HEADLINES

Month: January 2023

Commanders To Start QB Sam Howell In Week 18

January 4th, 2023 at 12:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

12:35pm: It will actually be Howell who gets the call. The Commanders announced the rookie will make his NFL debut and start against the Cowboys. Considering Wentz’s status and Heinicke near free agency, it certainly makes sense for Washington to see what it has in Howell. The 6-foot-1 signal-caller served as North Carolina’s starter for three seasons.

8:30am: Carson Wentz‘s three-interception showing in Week 17 looks like it will be his final appearance with the Commanders. The team plans to pivot back to Taylor Heinicke for its season finale, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

The Commanders made their benching of Heinicke official a week ago, dusting off Wentz ahead of what became a must-win game against the Browns. Wentz struggled but played throughout in a game that eliminated Washington from the playoff race. Heinicke retaking the reins looks to signal the Commanders are again open for business at quarterback.

In addition to Heinicke being reinstated as Washington’s starter, Fowler adds rookie Sam Howell is expected to see action. Washington chose Howell in the fifth round of this year’s draft, and although Wentz’s injury made the North Carolina product Heinicke’s backup for much of this season, the first-year passer has not seen game action. The Commanders will take a look at a player who was not expected to fall to the fifth round.

For Wentz, it looks like he will be on the move for a third consecutive offseason. Both the Colts and Commanders traded for Wentz; each took on his Eagles-constructed contract. It should not be expected another team will do the same this year. Wentz’s $32MM-per-year deal runs through 2024 and calls for a $20MM base salary in 2023. The Commanders would save $26.2MM by releasing Wentz, taking on no dead money in the process.

Given the noise coming out of Indianapolis following a Wentz-piloted collapse in Week 18 of last season, it was surprising when the Commanders gave up two Day 2 draft choices and swapped second-round picks with the Colts to acquire him last March. Washington taking on his full contract also proved surprising, but the team had done extensive homework on the former No. 2 overall pick. Wentz did throw 10 touchdown passes in his first five games with the Commanders and did not have the chance to play with promising rookies Jahan Dotson and Brian Robinson sharing the field. He did have that chance last week but could not come through against the Browns.

Wentz went 16-for-28 against the Browns; the three-INT performance was his first such outing since the 2018 season. The North Dakota State product had shown flashes in both the 2019 and ’21 seasons, leading a shorthanded Eagles team to the 2019 playoffs and finishing last season with a 27-7 TD-INT ratio and a top-10 QBR finish. The broken finger Wentz suffered in Week 6 sidetracked his sixth NFL season. By the time the Commanders activated him from IR, Heinicke had replaced him. There is a good chance Wentz, who turned 30 last week, will be a free agent for the first time fairly soon.

Despite lacking Wentz’s talent, Heinicke helped turn the Commanders’ season around. They went from 1-4 to 7-5 during the former UDFA’s run of starts, but the Old Dominion alum’s surge began to fade come December. The Commanders have not won a game since Nov. 27. Heinicke has completed 62.2% of his passes, with his 7.2 yards-per-attempt number outpacing Wentz’s (6.4). Heinicke, 29, is set to be an unrestricted free agent in March.

Howell left North Carolina following his junior season, and ESPN slotted him as its No. 50 overall prospect. Howell, who had generated first-round buzz during his underclassman years, fell to No. 144 overall. From 2019-20, Howell combined for 68 touchdown passes compared to just 14 interceptions. Seeing a Tar Heel talent exodus ahead of his junior year, Howell saw his numbers dip a bit (24 TD passes, nine INTs, career-low 3,056 yards) in 2021. The Commanders will begin to see what this developmental season has unearthed; Howell’s rookie contract runs through 2025.

Regardless of Howell’s performance, it seems Ron Rivera‘s team will be in the market for another new starter soon. The Commanders were linked to a handful of this year’s passers, even making a three-first-rounder offer for Russell Wilson. The team that has started six Week 1 passers over the past six seasons appears headed for another new signal-caller come September.

Eagles Designate C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Robert Quinn For Return

January 4th, 2023 at 12:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

After back-to-back losses that have kept them from locking up the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Eagles will have some reinforcements in Week 18. Both C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Robert Quinn may be back in uniform.

The Eagles designated the veteran defenders for return Wednesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Both will be eligible to suit up against the Giants, should the Eagles activate them ahead of the Saturday deadline.

A lacerated kidney sidelined Gardner-Johnson back in November. Despite going down in Week 12, the late-summer trade acquisition remains tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. The Eagles have options with Gardner-Johnson upon return.

