Packers President Addresses Jordan Love’s Status
Although Aaron Rodgers famously needed to wait until his fourth season to become an NFL starter, the Packers had seen enough from the future Hall of Famer midway through that 2008 season to hand out an extension.
The Packers and Rodgers agreed on what became a wildly team-friendly deal on Oct. 31, 2008 — six years, $63.52MM — to set up the ascending quarterback entering his early prime. The Packers did not revisit the deal until the 2013 offseason, when Rodgers inked a five-year, $110MM pact. The initial extension holds a distinction as one of the better contracts a team has hammered out this century.
Before Week 1, Packers president Mark Murphy said it would likely take at least a half-season to begin to pinpoint Jordan Love‘s trajectory. The longtime Packers exec has since moved the goal posts a bit since those comments and followed GM Brian Gutekunst by indicating how pivotal this season’s second half will be to the franchise’s evaluation.
“It wouldn’t be fair to judge Jordan now since there are so many other factors that have contributed to the offense’s poor performance (e.g., dropped passes, penalties, mental errors),” Murphy said in a question-and-answer piece on Packers.com. “We should have a much better sense regarding Jordan at the end of the season.
“Young players often take time to find consistency, but we still very much believe in Jordan and are excited to see his continued development.”
Murphy also cited the experience around Rodgers when he took over, referencing receivers Donald Driver and Greg Jennings along with tackle Chad Clifton and running back Ryan Grant. While Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon represent experience, with the former residing as one of the better Packers skill-position players this century, this Green Bay edition lost David Bakhtiari for the season and played a stretch without Elgton Jenkins. The team also bid farewell to experienced wideouts Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb this offseason, seeing both team up with Rodgers with the Jets. The Packers’ receiving corps consists entirely of first- and second-year players, with rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft comprising the team’s top tight end duo. The inexperience issue came up multiple times this offseason, but the Packers refrained from adding a veteran to help the young group during Love’s first starter season.
Although Murphy reminded the Packers had seen enough from Rodgers to extend that extension offer by this point in his first starter season, the veteran exec praised Love’s makeup and leadership qualities. Through eight games, the fourth-year passer has not impressed. Love ranks 25th in passer rating, 22nd in QBR, 25th in yards per attempt and last (among qualified passers) in completion percentage (59.6). An accurate outing against the Rams brought Love’s completion rate to that point, and the Packers are coming off a 20-3 win.
An organization expecting to strike gold on a third consecutive passer is obviously a longer-odds proposition. The Packers’ 1992 Brett Favre trade and 2005 Rodgers draft choice set them up like no team before it, at least in terms of duration. The team’s decision to trade up for Love in 2020 generated scrutiny, and with the move coming without Gutekunst notifying Rodgers, that selection led to the parties’ relationship fracturing. By not taking a player capable of helping immediately, the Packers also punted on the chance to strengthen a team that had ventured to the prior year’s NFC championship game.
Gutekunst certainly took a risk by trading up for Love, who led Division I-FBS in interceptions in 2019. The Packers will give the Utah State alum more time. In lieu of picking up Love’s fully guaranteed 2024 option, the Packers gave Rodgers’ successor a two-year deal worth $13.5MM. Escalators exist within the deal, but Love is currently tied to a $5.5MM base salary and $7.76MM cap number for 2024. That is a favorable rate for a starting quarterback beyond his four-year rookie deal, but Love still has plenty to prove in order to command another Packers extension.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/23
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: LB Eku Leota, WR Mike Strachan
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: LB Micah Baskerville, TE Stephen Carlson
Cardinals Reach Injury Settlement With RB Damien Williams, Waive RB Tony Jones Jr.
James Conner‘s injury has required some running back shuffling in Arizona, but the team’s moves Thursday point to the starter coming back. With Conner practicing after a four-week IR stay, the Cardinals jettisoned two running backs.
The team reached an injury settlement with Damien Williams, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, doing so while waiving Tony Jones Jr. Williams had been on Arizona’s practice squad injured list, being placed there last week. This transaction will send the veteran running back into free agency.
