HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Commanders To Place OT Charles Leno On IR

December 30th, 2023 at 9:01am CST by Ben Levine

Charles Leno‘s season has come to an end. The Commanders are placing the veteran offensive lineman on injured reserve, according to ESPN’s John Keim.

Leno suffered a calf injury earlier this month, forcing him to miss last weekend’s loss to the Jets. The offensive lineman had already been ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the 49ers.

The 32-year-old has spent the past three seasons in Washington, starting each of his 47 appearances. This season, Pro Football Focus has Leno graded 25th among 84 qualifying offensive tackles, and he’s earned especially high marks for his pass-blocking ability.

After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Bears, the lineman inked a one-year deal to start his tenure in Washington in 2021. Leno later inked a three-year, $37.5MM extension with the organization in 2022.

The Commanders are dealing with injuries throughout their offensive line. Center Tyler Larsen will be sidelined tomorrow with a knee injury, while right tackle Andrew Wylie is questionable with an elbow issue. If Wylie can’t go, Cornelius Lucas and Samuel Cosmi will likely fill in at OT for another week.

QB Jayden Daniels Climbing Draft Boards

December 29th, 2023 at 10:09pm CST by Ely Allen

For much of the past year, it has been a two-man race at the top of the quarterback prospect rankings for the 2024 NFL Draft, with USC’s Caleb Williams sitting at a commanding 1 and North Carolina’s Drake Maye trailing at 2. Don’t look now, but LSU quarterback, and now the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Jayden Daniels is reportedly gaining steam in the race for the top-two, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Daniels is fairly new to this conversation. The fifth-year starter spent three seasons at Arizona State before finding his way to LSU. After an impressive freshman year that saw him throw for nearly 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns to just two interceptions, COVID-19 limited Daniels and the Sun Devils to only four games in 2020, in which he would throw five touchdowns and only one interception. He would also add four scores on the ground as a sophomore, an improvement in only four games over his three-touchdown total as a freshman. His final year in Tempe saw Daniels struggle, throwing only 10 touchdowns and rushing for six, but throwing a career-high 10 interceptions.

Daniels would transfer to LSU the following year and immediately show the promise from his freshman season, with almost identical passing stats of nearly 3,000 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and three interceptions, while adding on 885 rushing yards for 11 more scores on the ground. Daniels would elevate things to a whole new level in his Heisman-winning campaign. Utilizing his extra COVID year of eligibility, Daniels returned to throw for 3,812 yards, completing 72.2 percent of his passes for an outstanding 40 touchdowns to only four picks. He elevated his rushing, too, racking up 1,134 yards for 10 more touchdowns.

Now this certainly isn’t a consensus decision, but all it takes is one team to believe in what Daniels has to offer over Maye in order to secure his status as a top draft pick in April. According to Breer, at least one NFL executive is feeling that way. Breer explains that he was tasked with determining if Daniels has a chance at all to catch Maye as the second-best quarterback in the draft.

An AFC executive replied that it’s already happened, saying, “It might be going in the opposite direction. Jayden is pulling away from Drake for me…He makes every throw, his deep accuracy is rare, he’s explosive as a runner but is a pocket passer. It’s like (Deshaun Watson).”

Others maybe weren’t ready to go that far but offered the sentiment that, even if Daniels hasn’t quite reached Maye’s level, there isn’t much separation between the two, though the quarterbacks are considered “different types of players.” An NFC executive agreed, saying that the gap is “not big anymore,” and that if a team is willing to build around his skillset, like the Colts are trying to do with Anthony Richardson, he could end up going just as early.

There are still others who don’t quite see Daniels encroaching on Maye. An AFC scout gave his evaluation, stating that he sees a floor of Dak Prescott and a ceiling of Justin Herbert for Maye, claiming he projects as a potential Pro Bowler. On the flipside, he sees Daniels as more of a system quarterback with a ceiling comparison of Jimmy Garoppolo or Kirk Cousins. That scout praises Daniels’ athleticism but doesn’t hold the same esteem for his abilities as a passer.

