Injury Updates: Taylor, Eagles, Morse, McCoy
Early in Saturday’s historic loss to the Vikings, the Colts saw star running back Jonathan Taylor leave the game without tallying a single carry. Tests showed that Taylor suffered a sprained ankle, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and while it was considered “nothing major,” it was enough to keep Taylor out for the remainder of the game.
In Taylor’s absence, in-season trade acquisition Zack Moss took over as the team’s lead back, assisted by Deon Jackson. Both put forth good performances for the rest of the contest, combining for 136 rushing yards on 37 carries.
With the Colts on the brink of elimination from postseason contention at 4-9-1, it’s not very surprising that Taylor didn’t risk his long-term health to return. Now the question arises of whether or not interim head coach Jeff Saturday and company will bring back Taylor at all for the rest of the season. If there’s no hope for a playoff run, will Indianapolis want to risk the long-term health of one of its keystone players or will it ride Moss and Jackson for the rest of the year?
Here are a few more injury updates from this weekend, starting with a player who didn’t even get to make an appearance:
- Some were expecting to see Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert return from injury this week against the Bears, but ultimately, Philadelphia did not activate him. According to Schefter, Goedert is still expected to return from the injury soon, but “it’s not expected to be until next” week’s division game in Dallas. The Eagles will be excited to have their starting tight end back after relying on Jack Stoll and rookie sixth-round pick Grant Calcaterra for the past five games.
- The Bills continued to take hits to their interior offensive line today after starting center Mitch Morse was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Backup guard Greg Van Roten, who was already filling in at right guard for an injured Ryan Bates, moved to center following Morse’s departure with backup offensive tackle David Quessenberry filling the empty slot at right guard. There is reason for concern due to Morse’s history with concussions. Back in 2020, it was reported he had suffered his fifth career concussion. It’s unclear if he’s suffered any since then, but the extensive history of brain trauma should not be taken lightly by the Bills training staff.
- Another team that had to dig deep into the depth chart due to concussions, the Cardinals saw quarterback Colt McCoy leave today’s loss to the Broncos with a concussion. McCoy was slated to fill in for the remainder of the season after Kyler Murray‘s torn ACL, so with McCoy out, Arizona turned to third-string quarterback Trace McSorley. McSorley struggled in the loss, completing less than 50-percent of his passes and throwing two interceptions, but the Cardinals didn’t have another option. The team recently signed David Blough off of the Vikings practice squad but did not have him available for today’s game. Already eliminated from playoff contention at 4-10, there’s no reason for Arizona to rush anyone back from injury. If McCoy cannot be cleared by their Christmas night matchup with the Buccaneers, McSorley and Blough will be in line to lead the team from under center.
NFL Urges Patience In Firing Coaches, Executives
It’s become an annual tradition in the NFL known as Black Monday. The day after the regular season concludes, teams who are upset with the result of their season in one way or another will part ways with head coaches, assistant coaches, or team executives. The carnage isn’t reserved only for Black Monday, though. All throughout the season coaches and other staff are in danger of losing their jobs if it is deemed they have underperformed. 
Today the NFL informed team owners that the league’s 32 franchises have combined to spend $800MM on fired coaches and front-office executives over the last five years, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The message was delivered with an intent and was certainly strategically timed. The league is imploring teams to exercise patience “with the hopes of trying to cut back on the massive expense of firing people in key, high-profile positions.” The timing of the message was strategically in the weeks leading up to the close of the regular season, when team ownership and decision-makers are starting to formulate how they’d like to attack the offseason.
Each team was provided with spreadsheets detailing employees the team has fired and the resulting costs to the team for each termination. The league wants teams see the unnecessary expenses incurred by instability and the exact cost for the employees they had paid for services that were no longer being rendered. These details were delivered in hopes that each franchise will heavily consider these numbers as they contemplate making significant changes to their staffs in the offseason.
The Giants are a notable example of this. New York is currently paying three different head coaches this season. Pat Shurmur was fired nearly three years ago only two years into a five-year deal. Two years later, the team fired Joe Judge, who also only coached two years into a five-year contract. Both are still receiving paychecks from the Giants, who now employ Brian Daboll as their head coach.
