Josh Rosen Unlikely To Play Again In 2019
With the Dolphins looking to the future, it’s fair to wonder if head coach Brian Flores will reinsert second-year QB Josh Rosen into the starting lineup for the final two games of the season instead of continuing to roll with 37-year-old journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick.
But as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, Flores has shot down the idea that he needs to get another look at Rosen this year. “We will always do what we feel is in the best interests of this team and play the guy that gives us the best chance to win; we feel that’s Ryan,” Flores said. “It’s [been] that way for the last 8 to 10 weeks.”
Of course, Miami acquired Rosen from the Cardinals this offseason for second- and fifth-round picks, and given his status as the No. 10 overall pick of the 2018 draft, it made sense for the draft pick-rich Dolphins to take a flier on the UCLA product. But in six games (three starts) this season, Rosen has completed 53.2% of his passes and has thrown one touchdown against five interceptions. He was similarly disappointing in his rookie campaign with Arizona, and while the 2018 Cardinals and the 2019 Dolphins boasted little offensive firepower of any kind, Jackson says Miami does not view Rosen as its long-term QB.
The team could save a little money by turning back to Rosen, as Fitzpatrick will earn $2.5MM in incentives if he plays in 75% or more of Miami’s offensive snaps this season (he has currently played in 76.9% of the team’s snaps). That money is guaranteed and is in addition to his $5.5MM base salary for 2020, but that is not a pressing issue for the Dolphins, who will have a ton of cap space to work with.
When asked if there is anything more to learn about Rosen by seeing him in additional game action, Flores said, “[y]ou can always get more information, but we have what we have [and that’s] practice reps and the game reps he had and his play for [Arizona] a year ago. The most important thing is what we see in practice on a weekly basis.” Reading between the lines, it sounds like Rosen hasn’t been any more impressive in practice than he has been in games.
West Notes: Jacobs, Jordan, 49ers
The Raiders are not completely eliminated from playoff contention just yet, but it may be in the team’s best interests to shut down rookie RB Josh Jacobs for the final two games of the year. Jacobs, who has rushed for 1,150 yards on 4.8 yards-per-carry this year, has been battling a shoulder injury, and head coach Jon Gruden said that Jacobs had trouble getting his shoulder pads off yesterday (Twitter link via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group).
Per Gruden, Jacobs’ status for Oakland’s last two games is in doubt. The Raiders finish up their final season in the Bay Area with divisional contests against the Chargers and Broncos.
Let’s round up a few more West-related items, starting with another note from the Silver-and-Black:
- Dion Jordan, who signed with the Raiders in November after serving a 10-game suspension for a PED violation, has performed well in his first five games with his new team. Playing in a rotational role, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2013 draft has posted two sacks and has earned positive reviews from Gruden. Jordan will be a free agent at season’s end, and Gruden said the 29-year-old is playing his way into a new contract with the Raiders (Twitter link via McDonald).
- No surprise here, but Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area does not believe the 49ers will use the franchise tag on Arik Armstead, which means that Armstead may be plying his trade elsewhere in 2020. Maiocco also believes that the team will cut running back Jerick McKinnon and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin during the offseason.
- Seahawks DB Quandre Diggs has been a boon to Seattle’s defense after being acquired in an October trade with the Lions, but Diggs sprained his ankle in the team’s win over the Panthers on Sunday and will likely miss next week’s matchup against the Cardinals, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s still too early to predict his status for Week 17, but given the potential magnitude of that bout with San Francisco, the Seahawks will want to make sure Diggs is as healthy as possible.
Louisville OL Mekhi Becton To Enter Draft
Louisville offensive lineman Mekhi Becton will be entering the 2020 NFL draft and will not be playing for the Cardinals in this month’s Music City Bowl against Mississippi State, as Becton himself said in a statement he released on Twitter.
Becton took his game to a new level in 2019 and now profiles as a potential first-round pick. He is a massive specimen at 6-7, 369 pounds, and while Rotoworld.com describes him as an incomplete technician, it lauds his measurables, strength, and toughness. Plus, as Charean Williams of Pro Footbal Talk observes, advanced metrics were high on Becton’s work, and he made over 60 knockdown blocks this year.
The Cardinals’ rushing offense has averaged 214.4 yards per game in 2019, thanks in large part to Becton’s efforts. He started 33 games over his three collegiate seasons and was named First Team All-ACC this year.
“Mekhi has had a tremendous year and deserves this outstanding recognition as one of the top blockers in the ACC,” Louisville HC Scott Satterfield said. “He has been a leader for our offensive line and our offense as a whole, and to be recognized for his accomplishments by members of this league is a great honor for Mekhi.”
The Redskins, Jets, and Dolphins are just a few of the clubs who could be interested in Becton’s services.