It’s a common argument that we’ve seen time and again. Regardless of the dissenting opinions, it appears that Daniels has done enough in Baton Rouge this year to put himself in the conversation. Once considered a likely Day 3 draft pick, Daniels is having his name tossed around with a potential top-five pick. If he keeps it up through the NFL Scouting Combine and his pro day, Daniels could end up in the top few picks among Williams and Maye.

Community Tailgate: Jets’ Future

December 29th, 2023 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

After Aaron Rodgers spent months attempting to come back from an Achilles tear earlier than anyone before him, the lofty goal of returning this season proved unreachable. The Jets activated their preferred starter from IR, and while Rodgers can keep practicing to close out the season, his next game opportunity will come in 2024.

Rodgers said following his darkness-retreat excursion this winter he was “90% retired,” but the future Hall of Fame quarterback has changed his tune since joining the Jets. Turning 40 earlier this month, Rodgers now hopes to play two more seasons. Having planned a two-year run with the Jets, the four-time MVP is planning to start that clock in 2024 — after this lost season ended four plays in. The Jets’ outlook changed at that point as well.

Pivoting back to Zach Wilson, the Jets saw their season resemble a 2022 campaign that became defined by a losing streak. The Jets tumbled out of playoff contention, partially contributing to the call to shut down Rodgers, and have now started four quarterbacks in at least two games. The team’s playoff drought doubles the longest current regular-season-only streak in the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL.

Robert Saleh will soon become the rare coach to receive a fourth season after starting his tenure with three consecutive sub-.500 showings, with Woody Johnson confirming he and fifth-year GM Joe Douglas will be given a mulligan and return in 2024. With Rodgers given significant say in organizational decisions, his recent endorsement — and rumors leading up to it — pointed to Johnson sticking with the embattled HC-GM duo. While Johnson did not mention OC Nathaniel Hackett last week, Rodgers being a long-running supporter of the struggling coordinator — after a three-year Packers partnership — looks to count for the most at this point.

Saleh still will be joining a select few in being retained after three consecutive sub-.500 seasons. Not counting interim coaches, 152 HCs have been hired since 2000. Only five have managed to last into Year 4 without a .500 season in their first three years. Here is that short list:

  • Dom Capers, Houston Texans (2002-05)
  • Mike Nolan, San Francisco 49ers (2005-08)
  • Jeff Fisher, St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams (2012-16)
  • Gus Bradley, Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-16)
  • Jon Gruden, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2018-21)

Even going back to the start of the free agency era in 1993, which seems like a decent line of demarcation for modern hiring practices, only one other HC qualifies for this exclusive club. The Bengals gave ex-Jets HC Bruce Coslet a fourth season in charge in 2000, but his three straight losing slates came after a 7-2 mark as a 1996 interim hire. No other coaches hired from 1993-99 meet the criteria, putting Saleh (and the Falcons’ Arthur Smith, should the 7-8 Falcons lose once more and he survives) in rare territory.

For all the Wilson drama to take place during Saleh’s tenure, the former 49ers DC has turned around the Jets’ defense. The team ranked last nearly across the board on that side of the ball in Saleh’s first year. By 2022, the unit had rocketed to fourth place in scoring and total defense. This season’s group has not been quite as good, sitting 16th in points allowed and seventh in total defense (but third in DVOA entering Week 17). Saleh’s defensive chops and Douglas’ ability to provide sufficient pieces — though, predecessor Mike Maccagnan brought in top front-seven pieces C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams — have been on display over the past two seasons.