Having used the former Saint as a safety before his injury, the Eagles could deploy Gardner-Johnson in the slot. Avonte Maddox suffered a significant toe injury in Week 16. Considering Gardner-Johnson worked as New Orleans’ top slot corner for multiple seasons, Philadelphia has a quality backup plan. This will be a key stretch for Gardner-Johnson, but he has already proven to be a fit with his new team. The fourth-year DB’s rookie contract expires after this season.

Philly’s pass rush has hummed along without Quinn, but the midseason trade piece can provide some rotational assistance for the league’s sack leaders. Quinn, 32, has not missed quite as much time as Gardner-Johnson, undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in early December. The Eagles had the thrice-traded edge rusher ticketed for a late-season return, and it looks like Quinn is close to being ready to go.

The Eagles have registered 68 sacks this season — 39 more than they totaled in 2021. That number is close to a long-held NFL record. In the season prior to the Bears’ 18-1 rampage to Super Bowl XX, their 46 defense compiled 72 sacks. Although the Eagles have the benefit of an extra game, they have a chance to eclipse that 38-year-old mark against the Giants. Four Eagles — Haason Reddick, Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham — have surpassed the 10-sack threshold. Quinn does not yet have a sack as an Eagle and has just one this season, but the situational rusher did flash pass-rushing potency last year by tallying a career-high 18.5 sacks. That number also broke a 1984 Bears standard, with Richard Dent having held it. As the playoffs near, the Eagles will hope some of Quinn’s 2021 form remains.

Three IR activations remain for the Eagles, but Gardner-Johnson and Quinn represent the 13-3 team’s top two return chips. While it is unknown when Maddox will play again this season, the fifth-year cornerback is not on IR. That gives the Eagles some flexibility as they aim for their second No. 1 seed in six seasons.

Dolphins To Add QB Mike Glennon

January 4th, 2023 at 9:44am CST by Sam Robinson

Mike McDaniel indicated the Dolphins were looking around for quarterback help, as Tua Tagovailoa remains in concussion protocol. The team settled on a veteran option Wednesday morning.

The Dolphins signed Mike Glennon to their practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will be Glennon’s first gig this season. The former third-round pick has been in free agency since his Giants deal expired.

Tagovailoa is expected to miss the Dolphins’ regular-season finale this week, and McDaniel said the team needed to have both Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson healthy entering the Jets rematch. Bridgewater has left both his Dolphins starts, most recently coming out because of a dislocated pinkie. McDaniel clarified Bridgewater did not suffer a broken finger against the Patriots, increasing his chances of being in uniform against the Jets.

Miami’s starting quarterback against New York remains unknown, however. The team is not putting a timetable on Tagovailoa’s return, though a report this past weekend indicated the third-year passer is targeting a potential wild-card game for a return. To secure their first playoff berth in six years, the Dolphins must beat the Jets and see the Bills beat the Patriots.

Glennon, 33, has become one of this period’s premier journeymen. The Dolphins will be his seventh team, and this agreement will complete the Florida cycle for the former North Carolina State starter. Glennon has not been with the same team in consecutive seasons since his Buccaneers rookie deal expired after the 2016 campaign. The 6-foot-7 passer has been with the Bears, Cardinals, Raiders, Jaguars and Giants over the past five seasons.

Forced into action by a Daniel Jones injury last year, Glennon struggled. He completed a career-low 53.9% of his passes and finished his four-start slate with four touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. While Glennon was not the triggerman for the Giants’ infamous quarterback sneaks near their own goal line, he is 0-9 over the past two years as a starter. Glennon also underwent wrist surgery in January 2022. A Bridgewater deactivation would likely mean Glennon becomes Thompson’s backup for Week 18, as the Dolphins do not have any other QBs on their practice squad.

Cowboys To Waive WR James Washington

January 4th, 2023 at 8:52am CST by Sam Robinson

James Washington is heading to the waiver wire for the first time. The Cowboys are cutting their offseason pickup, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Dallas’ evolving wide receiver cast now includes T.Y. Hilton, who has overtaken Washington and served as a Dak Prescott auxiliary target in recent weeks. Washington has not played since Week 15; Hilton’s debut led to the younger wideout being a healthy scratch for the past two games. The former Steelers second-round pick will be available to the league’s other 31 teams soon.

The Cowboys signed Washington, 26, to a one-year deal worth just more than $1MM this offseason, taking a flier on the former Steelers contributor. But a broken foot sustained during training camp changed Dallas’ plans. Washington did not make his season debut until Week 14. He has played just 15 offensive snaps this season, catching zero passes.

Although the endlessly rumored Cowboys-Odell Beckham Jr. partnership has not come to fruition, the team added Hilton in December. The 11th-year veteran has emerged early in his Dallas tenure, catching five passes — one on a third-and-30 to help the Cowboys past the Eagles — for 102 yards in his first two games. The third-leading receiver in Colts history, Hilton has fit in alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. It looks like that setup will continue into the postseason, with Beckham still a free agent and Washington headed to the wire.