Last year saw nine teams part ways with their head coaches: the Bears, Broncos, Texans, Jaguars, Raiders, Dolphins, Vikings, Saints, and Giants. Five franchises, four of them listed above, found themselves looking for new general managers, as well: the Bears, Raiders, Vikings, Giants, and Steelers. On average, the league sees about seven head-coaching changes each year.
So far this season, two head coaches have lost their jobs. Former Panthers head coach Matt Rhule was fired only three years into a seven-year, $62MM contract. Former Colts head coach Frank Reich also was terminated with four years remaining on his current contract, leaving approximately $36MM to be paid. Additionally, the Titans have fired general manager Jon Robinson with four years left on his deal.
With these gaudy numbers adding up before the offseason has even approached, it’s easy to see why the league is preaching patience. The real question is: will anyone listen? Fanbases don’t care how much a team has to spend in order to move towards success. If team decision-makers are convinced that a change in leadership is necessary to improve their chances for success, is a penny-pinching memo from the league office really going to stop them?
History and reason predict that the answer to that question is “no.” If this turns out to be an average year, we have about five more head coach firings coming our way. No telling how many teams will discover a need for changes in the front office, as well. The NFL may not want it, but one assumes that Black Monday is as inevitable as ever.
Free Agent Stock Watch: David Montgomery
Bears running back David Montgomery will soon experience the challenges of a free agent running back in today’s NFL. A third-round draft pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Montgomery is currently in a contract year for a team that may not have reason to commit to him long-term. The final few games of the season could determine how the next stage of Montgomery’s career plays out. 
Montgomery entered this season as the Bears’ No. 1 running back with backup Khalil Herbert providing the team with a strong secondary option. Montgomery had produced two strong seasons to kick off his career. As a rookie starting eight games, Montgomery racked up 889 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns, adding 185 yards and a touchdown through the air as a receiving back. In his sophomore season, Montgomery showed a ton of promise, rushing for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns and catching 54 passes for 438 yards and two touchdowns.
Last year, Chicago drafted Herbert in the sixth-round to supplement their rushing attack. Montgomery’s production slipped a bit as Herbert shared some of the offense, but he still produced 849 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns and showed he was the top receiving back with 301 yards on 42 catches. Herbert got his opportunities, though, and contributed 433 rushing yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.
This year the story has changed a little bit. Despite the fact that, coming into today’s game, Montgomery had started all but one game and appeared in two more games than Herbert, who had missed the team’s last three games with a hip injury, Montgomery trailed Herbert by two rushing yards. Montgomery plays about 67% of the Bears’ offensive snaps on average, while Herbert averages around 37%. Still, until today’s loss against the Eagles, the backup running back, Herbert, was outgaining the starting running back, Montgomery, with an average rushing yards per game of 64.3 to 53.4. Montgomery has maintained his role as the team’s top receiving back this season.
After sitting out of his fourth straight game today, Herbert is set to return next week to help Chicago in its last three games of the regular season. Montgomery will have a bit of an added challenge in the final few games of the season to show his worth to the Bears offense with his more-productive teammate back in the lineup. At 3-11, already eliminated from postseason contention, Montgomery will only have the final three games of the regular season to make his case.
If Montgomery hits free agency, he will join a stacked free agent class of running backs. After his fifth-year option was declined, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs will be a free agent this offseason. Barring any new extensions before the end of the season, Giants running back Saquon Barkley, Eagles running back Miles Sanders, and Cowboys running back Tony Pollard will all join Montgomery and Jacobs on the free agent market. Additionally, key contributors in Browns running back Kareem Hunt, Lions running back Jamaal Williams, Bills running back Devin Singletary, and Patriots running back Damien Harris will all hit free agency, as well. Even a score of reliable backups will be available in Minnesota’s Alexander Mattison, Cincinnati’s Samaje Perine, New York’s James Robinson, Miami’s Raheem Mostert, and Carolina’s D’Onta Foreman.