Still, this year has brought a new chapter of Jets drama. Rodgers’ weekly spot on the Pat McAfee Show featured countless updates on a rehab effort that fell short, with the future Hall of Famer’s comments continually forcing Saleh to address various remarks. Rodgers also criticized the team’s culture after The Athletic’s report that indicated Wilson was hesitant to reclaim the starting role. Saleh pushed back on Rodgers’ criticism but also said he always believed Wilson was the team’s best QB option, even as he turned to the since-cut Tim Boyle for two games.

Wilson’s presence has largely defined Saleh’s tenure. The bust-in-progress is 12-21 as a starter and has been benched regularly since November 2022. The Jets handing the former No. 2 overall pick the backup job, while attempting an unusual redevelopment effort, turned out to be a mistake. But the team compounded the error by refusing to bring in a quarterback capable of unseating Wilson once Rodgers went down. Months later, the Jets rank last in offensive DVOA.

A September report pegged ownership as being behind the failure to seek a true Wilson upgrade, which led to the Trevor Siemian practice squad addition. Another report indicated the Jets did not want to add a starter-caliber veteran due to the effect it would have on Wilson. While Wilson is not expected to be part of the 2024 Jets, his three-season tenure — one Douglas greenlit despite the BYU alum’s unusual prospect profile — has been a low point in franchise history.

After another round of ongoing drama and offensive woes, the Jets will bank on a 40-year-old Rodgers bailing them out on the heels of the most significant injury of his career. Considering the ex-Packers (Hackett included) the team brought in this year, it should again be expected Rodgers will have significant personnel sway. Will that be a wise move for the Jets? Weigh in with your thoughts on Jets ownership’s decision to retain its current setup in PFR’s latest Community Tailgate.

Commanders Could Be In On USC QB Caleb Williams

December 29th, 2023 at 8:50pm CST by Ely Allen

While several items concerning the 2024 NFL Draft are still up in the air, the fact that USC quarterback Caleb Williams is considered a top prospect seems to have been set in stone for a little over a year now. With plenty of speculation leading into the new calendar year, Dan Graziano of ESPN reports that “there’s some thought around the league that Washington is very interested in Caleb Williams.”

Now, Williams is a popular bet to be the first name called in the draft as the No. 1 overall selection, a pick that the Commanders (4-11) are not currently in the position to make. That pick is currently owned by the Bears, who are in possession of the Panthers’ (2-13) first round selection. Carolina does not have the league’s worst record wrapped up, though. The Cardinals (3-12) could lose out and take the top spot should Carolina win a game. If Carolina wins out and Arizona wins a game, the Commanders and Patriots (4-11) could lose out and create a logjam at 4-13.

In the case that all four teams end up with the same record, the first tiebreaker is based on strength of schedule, with the team possessing the weakest strength of schedule getting the highest draft pick. Currently, the Commanders hold the weakest strength of schedule of those four teams, but with remaining games against the 49ers and Cowboys (the strongest remaining schedule in the league), that could change. Still, Washington holds an outside shot at possessing the top draft selection naturally.

If that doesn’t pan out, though, the Commanders could still attempt to acquire the pick in a trade. We saw the Panthers give up a bundle in order to obtain the top draft pick just last year. That bundle included a top player (D.J. Moore), two first-round picks (2023 & 2024), and two second-round picks (2023 & 2025). A similar bundle would be necessary in order for Washington to move up, though trading another top-five pick could help sweeten the pot on its own. The Commanders traded away a couple of top defenders in Montez Sweat and Chase Young before the deadline, so they’ve stocked up a few assets that they could deploy if necessary.

The bigger question comes with the team’s current quarterback situation. It was initially thought that the picks acquired in the above-mentioned trades would be used to build around second-year passer Sam Howell, whom most tabbed as the team’s next franchise quarterback. A month and a half later, though, and Howell has now been benched in two straight contests in favor of veteran Jacoby Brissett.

It’s become the popular opinion that Washington will be pursuing an addition to their quarterbacks room in the offseason. Many have called to watch the final two weeks of the regular season as an indicator for Howell’s future. Well, with Brissett set to start in Week 17, we may be seeing the end of Howell’s opportunity in Washington.

