Dolphins’ Davon Godchaux Done For Year?
Dolphins defensive tackle Davon Godchaux suffered a biceps injury that could end his season, sources tell Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former fifth-round pick will go for a second opinion, but it sounds like he’ll be out for an extended stretch, at the minimum. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Place LT Austin Jackson On IR]
Godchaux underwent surgery to repair the injury. The Dolphins placed the starting defender on IR, but Godchaux has not thrown in the towel on returning this season, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets.
Godchaux has been a full-time starter in Miami the last few years and he was gunning for a pay bump in his contract year. The run-stuffing nose tackle — making $2.1MM in 2020 — had 16 tackles, one tackle for a loss, and two QB hits through five games this season.
Last year, Godchaux made more stops within two yards of the line than any other defensive tackle in the NFL. He also turned in a career high of 75 tackles and a new watermark of seven pressures, plus three sacks from the interior. The Dolphins were high on him coming into this year, as shown by their lack of serious interest in top defensive tackles like D.J. Reader.
The Dolphins advanced to 2-3 after their 43-17 drumming of the 49ers. On Sunday, they’re set to face the Broncos in Denver as they try to close the gap with the division-leading Bills.
2021 NFL Draft Order
With most of Week 5 in the books, we bring you a way-too-early look at the current order for the 2021 NFL draft. For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2020 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. After that, the same goes for the six clubs eliminated from each round of the postseason, with the final two picks determined by the outcome of the Super Bowl.
Here’s where things stand in the race to the bottom:
- New York Giants (0-5)
- Atlanta Falcons (0-5)
- New York Jets (0-5)
- Washington Football Team (1-4)
- Minnesota Vikings (1-4)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (1-4)
- Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans, 1-4)
- Los Angeles Chargers (1-3)
- Detroit Lions (1-3)
- Denver Broncos (1-3)
- Philadelphia Eagles (1-3-1)
- Cincinnati Bengals (1-3-1)
- Miami Dolphins (2-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (2-3)
- New Orleans Saints (2-2)
- New England Patriots (2-2)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-2)
- Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
- Dallas Cowboys (2-3)
- Carolina Panthers (3-2)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)
- Las Vegas Raiders (3-2)
- Kansas City Chiefs (4-1)
- Cleveland Browns (4-1)
- Chicago Bears (4-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (4-1)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (via Los Angeles Rams, 4-1)
- Tennessee Titans (3-0)
- Green Bay Packers (4-0)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (4-0)
- Buffalo Bills (4-0)
- New York Jets (via Seattle Seahawks, 4-0)
Patriots, Titans Close Facilities Again; Pats-Broncos Rescheduled
12:17pm: We have an update on Cam Newton to pass along. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Newton has yet to return the two consecutive negative tests required to return to action (video link). But now that the Pats’ game against the Broncos has been pushed to next week, he will have more time to get right.
10:37am: Assuming the Titans are able to play on Tuesday, the Broncos and Patriots will indeed play each other next Sunday, as Schefter tweets. The Broncos and Chargers will then play each other in Week 8, which was supposed to be when Denver had its bye, and the Dolphins will now play the Broncos in Week 11. However, the Jaguars have now been impacted by this mess, as they were supposed to play the Broncos in Week 8. So there is still more rearranging to be done.
08:35am: The Patriots had one new positive COVID-19 test this morning, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). It was a player who tested positive, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says that player was starting DT Byron Cowart. The team’s facility has been shut down again, more testing is being done, and Cowart will be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list today.
Meanwhile, the Titans released a statement indicating that a coach tested positive. Their facility has been shut down as well, but as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports, that coach hasn’t been in the building for nearly two weeks (video link). As such, his positive test might be unrelated to the outbreak that has plagued the team, and contact tracing is being done as we speak.
New England and Tennessee just returned to their facilities yesterday after two consecutive days of negative tests. The Pats’ game against the Broncos this week had been pushed to Monday, and the Titans’ contest against the Bills was rescheduled for Tuesday, but now the Broncos-Patriots matchup has been moved to next Sunday (Twitter link via Schefter). New England and Denver will have their byes this week, and the league will need to reschedule the Broncos-Dolphins game that was originally slated for next week.