Needless to say, Montgomery will have a ton of competition in the free agent market. Regardless of the competition, what would a deal with Montgomery look like? Realistically, these days, for a running back that isn’t a super star, a three-year deal is standard. Star backs are set to earn around $14MM to $16MM per year, perhaps more if a suitor wants to set the market high for a free agent target. Strong starters will earn around $10MM to $13MM and second-tier backs will be in the range of about $6MM to $8MM.
Statistically compared to recent contracts, Montgomery matches up closest with a player like Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. Fournette recently signed a three-year, $21MM deal after a contract year that could look vaguely similar to what Montgomery is projected to do this year. There are two factors in Montgomery’s favor, though. Montgomery doesn’t have the significant injury history that Fournette does, and Montgomery has been far more consistent with his production year in, year out. This could point to either a three-year deal with a slightly larger average annual value or a similar annual amount with another year tacked on. If Montgomery were in a vacuum, he would likely demand something like a three-year, $24MM contract or a four-year, $28MM deal.
Unfortunately for Montgomery, he is not in a vacuum. With the excessive amount of competition he will face in the free agent market, Montgomery’s value may be diluted. It will be hard to convince a team to shell out big money for Montgomery if they can just sign a lesser deal to one of many options. This may lead Montgomery to seek a team-friendly deal in order to stay in Chicago. With the existing connection and chemistry, Montgomery may be able to get more value out of his current team than he would testing the markets.
Taking all of this into account, Montgomery still will likely earn a three-year contract, possibly even four- with his superior durability. In a diluted market or in a team friendly deal, I could see Montgomery signing with an average annual value of $6MM or $7MM. It would make sense to see Montgomery end up with a three-year, $19.5MM or four-year, $24MM deal this offseason. Whether he wants to stand pat in Chicago or test the free agent waters, Montgomery will have three more games to show what he’s worth.
Latest On Commanders DE Chase Young
DECEMBER 18: Young will not, in fact, be on the field for Washington’s pivotal Week 15 matchup with the Giants, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. RapSheet says Young will have a chance to suit up for the Commanders’ final three games of the campaign and that he and head 0coach Ron Rivera are “aligned” in the player’s approach to his recovery.
If Young does get back on the field this season, he will be on a snap count. Given the performance of the club’s defense without him, along with his longer-than-expected return to full health, that stands to reason.
DECEMBER 4: Young is inactive for Sunday’s divisional battle with the Giants, but ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports (via Twitter) that the Commanders plan to have the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year back on the field when they meet up with Big Blue again in Week 15 (after their Week 14 bye).
NOVEMBER 27: Washington’s defensive line will have to wait at least another week to be 100% as defensive end Chase Young‘s 2022 debut has been pushed at least another week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. This will be the Commanders’ 20th-straight game without the former second-overall pick. 
It has taken a full calendar year for Young to work his way back from the ACL tear that ended his sophomore season. He’s been slowly but surely making progress, leading the Commanders to activate him from the physically unable to perform list earlier this week.
This week had reportedly been the first that Young was looking the way they’ve wanted him to post-recovery, according to ESPN’s John Keim. He likely was on track to make his season debut this week, but it appears an illness will hold him out of play for at least one more week. A few other players reportedly caught the bug lately, but the good news is that it wasn’t his physical ability that held him off the field today.
The Commanders pass rush has done perfectly fine without him but adding him back to the starting lineup could give Washington one of the top pass rushing defensive lines in the league. Coming into today’s game, defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne led the team with 6.5 sacks apiece. Defensive end Montez Sweat just trailed them with six of his own.
Young’s second year wasn’t quite as productive as his first, but if he can return to the pass rushing form of his rookie season, when he collected 7.5 sacks, the Washington pass rush will be dangerous. Young also provides production outside of sack totals. He’s extremely disruptive with 13.0 tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits in his young NFL career. He’s also a bit of a ball-hawk, knocking down six passes, forcing six fumbles, and recovering three, returning one for a touchdown.
The return of Young if he is 100% will be a huge boost for the Commanders as they continue fighting to keep up with the rest of the NFC East. Unfortunately, he’ll have to wait at least one more week.
Latest On Commanders Owner Dan Snyder
Despite having a bye week, last weekend was a noisy one for the Commanders. On the Thursday leading into the Week 14 slate of NFL games, the Congressional House Oversight Committee released its latest findings into the “toxic work environment” in Washington. 
