HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Nebraska Hires Matt Rhule

November 27th, 2022 at 10:25am CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 27: Rhule and Nebraska have agreed to an eight-year, $72MM contract, per Rapoport (via Twitter). RapSheet says the deal will offset the “vast majority” of the ~$34MM the Panthers owed to Rhule.

NOVEMBER 26: Matt Rhule has found his next gig. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the recently fired Panthers coach will indeed be taking the Nebraska head coaching gig. Rapoport adds that the two sides have agreed to a deal.

NOVEMBER 25: The Panthers may soon have a way out of the nearly $34MM owed to Matt Rhule beyond this season. Nebraska has honed in on the former Temple and Baylor HC, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Low, who adds the sides are hoping to finalize a deal soon (Twitter link).

Rhule’s seven-year, $62MM Panthers contract includes offset language that would allow the team to avoid paying Rhule beyond 2022, should he be hired as a college HC for the 2023 season. The Cornhuskers may be close to fully clearing that path, with ESPN’s Pete Thamel adding a deal is expected. The Panthers’ part in this is not completely done, per Thamel, who adds that lofty through-2026 contract is part of the Rhule-Nebraska negotiations (Twitter links).

Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost earlier this season. The one-time college powerhouse has not hit the 10-win benchmark since 2010 and has dipped in stature since its run at a national title in 2001. The Big Ten program is finishing out what will be its sixth straight losing season. Rhule’s status as a program-building coach would naturally be attractive for a team that has largely struggled to compete since leaving the Big 12. This would also be a new challenge for Rhule, whose previous rebuilds came in the American Athletic Conference and Big 12.

Rhule resurfaced this week, writing a piece for the33rdteam.com and appearing on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football; that re-emergence can be taken as a sign the veteran coach is ready to resume his career. The Panthers fired Rhule after a 1-4 start this season.

Once coveted by NFL teams, Rhule saw his stock around the league take hits during his time in Carolina. The Panthers went 11-27 under Rhule, but he has always been viewed as a candidate to land another college HC gig. Rhule is 47-43 as a college coach. His first years at Temple and Baylor are largely responsible for that near-.500 mark; Rhule led three 10-win seasons prior to trying his hand in the NFL. He looks set to follow several coaches who failed to make the college-to-NFL transition — Chip Kelly, Bobby Petrino, Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban among the recent examples — to return to their former level.

Should this Nebraska hire come to fruition, it will take David Tepper off the hook for the widely criticized contract he gave Rhule in 2020. The Giants were also courting Rhule that year, and the seven-year college HC wanted to return to that organization — where he previously operated as O-line coach — over accepting Tepper’s offer. But John Mara bowed out of the Rhule sweepstakes, hiring Joe Judge instead of matching Carolina’s offer.

Quarterback issues derailed Rhule in Charlotte, but the Panthers did add some pieces under Rhule — Derrick Brown, Jeremy Chinn, Jaycee Horn — that came up at the trade deadline. Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks axed Rhule’s defensive coordinator, Phil Snow, as well. Snow having worked with Rhule at Temple and Baylor would make it logical to expect he will resurface in Lincoln.

Mike White May Remain Jets’ QB1 For Remainder Of Season

November 27th, 2022 at 9:44am CST by Rory Parks

In the wake of his decision to bench quarterback Zach Wilson, Jets head coach Robert Saleh said that he intends to reinsert Wilson into the starting lineup at some point this season. But as Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports writes, Wilson is unlikely to return to the field before Week 15 (barring injury), and if the team remains in playoff contention with Mike White under center, Wilson can probably expect to stay on the sidelines for the rest of the year.

Joe Flacco, who started the first three games of the 2022 campaign while Wilson was battling knee trouble, will serve as White’s backup for Sunday’s Week 12 matchup with the Bears, so he will get the nod if White should get injured during the Chicago contest. If White sustains a lingering injury while New York remains in the playoff hunt, Saleh could be faced with a difficult Flacco vs. Wilson decision, one that he would obviously prefer to avoid.

Like Jones, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says that White will remain the QB1 if the Jets are winning with him under center. A successful run from White would be a boon to Gang Green’s playoff chances this year, though Cimini believes it would also complicate the team’s offseason plans. Wilson has yet to start more than seven games in a row in his young career, and at this point, it’s probably premature to write off his chances to become a legitimate NFL starter. Still, the 6-4 Jets are looking to solidify their status as contenders for the foreseeable future, and they need to know if Wilson will be part of that future or if they need to begin looking elsewhere.

