HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Chargers LT Rashawn Slater Likely Out For Season

September 26th, 2022 at 11:52am CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers’ offensive line was dealt a massive blow during yesterday’s loss. Left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a torn biceps tendon, and will likely miss the remainder of the season, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). 

It was already known that the 23-year-old was eyeing a lengthy absence in the aftermath of the team’s game against the Jaguars. This represents the worst-case scenario after today’s testing, though, and could be a crippling loss for Los Angeles’ offensive front.

The No. 13 overall pick last year, Slater was an immediate full-time starter on the blindside as a rookie. He entered the league with questions about whether he would be better suited on the inside at least to begin his career. He answered those rather definitively, earning Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro honors.

The Northwestern alum generated a PFF grade of 83.6 last year, and his play led to similar ratings so far this season. The Chargers have taken significant steps in recent years to protect quarterback Justin Herbert, including the selection of Slater and signing of center Corey Linsley last offseason. The team invested another first-round pick in Zion Johnson this April to man the right guard spot.

With those two in place, Los Angeles should be better-equipped to handle a loss like this than in years past. Still, replacing Slater with, in all likelihood, Storm Norton, will notably weaken the team’s o-line. This news also marks another unfortunate update on the injury front early in the campaign.

Reserve tackle Andrew Trainer is on IR. More significantly, cornerback J.C. Jackson has only played in one contest so far, after undergoing offseason ankle surgery. Herbert is currently dealing with the rib cartilage injury he suffered last week, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Yesterday, four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa suffered a groin injury which will necessitate further tests (Twitter link via Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport). Regardless of the length of the pass rusher’s absence, the Chargers’ 2022 prospects have taken a major hit.

Lions S Tracy Walker Suffers Torn Achilles

September 26th, 2022 at 10:14am CST by Adam La Rose

After suffering a non-contact injury early in the Lions’ game yesterday, it was understood that safety Tracy Walker was facing a serious diagnosis. Today, it is believed that the veteran suffered a torn Achilles, which would end his season (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network). Walker has since confirmed that he did indeed tear his Achilles and will be out for the remainder of the campaign. 

“We don’t know entirely,” head coach Dan Campbell said after the game, via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. “We’ll know more in the morning. It doesn’t look real good. Obviously, it’s the ankle area, possibly could be the Achilles.” Confirmation of the worst-case scenario is likely to deal a major blow to the Lions.

Walker, 27, emerged as a starter in his second season with the team in 2019. That marked the first of two campaigns in which he has eclipsed the 100-tackle mark, and saw him register a career-high eight pass deflections. He had another productive season in 2021, which earned him a three-year, $25MM deal in March.

The former third-rounder led the team in tackles entering Week 3 with 18, and his absence would be felt throughout the Lions’ secondary. Cornerback Jeff Okudah has returned to form after suffering an Achilles tear of his own during last year’s season opener. Now, Detroit will once again move forward with a key starter unavailable for the remainder of the campaign.

Juju Hughes filled in for Walker after the injury. The former UDFA spent the past two seasons with the Rams, making 19 appearances but primarily playing on special teams. He could see extended action on defense for the first time in his career, assuming it is confirmed that Walker will be sidelined until 2023. The Lions could also turn to third-round rookie Kerby Joseph as a fill-in option.

Patriots Believe QB Mac Jones Suffered High Ankle Sprain

September 25th, 2022 at 9:03pm CST by Ely Allen

On the final offensive play of the Patriots’ loss today to the Ravens, quarterback Mac Jones suffered an ankle injury that left him in lots of pain as he was carried to the locker room. The team believes Jones sustained a high-ankle sprain, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, and he will undergo an MRI tomorrow to confirm and determine the severity of the injury. 

Jones has had a tough start to his sophomore season after a rookie year that earned him a Pro Bowl bid as an alternate for the quarterback he played against today, Lamar Jackson, who sat out of last year’s all-star game due to injury. After Jones earned praise in Year 1 for protecting the football with a touchdown to interception ratio of 22 to 13, the same has been difficult to say this season as he’s only thrown two touchdowns to five interceptions in the first three weeks. Much of this can surely be attributed to the change of offensive coordinators, but, unfortunately, this new health-scare will only make it more difficult for Jones to improve under the new guidance.