NFLPA Wins Grievance Against Jaguars
The NFL Players Association has won a grievance against the Jaguars and has released a rather scathing statement on the team’s policies, as Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets.
The entire statement from the union may be found at the Twitter link above, but essentially, the Jags (read: executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin) have recently required their players to get all offseason medical treatment at the team facility. When players failed to do so, they were disciplined by the club.
For instance, one player — whom Mark Long of the Associated Press identified as former Jaguar and current Ram Dante Fowler (Twitter link) — was fined 25 times for a total of $700K in 2018 for missing offseason appointments at Jacksonville headquarters. Fowler confirmed (via Twitter) that he was indeed the player referenced in the statement, and he said, “[the Jaguars] literally hated me.” All of the fines have now been rescinded.
An arbitrator found that, except in very limited circumstances, offseason activities of any kind are voluntary and a team cannot make them mandatory. The statement goes on to say that, in the last two years — Coughlin has served in his current post since 2017 — 25% of grievances filed by NFL players have been filed against the Jaguars.
This development obviously reflects poorly on the Jags, who are expected to make major organizational changes this offseason. That could include the departure of Coughlin, which may not be a bad thing as far as attracting free agents is concerned.
Urban Meyer: “I Think I’m Done Coaching”
Recent reports have connected Urban Meyer to the Cowboys’ head coaching job, which is widely expected to become vacant at the end of the season. In addition, Meyer was at FedEx Field on Sunday to take in the Eagles-Redskins game, which gave rise to a report that Washington would also make a play for Meyer for its own HC post.
While Meyer would almost certainly prefer to coach the Cowboys instead of the Redskins, Meyer himself said, “I think I’m done coaching,” as Brit Hume of Fox News tweets. Per Hume, Meyer was in town for a White House Christmas party after attending Saturday’s Army-Navy game, and he knew his presence at the Redskins’ home venue would create additional speculation about his future plans.
Of course, Meyer could have simply been trying to deflect such speculation, and he did recently indicate that the Dallas gig appealed to him. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Meyer is certainly enjoying his retirement from coaching, but he tells us to “stay tuned” (Twitter link).
For what it’s worth, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that he will wait until after the season to evaluate head coach Jason Garrett, as Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. But barring a Super Bowl win, it feels like Garrett will be seeking new employment in 2020.
Meyer is one of the most accomplished head coaches in college football history and boasts a 187-32 career record that includes a whopping 12-3 mark in bowl games. He also won three national championships, two with Florida and one with Ohio State.
Freddie Kitchens: “I Don’t Care About My Future As Browns Coach”
5:23pm: Kitchens clarified his comments on Monday, as Cabot writes in a full-length piece. Kitchens said, “I care about my job. I only care, though, about getting better today. That’s what I was trying to illustrate is I’m only focused on today on getting this football team to play the best of their ability today and to increase those chances of us getting to that point on Sunday of playing the best that we can on Sunday. Everybody here is focused on that.”
4:42pm: Browns head coach Freddie Kitchens once again found himself in the headlines for the wrong reason last night. Following his team’s loss to the Cardinals, Kitchens was asked about his future with Cleveland, and Kitchens said, “I don’t care about my future as Browns coach” (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com).
Surely Kitchens does, in fact, care about his job as the Browns’ head coach, and it’s likely his comments were simply made out of frustration after a bad loss and in the wake of persistent speculation about his future. But it’s obviously a bad look, and emblematic of the tone deaf manner in which Kitchens has operated throughout much of this season, his first as an HC.
Just yesterday, we heard that the Browns were inclined to retain Kitchens for the 2020 season barring a “horrific collapse or circumstance to end the season.” But the defeat at the hands of 3-9-1 Arizona — which included a brief sideline argument with receiver Jarvis Landry –coupled with the post-game comments, could be the foundation of a “horrific collapse or circumstance.”
Making matters worse, Browns running back Kareem Hunt admitted that some of his teammates gave less than maximum effort during some of the Arizona game, as Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. That admission could end up being much more damaging for Kitchens’ chances of sticking around than Kitchens’ own comments.
The Browns, 6-8, now have a less than 1% chance of making the postseason, per FiveThirtyEight.
East Rumors: Rhule, Meyer, Jets
Despite reports connecting the Cowboys to Lincoln Riley and Urban Meyer, team owner Jerry Jones on Saturday downplayed the notion that he would pursue a college coach this offseason. However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says Jones remains interested in Riley, and he is also paying close attention to Baylor head coach Matt Rhule.
Rhule was a hot name on the NFL head coaching circuit last year and reportedly could have had the Jets’ job if he agreed to certain appointments to his coaching staff. He signed an eight-year extension with Baylor in September, but pro teams are still interested in him. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network shot down recent speculation that the Cowboys would pursue Sean Payton, but he says Dallas made it known through back channels last offseason it was interested in the Saints’ HC, which helped Payton land his extension with New Orleans in September (video link).