New York may also need to make a decision on offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur this offseason. As Cimini writes, Wilson’s struggles are LaFleur’s struggles, and Saleh’s express acknowledgement of Wilson’s deteriorating mechanics is not a good look for LaFleur or quarterbacks coach Rob Calabrese.

“I truly believe it starts with me and ends with me, so I’ve got to figure out a way to reset [Wilson], get him back to playing fundamentally sound football and, more importantly, just consistent football, because he’s done some really good things,” LaFleur said. “But I haven’t done a good enough job to get the consistency out of him. So that starts and ends with me.”

According to Jones, the team believes Wilson has turned an emotional corner, as evidenced by the apologies he recently issued to his teammates. Whether or not he has the chance to reestablish himself on the field this year will depend in large part on White’s performance in the coming weeks.

Latest On Odell Beckham Jr.

November 27th, 2022 at 8:51am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 27: As reported previously, the first stop on Beckham’s 2022 free agent tour will be the Giants, who will host their former first-rounder on December 1 and 2 (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). OBJ will meet with the Cowboys on December 5. Rapoport confirms that Beckham will meet with the Bills as well, though it’s unclear if his Buffalo summit will come before or after his trek to Dallas.

NOVEMBER 25: There continues to be tremendous interest in free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as he plays the field to determine his new home. While many teams have been mentioned as suitors for Beckham’s talents, the progress of his recovery from two knee surgeries in as many years is still a main cause for concern with most teams, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.

Darlington goes on to quote “more than one decision maker” from around the league saying that “the assumption that Odell will be healthy enough to make an impact…has been largely overstated.” Beckham is not only having to come back from the ACL injury that ended his 2021 season, and its resultant surgery, but also a second surgery on his knee that was intended to help repair issues from the first surgery. There has been a concerning lack of reporting in regard to the progress of Beckham’s recovery, which is certainly a reasonable respect towards Beckham’s privacy concerning his health, but without any information, it becomes incredibly difficult to speculate on the outcome of Beckham’s free agency and his eventual impact on a team, old or new.

Regardless, Beckham continues to shop for a new home. Our most recent reports have divulged plans to visit the Giants then Cowboys, both considered to be the top-two contenders for Beckham’s services. It appears that Cowboys owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones had no intentions of saving his recruiting for Beckham’s in-person visit, though, as the two parties made official contact yesterday, the same day as the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day win over New York, according to Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Jones reportedly reached out to Beckham on the phone, telling reporters that he “had a good visit” and that an official in-person visit is being set up, though nothing specific has been scheduled as of yet. On what Beckham could bring to the Cowboys at receiver, Jones said, “I think Odell stands on his own as far as being able to be additive…Odell could help us. I believe that right now.”

Jones did echo the sentiments of Darlington above, though, telling the media that he “doesn’t know anything about Beckham’s health and rehab.” Not only did he stress the importance of Beckham’s health, but he also emphasized that the price has to be right. “Availability is huge,” Jones commented. “But the financial part of it is really huge, too.”

From here, it is believed that Beckham will visit his former team in New York and potentially the Bills, as well, before an in-person visit with the Cowboys. He also reportedly remains in contact with the Chiefs and Ravens as many playoff-hopeful teams look to add a strong receiver for a playoff push, provided Beckham’s readiness to return and contribute has not been overstated.

Aaron Rodgers Playing With Broken Thumb

November 27th, 2022 at 7:49am CST by Adam La Rose

NOVEMBER 27: Rodgers’ official diagnosis is an avulsion fracture, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes. Such an injury occurs when extreme force causes a ligament to rip away from its attachment and takes bone with it. Surgery is almost always the solution to an avulsion fracture, but as noted below, Rodgers is not considering surgery at this point, preferring to wait until after the season is over.

However, Tyler Dunne of GoLongTD.com suggests that if the Packers should lose to the Eagles in Week 12 and fall to 4-8, the team could place Rodgers on IR for the remainder of the campaign (Twitter link). That would allow him to get the surgery he apparently needs sooner rather than later, and it would give 2020 first-rounder Jordan Love the first extended action of his pro career.