If the MRI tomorrow confirms the diagnosis and reveals that Jones will miss time, Brian Hoyer is currently listed as the primary backup for the quarterback position. Rookie fourth-round pick Bailey Zappe is the third quarterback on the depth chart. Zappe has obviously never started in an NFL game, but he did set a record with 62 touchdown passes last season for the Hilltoppers, besting the former college record-holder Joe Burrow, by two.

Hoyer, on the other hand, has extensive experience from his 13 years in the league. The journeyman quarterback has worn seven franchises’ jerseys and is currently in his third stint with the Patriots. Despite a career as a backup quarterback, Hoyer has appeared in at least one game every year of his career and thrown at least one pass in every season, as well. He’s also been in position to start 39 games over the years, getting to serve as a team’s main quarterback for the season twice: in 2014 for the Browns and in 2015 for the Texans. In both situations that he started a majority of a team’s games for the season, he had a winning record as a starter, going 7-6 in Cleveland and 5-4 in Houston.

With Jones’ injury, it’s looking like Hoyer will get a chance to extend those streaks. If Jones ends up missing a longer period of time, it might be more prudent to get Zappe, their 23-year-old backup, some live NFL snaps, as Hoyer inches closer to his 37th birthday next month. Regardless, the task of keeping up with the Dolphins (3-0) and the Bills (2-1) in the AFC East just got a lot more challenging for New England.

AFC East Rumors: Bills, Wilson, Hall, Pats

September 25th, 2022 at 7:45pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills have an obvious 1-2 punch at wide receiver in Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. In the slot, though, it has looked, recently, like Buffalo may be moving towards a bit of a position battle, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic.

After initially favoring Isaiah McKenzie in the first few weeks of the season, the Bills moved closer to an even split of snaps between McKenzie and Jamison Crowder in the team’s win last week over the Titans. Buscaglia notes that, in the game, the duo were only on the field at the same time for three snaps, indicating a one-or-the-other situation. In the remainder of the game, excluding garbage time, Buscaglia counted 21 offensive snaps for McKenzie and 16 for Crowder, a stark difference from the snap advantage McKenzie enjoyed to begin the season. This could lead one to believe that Buffalo is becoming more comfortable with the consistency it gets out of Crowder than the all-or-nothing, big play potential it gets out of McKenzie.

This theory failed to hold up in today’s loss to the Dolphins. Though snap totals have yet to be reported, quarterback Josh Allen clearly favored McKenzie today, targeting him nine times to only three for Crowder. McKenzie rewarded the extra attention with seven catches for 76 yards and a touchdown, tacking on a six yard rush, while Crowder only reeled in one pass for nine yards. If the Bills staff needed to see consistent production out of McKenzie, today was a good start.

Here are a few more rumors from the AFC East, starting with some usage notes from the Jets:

  • There was early concern surrounding New York’s usage of rookie first-round pick Garrett Wilson after the tenth-overall pick only saw the field for 38 of the offense’s 79 snaps in Week 1, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Two weeks later any concerns have certainly been quelled for the time being. Wilson’s playing time did increase to over 50% of the team’s offensive snaps, increasing to 61% in Week 2. While Jets fans may want to see him on the field even more often, he’s made the most of his playing time, becoming the favorite target for quarterback Joe Flacco. After three weeks, Wilson’s 32 targets and 214 receiving yards outpace Elijah Moore‘s 22 targets or Corey Davis‘ 187 receiving yards, both second on the team, despite both older receivers spending more time on the field.
  • There’s been an unpredictable fall from grace this year for Jets cornerback Bryce Hall, according to Cimini. Last year, Hall was fourth in the entire league for defensive snaps played. So far this year, it’s been a completely different story. Hall understandably lost his starting job to rookie fourth-overall pick Ahmad Gardner, but after three weeks, it appears that he’s also fallen behind the other four cornerbacks on the roster. Hall only played five defensive snaps in Week 1 and has been a healthy scratch for the past two games.
  • According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots were experiencing some punter-envy today. Reiss reported that Ravens rookie punter Jordan Stout was “highly regarded by the Patriots in this year’s draft.” Stout entered the week ranking 30th in the league for average punt distance, but, even after a dismal 23 yard punt today, he was able to improve to 20th in the league with a 45.9 yard average.