This marks the second straight year in which Williams, 31, has been cut loose via an injury settlement. The former Super Bowl starter began last season with the Falcons but suffered a rib injury in the team’s opener. As Tyler Allgeier began to flourish in his rookie season, the Falcons did not use one of their injury activations on Williams, releasing him from IR in December.
Although he caught on with the Raiders during Josh Jacobs‘ training camp absence, Williams did not make their 53-man roster. Conner’s injury prompted the Cardinals to add him in October. Williams, who totaled 10 touchdowns between the 2018 and ’19 postseasons as the Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt replacement, was active for three games with the Cardinals. He produced 43 yards on 11 carries, joining second-year back Keaontay Ingram and rookie UDFA Emari Demercado as Arizona’s ball carriers during Conner’s absence.
Jones has played in four Saints games this season; he joined the Cardinals as a waiver claim, arriving in the desert shortly after Williams. Jones, who went to training camp with the Broncos, logged three carries as a Cardinal. Demercado and Ingram remain on Arizona’s roster, but the team ditching two other backs points to Conner being ready when first eligible. Though, Demercado missed Week 9 and has not practice this week due to a toe injury. The Cardinals have until Saturday afternoon to activate the seventh-year back. Conner has missed time due to a knee injury, continuing a trend of short-term absences for the former third-round pick.
NFC North Notes: Lions, Bears, Poles, Gary
Graham Glasgow became a cap casualty this offseason, seeing the now-Sean Payton-run Broncos dump his four-year, $44MM contract. The veteran interior lineman had taken a pay cut in 2022, after losing his job (to Quinn Meinerz) following an injury absence. Glasgow returned to the Lions, who had drafted him in 2016, on a one-year deal worth $2.75MM deal. Given backup money, Glasgow indeed began the season as a utility man. But the Lions have needed to use the eighth-year veteran at three positions this season, with injuries sidelining Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. Glasgow has done enough to remain a starter when the unit is at full strength, Dan Campbell said (via the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett).
Glasgow, 30, has started the past six games and done so at left guard, right guard and center. Moving forward, Glasgow will be Detroit’s RG starter. Vaitai won that job out of training camp but needed time off after an early-season injury. While Vaitai is back after knee and back maladies, the 2020 free agency pickup has not showed top form upon returning. Pro Football Focus grades Glasgow as the No. 5 overall guard. The former third-round pick now has the opportunity to use this season to fetch a nice contract in free agency once again, though the Lions could also have interest in retaining him. The team removed a year from Vaitai’s contract, amid a pay cut that followed his missed 2022, and has Jackson in a contract year. The Lions have some questions at guard moving forward.
Here is the latest from the NFC North:
- Although the Bears have since extended Montez Sweat, executives took issue with GM Ryan Poles‘ pre-deadline strategy. One anonymous GM said (via the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora) the move of indicating Jaylon Johnson was available barely 12 hours before the deadline did not give teams enough time to gauge his trade value, assess the player’s future or negotiate a contract. A report indicating the Bears would let Johnson’s camp seek a trade — after Bears extension talks were not progressing — came out just after midnight CT on Oct. 31. The Bears ended up keeping Johnson, and Poles has said the team wants to keep the contract-year cornerback. No team has franchise-tagged a corner since the Rams cuffed Trumaine Johnson in 2017, but Chicago does have the tag available with Sweat signed days after that trade.
- The Bears obtained Sweat from the Commanders for a second-round pick. The above-referenced GM said the Falcons were on track to land Sweat for a third-round pick before Poles put the Bears’ second-rounder on the table. Atlanta is believed to have increased its offer twice in response. Another anonymous GM told La Canfora the Bears should have been selling at the deadline. While execs did not agree with the Bears giving up a pick likely to land in the 30s for Sweat, the team proceeded this way for Chase Claypool last year and now has an upper-echelon edge defender signed long term.
- Weeks after seeing DC Alan Williams step away, the Bears fired running backs coach David Walker, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain and Adam Jahns. Workplace behavior led to Walker’s dismissal, ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin adds. The Bears’ HR department had previously disciplined Walker, according to Cronin, with the second infraction leading to the firing. Matt Eberflus hired Walker, 53, last year. HR was also involved in Williams’ exit; the two matters are unrelated. Omar Young is now coaching Chicago’s RBs.
