Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa Turning Pro?
Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is telling people he is very likely to turn pro, according to Tony Pauline of the NFL Draft Network. While just a couple weeks ago this news would have been considered obvious, the past week raised significant questions about his future.
The Hawaii-born quarterback sustained a serious hip injury in the Crimson Tide’s victory over Mississippi State that some compared to Bo Jackson‘s career-ending hip injury. While the news since has revealed the injury was not quite as severe as Jackson’s it was still quickly determined that he would miss the remained of the collegiate season.
A consensus favorite to be the top draft choice in the 2020 NFL draft entering the season, Tagovailoa’s status had lost some luster to players like Ohio State’s Chase Young and LSU’s Joe Burrow. Still, Tagovailoa remained a lock to go in the first few picks in the draft.
After the injury news broke their became legitimate questions as to how he would approach the process. While he remains an elite prospect if healthy, that if though is an even larger concern now. If he remains unable to show teams his pre-injury form prior to the draft, it remains difficult to decipher if teams would still be willing to risk a top selection on him.
Surrounding Tagovailoa is a draft class that includes Burrows, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, and Washington’s Jacob Eason who have all gotten first round buzz of their own. Furthermore, this offseasons free-agent class is set to have an abnormally strong crop of quarterbacks as well, which could limit the teams looking at the top of the draft.
Depending on Tagovailoa’s priorities though, the injury could be viewed as further incentive to turn pro now. For one, returning to school risks incurring another even more severe injury before receiving a paycheck, but also, the decline in his draft stock could have positive long-term implications if it allows him to go to a team with a better organizational infrastructure to help him succeed and compete immediately.
Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch Out
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch will not play this week against the Patriots and could miss substantially more time with a neck injury, according to Clarence Hill of the For Worth Star-Telegram. Vander Esch has faced medical questions surrounding his neck since his days in college. Losing Vander Esch would be a big hit to the Dallas defense.
While the injury is listed in a week to week manner, Hill notes in his story that Vander Esch is not scheduled for an MRI for another three weeks. Given the particular dangers with severe neck injuries and Vander Esch’s well-documented history of injury woes, Dallas should be especially cautious with the linebacker.
In his second NFL season, Vander Esch has lived up to his billing when healthy. After being selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Vander Esch earned a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie and has already accrued 72 tackles in just 9 games this season.
Without the Boise State alum, Dallas will likely turn to veteran linebacker Sean Lee to take over the team’s weak-side (WILL) linebacker position. Lee is far removed from his days as one of the best linebackers in football, but may be the most qualified backup in the NFL to help fill the gap.
League Notes: Whitehead, Brown, Garrett
The Browns released safety Jermaine Whitehead following an outburst of threats against critics on social media. While it does not excuse Whitehead’s actions, a number of fellow players understood what led him there, according to ESPN Staff Writer Jeremy Fowler. Fowler describes it as commonplace for players to return to their lockers after games and check their phones before even removing their pads. Players describe an accumulation of frustration with fans criticism that often goes beyond and enters the realm of hatefulness.
Steelers linebacker Bud Dupree had a similar, albeit substantially milder, incident last season involving his response to a tweet. Dupree mentioned specific tweets, some that included racial slurs, that eventually pushed him to react. The league has an instituted “cooling off period,” which restricts players ability to post on social media after games, but Whitehead’s threats came far after that period ended. It will be interested to see if Whitehead’s decision changes how the league, teams, and players approach social media and if more players choose to eliminate the practice altogether.
Here’s more news from around the league off the field:
- Free-agent wide receiver Antonio Brown had seemed hopeful that he could soon return to the field. While the currently unsigned wideout remains marred in controversy, a number of social media posts last week suggested he may have been approaching a new deal. However, there is no reason to believe any team would be interested in signing Brown at the moment because they believe he would be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list as soon as he was signed, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post.