Chosen 60th overall in 2018, Washington did not catch on in Pittsburgh the way many Day 2 receivers have over the past several years. Following a 735-yard 2019 season spent mostly catching passes from ex-Oklahoma State teammate Mason Rudolph, Washington saw his playing time diminish. The Steelers selected Chase Claypool in the second round of the 2020 draft and bumped him ahead of Washington later that year. Even as JuJu Smith-Schuster missed most of the 2021 season, Washington was unable to carve out a major role. He caught 24 passes for 285 yards last season.

Dallas made Washington and Jalen Tolbert its top two outside receiver investments this offseason; Tolbert has two receptions thus far. In addition to Hilton, sixth-year Cowboy Noah Brown has stepped in as a tertiary target for the team. Brown’s 545 receiving yards sit second among Cowboys this season.

Latest On Broncos’ HC Search

January 3rd, 2023 at 10:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Barring the team needing to move to second-tier candidates, it does not appear the Broncos’ new ownership contingent wants to put a first-timer in charge. The team continues to be connected to experienced candidates, Albert Breer of SI.com notes.

Denver tried rookie HCs Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio and Nathaniel Hackett since 2017; the team has finished under .500 in each campaign. The Broncos entered Joseph’s debut without having finished with back-to-back losing seasons since the early 1970s. The team’s new ownership has some big names on its docket to attempt a turnaround.

Jim Harbaugh and Sean Payton are indeed atop the Broncos’ wish list, according to 9News’ Mike Klis. The popular duo may receive more than one offer, and this disastrous season has dinged Denver’s stock. The team has been connected to each throughout this process, and it is moving forward with plans to interview Harbaugh. The Panthers have already spoken with the Michigan HC, however, and the Colts have been linked to a run at bringing the former QB back to Indianapolis. Pursuits of Harbaugh and Payton will be competitive, and both are likely to be choosey.

Should the Rob Walton-fronted ownership group not land its home run hire, Klis adds Dan Quinn should probably be considered next on the team’s list. Quinn has a longstanding relationship with GM George Paton, dating back to when the two worked with the Dolphins in the mid-2000s. The Dallas DC, however, was a finalist for the Denver job last year. It would be interesting to see if Quinn would go through another round of Broncos interviews, considering the team hired Hackett — now one of just three coaches since the 1970 merger to be fired before the end of their first season — over him.

The other name initially connected to the Broncos — Frank Reich — may not be in the running any longer, Klis adds. This would represent a quick trigger from the team’s new search committee, which is headed by CEO Greg Penner, considering interviews have not yet begun. Reich wants to be a head coach in 2023 and is a respected offensive mind, but he does not appear to be especially high on the Broncos’ early list. It will be interesting to see if this changes, depending on how the Harbaugh and/or Payton pursuits go.

The next Broncos HC, who will report directly to Penner, should be expected to be given full autonomy to assemble his staff. This would put Ejiro Evero on unsteady terrain. A holdover coordinator might be a tad unrealistic, but in the event the Broncos prioritize defensive continuity, Klis adds Evero’s contract runs beyond 2022. Paton said the team wishes to interview Evero, despite his close relationship with Hackett leading him to turn down the team’s offer.

Dolphins DC Josh Boyer On Hot Seat?

January 3rd, 2023 at 9:45pm CST by Ben Levine

The Dolphins have dropped five straight and find themselves out of the postseason picture, a major disappointment for an organization that was looking to take a step forward this season. Heads will surely roll if Miami fails to qualify for the playoffs, and a source told Armando Salguero of Outkick.com that defensive coordinator Josh Boyer could be a casualty.

Boyer’s job status could somewhat be connected to that of Mike McDaniel, with Salguero noting that if the head coach survives the offseason, then there’s no guarantee Boyer sticks in his position. Boyer was a holdover from Brian Flores’ staff, so it wouldn’t be surprising if McDaniel looks to shake things up with his own defensive coordinator. Even then, if McDaniel is canned following the season, there’s little chance Boyer would manage to stick around with a third head coach.

Boyer joined the NFL coaching ranks with the Patriots, where he worked his way up from defensive assistant to cornerbacks coach. He joined Flores in Miami in 2019 and earned the title of defensive pass game coordinator, and he was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2020. After ranking top-1o in points allowed during his first season at the helm, the Dolphins dropped to 16th in 2021 and 27th this season. The defense has been especially bad during the team’s current streak; after allowing around 23 points per game during their 8-3 start, opponents have averaged more than 30 points per game during the active five-game losing streak.