- Rashan Gary‘s four-year, $96MM Packers extension calls for a $34.6MM signing bonus, which represents the fifth-year outside linebacker’s guarantee. Additionally, Gary will collect a $6.2MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2024 league year, according to OverTheCap. On Day 3 of the 2025 league year, Gary will earn an $8.7MM roster bonus.
- The Lions bumped linebacker Trevor Nowaske up to their active roster due to another team’s effort to poach him off the practice squad, Campbell said. A rookie UDFA out of Saginaw Valley State (Mich.), Nowaske joined Detroit’s active roster last week.
Giants, Xavier McKinney Table Extension Talks To 2024; Don Martindale Addresses Safety’s Complaint
After hanging onto Xavier McKinney at the trade deadline, the Giants do not have plans to discuss an extension this season. Although Joe Schoen talked terms with Saquon Barkley and Julian Love midway through last season, McKinney will play out his rookie contract.
The fourth-year safety and the Giants mutually agreed to table talks until 2024, according to the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. While the notion of McKinney not being a 2023 extension candidate was previously framed as a Giants call, it appears the safety is interested in potentially exploring free agency.
A 2020 second-round pick, McKinney has been a regular starter for much of his New York career. While he played behind Jabrill Peppers and Logan Ryan early in his run, the Alabama product spent the 2021 and ’22 seasons as a regular. The Giants have bid farewell to a few safeties during Schoen’s run. They released Ryan and let Peppers walk in free agency last year, and after failed talks to re-sign Love, the team let the 2022 safety starter sign with the Seahawks. The team had expected Love to re-sign but had an eye on McKinney’s future by letting him go.
The Giants have cleared the decks at safety, potentially opening the door to McKinney staying on a second contract. Pro Football Focus grades McKinney’s as the NFL’s No. 30 overall safety through the season’s midpoint. He has stayed healthy thus far this year, though the team may be keen on seeing the 24-year-old defender remain available. Injuries in 2020 and 2022, the latter an ATV accident, kept McKinney off the field for extended stretches. While McKinney returned to action late last season, he missed eight games after being sidelined for 10 as a rookie. In 2021, McKinney played 16 games.
Suddenly, McKinney’s performance may not cover his entire situation. He made postgame comments aimed at the coaching staff. Amid this 2-7 Giants start, McKinney lashed out at a perceived lack of leadership.
“Honestly, it sucks. But, I don’t know, man. I don’t really have many words. I think that from a leadership standpoint, I don’t think they’ve done a great job of letting the leaders lead, and listening to the leaders and the captains,” said McKinney, who is a Giants captain (via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan).
“It was one of those things where you have some of your leaders, captains from a defensive standpoint, trying to switch things up and just not really being heard.”
Brian Daboll brushed off the notion he is losing the locker room, an issue that accelerated the firings of Ben McAdoo and Joe Judge. Daboll said (via Dunleavy) he meets with Giants captains each Friday. When asked about McKinney’s comments Thursday, second-year DC Don Martindale said the statement did hurt him, according to the New York Post’s Mark Cannizzaro. Though, the veteran defensive coach said the parties have cleared up the matter.
“It surprised me, because it’s the first time in my career that a player would make a statement like that,” Martindale said. “I think it was a case where the kid was just frustrated with losing. We spoke. We cleared it up. The example that he gave me of what he was talking about was an in-game adjustment. It really took a while for him to point out to me exactly what it was.
“What he explained to me was a coverage that we ran one time. He explained that to me afterward. I didn’t hear about it during the game. That’s another reason why it caught me by surprise. … I just told him that’s something that hurts the locker room, it hurts the defensive room when you say something like that.”
McKinney’s 53 tackles rank second on the Giants, behind Bobby Okereke‘s 80. Ranking last in both scoring and total offense, the Giants sit 21st in points allowed and 24th in total defense this season. DVOA slots Martindale’s unit 26th.
Broncos Fielded Deadline Offers On WR Jerry Jeudy
It turned out to be a quiet trade deadline for the Broncos, despite the Randy Gregory deal signaling the team was prepared to make moves. While the team set a lofty asking price to even start conversations on Patrick Surtain and discussed Justin Simmons, its most frequently mentioned trade piece stayed put as well.