- The NFL upheld the league’s indefinite suspension of Browns defensive end Myles Garrett yesterday. One point in Garrett’s appeal, which has garnered significant social media attention, was an accusation that Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph used a racial slur against Garrett that prompted his violent response. When the league upheld Garrett’s suspension, many assumed the league had reviewed the on-field audio recorded and found no corroborating evidence. That now appears to be only half the story. The NFL did find no evidence Rudolph used a racial slur, but the league also had no recorded sound on the field to review in the case, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Steelers RB James Conner Out, Juju Smith-Schuster Doubtful
The Steelers will already be shorthanded this Sunday against the Bengals after the NFL upheld a two-game suspension on starting center Maurkice Pouncey, but it appears injuries could be removing their two most important offensive weapons as well. Pittsburgh’s star running back James Conner is out this week with a shoulder injury and “it’s not looking good” for wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster either, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Pittsburgh’s season looked doomed early on when longtime starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury. However, backup Mason Rudolph has managed to play well enough to keep the Steelers on the periphery of playoff contention. Of course, the presence of two elite weapons like Conner and Smith-Schuster has surely helped ease Rudolph’s transition.
Conner has struggled with durability through his three-year professional career, but remains an effective weapon when healthy. On the season, Conner has 390 rushing yards and possibly more importantly has averaged more than 8 yards a reception catching passes. Smith-Schuster has maintained solid production even amidst a down year for the receiver. Starting every game on the season thus far, Smith-Schuster has accrued 524 receiving yards on 38 receptions.
QB Notes: Rudolph, Rosen, Wentz
Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph told reporters he did not say anything that “escalated” the altercation between him and Myles Garrett, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. Garrett, of course, swung a helmet at Rudolph’s bare head and received an indefinite suspension from the league, which he is currently appealing. While Garrett was not the only player suspended, many have criticized the league for handing no suspension to Rudolph for instigating the situation.
At the moment, Rudolph has yet to hear from the league regarding any punishment, per Kaboly. Although everyone believes a fine will be coming his way.
Here’s some more news surrounding quarterbacks around the league:
- While Dolphins head coach Brian Flores revealed Ryan Fitzpatrick would be the team’s starter this week at quarterback, he left the door open for Josh Rosen to retake the mantle at some point in the near future. Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald speculates that a three-game stretch beginning on December 8th could have massive implications for Miami’s draft position. Giving the reigns back to Rosen could both help the team evaluate his long-term future and improve their draft standing, per Beasley.
- Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz has struggled recently. Even with his poor play of late, Philadelphia’s starting center Jason Kelce said he has “all the faith in the world [in Wentz]” during an interview on 94 WIP. At 5-5, the Eagles have failed to live up to lofty expectations and in last week’s 17-10 loss to the Patriots, Wentz completed just 20 of 40 pass attempts. However, with former backup Nick Foles now in Jacksonville, current backup Josh McCown is not going to push Wentz for playing time anytime soon.
Will Le’Veon Bell Refuse Testing For HGH?
Jets running back Le’Veon Bell continued a strange trend recently of players revolting against the collectively bargained random drug testing procedure this morning. On Twitter, Bell claimed has has been randomly selected (he put random in quotations) five times over the past ten weeks to be tested for human growth hormone. Bell went on to say that he is “not doing another after today.”
Of course, while the chances of being selected for an HGH test are quite low (only 40 players are tested each week), Bell remains as likely to be tested next week as he has been in the past ten. While it remains likely that Bell was simply airing out frustration and would not actually refuse to do another HGH test if he is selected, if he did refuse, it would be considered equivalent to a failed test and he would have to serve a suspension.
Odell Beckham Jr. had similar complaints regarding the league’s standard performance enhancing drug testing last week. It is worth noting that HGH tests require a blood sample and are much more invasive than the standard urine tests for things like steroids. The blood sample is clearly a factor in Bell’s frustration.
Bell has been a mainstay in NFL news for the past two seasons. After his fallout with the Steelers organization led him to sit out all of last season, he signed a massive free-agent contract with the Jets, but has failed to live up to expectations. Rumors have already surfaced that new management in New York will look to trade Bell in the offseason.
AFC Notes: Jackson, Miller, Fitzpatrick
Former Ravens offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg and the Ravens released a statement denying a report by Michael Lombardi of The Athletic claiming Mornhinweg wanted to move Lamar Jackson to wide receiver. Jackson, of course, was the subject of much debate as a draft prospect with many pundits, including ESPN’s Bill Polian, calling for a position change to wide receiver.