The findings were not only damaging to owner Dan Synder and the team but also implicated the NFL. In summation, the findings confirmed that several employees were victims of a toxic work culture for over two decades. The Committee indicated that Synder “permitted and participated” in the troubling conduct. The most damning part of the report found that Synder and other leadership in the organization perpetuated the toxic culture by ignoring and downplaying sexual misconduct throughout the team’s staff.
Further findings detailed how Snyder interfered with an investigation by attorney Beth Wilkinson. Synder reportedly launched a “shadow investigation” into potential sources to The Washington Post, attempted to silence employees who may implicate him for his misconduct, and tried to obstruct Wilkinson’s access to information. In addition to his intimidation of witnesses and the blocking of document production, Synder failed to appear at a public hearing.
For the league’s part, the Committee found that the NFL knew of the serious interference with Wilkinson’s investigation and did nothing to stop it. The league also reportedly misled the public about its own handling of the Wilkinson investigation while continuing to turn a blind eye and minimize workplace misconduct among other teams across the league, as well.
It appears that much of the focus of the investigation was on detailing just how involved Snyder was in the oversight of the organization. Snyder’s argument was that his hands were clean after he fired former team president Bruce Allen. The reported findings, though, seem to indicate that Snyder was fairly knowledgeable of and complicit in the team’s toxic culture.
Regarding potential action against Snyder by the league, Colts owner Jim Irsay has been perhaps the most vocal of the league’s group of team owners. While Irsay has recognized that there is merit to removing Snyder, he reportedly is not ready to vote Snyder out, according to Schuyler Dixon of AP News. Irsay noted the gravity of the action, questioning if that severity of discipline has ever been practiced in the league’s history before. Before calling for a vote, Irsay urged that he would like to hear out his fellow owners’ opinions, including those of Snyder. It’s not quite clear what has been left unsaid at this point by Snyder, the league, and the Committee, so Irsay’s comments ring as procrastinating, if not insincere. With the sale of the franchise likely on the horizon, it’s far simpler for Irsay and company to wait for Snyder to leave of his own accord, rather than forcing him out with direct action.
In looking at the sale, it’s appearing more and more likely that Snyder will sell his full ownership in the franchise, as opposed to just a minority stake. Some with knowledge of these types of transactions have noted that Snyder will likely have “difficulty finding an investor willing to pay $1BB to $2BB to be his junior business partner,” according to Mark Maske, Liz Clarke, and Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. While NFL commissioner Roger Goodell stated at a press conference that he doesn’t “have any expectations” concerning the sale, Irsay essentially confirmed his sentiment towards conservative action, claiming that, “If the team hypothetically…were sold 100 percent, that would resolve things.”
Whether legal discipline will eventually find Snyder is still up in the air. What is becoming more and more clear, though, is that Snyder’s days in the NFL are numbered. He is likely to sell his ownership in the franchise in the coming months. If he balks and refuses to give up the reins, perhaps Irsay and the league will take more urgency in dealing with the problem of Snyder’s persistent presence.
AFC North Rumors: Ojabo, Cooper, Watson, Jackson
The Ravens‘ pass rush could receive a huge boost today as rookie second-round pick David Ojabo is reportedly set to make his NFL debut, according to Rich Eisen of NFL Network. The Score’s Jordan Schultz first reported Ojabo would be good to go this week.
Ojabo was a first-round talent who dropped to the second round of the draft when he suffered a torn Achilles while performing in his pro day at Michigan. Playing across from No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, Ojabo was impressive in his own right, nearly matching Hutchinson blow-for-blow with 11 sacks and 12 tackles for loss to Hutchinson’s 14 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss.
The Ravens took the value pick, knowing that Ojabo likely wouldn’t debut for the team until late in the year and hoping it would help gear up the defense for a playoff run. The team designated Ojabo to return from the reserve/non-football injury list at the same time as they designated outside linebacker Tyus Bowser to return from the reserve/physically unable to perform list in mid-October. Both players were officially activated from their respective lists on November 1.