Jerry Jeudy has been mentioned as a trade piece since before the 2022 deadline. Offers poured in for the former first-round pick last year, coming as the Broncos’ offense bottomed out weeks into the Nathaniel Hackett–Russell Wilson partnership. Jeudy, who drew interest from the Cowboys and Giants last year, still led that dysfunctional Denver team in receiving — with a career-high 972 yards — and Sean Payton reopened the door to a trade this offseason. But no team is believed to have come especially close to the asking price the Broncos set this year. The Browns and Patriots were mentioned as spring suitors; both moved in different directions, Cleveland trading for Elijah Moore and New England signing JuJu Smith-Schuster.
That continued in the weeks before the deadline. Denver had set a first-round price on Jeudy this offseason, while asking for a second in exchange for Courtland Sutton. The latter is believed to have generated a back-and-forth between the Broncos and Ravens, with a deal being scuttled and Baltimore going with Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency. Going into this year’s deadline, Sutton was viewed as less likely to be moved than Jeudy, who has been inconsistent in Payton’s attack.
Interest in Jeudy was believed to have declined this season, to the point a third-round pick was mentioned as potential compensation. Though, the Colts inquired earlier this fall. It is unclear if the Broncos received a third-round offer for Jeudy, but Payton confirmed (via the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel) offers came in just before last week’s deadline. They were not enough to convince Payton and GM George Paton to move on from Jeudy, who is signed through 2024 via the fifth-year option.
“We’re not the ones to be interviewed,” Payton said of the trade deadline. “Go ask the people that are purchasing. We’re building and putting a team together. We kind of went through this in the offseason with a handful of players. He’s an important part and important piece of what we’re doing. … Shoot, he’s a guy we think is dynamic.”
The Broncos holding out for a better offer points to yet another round of Jeudy trade rumors in 2024, when he will be tied to a fully guaranteed $12.99MM. With 2024 being a Jeudy contract year, the Broncos will need to make a final determination on their plans for the shifty but inconsistent performer. The Alabama alum will have a chance to rebuild his trade value down the stretch this season. In seven games, Jeudy has 336 receiving yards — second on the team to Sutton’s 380 — and one touchdown.
Payton also said the goal will be to involve second-round rookie Marvin Mims more in the offense. For a stretch to start the season, Mims was pacing the Broncos in receiving yardage despite holding a part-time role. Sutton and Jeudy have caught up, but the Oklahoma alum is averaging 22.4 yards per catch (11/246). Mims entered the bye week, however, having not caught a pass in three games. He holds a 30% offensive snap share.
Mims’ progression during the season’s second half, however, could end up being a determinant in how the Broncos proceed with Jeudy and Sutton. The latter is signed through 2025, but no guarantees remain on the deal after this season.
Rams To Sign QB Carson Wentz
NOVEMBER 9: Wentz will receive a $150K signing bonus as part of the deal, along with a prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum, per ESPN’s Field Yates. The veteran will therefore earn $733K over the course of the next few months in his new home. QB2 duties await Wentz when Stafford is healthy, but any playing opportunities afforded to him will give the former a chance to earn a free agent deal much sooner in 2024 than this 2023 contract.
NOVEMBER 7: After struggling without Matthew Stafford in Week 9, the Rams will make a big move at quarterback. They have agreed to terms with Carson Wentz, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports, ending a lengthy free agency stay for the former No. 2 overall pick by placing him on their practice squad.
While Wentz has not been closely connected to a team since his Commanders release, the longtime Eagles starter was mentioned as an option for a few after injuries struck. With Stafford loosely on track to return after a thumb injury sidelined him in Week 9, it will be the Rams who make the move. The Rams will release QB Dresser Winn from their practice squad in a corresponding move.
The Rams attempted to reacquire John Wolford last week, but the Buccaneers promoted him to their 53-man roster to nix that effort. Brett Rypien, who signed with the team after the draft, started in place of Stafford and struggled in Green Bay. It is uncertain if Wentz will be viewed as ready to replace Stafford if needed in Week 11, but he would have a longer onramp compared to Baker Mayfield. The Rams have experience in readying a QB to make an immediate cameo, turning to Mayfield two days after claiming him. Los Angeles’ bye also arrives in Week 10, giving Wentz some time to begin learning Sean McVay‘s offense.