NOVEMBER 23: Aaron Rodgers has seen the Packers struggle considerably on offense this year, and has been dealing with a notable injury for much of the campaign. He confirmed on Wednesday that he has been playing with a broken right thumb since Week 5 (Twitter link via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic).

The reigning MVP suffered the injury on the final play of Green Bay’s loss to the Giants in London. He has since continued without giving thought to missing time to let the thumb heal. Rodgers also stated that surgery is not being considered at this time or even after the campaign is over. That contrasts with Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, who missed five games after having his right thumb surgically repaired.

Rodgers indicated that he has dealt with other, more severe finger injuries over the course of his college and NFL careers. Still, the fact that it is his throwing hand which is affected is noteworthy as he continues to guide a passing attack which has been unable to find a rhythm or consistency in 2022. The four-time All-Pro insisted, however, that the injury has not been responsible for a drop in performance.

Rodgers has seen a regression across the board statistically this year, particularly compared to his MVP-winning campaigns of the past two seasons. That has been a result of a number of factors, of course, from underwhelming offensive line play to the development of the team’s highly inexperienced receiving corps. The latter will reportedly play a significant role in determining when Rodgers, 39 next month, decides to retire.

Signed to another big-money deal this past offseason – essentially a three-year, $150MM accord – Rodgers is the first and only NFL player to average more than $50MM per season. That has opened him up to increased criticism as Green Bay drifts further away from playoff contention. In the immediate future, at least, he said the added time off by virtue of playing last Thursday has helped his thumb feel better. Whether it will be enough to allow Green Bay to pull off an upset in Philadelphia will remain to be seen until Sunday.

Latest On Browns DT Perrion Winfrey

November 26th, 2022 at 9:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns entered the season with high expectations for their defensive front, but the interior of the unit has been underwhelming to date. One target of criticism has been rookie defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, who has been in and out of the lineup this season.

Winfrey’s most recent absence was last week, when he missed Cleveland’s loss to the Bills as a result of a head injury which landed him in concussion protocol. Providing more details on the matter, he said that a scooter accident was the cause of the injury, adding to his reasons for missed time in his debut season.

“I was driving around and just ran into a pole,” the 22-year-old said, via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. “Nothing crazy. I looked back to try to see if my friend was still behind me, and when I looked back I ran into the pole. Just things I’ve got to get over as a rookie. Little things here and there.”

After an impressive college career at Oklahoma, Winfrey was lauded in the build-up to the draft for his ability as a pass-rush presence in particular. He landed in Cleveland in the fourth round, and had an opportunity to carve out a role alongside the likes of Jordan Elliott, Taven Bryan and Tommy Togiai. Instead, he has struggled to get on the field, beginning with a disciplinary matter which saw him sit out in Week 2.

The 6-4, 292-pounder has also been absent as a healthy scratch and after missing time due to illness recently. Overall, he has played just 119 snaps this season, making five tackles (including one for loss). His PFF evaluation shows promise as a disruptive presence against the pass, but an overall grade of 45.6 leaves much to be desired. That has contributed in part to the team’s overall struggles in the middle, which has led to a belief that significant moves could be made in the offseason at the position.

Winfrey was cleared from the protocol on Friday, where he was a limited participant in practice. That leaves his game status up in the air for tomorrow’s contest against the Buccaneers, where the Browns will look to make up ground in the AFC Wild Card chase amidst a disappointing campaign.

Lions OC Ben Johnson Generating Head Coaching Interest?

November 26th, 2022 at 8:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Not long before the 2022 season started, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was not assured of acting as the team’s play-caller. He has operated within that role this season, and the unit’s performance has reportedly caused many around the league to take notice in him.

In a breakdown of emerging head coaching candidates, Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post names Johnson as a staffer generating considerable buzz around the league. Johnson’s Lions have been surprisingly efficient on offense, ranking in the top eight in the league in both total and scoring offense (averaging 374 yards and 25 points per game). Their pass game has been far more effective than many expected, especially with first-round rookie wideout Jameson Williams still yet to make his debut.

On the ground, Detroit has put up just shy of 130 rushing yards per game on average; that figure comes as somewhat striking given the limited usage top running back D’Andre Swift has seen as he continues to battle nagging injuries. It represents a reflection, in the eyes of many executives and evaluators, of Johnson’s creativity from a schematic standpoint – something which “quite possibly” could put him in the conversation for a HC gig as early as this coming cycle.

