Top QB Quinn Ewers To Skip Senior Year, Join Ohio State
Quarterback Quinn Ewers, ranked as the No. 1 or No. 2 prospect in his class, has decided to forego his senior year of high school to enroll early at Ohio State (Twitter link). Ewers is now set to enroll at Ohio State this fall, accelerating his potential timeframe for the NFL Draft by a year. For now, he’ll vie with C.J. Stroud, Jack Miller, and Kyle McCord for playing time.
“I’ve taken time to think about what lies ahead of me, both in the short- and long-term,” said the Texas high school standout. “It’s unfortunate I’ve found myself in this situation, as my preference would have been to complete my senior season at Southlake Carroll along with the teammates and friends I’ve taken the field alongside for the past three years. However, following conversations with my family and those I know have my best interests in mind, I’ve decided it’s time for me to enroll at Ohio State and begin my career as a Buckeye.”
To be eligible for the NFL draft, players must be at least three years removed from high school. Of course, nothing is guaranteed for any 18-year-old prospect — no matter how good they are — but the 6’3″ signal caller is already on the radar for pro scouts. Previously, he would have been on track for the 2025 NFL Draft, at the earliest. Now, he could go pro as soon as 2024.
As a high school athlete, Ewers cannot profit off of his name. However, thanks to the NCAA’s revised rules, he’ll be able to earn money for his name, likeness, and image. According to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports, that could net Ewers as much as $1MM in 2022. Beyond Ewers, it’s a potential game changer for college and pro prospects on the whole. Now, there’s extra incentive to enroll early, enjoy the fruits of college fame, and, by extension, enter the NFL sooner.
Texans Practice Without Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson was not present at the Texans’ Tuesday practice, their first padded scrimmage of training camp. When asked by reporters, Texans head coach David Culley didn’t offer up much of an explanation. 
[RELATED: Texans Set High Asking Price For Watson]
“We make decisions every day based on what’s best for our football team,” Culley said (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). “Nothing new today on that.”
Watson still wants out of Houston, even in the midst of 20+ lawsuits. The Texans are willing to make that happen, though they’re asking for a lot in return. Texans GM Nick Caserio reportedly wants a combination of five high draft picks plus quality players in exchange for the embattled quarterback.
For his part, Caserio doesn’t seem to be in any rush. The Texans would have to pay Watson to not play if he’s placed on team or the Commissioner’s Exempt list. Still, his $10.54MM salary isn’t necessarily a backbreaker, and Caserio would prefer to wait it out. This way, he’ll have a chance at a better haul next year rather than accepting pennies on the dollar.
Up until today, Watson was at training camp and successfully avoiding $50K in daily fines. Even then, his participation was light with no team drills.
Surgery For Colts’ Quenton Nelson
The Colts got a double dose of bad news this week. In addition to quarterback Carson Wentz, star guard Quenton Nelson will also miss a portion of the season (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
[RELATED: Carson Wentz To Have Surgery, Out 5-12 Weeks]
Like Wentz, Nelson also needs repair on a bone issue in his foot. Schefter hears that Nelson is looking at a similar timeline — that means the three-time All-Pro will be out for the next 5-12 weeks, likely preventing him from playing in the Colts’ season opener.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” head coach Frank Reich told reporters today, adding that Wentz’s surgery went as well as it could have.
The Colts opted to keep Nelson at his left guard post, despite the retirement of longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo. That’s where he’ll be once he’s ready to return to action, but they’ll be dealing with lots of holes up front in the interim. Center Ryan Kelly is still nursing an elbow injury that’s keeping him off the practice field while new LT Eric Fisher is still returning from an Achilles tear. For now, they’ll try to get by with more from backups like Chris Reed and Sam Tevi.
Nelson, the No. 6 overall pick of the 2018 draft, has earned First Team All-Pro honors in each of his three professional seasons. The Colts have him under contract through 2022 (at a rate of $14MM) thanks to his fifth-year option.
Todd Davis Retires From NFL
Todd Davis signed with the Giants just a few days ago. But, on Tuesday, he decided to call it a career. The Giants have placed the veteran linebacker on the reserved/retired list, per a club announcement. In a related move, the Giants have placed wide receiver Derrick Dillon on the injured reserve list.
Davis entered the league in 2014 as an unheralded prospect out of Sacramento State. The UDFA carved out a heck of a career for himself, once the Broncos claimed him off waivers from the Saints midway through his rookie year. He went on to play a significant role on the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 and became a full-time starter the following year in 2016.
“We’re really looking forward to getting him on the field. He just signed with us, so we’re excited about that and he’ll come in and compete with the other linebackers at his position and work through his defensive responsibilities, as well as his role in the kicking game,” head coach Joe Judge said just the other day. “Got to meet with him today, sit down face to face and have a good conversation, liked his energy. I’ve known him as a player in the league for some time but made a good first impression personality-wise and I’m excited to get him on the field.”
From 2016-19, Davis started at least 14 games at inside linebacker in four straight seasons. In his final Denver year, he notched a career-high 134 tackles despite missing two contests. During that stretch, Davis inked a three-year, $15MM deal, but only made it through two years of that pact.
Davis leaves the NFL with 505 tackles, 23 TFL, three sacks, 15 passes defensed, and one interception in 96 career games. We here at PFR wish him the best in retirement.
Falcons Work Out D’Onta Foreman
Former Texans and Titans running back D’Onta Foreman is meeting with the Falcons today (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Foreman, once a star at UT, could likely be had on a minimum-salaried deal with no guarantees. 