NFLPA To Investigate Handling Of Tua Tagovailoa Concussion Protocol

September 25th, 2022 at 6:18pm CST by Ely Allen

There was a moment during today’s AFC East matchup in Miami where it didn’t look like the Dolphins would have quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for the second half of the game due to a potential concussion. Tagovailoa underwent the required concussion protocol and returned for the second half to lead his team to a win over the division rival Bills. The NFL Players Association, though, is reportedly initiating an investigation into the handling of the concussion check, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. 

Tagovailoa received a late hit from Bills linebacker Matt Milano around the two-minute mark of the second quarter. When Tagovailoa had released the ball, he was pushed backwards by Milano and, upon landing on his back, Tagovailoa’s head snapped back against the turf. As he hurried back downfield to rejoin his offense, Tagovailoa appeared to slip or stumble, prompting the officials to remove him from the game to undergo the league-mandated concussion protocol. Tagovailoa came back out with the Dolphins offense for the second half and proceeded to lead his team to a victory.

Instigating an investigation insinuates that the NFLPA has some notion that the protocol for Tagovailoa’s safety was not completely aboveboard. Whether they believe the results were influenced to allow a potentially concussed player to return to play or whether they believe the results were ignored, the NFLPA clearly wants to make sure that Tagovailoa was not put in any danger by returning to the game.

Tagovailoa had a different story for his injury and stumble, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports, telling the media, “On the quarterback sneak, (I) kinda got my legs caught under someone and they were trying to push back. It felt like I hyperextended my back. On the next play, I hit my back and kinda hurt it. Then I got up and that’s kinda when I stumbled. For the most part, I’m good. Passed whatever concussion protocol they had.”

This would excuse the Dolphins in the eyes of the Players Association for the time being, if true. While it might be questionable to send your quarterback onto the field with back issues, there is no league mandate preventing it. After the game, Tagovailoa credited adrenaline with his ability to continue playing after sustaining the back injury but did admit that he felt “uncomfortable.”

Regardless of the results of the investigation, Miami may be without its young lefty for its next contest. If Tagovailoa finds it harder to perform without the rush of adrenaline, he will have only a short period of time to recover, as the Dolphins are set to play the Bengals on Thursday night this week.

Buccaneers WR Cole Beasley Fielded Multiple Offers

September 25th, 2022 at 4:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cole Beasley is currently making his Buccaneers debut, one which could help the receiver-needy team in at least the short-term future. While weighing his options prior to signing in Tampa, though, the veteran reportedly received interest from multiple teams. 

According Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Giants, Panthers and Commanders “have tried to sign” the 33-year-old. He adds that New York was the most “persistent” of the trio in their pursuit of Beasley, something which comes as little surprise given recent news concerning the team’s situation at the position.

The Giants have been on the lookout for veteran additions at wideout, with head coach Brian Daboll meeting with potential candidates. He and Beasley were together in Buffalo for three years, a stretch which included the former UDFA’s most productive season (82 catches, 967 yards, four touchdowns in 2020). A reunion in the Big Apple would have allowed Beasley to give the team another experienced option to compliment the likes of Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton.

Florio notes, however, that the Giants’ offers were around the league minimum. That unsurprisingly turned Beasley elsewhere, leaving them with a complicated situation at the position. Golladay and Slayton have spent significant time on the bench so far this season, with the likes of David Sills and second-round rookie Wan’Dale Robinson in line for greater playing time. Their performances tomorrow night could go a long way in determining the front office’s approach with respect to free agent additions.

The Panthers already had a pair of proven pass-catchers in D.J. Moore and Robbie Anderson before acquiring Laviska Shenault in the build-up to the season. That trio, along with 2021 second-rounder Terrace Marshall Jr., led to heightened expectations for the team, though they averaged less than 200 yards in the air through the first two games of the season. Things remained similar earlier today with quarterback Baker Mayfield throwing for 170 yards, potentially signaling that Carolina’s in-house options could be insufficient.

Washington, meanwhile, entered the season with improvements in their WR room. A healthy Curtis Samuel, along with first-round rookie Jahan Dotson, were touted as effective secondary options to Terry McLaurin. The Commanders entered today ranking second in the league in passing yards, though the offense struggled in a loss to the Eagles.

With Beasley simply being elevated from the Buccaneers’ practice squad, rather than signed to their active roster, he will still be eligible to sign with any other team. If he impresses today, though, the aforementioned clubs may come to regret not making a stronger push to land him.