Now for more from the league’s east divisions:
- The Cowboys may not be the only team interested in Meyer. As JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington tweets, Meyer is at FedEx field for the Redskins‘ contest against the Eagles today, and Washington would love to land Meyer as its next HC. Meyer, of course, served as Dwayne Haskins‘ head coach at Ohio State, but it seems like the Redskins don’t really meet Meyer’s criteria for coming out of retirement.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com expects the Jets to overhaul 50% of their roster this offseason, and he unsurprisingly names Brian Winters and Quincy Enunwa as two of the big-name players who could be cut. He also says that, if New York retains Le’Veon Bell, it should bring in another RB with the speed to run outside the tackles.
- Though the Patriots just cut kicker Josh Gable two days after adding him to the practice squad, head coach Bill Belichick suggested that Gable could be back in 2020 as possible competition for Stephen Gostkowski, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes.
- In the same piece linked above, Reiss says Patriots D-line coach Bret Bielema, a former collegiate head coach with Wisconsin and Arkansas, is generating interest from college teams. Bielema is said to be open to such an opportunity if the right one presents itself.
- The NFL’s decision on the Patriots‘ punishment for Spygate 2.0 is expected shortly.
Jaguars Expected To Make Major Offseason Changes
It has been speculated for some time that the Jaguars may undergo a major organizational overhaul this offseason, and sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that the club is indeed expected to make significant changes in the new year.
Many around the league expect head coach Doug Marrone to be fired, per Schefter. Others believe that executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin could step aside to spend more time with family.
Schefter’s report did not offer any concrete rumors as to GM Dave Caldwell, but recent reports have suggested that he may be on the chopping block as well. Of course, owner Shad Khan considered a shakeup after the 2018 season, but he opted to remain patient. However, his patience has not been rewarded, and the Jags have sputtered to a 4-9 record in 2019.
This same power structure guided Jacksonville to the AFC Championship Game in 2017, and the team was one quarter away from upsetting the Patriots in that contest and advancing to the Super Bowl. The Jags looked like a team on the rise, but they have regressed in a big way and now look like they could be headed for yet another rebuild.
Janoris Jenkins Expected To Join Playoff Contender
The Giants waived veteran CB Janoris Jenkins on Friday, and sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Jenkins is expected to land with a playoff contender shortly and could be playing as soon as next weekend.
The machinations of that remain a little unclear. If a team were to claim Jenkins off waivers, it would be responsible for the roughly $1.2MM that Jenkins is still owed for 2019, and it would technically be obligated to pay him $11.25MM in 2020, but that amount is completely non-guaranteed.
As such, a club that makes a claim on Jenkins is not putting itself at too much financial risk, though teams may prefer to wait until he clears waivers and sign him as a free agent. But as Schefter writes, if Jenkins clears waivers on Monday, he would revert to the Giants’ injured reserve list since he is nursing a minor ankle injury. That means that New York would have to waive him off of IR — which the team would be expected to do — but then Jenkins would be on waivers again until Tuesday.
Regardless, it sounds like the 31-year-old will generate plenty of interest, with the Texans and Chiefs named as potential landing spots. Jenkins logged 84 tackles and matched a career-high of four interceptions through 13 games this year, and across four years with the G-Men, Jackrabbit came away with 12 INTs and one Pro Bowl nod (2016).
Jason Pierre-Paul Open To Returning To Buccaneers
Jason Pierre-Paul and the Buccaneers agreed to a restructured contract back in September that allows JPP to become a free agent at the end of the season. The two sides came to that agreement because JPP suffered a significant neck injury in an offseason car accident, and while Tampa could have avoided paying his 2019 salary at all, it would have been a bad look for the team to not pay a player whose injury came in a car accident in which he wasn’t even cited.
JPP has hit many of the incentives in the reworked deal, so he will still end up taking home a nice chunk of money for the 2019 season, and the Bucs’ decision has apparently preserved their relationship with the talented pass rusher. Though Pierre-Paul will be able to hit the open market in 2020, he would love to return to Tampa, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes.
Pierre-Paul will turn 31 on January 1, but he has played very well since returning to the field in Week 8, which is a continuation of his strong play from 2018, his first year with the Bucs. As Laine notes, JPP has also become one of the most vocal leaders in the locker room, and other players have gravitated towards him.
One way or another, Pierre-Paul is not considering retirement, and he is optimistic that Tampa Bay is heading in the right direction under head coach Bruce Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Negotiations with the Bucs (or any other team) could be complicated by the neck injury, but Pierre-Paul says his neck is completely healed and is “just like everyone else’s.”
As one league executive told Laine, if JPP’s physical is clear, he should have no issue finding a job, and given the contracts that pass rushers have been bringing home, he can reasonably expect a lucrative, multi-year pact.