[RELATED: Falcons GM Was Against Ryan Restructure]
Foreman saw time in ten games as a rookie for the Texans, notching 327 rushing yards and two scores on 78 carries. But, towards the end of the year, he tore his Achilles. His 2018 follow-up was limited to just one game and he was subsequently released. Up until the injury, Foreman was considered a possible heir to Lamar Miller‘s RB1 job.
Foreman then had a cup of coffee with the Colts, but sat as a free agent for all of 2019. In 2020, he caught on with the Titans and tallied 22 totes for 95 yards. For his career, Foreman has 421 yards rushing and a decent 3.9 ypc average, albeit in a limited sample.
The Falcons are currently set to feature veteran Mike Davis, wide receiver-turned-running back Cordarrelle Patterson, and Quadree Ollison in the backfield. Davis and Ollison, in particular, have drawn strong reviews from coach Arthur Smith.
“It’s clear that both guys are very smart players. That’s obvious about both of them,” Smith said recently (via the team website). “They have pretty good hands, and we’re trying to push to see what they can do. That’s part of our job. We need to make sure they can (do. We’re trying to test them and be aggressive.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Greg Dortch
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Cameron Nizialek
- Waived: P Sterling Hofrichter
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (from Texans): LB Nate Hall
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DT Josh Avery
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: RB Tony Brooks-James
- Released: LB Jarvis Miller
Saints Sign G J.R. Sweezy
The Saints have signed guard J.R. Sweezy, per a club announcement. Meanwhile, the club has waived defensive lineman Lorenzo Neal and defensive back Lawrence Woods. The Saints also placed tight end Dylan Soehner on injured reserve, opening up roster spots for Sweezy and their new cornerbacks, Prince Amukamara and KeiVarae Russell.
[RELATED: Saints Sign CBs Prince Amukamara, KeiVarae Russell]
Sweezy offers 117 games of NFL experience, including 104 starts. He spent the first four years of his career with the Seahawks before moving to the Bucs in 2016. Unfortunately, he missed his first would-be season in Tampa and was clearly hampered in 2017 – they terminated the rest of his five-year deal, $32.5MM pact. He returned to the Seahawks in ’18 before joining up with the Cardinals, where he’s spent the last two seasons.
In addition to all of that regular season time, the 6’5″, 310-pound lineman has started in eleven Seattle playoff games. Not bad for a former seventh-round pick. His more recent run with Arizona wasn’t his best work, but he still profiles as an intriguing option for the Saints’ offensive line. The bulk of his work has come at right guard, but he can also pitch in on the left side if needed.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Jonathan Celestin
Houston Texans
- Signed: LS Mitchell Fraboni
- Waived: LB Nate Hall
Kansas City Chiefs
- Cut from IR: WR Chris Finke
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: RB Darius Jackson
- Placed on reserve/retired list: LB James Onwualu
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: QB Case Cookus
- Claimed off waivers (from Seahawks): QB Danny Etling
New Orleans Saints
- Cut: DL Lorenzo Neal Jr., DB Lawrence Woods
- Placed on injured reserve: TE Dylan Soehner
Washington Football Team
- Waived: OL Ross Reynolds
Titans’ Caleb Farley Cleared To Practice
Titans rookie Caleb Farley passed his physical, clearing the way for him to return to the practice field (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Titans took a bit of a risk by taking Farley in Round 1, but the cornerback is on track with his pre-draft medical timeline. 
Farley has undergone two back surgeries, with the most recent one coming in March. It all started in 2019, when he suffered a herniated disk in the gym. Somehow, he played through the pain in ten games for Virginia Tech that year. His first surgery did not completely address the issue, leading to a second one earlier this year. And, before all of that, Farley missed his true frosh season with an ACL tear. If not for all of that, Farley could have been a top 10 pick. Instead, the Titans snagged him at No. 22 overall.
As expected, Farley missed Tennessee’s on-field drills during June minicamp. Then, in late July, the Titans parked him on the PUP list. Now, he’ll have plenty of time to get acclimated in advance of the season opener. When he retakes the field in September, it’ll mark his first action since ’19, due to his 2020 opt out.
Farley is just one piece of the Titans’ revamped CB corps, joining tenth-year veteran Janoris Jenkins and 2020 second-round pick Kristian Fulton atop the depth chart.
Eagles’ DeVonta Smith Week-To-Week
The Eagles have listed wide receiver DeVonta Smith as week-t0-week with a knee sprain. However, (Twitter link) NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport hears that it’s just a minor sprain, which means that Smith should only be out for a couple of weeks. 
[Poll: Which Rookie WR Will Finish With Most Receiving Yards?]
The first-round pick is set to reunite quarterback Jalen Hurts, his old college pal at Alabama. The stage is set for a big rookie year — the Heisman trophy winner may stand as the Birds’ top outside option as he joins Jalen Reagor, Travis Fulgham, and Greg Ward Jr. on the depth chart. Fortunately, he should be good to go in time for the season opener against the Falcons on September 12.
Smith broke onto the scene following a standout junior campaign, but he took it to another level in 2020. The wideout finished the year with 24 touchdowns, 1,862 yards from scrimmage, and the aforementioned Heisman (plus many more awards). He was universally viewed as one of the three best WRs in this year’s class — somewhere behind Ja’Marr Chase and neck-and-neck with teammate Jaylen Waddle. While those two were taken ahead of Smith, the Eagles rook offers plenty of upside thanks to his soft hands, intangibles, and ability to win 50/50 balls.