The 36-year-old was promoted from tight ends coach to OC this offseason as the Lions’ replacement for Anthony Lynn. It remained unclear for months after that expected decision, however, if he or head coach Dan Campbell would handle play-calling duties. The decision to give that responsibility to Johnson has paid clear dividends for Detroit, which sits at 4-7 despite fielding the league’s lowest-ranked defense. Especially when Williams is able to suit up, the degree to whish Johnson will be able to maintain the offense’s effectiveness will be worth watching as the season winds down.

A number of assistants have had their names floated around for the upcoming cycle, one in which Carolina and Indianapolis will be conducting full searches for permanent bench bosses. Other teams will likely be on the lookout for new hires as well; despite his lack of experience compared to top candidate Sean Payton, Johnson could very well be on the radar to land with one such squad this winter.

Seahawks Place WR D’Wayne Eskridge On IR

November 26th, 2022 at 7:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks are in a better place than most teams from a health perspective as they exit their bye week, but they will have one extended absence amongst their offense playmakers. Receiver D’Wayne Eskridge was placed on IR Saturday, per a team announcement.

The 25-year-old has a broken hand, and will now miss at least the next four weeks. That will mark a second consecutive year in which Eskridge has missed extended time. He dealt with a concussion as well as a toe injury in his rookie season, which also included an IR stint. He made just 10 catches in 2021, amidst the injury troubles limiting him to 10 games and the lack of a starting role at the position.

That remained the case heading into this season, but there was nevertheless optimism in the build-up to the campaign that a step forward would be coming in 2022. A hamstring injury cost the former second-rounder time in the offseason, and he has yet to emerge as a consistent contributor with seven scoreless catches. He has been a factor on special teams, though, averaging 21.4 yards on his seven kick returns this year.

Eskridge had a hugely productive final season in college, racking up 768 yards and eight touchdowns in only six games at Western Michigan. That made him a highly-touted NFL prospect, despite his 5-9, 190-pound stature. This news marks another blow to his career development, though, and adds further to an injury list the length of which is concerning given his limited time as a pro.

The Seahawks will continue with D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett at the top of their WR depth chart moving forward, though a potentially noteworthy name at the position has been elevated from the practice squad. Laquon Treadwell is set to make his Seattle debut, after he was released by the Jaguars in August and bounced around to various teams before heading to the Emerald City.

“I’m anxious to see what Treadwell does when he gets a chance,” head coach Peter Carroll said when asked about the former first-rounder. He, along with the rest of the team’s surprisingly effective passing attack will look to move the Seahawks to 7-4 on the year when they host the Raiders on Sunday.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/22

November 26th, 2022 at 4:49pm CST by Ely Allen

The league’s minor moves and standard gameday elevations for Week 12:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Bills Sign CB Xavier Rhodes To Active Roster; CB Christian Benford To IR

November 26th, 2022 at 4:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The Bills have gotten a nice surprise this season from rookie sixth-round pick Christian Benford, but with Benford headed to injured reserve, veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes has been signed to the active roster from the practice squad.

Benford stepped up early in the season for Buffalo. In a stacked position room, Benford started in place of an injured Tre’Davious White to begin the year, earning the role over first-round rookie Kaiir Elam and fifth-year cornerback Siran Neal. Elam would eventually work his way into the starting role, but Benford has remained a reliable option, starting the past two games that Elam has missed.

Despite the stacked room led by White, Dane Jackson, and nickel starter Taron Johnson and backed by Elam, Benford, and Neal, injuries have limited the production of the position group. Injury absences from White, Elam, and Benford have made it necessary to have a player like Rhodes available when needed.

Rhodes was called up for his Bills debut last week with White and Elam both on the sideline. The 32-year-old will officially join the active roster as Benford’s oblique injury threatens to keep him out for at least four games. White, who’s making his 2022 debut as he returns from last year’s ACL injury, may be on a limited snap count and, with White’s normal replacements, Elam and Benford, out, the door is open for Rhodes to make an impact in his second game of the season. The Bills will likely trot out White, Jackson, and Johnson as their starting three corners, with Rhodes and Neal close by on the sideline to fill in for White when needed.

As Rhodes leaves the practice squad, the team has added veteran former Bills wide receiver John Brown and undrafted rookie defensive tackle C.J. Brewer to their taxi squad.

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