Enter Williams. A native of Washington, D.C., Williams has nearly guaranteed that he will be the top passer off the board, if not the top player off the board. It seems like, given the available options, the Commanders could certainly be all in on Williams given the chance. If Washington is unable to obtain the top pick and Williams is selected before they have a chance to draft him, North Carolina quarterback, and Howell’s former college teammate, Drake Maye would likely be the next top quarterback available in the draft, creating an interesting scenario in its own right.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/23

December 29th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

Badgley has officially been tabbed as the leg to depend on for the remainder of the season as well as for the Lions’ first playoff run since 2016. Detroit waived Riley Patterson two weeks ago, allowing Badgley to stake his claim on the job once again.

The Cabinda departure is a little surprising, considering the Lions just utilized one of their injured reserve activations on the former linebacker yesterday. Because of that investment, it would make sense to see Cabinda return to Detroit on a practice squad deal here in the next few days.

NFC Notes: Gannon, Allen, Campbell, Saints

December 29th, 2023 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jonathan Gannon‘s Eagles exit brought a tampering penalty against the Cardinals, who made impermissible contact with their new head coach during the offseason. New Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort reached out to Gannon shortly after the NFC championship game, after the two-year Eagles DC expressed a desire to stay in Philadelphia. Gannon did not tell the Eagles about Ossenfort’s pre-Super Bowl call or his intention to interview with the Cardinals, according to ESPN.com’s Tim McManus. This affected Philly’s timing regarding Vic Fangio, who was perhaps this offseason’s most coveted coordinator.

A consultant with the Eagles last season, Fangio was well-liked and became the team’s choice to succeed Gannon as DC. Fangio all but confirmed the timing involving Gannon led him out of town. Before Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles had expected to retain Gannon, McManus adds. When Ossenfort was in Tennessee, he put Gannon’s name on a short list of possible HCs — in the event he landed a GM job. A Jan. 29 report indicated Fangio would accept the Dolphins’ DC offer; he was officially hired Feb. 2. The Cardinals’ Gannon interview request did not emerge until Feb. 12. By that point, the Eagles were aiming to retain Gannon after Fangio had bolted. With the Eagles having demoted their new DC — Sean Desai — and given Matt Patricia play-calling duties, Gannon’s Philly return this week will be interesting.

Here is the latest from the NFC:

  • Listing Jonathan Allen as a player he expects to be traded during the 2024 offseason, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the Commanders defensive tackle is not eager to go through another rebuild. Allen made his views on that matter fairly well known recently, after the team traded Montez Sweat and Chase Young. A losing streak commenced soon after, and Ron Rivera and Martin Mayhew are expected to be fired. Teams asked about Allen at the deadline, and while the Commanders resisted, new owner Josh Harris‘ involvement in the Sweat and Young deals showed an openness to stockpiling draft capital. Allen’s four-year, $72MM extension runs through 2025. It would cost Washington $18MM in dead money to trade Allen before June 1, so it would stand to take a nice offer to pry the seventh-year veteran from D.C.
  • The Giants have phased Parris Campbell out of their receiver rotation, going as far as to make him a healthy scratch in each of the past three games. Campbell signed a one-year, $4.7MM deal in free agency, with The Athletic’s Dan Duggan noting he is losing out on $100K per-game roster bonuses with these scratches. As the Giants emphasize bigger roles for younger wideouts Wan’Dale Robinson and Jalin Hyatt, Campbell is preparing to leave in free agency come March. “When I came here, did I think things would be different? Of course,” Campbell said, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “… During free agency, the market was kind of slow for receivers, but the Giants gave me an opportunity — and that’s all I want. This coming offseason, whoever is interested in me and wants to give me an opportunity, I’ll take it.” After three injury-plagued seasons, Campbell has stayed mostly healthy over his past two. The ex-Colts second-rounder, however, has 20 receptions for just 104 yards this year.
  • It is unlikely Marshon Lattimore and Michael Thomas return this season, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Lattimore suffered a significant ankle injury and has missed the past five Saints games. Thomas stayed healthier this year than he has since the 2010s, but the former All-Pro wideout has also missed New Orleans’ past five contests. Thomas, who may well be in his final weeks as a Saint, is down with a knee injury.
  • Six teams put in waiver claims on linebacker Christian Elliss, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. The Patriots won out. Had Elliss not garnered any claims, the Eagles wanted to bring him back on their practice squad. A 2021 Eagles UDFA, Elliss had led the team in special teams snaps at the time of his exit earlier this month.