McVay said he expects Stafford to be ready following the Rams’ bye week, but the team has higher-profile insurance in Wentz. Stafford, 35, has seen his run of durability halt in L.A. After a nagging elbow injury affected his 2022 offseason, the Super Bowl-winning QB missed a chunk of last season due to a spinal contusion. Stafford made the first eight starts for the Rams this season; the thumb issue intervened to provide another pause for the 15th-year passer.
Wentz and the Rams had been working on a deal Monday night, per The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. This will be Wentz’s fourth team (and fourth in four seasons). After the one-time MVP frontrunner’s 2021 Eagles split, the Colts dumped him in March 2022. Requiring higher-end trade compensation to move to both Indianapolis and Washington, Wentz was simply released this year. The 30-year-old passer trained for months with an eye on a 2023 re-emergence and reached out to the Jets about an opportunity following Aaron Rodgers‘ Week 1 Achilles tear. Gang Green stuck with Zach Wilson, and Wentz ended up waiting until midseason to reenter the league.
It is safe to say Wentz’s stock has tanked since it once required a first-round pick to acquire him in 2021. Jim Irsay insisted the Colts trade Wentz following the 2021 season — a 27-touchdown, seven-interception slate that ended ignominiously, with the unvaccinated QB missing practice time due to a COVID-19 contraction and the Colts losing their final two games to squander a playoff opportunity — and the Commanders benched a player they surrendered two third-rounders for midway through last season. Wentz suffered a fractured finger in October 2022, but after Taylor Heinicke helped the Commanders resurface in the wild-card race, Ron Rivera kept Wentz on the bench. Washington gave Wentz a start in Week 17; he threw three interceptions to dash any Commanders hopes of a last-ditch playoff rally.
The Rams did not make a notable attempt to keep Mayfield, letting him sign with the Bucs on a one-year, $4MM deal. They moved to Rypien, whose backup role became solidified after fifth-round pick Stetson Bennett landed on the reserve/NFI list in September. The two-time national champion remains on L.A.’s NFI list. While Rypien remains on the team’s 53-man roster — after the Jets showed interest in poaching him earlier this season — Wentz will move into position to become Stafford’s backup.
While Wentz has his share of critics, he obviously has enjoyed periods of NFL success. He was all but certain to claim MVP honors in 2017, but a December ACL tear scuttled that path. Nick Foles both replaced Wentz and piloted the Eagles to their first Super Bowl title, from the No. 1 seed Wentz led the Eagles to clinch, and then ignited Philadelphia’s 2018 squad after the starter sustained another season-ending injury. Wentz did lead a receiver-thin Eagles team to the playoffs in 2019, but he struggled in 2020, leading he and Doug Pederson out the door. Last season, Wentz threw 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, averaging just 6.4 yards per attempt. He went 2-5 as a Commanders starter.
The Rams had the opportunity to draft Wentz seven years ago, but their trade-up maneuver — which occurred before the Eagles’ climb — was for Jared Goff. Wentz’s 2019 Eagles extension also framed the Rams’ ensuing Goff re-up. The Rams have Stafford tied to a four-year, $160MM extension that runs through 2026. The team is believed to have dangled the veteran starter in trades, though scant interest emerged after an injury-plagued 2022. Wentz will at least represent better depth for the Rams, who enter their bye week at 3-6.
Falcons Offered Commanders Second-Round Pick For DE Montez Sweat
Montez Sweat‘s status has changed a few times since the Halloween trade deadline. The 2019 first-round pick has gone from contract-year Commanders pass rusher to a Bears rental to a player now locked in long term with his new team. Sweat signed a four-year, $98MM extension prior to suiting up for the Bears.
Coming into deadline day, the Commanders held at least two offers for Sweat. The other known proposal came from the Falcons, who had sweetened their proposal by that point. Atlanta initially offered a third-rounder for Sweat, and CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones indicates that deal included conditions that would have bumped the compensation to a second. However, Jones adds the Falcons then dropped the conditional component and offered the Commanders a straight second for Sweat.
