary and lots of performance-based incentives.

Steelers Designate Nix, Switzer For Return

December 26th, 2019 at 9:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have designated fullback Roosevelt Nix and wide receiver Ryan Switzer for return from injured reserve. Both players are eligible to practice starting today.

[RELATED: Big Ben Vows To Return]

The door also opens for them to play in the postseason, if the Steelers qualify. If the Steelers beat the Ravens in Week 17 and the Titans lose to the Texans, they’re in. There are also a few other scenarios that could extend their season.

Nix, 27, is still in the midst of the four-year, $6.975MM extension he inked with the team after his 2017 Pro Bowl campaign. So far this year, he’s appeared in just three games.

Switzer, 25, has been traded twice in his young career. The most recent deal shipped him from Oakland to Pittsburgh, where he’s appeared in nine games. In 2019, he’s caught eight passes for 27 yards while handling some kick and punt returns.

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