Bills Audition T La’el Collins

December 29th, 2023 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Off the grid for a while after multiple October workouts, La’el Collins has resurfaced. The Bills brought in the veteran blocker for a Friday workout, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This is close to being a lost season for Collins, who may end up attempting to follow in Jimmy Graham and Odell Beckham Jr.‘s footsteps by skipping a season and returning the following year. The Bengals released Collins from their reserve/PUP list in September, and while several teams checked on the experienced tackle, no deal emerged. The Jets and Giants met with Collins in October.

Collins’ ACL and MCL tears occurred in Week 16 of last season. Prior to that, he was Cincinnati’s unquestioned starter at right tackle. The Cowboys used Collins as such from 2017-19 and again, following a missed season, in 2021. After the Cowboys had extended Collins twice, they made him a 2021 post-June 1 cut. The Bengals swooped in, giving Collins a three-year, $21MM deal in 2022. But they were not too thrilled about their investment. The team shifted course in March, giving Orlando Brown Jr. a $16MM-per-year deal and kicking Jonah Williams to the right side.

Buffalo has Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown in place at tackle, with rookie Ryan Van Demark as the swingman. The team just waived veteran Germain Ifedi, who had resided on the roster all season. Ifedi, however, did not see any action for the Bills this year. Neither Dawkins nor Brown have missed any time this season; in what has thus far been a clean year for Buffalo’s tackles, Van Demark has only played 37 offensive snaps.

On the verge of sitting out his age-30 season, Collins has 86 starts on his resume. He added three more in the playoffs. A team could look to bring in Collins as a practice squad stash ahead of the postseason. Barring that, the eight-year veteran is close to needing to regroup and aim to catch on during unrestricted free agency next year.

Jaguars Rule Out QB Trevor Lawrence For Week 17

December 29th, 2023 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trevor Lawrence has played through knee and high ankle sprains this season, and the former No. 1 overall pick navigated concussion protocol to return last week. But the Jaguars quarterback’s iron-man start to his career will stop Sunday.

The Jags ruled out their starter for their Week 17 game against the Panthers. Lawrence is battling a sprained AC joint that forced him out of a Week 16 blowout loss to the Buccaneers. Despite the Jags’ recent swoon, they will not rush their franchise QB back to work. C.J. Beathard will take the reins against Carolina.

This comes at a crucial point for Jacksonville, which has lost its past three games to drop to 8-7 and into a three-way tie for first place in the AFC South. The losses have come after Lawrence suffered an ugly-looking injury against the Bengals, and while he made a surprising recovery in time to play through that high ankle sprain, his performance has suffered since that Monday-night sequence. The Bucs ran up a big lead on the Jags before Lawrence left the game due to his new shoulder injury.

Lawrence, 24, never missed a game due to injury at Clemson, either. The 2021 top pick missed two contests as a junior due to COVID-19. This AC joint issue will stop his 49-start streak in the NFL. Lawrence has not practiced this week. The Jags will rely on Beathard, in his third season with the team, to keep them afloat in the AFC playoff race.