Both moves were announced shortly after Baltimore acquired Roquan Smith in a trade with the Bears. Bowser and Smith have already debuted for the Ravens this season, and the additions have been significant. Adding Ojabo to the mix give the Ravens a linebacking corps that consists of Smith, Patrick Queen, Bowser, Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Houston, Odafe Oweh, and Ojabo, among others. A unit that appeared to be a weakness heading into the season is now overloaded with talent.
Here are a few other rumors concerning the two teams in the AFC North that will face off later today:
- Browns veteran wide receiver Amari Cooper has reportedly been dealing with a core muscle injury. The team’s top receiver has been playing through the injury, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, and hasn’t considered the prospect of potential surgery in the offseason. Losing Cooper would be detrimental for Cleveland. Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones account for 80% of the catches and nearly 86% of the receiving yards by Browns receivers. Cleveland wideouts have caught eight total touchdowns this season; Cooper has accounted for seven of them. Cooper has struggled to find chemistry so far this year with new starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. In two games with Watson behind center, Cooper has six catches for 82 yards.
- Speaking of the Browns’ new starting passer, Watson has continued his mandatory treatment program, despite his 11-game suspension coming to an end. A report two weeks ago detailed that sources have claimed Watson has shown “signs of progress” during the program, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The program is confidential, so the laymen are not privy to the details of his treatment. A source with knowledge of the program told Schefter, “(Watson)’s been progressing well and he wants to continue with it.” The team, league, and Players Association feel it’s helping him, and he’ll continue treatment until it’s been determined that it’s no longer needed, which, reportedly, “could take a while.”
- Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson will miss his second straight game with a PCL sprain today, allowing backup quarterback Tyler Huntley to make his second consecutive start. The team is hopeful, though, that Jackson will be back at practice this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The Ravens remain hopeful that he may even play on Christmas Eve against the Falcons.
- The Ravens will lose a staffer at the end of the year as defensive assistant Ryan Osborn is set to become the defensive coordinator at Charlotte at the conclusion of the season. Osborn works closely with the outside linebackers and defensive linemen for Baltimore. He held a similar role last year as a defensive analyst at the University of Michigan, before following defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald to Baltimore. Osborn was a key proponent in helping Hutchinson and Ojabo get drafted as highly as they were and has done an admirable job of piecing together a strong pass rush for a Ravens team that has dealt with injuries at the position.
Injury Notes: Dolphins, Bills, Hankins, Allen
As we head into what could very well be the season’s first true snow game, the Dolphins and Bills will be preparing to play without a few key players. Miami will be playing without safety Eric Rowe, while Buffalo will head into the matchup without offensive guard Ryan Bates.
Rowe hasn’t been the prominent defensive player he was during his first two seasons in Miami but was forced back into a starting role when safety Brandon Jones was placed on injured reserve. A hamstring injury will hold Rowe out of tonight’s game, pushing the Dolphins to their third-string safety.
With Elijah Campbell also out tonight with a concussion, Miami has only two options to turn to at safety. The team will either have to start undrafted rookie Verone McKinley, who started a game earlier on this year, or veteran Clayton Fejedelem, who hasn’t started a game since 2018 when he was with the Bengals, alongside regular starter Jevon Holland. McKinley did overlap with Holland at Oregon with the two playing a year together in the Ducks’ secondary. The team also has the option of pushing a cornerback like veteran Justin Bethel into the safety role if needed.
The Bills will be without Bates to start a game for the first time this season. Bates suffered an ankle injury in last week’s win over the Jets that knocked him out of the game. Buffalo used two players to fill in for Bates in Greg Van Roten and Bobby Hart. Seeing how Van Roten got the majority of the snaps last week, he’s likely to be tapped to start this week in place of Bates.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the league, these both from the NFC:
- Cowboys veteran defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins suffered a sprained pectoral muscle early in last week’s win over the Texans, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. The injury appears to be significant as owner/president/general manager Jerry Jones told the media that, while Hankins may make a return for the playoffs, “he won’t be back before then.” The foreseen absence has led the team to place Hankins on IR. Any starts or playing time for Hankins will likely be taken by a combination of Neville Gallimore, Quinton Bohanna, and Carlos Watkins for the remainder of the regular season.