We heard several days ago that new positive tests were expected on the Patriots and Titans given the results of contact tracing on both clubs. The league was clear that additional positives would not necessarily mean the cancellation of games, and initial reports this morning indicated that the NFL still planned to move forward with Broncos-Pats tomorrow (Twitter link via Schefter).
However, a decision needed to be made quickly given that the Broncos were scheduled to make a cross-country flight to Foxborough today. Plus, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports Boston says the Pats were not going to let the league compel them to play, and that if players and coaches are uncomfortable, they will not play (Twitter link).
Given the on-going contact tracing taking place within the Tennessee organization, there is not yet an official word from the league as to the Titans-Bills game. Since the Titans have already lost their bye week, the NFL will presumably want to move forward with that contest. Even if that happens, though, it seems that a Week 18 for rescheduled games around the league is becoming more and more realistic.
As always, we will keep you updated as soon as we have more to pass along.
COVID-19 Notes: Bubble, Tiebreakers, Bengals
The Titans and Patriots are once again in limbo as a result of a new positive test for a Titans staffer and for Patriots DT Byron Cowart. Meanwhile, the Broncos will have their bye this week since their game against New England has been pushed to next Sunday, but because Denver practiced all this week in preparation for a game, it has effectively lost the benefit of a bye.
As the NFL tries to push through the season, let’s take a look at a few COVID-related items:
- Luckily, aside from the positive tests mentioned above, there were no other new positives this morning, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter).
- Nonetheless, pundits around the league seem convinced that the NFL will be forced to insert a Week 18 for rescheduled games. The Broncos–Dolphins contest originally slated for next week will need to be rescheduled since the Broncos will now be taking on the Patriots at that time, so Denver-Miami could be the first game set for a Week 18 matchup.
- There is also the possibility, of course, that some games will just need to be cancelled. If that happens, the league would need to use winning percentage as a tiebreaker, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reminds us (Twitter link). That’s hardly ideal, but it may be a reality.
- In the event of a cancelled game, players would lose game checks. Although the union is not yet amenable to a home-market bubble for the remainder of the season, it may change its tune if players starting losing money, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
- During the NFL’s mandatory conference call with players, coaches, and GMs last week, the Bengals reportedly drew the ire of the league, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. The call included data that showed which teams were doing the best job in terms of social distancing and contact tracing, and Cincinnati was at the bottom of the heap. Luckily, the Bengals have avoided any major COVID-19 scares thus far.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/20
Here is the latest barrage of Saturday minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: TE Evan Baylis, S Curtis Riley
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: DB Tyler Hall, LB Edmond Robinson
Chicago Bears
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Badara Traore
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: DT Kahlil McKenzie, CB Torry McTyer
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: DT Joey Ivie, DE Cameron Malveaux
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: T Jake Rodgers
- Placed on IR: RB LeVante Bellamy
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Nate Hall, S Jonathan Owens
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: G Jake Eldrenkamp, WR Marcus Johnson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: DL Caraun Reid, LB Quincy Williams, S Jarrod Wilson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: DE Datone Jones, DE Chris Smith
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: DT Eric Banks
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: DE Tyshun Render
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: DE Eddie Yarbrough
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from IR: CB Craig James, WR Quez Watkins
- Promoted: DB Grayland Arnold, TE Jason Croom, DB Elijah Riley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: FB Trey Edmunds
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: CB Brian Allen, CB Jamar Taylor, WR Kevin White
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: S Damarious Randall
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Greg Mabin
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: TE Temarrick Hemingway
Dolphins Place LT Austin Jackson On IR
The Dolphins have placed left tackle Austin Jackson on IR due to a foot injury he suffered during Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (via Twitter). Although the rookie LT would be eligible to return after three weeks under the modified rules for 2020, Barry Jackson says in a full-length piece that head coach Brian Flores was non-committal when asked if Austin Jackson would be back this season.
Indeed, Flores said the team is looking for a “long-term replacement” for Austin Jackson, so it sounds as if the USC product very well may miss the rest of the year. Though Miami has several options, Barry Jackson suggests that Julie’n Davenport — who filled in for Austin Jackson during the Seattle game and played well — might have the first crack at the LT job.