Raiders S Johnathan Abram Seeing Expanded Role

September 25th, 2022 at 3:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

Johnathan Abram‘s future with the Raiders both in 2022 and beyond seemed to be in question this offseason. His status as a starter was once in doubt, but his tenure under the team’s new coaching staff has begun with a somewhat surprising new role. 

As noted by Tashan Reed of the Athletic (subscription required), Abram has not only remained a starter, but he has seen time at a number of different positions. The 25-year-old has been aligned at both safety spots, but also inside and outside linebacker, along with cornerback and nickelback. That represents a stark contrast to the sense dating back to July that Abram could be relegated to backup duties.

That sentiment was fueled in part by the fact that veteran Duron Harmon was signed during free agency to compete for a first-team spot. On a larger scale, the team’s decision to decline Abram’s fifth-year option makes the 2022 campaign a contract year for the former first-rounder. Instead of being phased out, Abram has been an effective and productive member of new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham‘s unit.

The Mississippi State product has played all but one defensive snap through two weeks, making 19 tackles. He has also put up better numbers in coverage than his previous seasons in the league, something which had been a sore spot early in his career.

“He’s a smart guy,” head coach Josh McDaniels said. “I mean, we put a lot on him. He’s been able to handle the duality of the multiple roles that we’ve given him. He’s a big cog in terms of the overall communication on the defense.”

Staying healthy and in control with respect to his physicality will, of course, remain important factors in determining Abram’s success this season. If he continues to wear multiple hats, though, he could not only help the Raiders’ defense in general, but also boost his own free agent stock heading into the spring.

Latest On Deshazor Everett

September 25th, 2022 at 2:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

Former Commanders safety Deshazor Everett has been out of the NFL since March as a result of the accident he was involved in last December. A resolution to the subsequent legal proceedings was reached earlier this month. 

Everett, 30, was behind the wheel when his car struck several trees and rolled over. The crash killed his girlfriend, Olivia Peters, and left Everett with serious injuries. Washington responded the following day by placing him on the reserve/NFI list pending the outcome of the resulting investigation.

In February, Everett was charged with involuntary manslaughter and turned himself in to police. That came after it was reported that he was traveling at more than double the posted speed limit at the time of the crash. Roughly one month later, the Commanders released him.

Over the summer, Everett pleaded guilty to reckless driving, a misdemeanour which greatly reduced the severity of any potential legal consequences he would face. Then, in September, he was sentenced to three months’ house arrest, as noted by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. He notes that Peters’ mother supported the plea agreement, and was in favor of Everett avoiding jail time.

ESPN’s John Keim adds (via Twitter) that the sentence was originally one year in length, nine months of which was suspended. In addition, Everett’s driver’s licence has been suspended for six months as part of the sentence. That could leave the door open to an NFL return, though Smith reports that it is currently “unknown” whether or not Everett will attempt to make a comeback.

A former UDFA, Everett has spent his entire seven-year career in Washington to date. While he has operated as a starter at times during that span, the Texas A&M product has been better known for his special teams play. With his legal situation now settled, attention will turn to his intent (if any) of resuming his career and any resultant interest by the Commanders or another team in facilitating it.

Latest On Chargers QB Justin Herbert

September 25th, 2022 at 1:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 25, 1:57pm: Rapoport tweets that Herbert will play today, not long after the team confirmed that he will be active. His mobility and pain tolerance will be worth closely monitoring, though, of course. The club announced that receiver Keenan Allen and cornerback J.C. Jackson will not play against the Jaguars, however.

SEPTEMBER 25, 10:47am: Herbert received a pain injection on Thursday, with mixed results. If he gets another injection on Sunday in an effort to suit up for the Jaguars contest, it will be done with an ultrasound imaging monitor to guide the administering doctor (though one assumes an ultrasound was utilized for the Thursday injection as well, especially in light of the Taylor situation).

However, the Chargers’ medical team has encouraged Herbert to take a long-term view of the situation, thus implying that sitting out at least the Week 3 game may be his best bet. After all, this injury can linger for weeks or months, and a rib protector does not assist with rotation when Herbert has to twist or throw.

Herbert must sign a form advising him of the risks if he chooses to get an injection. Presumably, he needed to sign a similar form for the Thursday injection.

SEPTEMBER 23: Justin Herbert‘s most recent in-game visuals would make it unsurprising if he missed time, but the star quarterback managed limited practices all week. He will go into Sunday’s Jaguars-Chargers game with the vague questionable designation.