While the much-hyped young talent has enjoyed moments that remind of his draft stock this season, it has not brought the breakthrough many expected. The Jaguars handing the play-calling reins to OC Press Taylor, after Doug Pederson called the shots last season, has produced a slight dip — from 10th to 13th — in both total and scoring offense. DVOA slots the Jags’ offense 15th; Lawrence ranks 13th in QBR. The 6-foot-6 signal-caller has thrown 12 interceptions and ranks third among QBs this season with 12 fumbles; he lost seven of those. Eight of Lawrence’s 19 turnovers have come in the past three games.

The Jaguars will have the opportunity to extend Lawrence in 2024, but with the fifth-year option allowing them to push his rookie contract through 2025, it is possible the team could press pause due to his rocky third season. Lawrence will still enter the 2024 season as the unquestioned Jags QB1, but the team has not taken off like many assumed it would following a late-season surge that culminated with the 27-point playoff rally.

Beathard, 30, has signed two contracts with the Jags. The Urban Meyer-year investment re-signed — on a two-year, $4.5MM deal — this offseason. The former third-round pick has not made a start since Week 17 of the 2020 season, a 273-yard showing in a narrow 49ers loss to the Seahawks. For his career, Beathard has made 12 starts; the 49ers went 2-10 in those games. He is a career 59.9% passer (6.9 yards per attempt).

Not only is Beathard now a central figure in the Jaguars’ hopes to repeat as division champions for the first time since the late 1990s, the 2-13 Panthers suddenly have a better chance to win — a development that could affect the 2024 draft order.

Bengals Activate CB Cam Taylor-Britt Off IR

December 29th, 2023 at 1:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 29: Taylor-Britt will be available for the Bengals-Chiefs matchup. Cincinnati activated the second-year cornerback off IR on Friday. This marked the first week Taylor-Britt could come off IR; the Bengals still have five IR activations left.

DECEMBER 27: Still in the playoff picture despite losing Joe Burrow more than a month ago, the Bengals likely need to win their final two games to secure their third straight postseason berth. They will hope to have one of their starting cornerbacks available for those contests.

Cam Taylor-Britt is returning to practice Wednesday. The second-year corner has been on IR for the past four weeks; an ankle injury has cost him five games since late November. The Bengals saw some second-season promise from the former second-round pick, and they will see if he is ready to return for their Week 17 tilt against the Chiefs.

This ankle injury marked Taylor-Britt’s second IR stint of his short career. The Nebraska product started his rookie season on IR due to a core muscle injury, but the team made him a starter shortly after he debuted. Taylor-Britt has started 19 of the 20 NFL games he has played, working as a first-stringer in Cincinnati’s three playoff games last year. The Bengals have taken a step back in pass defense this season, ranking 28th, and are coming off a game in which the Mason Rudolph–George Pickens combination erupted for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

Taylor-Britt intercepted four passes before going on IR. While the Bengals have not replaced Jessie Bates effectively at safety, they are fairly deep at corner. The team has Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie on veteran contracts and used a first-round pick on DJ Turner last year. Pro Football Focus has the latter ranked outside the top 100, however. Despite Taylor-Britt’s four thefts, PFF slots him 83rd overall. A poor run-defense grade is chiefly responsible for Taylor-Britt’s placement. Indeed, Taylor-Britt has dropped his passer rating-against number considerably in Year 2; prior to his IR stint, the 5-foot-11 defender allowed a collective 75.1 rating as the closest defender.

With Burrow now the NFL’s highest-paid player, Taylor-Britt and Turner represent important pieces in the long term. Both 2022 draftees can be kept on rookie contracts through the 2025 season. Awuzie is playing out a contract year, while Hilton is signed through 2024. Awuzie, who returned from an ACL tear this season, had lost his job to Turner midway through the campaign. But the ex-Cowboys regular returned to a first-string role once Taylor-Britt went down.

The Bengals are close to having their top four corner options available, but at 8-7, they are still a long shot to book a playoff berth. ESPN’s FPI gives Cincy an 18.9% chance to qualify.

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