A Georgia native with family in the Atlanta area, Sweat is believed to have initially preferred to be dealt to the Falcons. It appears, however, the Bears’ struggles under Matt Eberflus have once again benefited them in a trade. The Packers were also believed to have offered the Steelers a second-round pick for Chase Claypool last year, but Pittsburgh preferred the Chicago offer due to what turned out to be a correct expectation the pick would end up higher in the 2023 draft. Chicago’s second-round draft slot checked in at No. 32, Green Bay’s at 45. The Bears came into this year’s deadline at 2-6, with the Falcons residing at 4-4.
GM Ryan Poles‘ unusual penchant for making buyer’s trades in a seller’s position has now netted the team two pieces over the past two years. While the Claypool move backfired to the point the Bears needed to give him away in a pick swap involving 2025 late-round choices — via an October deal with the Dolphins — the team is far more bullish on Sweat, who is now the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid edge defender.
As was the case with what turned out to be an unappealing 2023 receiver market, Jones adds the Bears were not high on the 2024 edge rusher pool. The Packers drained it further to start last week, extending Rashan Gary. While Green Bay would have enjoyed the opportunity to tag Gary next year, the Bears’ NFC North rivals provided a bit of clarity on the ’24 edge market just before the deadline. That deal helped shape Sweat’s, with the Bears giving their trade acquisition a higher AAV ($24.5MM) compared to Gary ($24MM).
Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith are on track for free agency in 2024, but the 2022 Vikings starters are not exactly long-term building blocks at this stage. Chase Young would qualify as such, though the 49ers now hold exclusive negotiating rights with the former Defensive Rookie of the Year until the 2024 tampering period. Josh Uche (Patriots) and Jonathan Greenard (Texans) qualify as edges who will command interesting markets, and while the Bears will have a need opposite Sweat, they opted to take their big swing early.
The Falcons do not have a foundation in place on the edge just yet. Bud Dupree is tied to a one-year, $3MM contract, with rotational rusher Lorenzo Carter re-signing on a two-year, $9MM pact this offseason. Second-year player Arnold Ebiketie leads the team, along with D-lineman David Onyemata, with 3.5 sacks. The Falcons’ 19 as a team ranks outside the top 20. Though, the Bears have been in worse shape. Chicago’s 10 sacks are five worse than the 31st-place team this season. They will bank on Sweat changing their pass-rushing course.
Jaguars Pursued DE Chase Young
A compensatory third-round pick ended up being enough for the 49ers to acquire Chase Young from the Commanders, but as Washington listened to offers following its Montez Sweat trades, two AFC teams made pushes.
In addition to the previously reported Ravens pursuit, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz notes the Jaguars were in on Young before last week’s deadline as well. Considering Jacksonville’s offseason efforts and place in AFC playoff graphics, it is not too surprising to see the AFC South leaders as a buyer.
The 6-2 team had already acquired Ezra Cleveland from the Vikings, a deal that needed only a 2024 sixth-rounder (originally a Panthers pick) to complete. But the more telling trade matter here involved ex-Cleveland teammate Danielle Hunter, whom the Jaguars chased this summer. The Jags and Vikings were believed to be close to completing a swap that would have sent the Pro Bowl edge rusher to Florida. Minnesota instead held onto Hunter, reaching an August resolution that ended up making him less valuable in trades.
Minnesota received calls on Hunter, and it appears likely Jacksonville circled back on the NFL’s sack leader. But Hunter’s summer Vikings agreement prevents the ninth-year veteran from being franchise-tagged. With it becoming clear the surging Vikings would hold onto Hunter, Young became a key deadline piece.
The 49ers and Commanders, whose GMs both worked together in San Francisco and suited up as DBs together in Tampa, began talking about a prospective deal ahead of Week 8. John Lynch and Martin Mayhew finalized the exchange for a pick that will land at the end of the third round. It appears the Jags and Ravens were not ready to beat that, though it is not known if another third-round pick emerged in the sweepstakes. Odds are, it didn’t, given what it took to acquire Young, whom Commanders owner Josh Harris pushed to move despite Sweat already being dealt.