While Herbert said he feels good, Chase Daniel took some first-team reps at Chargers practice Friday, via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links). Herbert also stopped short of guaranteeing he will play Sunday. Daniel re-signed on another one-year deal to return as Herbert’s backup; the veteran QB2 has not yet started a game as a Charger.

“I don’t know,” Herbert said on a decision to play. “Whatever the plan is, I know our team is going to be prepared and do everything we can. That decision will be made on Sunday. Haven’t ruled anything out.”

Herbert suffered a rib cartilage fracture late in the Bolts’ Week 2 loss to the Chiefs. Herbert’s rib issue comes days after his Chargers QB1 predecessor, Tyrod Taylor, filed a lawsuit against the team’s doctor after a pregame injection resulted in a punctured lung. That development sidelined Taylor, who was dealing with a rib injury in September 2020, and allowed Herbert to take over earlier than the team planned to make that transition.

Brandon Staley said this week the Chargers will be careful with their starter, indicating all parties — following Taylor’s lawsuit — are on the same page here.

“I think we have full alignment with Justin and his family, his agents, and then the medical professionals, and that’s what we’re going to try to do is have alignment that way and just kind of trust the process and hopefully get him well soon,” Staley said.

Daniel, 36 in October, is 2-3 in his career as a starter. The 14th-year veteran has not started a game since an October 2019 contest against the Raiders in London, but he has worked with Joe Lombardi with two teams, being with the current Bolts OC in New Orleans and Los Angeles. It is unknown if, in order to play, Herbert will need to have a pain-killing injection before the Chargers’ game against the Jags or if that will need to be part of his routine going forward. More clarity will come as this intraconference game approaches. Herbert has never missed an NFL game due to injury.

Giants, Seahawks Host LB Joe Schobert

September 25th, 2022 at 12:40pm CST by Rory Parks

Free agent linebacker Joe Schobert has been a full-time starter over the past five years and has averaged over 126 tackles per season during that span, but he is quickly becoming a fixture on the NFL’s workout circuit. Per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, Schobert visited with the Giants and Seahawks this week (Twitter link).

The visit with New York did not produce a deal, as Big Blue opted to sign Jaylon Smith instead. For the moment, at least, Schobert does not have a contract with Seattle either, and he will continue to search for another opportunity.

In 2017, his first and only Pro Bowl campaign, Schobert led the league with 144 tackles, adding an interception, three sacks, three forced fumbles, and four passes defensed. The advanced metrics supported those surface level stats, as Schobert also earned a solid 68.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus, along with a terrific 77.6 mark for his work in run defense.

His proficiency against the run slipped in the following two seasons, although he showed improvement when dropping into coverage. Over the 2018-19 campaigns, the Wisconsin product allowed QB ratings of just 87.5 and 74.6, respectively, and his pass coverage grades from PFF were equally strong. All in all, it was easy enough to justify the Jaguars’ decision to hand him a five-year, $53.75MM deal in March 2020.

However, Schobert was miserable against the pass that year, conceding a 110.0 quarterback rating and landing a 43.7 PFF coverage grade. Though he paced Jacksonville with 141 tackles, the team elected to trade him to the Steelers last August. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin reportedly believed that Schobert could return to his strong form as a pass defender, but that did not happen. Instead, Schobert struggled against both the pass and the run in 2021 — indeed, the Steelers featured the worst run defense in the league last season — and the club cut ties with Schobert and his hefty base salary in March.

Schobert visited the Saints several months later and signed with the Broncos in August following an injury to Denver starter Jonas Griffith. He evidently failed to make much of an impression, though, as the Broncos released him about a week later. It appears that teams have seen a significant drop-off in Schobert’s performance, and despite his gaudy tackle numbers, he has always struggled with missed tackles. A decline in other areas only magnifies the missed tackle concerns.

The Seahawks, who parted ways with franchise icon Bobby Wagner in March, are presently deploying Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton as the starting inside ‘backers in their 3-4 scheme. Through the first two weeks of the season, both players have accumulated hefty tackle totals but have not graded out well in PFF’s eyes. In that sense, Schobert might have been redundant, though he certainly would have added some experienced depth, which the ‘Hawks presently lack.

Of course, the club could always circle back to Schobert if he remains on the open market or signs with another team’s taxi squad. Seattle also worked out fellow LB Blake Lynch, who started six games for the Vikings last year.

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