- The Cardinals also lost a defensive lineman to a significant injury last week when defensive end Zach Allen injured his hand in the third quarter of Monday’s loss to the Patriots, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports. Allen underwent surgery on his hand that will keep him out this week against the Broncos. When asked about Allen’s prospects to return this season, head coach Kliff Kinsgbury responded with uncertainty. Allen is headed to free agency at the end of this season and, after a strong showing last year with four sacks, five tackles for loss and 14 quarterback hits, Allen improved greatly in his contract year tallying 5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 19 quarterback hits. Arizona doesn’t have much depth on the defensive line, so Jonathan Ledbetter will likely earn the start opposite J.J. Watt this week while the Cardinals may need to elevate some reinforcements from the practice squad.
USC QB Caleb Williams Potential 2024 No. 1 Pick
When USC met with UCLA in the teams’ annual matchup, scouts were present to evaluate both teams’ rosters. While many were watching draft-eligible players, two scouts couldn’t help but notice USC quarterback Caleb Williams despite the 20-year-old not being draft-eligible until next year, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. 
Williams put on a show for the scouts in an offensive shootout, completing nearly 75% of his passes for 470 yards and two touchdowns through the air, adding on 33 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, as well. This was more of the same for Williams who arrived on the college football scene last season at Oklahoma. Over 11 games, seven of them starts, with the Sooners, Williams passed for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns with four interceptions.
After transferring alongside head coach Lincoln Riley to Southern California, Williams exploded as a sophomore. He improved all his passing numbers as a full-time starter throwing for 4,075 yards and 37 touchdowns while still limiting his interceptions to just four through 13 games so far this year. He is set to play in the Cotton Bowl against Tulane after a defeat to the Pac-12 Champion Utes knocked the Trojans out of the College Football Playoff race. Williams was rewarded for his strong season with a Heisman Trophy, a Maxwell Award, and a Walter Camp Award, all honors given to college football’s most outstanding players.
So what did scouts have to say about watching Williams this season? They told Farmer that “there’s a real chance Williams could be the No. 1 overall pick” in 2024. One scout claimed he would’ve been the top quarterback prospect last year, in a draft crop that included Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder, Malik Willis, Matt Corral, Bailey Zappe, Sam Howell, Chris Oladokun, Skylar Thompson, and Brock Purdy. While it’s not nearly as clearcut, the same scout even ventured that Williams would have a shot at being a top quarterback in this year’s draft crop which includes Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, among others. If Williams could’ve been the top quarterback prospect in the league’s two most recent draft crops, who’s to say he couldn’t be a top pick next year, as well?
The second scout was in attendance for Williams’s first start at Oklahoma last year as a freshman and raved about the “it” factor Williams has had since the beginning. Both praised his athleticism and arm talent, his timing and accuracy, but throwing in “the moxie, the confidence” as well as “instinctive values that you can’t teach” gives Williams intangibles that help put him above the rest of the crowd.
It’s far too soon to determine where Williams’s competition will come from next year. Fellow young stars like North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Texas’s Quinn Ewers may push Williams for the top pick. A new unproven starter like Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or Ohio State’s Kyle McCord may have a breakout season. Experienced veterans at the college level like Washington’s Michael Penix or Florida State’s Jordan Travis may make a case. Transferring stars like former Chanticleer Grayson McCall, former Tiger D.J. Uiagalelei, or former Wolfpack quarterback Devin Leary could find a new home to excel in and catch the eyes of scouts.
Williams has lots of pressure on his shoulders heading into his junior season. The reigning Heisman champion will have all eyes on him as he tries to lead the Trojans to the College Football Playoffs that they just missed this year. He’ll be attempting to match his production from this season or, at the very least, not damage his draft stock while holding off all other contenders for the right to be the top passer in the draft. It will be a challenge for Williams to maintain the title of top quarterback prospect, let alone the No. 1 overall pick.
Northwestern T Peter Skoronski Declares For Draft
After three years of dominant play in the Big Ten, Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski announced on Twitter that he would forgo his senior year of eligibility to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Skoronski is widely considered the best offensive lineman in the coming draft. 