Jacksonville will head into the stretch run with Josh Allen anchoring its pass rush. The contract-year edge’s nine sacks rank fifth in the NFL, while his 26 pressures are tied for second. Travon Walker, however, sits second on the Jags with 3.5 sacks; the 2022 No. 1 overall pick has compiled 14 pressures. The Jags have not had their full pass rush available for long, though; both Dawuane Smoot and DaVon Hamilton were in-season activations. With Young set to finish out a contract year in San Francisco, the Jags will need to rely on their batch of Allen sidekicks heating up.
Young, 24, will debut for the 49ers this week. San Francisco’s depth chart lists the former Defensive Rookie of the Year as a starter opposite Nick Bosa. The prospect of the 49ers rolling out a Bosa-Young-Javon Hargrave–Arik Armstead quartet is promising for Steve Wilks‘ defense, which also has the services of Randy Gregory, Clelin Ferrell, Javon Kinlaw and 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson. Young was not aiming to discuss an extension in Washington, and it still sounds like he will cross that bridge after the season. The 49ers will need to decide on paying a fourth D-lineman (or tagging their newest addition) or letting him walk for a likely compensatory pick.
The trade the Jaguars did end up making does not look like it was for a player the team plans to start. Cleveland will settle in as a backup behind starters Brandon Scherff and Walker Little, Doug Pederson said (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). A 2020 second-round pick, Cleveland has been a starter for most of his career. He began this season as Minnesota’s starting left guard.
This will be an interesting transition for the relocating blocker, whose rookie contract expires at season’s end. The Jags moved Walker to guard this season, after he began the year at left tackle due to Cam Robinson‘s suspension. Little has missed the past three games, but Pederson is intent on plugging the third-year lineman back in at left guard. With Little returning as a backup in Week 8, it sounds like the Stanford product will be starting against the 49ers this week.
Cowboys Explored Linebacker Trades; Team Did Not Pursue Running Backs
Jerry Jones made it rather clear he did not expect the Cowboys to be in on big-ticket trades, especially not ones Dallas brass initiated. True to the longtime owner’s word, the Cowboys stood down and will go into their latest playoff pursuit with the team they built in the offseason.
This did not quite cover the team’s deadline itinerary, though. The Cowboys still pursued linebacking help on the market, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. Dallas has been without Leighton Vander Esch since his Week 5 neck injury, thinning out a group the team already tinkered with this offseason.
The Cowboys are without two expected cogs on their defensive second level. Weeks before losing Vander Esch, the team saw third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown suffer an ACL tear. Vander Esch’s injury applied some pressure on 2022 fifth-round pick Damone Clark, whom the team moved into the starting lineup after not re-signing Anthony Barr. Clark leads the Cowboys with 56 tackles, 15 more than any other Dallas defender.
Markquese Bell, a 2022 UDFA, has operated alongside Clark as a regular. The converted DB has made 41 stops this season, and Pro Football Focus has viewed the Florida A&M product as the NFL’s 10th-best off-ball linebacker this season. Granted, that grade has come on just 249 defensive snaps, but the advanced metrics site tabs Bell as the league’s sixth-best coverage ‘backer. Vander Esch is not expected to miss the rest of the season; the sixth-year defender will be eligible to come off IR in Week 11. Though, the team’s trade push points to Vander Esch — who has a history of neck trouble — not being ready when first eligible.
This may cover the extent of the Cowboys’ outside pursuits at the deadline. The team was linked as a stealth Derrick Henry suitor, but Graziano adds it is not believed to have made calls to acquire a running back. The Titans made it fairly clear they were setting a high price on their contract-year star, who will now be a Will Levis resource, and the Cowboys were not believed to be chasing backs before last week’s deadline.
Tony Pollard‘s efficiency has taken an expected hit, with the Cowboys turning to the franchise-tagged RB as a three-down performer rather than a slick Ezekiel Elliott complementary piece. Pollard has not scored a touchdown since Week 1 and is averaging just 4.0 yards per carry. The 2022 Pro Bowler scored 12 TDs last season and posted an elite 9.5 yards per reception — he is at 6.6 in that category this year — along with a 5.2 YPC figure. Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected metric places Pollard in the bottom 12 among qualified ball carriers. But no supplementary addition is en route. The 6-3 Cowboys will stick to their guns and make do with the roster they have built.