Jackson, however, remained adamant that he was a quarterback, was selected in the first round by Baltimore and has taken the NFL by storm over the past two seasons. Mornhinweg, who was replaced by Greg Roman as the team’s offensive coordinator entering this season, made clear in his statement that “My thoughts before the draft, and even more when we started working with Lamar, was that this young man was going to be a special quarterback.” Regardless of what his opinions were at the time, Jackson has proven he is an NFL signalcaller.
Here’s more notes from around the AFC:
- The Broncos were deflated after blowing a 20-0 lead in their 27-23 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. To try and help team moral, all-pro linebacker Von Miller organized a team dinner just a couple hours after landing back in Denver, according to Kyle Newman of the Denver Post. Per Newman’s report, the dinner was a resounding success. Players brought their family members and seemed to rebound from their loss and get ready for another week.
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores told reporters that Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain Miami’s starting quarterback this week against the Browns, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Flores, however, would not rule out the possibility of backup quarterback Josh Rosen retaking the job from Fitzpatrick at some point this season.
Philip Rivers Wants To Play For Titans?
Longtime Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers may want to play for another franchise next season, according to a report by Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. Per Miller’s report, league circlles are hearing that Rivers, who is set for free agency this offseason, would “love” to join the Titans.
Rivers, who will turn 38 in December, is amidst his 16th NFL season. He has spent his entire career with the Chargers organization since he was traded from the Giants for Eli Manning on the day of the 2004 NFL Draft. However, Los Angeles may be looking at going in another direction at quarterback.
It remains unclear what in particular about Tennessee appeals to Rivers, although it’s worth noting he is from the south. But, the Titans definitely appear like they will be in the market for a new quarterback this offseason given the status of both Marcus Mariota and Ryan Tannehill remain up in the air.
Still, unless Rivers is willing to accept a backup role, there is no guarantee that the Titans would be willing to guarantee him a starting job. While Rivers has had an illustrious career, his age alongside particularly poor performance this season (15/14 touchdown to interception ratio) may make teams tentative to hand over the reigns.
With plenty of season left to be played, a lot remains unknown about the upcoming quarterback market, but it seems clear that the league is going to see an abnormally high amount of movement at the quarterback position. At least according to Matt Miller, Rivers is preparing for that possibility.
Tyreek Hill Avoids Major Hamstring Injury
Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill may not miss any games with a hamstring injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Hill underwent an MRI and it revealed the injury is more similar to one that would make a team cautious during training camp, per Rapoport. Luckily for the Chiefs, their bye this week allows them to be extra careful with their star receiver and still have him back on the field for their next game.
Hill left Kansas City’s game against the Chargers on Monday Night Football and did not return. However, according to Rapoport, he tried to convince his coaches to put him back in. Luckily for the Chiefs, they managed to pull out a 24-17 victory despite the absence of one of their biggest weapons.
The Chiefs electric offense has worked around Hill’s absence in a few games this season, but is surely at its best with one of the best deep threats in football healthy. While he has played in just seven games this season (including his short appearance on Monday), Hill has still managed to amass 543 receiving yards on 33 receptions.
David Njoku Designated For Return
Browns tight end David Njoku has been designated to return from injured reserve and will return to practice today, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Njoku had been out with a concussion and broken wrist he suffered in Cleveland’s Week 2 win against the Jets.
Njoku had been expected to return from injured reserve at some point this season, but he first had to get through the league’s concussion protocol and rehab his wrist. The team plans to remain cautious with the third-year tight end and does not plan to play him this Sunday against the Steelers unless he looks fantastic in practice, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Prior to this injury, Njoku had played in 34 consecutive games for the Browns since they selected him 29th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. Like the entire Cleveland organization, the young tight end appeared poised for a breakout after a solid 2018 campaign. In his second professional season, he caught 56 receptions for 639 yards including four touchdowns.
Now, returning to practice, Njoku will look to rebuild chemistry with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and hopefully spark stronger play from the Browns struggling offense. Currently at 4-6, Cleveland is unlikely to make a run at the playoffs, but a strong close to the season could help them remain more certain they are still headed in the right direction.