Skoronski was a rare five-star signee for the Wildcats, becoming their highest-rated recruit since outside linebacker Ifeadi Odenigbo signed in 2012. The two-way athlete out of Maine South HS in Park Ridge, IL, chose to stay close to home, going to college a mere 30-minute drive away.
Skoronski made an immediate impact in Evanston, starting all eight games of the COVID-shortened season as a true freshman and earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors. He followed it up with 13 starts as a sophomore with All-Big Ten First Team honors and a bowl game win over Kentucky. In his final year, the dismal Wildcats may have gone 1-11, winning only a Week 0 matchup in Dublin against the Cornhuskers, but Skoronski delivered on preseason predictions, earning AP All-American First Team honors as a junior.
Skoronski may find himself susceptible to much of the same criticism as his former teammate, and first-round pick from last year, Chargers tackle Rashawn Slater. Slater fell victim to criticism that his 33-inch arms were too short for him to be a successful NFL tackle. Lo and behold, Skoronski’s arm length is reportedly almost an inch shorter. Regardless, while Skoronski could easily dominate as a guard at the next level, NFL teams would be foolish not to give him an opportunity at tackle. Skoronski is college football’s most dominant pass blocker this year, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), allowing only five pressures on 383 snaps in pass-protection.
Skoronski isn’t the first member of his family to realize their NFL dreams. His grandfather, Bob Skoronski, was an offensive tackle for the Packers who served as the team’s offensive captain in five of the Packers’ NFL championships and two of the Packers’ Super Bowl victories. The elder Skoronski was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame after 11 seasons of play in Green Bay.
The younger Skoronski is a consensus top-10 pick in this year’s draft. While there is a little bit of argument for Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson, Skoronski is widely considered the top draft-eligible offensive lineman in this year’s crop. When ESPN put together a group of analysts to rank each position group, Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both listed Skoronski as the top tackle over Johnson, while Jordan Reid and Matt Miller favored Johnson. Dane Brugler of The Athletic and Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus both sided with Kiper and McShay in their most recent prospect rankings, listing Skoronski ahead of Johnson.
Skoronski is almost guaranteed to join Slater as a first-round selection out of Northwestern this April. With only one win this season, the Wildcats don’t have a bowl game for Skoronski to opt out of, but he will have the NFL Combine and Northwestern’s pro day to convince scouts to move him even further up their draft boards.
AFC Workout Rumors: Simpson, Coutee
The Ravens hosted free agent guard John Simpson on a visit yesterday, a little less than a week after his release from Las Vegas, according to Field Yates of ESPN. Simpson cleared waivers and is now free to determine where he will sign next.
The Raiders decision to waive Simpson was bit of a shock. Only just last year, Simpson started at left guard for all 17 regular season games as well as the Raiders lone postseason game against the Bengals. Simpson started the first two games of this season before being demoted to a backup role for both guard spots.
It’s an interesting move to watch for the Ravens. They recently started backup center Trystan Colon-Castillo at right guard in place of an injured Kevin Zeitler last weekend. Kicking the tires on Simpson might indicate that Zeitler’s injury could be more serious. Their current selection of backups includes last year’s third-round pick, guard Ben Cleveland, this year’s fourth-round rookie tackle Daniel Faalele, and veteran Patrick Mekari, whom they paid last year to serve as their utility lineman.
No deal developed on the trip, but the Ravens may keep Simpson on their shortlist in case they lose a starter enroute to a possible postseason berth.
Here’s another recent free agent rumor from around the AFC, this one pertaining to Simpson’s former team:
- The Raiders worked out free agent wide receiver Keke Coutee today, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston. Coutee has played with the Texans and Colts over his five-year career. He had a strong start in the NFL, catching 83 passes for 941 yards and four touchdowns in 23 games with Houston. Since getting waived by the Texans before last season, Coutee has been with the Colts, taking a largely reduced role. In eight games with Indianapolis, Coutee has only caught two passes. He did serve as the Colts’ punt returner for six games this year, as well. With Hunter Renfrow on injured reserve, Las Vegas may be looking to add some depth to its receiving corps. They currently only roster four healthy wideouts: Davante Adams, Mack Hollins, Keelan Cole, and DJ Turner.