Austin Jackson was the second of three first-round choices that the Dolphins had in this year’s draft. He was thrown into the fire right away, and he acquitted himself reasonably well. He had not allowed a sack this season, and he recently earned praise from his position coach.
“Austin has had a great start to this season,” offensive line coach Steve Marshall said earlier this week. “He’s learning every time he’s going out there. I’m very excited for his future. He can be a heck of a pro offensive left tackle.”
Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics considered Austin Jackson to be a below-average performer in terms of both run-blocking and pass-blocking, but he has certainly shown enough flashes to justify Marshall’s enthusiasm. One wonders if Austin Jackson’s absence will have any bearing on Flores’ decision as to when to insert rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa into the starting lineup.
To take Austin Jackson’s place on the roster, the Dolphins have promoted rookie running back Salvon Ahmed from the practice squad. As Barry Jackson observes (via Twitter), the team has liked what it has seen from the UDFA, though he will be joining a crowded RB depth chart.
Latest On NFL’s COVID-19 Testing
The NFL received 84 positive test results between August 1 and October 3, per a Wednesday announcement from the league. That number includes 31 players and draws from a total of 370K+ tests.
The NFL had two confirmed positive tests among players and four new confirmed positives among other personnel between Sept. 20-26. Unfortunately, that number jumped to eleven confirmed positive player tests players and 15 new confirmed personnel positives from Sept. 27-Oct. 3. Among the recent players to test positive: Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, Patriots cornerback and reigning DPOY Stephon Gilmore, and two additional players from the Titans, who previously seemed to have their outbreak under wraps.
“The virus is still very much a threat not only to our season, but to the safety of everyone in our community,” said Dr. Thom Mayer, the NFLPA’s Medical Director. “We encourage everyone to do their part to follow the protocols and keep each other safe.”
Meanwhile, the state of Florida has given the Dolphins permission to operate at 65K capacity. However, citing CDC guidelines, the Dolphins will continue to operate at 13K capacity, CEO Tom Garfinkel says (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
Tua's Hip Remains Factor For Dolphins
Here is the latest from the AFC East, moving first to the Dolphins’ quarterback situation:
- Brian Flores did not commit to Ryan Fitzpatrick receiving a fifth start when asked earlier this week, but the Dolphins‘ second-year head coach did so Tuesday. Fitzpatrick will start against the 49ers. Flores said Tua Tagovailoa‘s 2019 hip injury remains a factor in the Dolphins’ decision-making. The former Alabama prodigy’s past injury issues have helped keep Fitzpatrick in the lineup. Fitz has thrown four touchdown passes, five interceptions and interestingly holds the league’s No. 9 QBR figure (75.3). But with questions about Fitzpatrick’s job status taking place before Week 5, Tagovailoa will surely make his debut this season.
Dolphins' Flores Equivocates On Quarterback Situation
The Dolphins dropped to 1-3 on Sunday, causing the calls for Tua Tagovailoa to grow louder. Head coach Brian Flores has been steadfast in his resistance to starting the rookie, but for the first time he equivocated when talking to the media on Monday. When asked who his quarterback will be for Week 5 against the 49ers, Flores didn’t immediately say Ryan Fitzpatrick as he usually does, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweeted. He said the coaching staff will start discussing the decision this evening.
While Flores did follow up by saying he presumes Fitz will be the starter, this is still a notable change in tone. Flores seemed to catch himself during the presser and said his hesitation wasn’t a sign of anything to come imminently, but it now seems like the writing is on the wall for the Dolphins. It appears Flores is laying the groundwork for an eventual switch to Tagovailoa, and while Fitzpatrick still is the favorite to start this week it looks like his days are numbered. Flores also said he isn’t going to let the success of Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert effect his decision, but it certainly won’t help ease the pressure on him to make the move. He also said the injury Tua is coming off of has played a role in his caution, even though the fifth overall pick has “checked all the boxes” medically.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/20
Here are Saturday’s practice squad decisions:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DE Breeland Speaks
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: QB Jake Rudock
- Released: CB Javaris Davis
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Michael Pinckney
- Released: DT Xavier Williams
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Eric Tomlinson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Jamar Taylor