The defensive coordinator’s fate will be one of many decisions for Dolphins executives to make in anticipation of the offseason. Salguero explored the job security of McDaniel in particular, with the writer wondering if the coach has done enough to prevent the organization from pursuing someone like Sean Payton. The Dolphins will also have to make a decision on Tua Tagovailoa, with Salguero noting that owner Stephen Ross would be interested in Aaron Rodgers if the veteran QB was willing to play in Miami.

Latest On Dre Greenlaw, 49ers Injuries

January 3rd, 2023 at 8:26pm CST by Ben Levine

A pair of 49ers players suffered injuries during Week 17, but it sounds like the organization got good news on the duo. Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that guard Aaron Banks and linebacker Dre Greenlaw won’t miss much time with their respective injuries.

“As bad as both of them (injuries) looked, (we) didn’t know if it would be for the whole season or not,” Shanahan said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “Feel like we got some good news on that so far.”

Brooks is dealing with ankle and knee sprains that will force him to miss the regular season finale, but the offensive lineman is expected to be back for San Francisco’s first playoff game. The 2021 second-round pick has settled into a starting role for the 49ers this season, starting all 16 of his appearances. Pro Football Focus ranks Brooks 40th among 79 qualifying offensive guards, with the site giving him particularly good grades for his pass-blocking ability.

Greenlaw exited Sunday’s win over the Raiders with a back injury, and while the player still hasn’t gotten a full evaluation, he’s not expected to miss a whole lot of time. After being limited to only three games in 2021, Greenlaw has stormed back this year, leading the 49ers with 127 tackles. PFF ranks Greenlaw seventh among 84 qualifying linebackers, including a top-five mark in coverage.

Elsewhere on the injury front, Shanahan recently revealed that defensive tackle Kevin Givens should be back for the start of the playoffs, per Maiocco on Twitter. The defensive lineman hasn’t played since suffering a knee injury in Week 14.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/3/23

January 3rd, 2023 at 7:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Latest On Damar Hamlin, Bills-Bengals

January 3rd, 2023 at 6:41pm CST by Adam La Rose

6:41pm: Hamlin is on a ventilator, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard’s Matt Parrino, who spoke with Hamlin’s uncle, Dorrian Glenn. However, it is believed Hamlin’s breathing is improving, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson adds (Twitter links).

Hamlin needed to be resuscitated twice — once on the field and once after he arrived at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center — according to ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey, who also spoke with Glenn (Twitter link). Lung damage is a concern, per Harvey, but Glenn added (via Parrino) his nephew is only using 50% of the ventilator Tuesday. He needed 100% of the ventilator’s oxygen Monday. Hamlin remains sedated, Cameron Wolfe of NFL.com tweets.

Further updates to the situation will be provided as they become available.

9:01am: All attention around the NFL continues to be focused on the well-being of Bills safety Damar Hamlin after he went into cardiac arrest during last night’s game between the Bills and Bengals. The early hours of Tuesday morning provided further clarification on the way the incident was handled.

Hamlin, 24, received care on the field which included CPR after he collapsed immediately following a tackle made on Bengals wideout Tee Higgins. That, as noted by a team announcement, restored his heartbeat before he was ultimately loaded directly into an ambulance and taken to hospital. He has since been intubated and, as of the latest update, remains sedated and in critical condition.

The situation left the NFL, NFLPA, on-field officials and both teams in need of making a determination with respect to how to proceed (if at all) with the game. While the ESPN broadcast mentioned the potential of a five-minute warmup period being given to each squad before resuming the contest, NFL EVP Troy Vincent denied that such a scenario was ever in consideration.

“There was no time period for the players to get warmed up,” Vincent said on a conference call (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). “It never crossed our mind to talk about warming up to resume play. That’s ridiculous. That’s insensitive. That’s not a place we should ever be in.”

Indeed, the contest was temporarily suspended, and later postponed in the wake of Hamlin’s uncertain condition. After a number of players and staff members from both teams visited the hospital where he is receiving treatment, it was initially reported that some Bills players would remain in Cincinnati instead of returning home. Further clarification from Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News confirms, however, that the team has traveled in full back to Buffalo (Twitter link).

As they and the rest of the NFL await further updates on Hamlin’s status, the matter of potentially resuming the game has been brought up. On the aforementioned conference call, NFL EVP of communications Jeff Miller said (via the Ringer’s Lindsay Jones, on Twitter) that that is “not a consideration right now.” While such a stance is certainly understandable in the aftermath of last night’s frightening events, the Buffalo-Cincinnati contest carries significant playoff implications for both teams. The situation is further complicated by the relation of its outcome to other AFC games set to be played this Sunday as the regular season is scheduled to come to a close.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/23

January 3rd, 2023 at 6:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

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