The Steelers are one of several teams which has been connected to a Davante Adamsacquisition. The Raiders All-Pro wants to be dealt to the Jets, however, and other suitors such as the Saints (with quarterback Derek Carrand receivers coach Keith Williams) represent other attractive destinations.
Even if Pittsburgh does not wind up adding Adams over the coming weeks, though, the team could still be in the market for a wideout. ESPN’s Dan Graziano expects the Steelers to be a contender (albeit likely an outside one as things stand) for the six-time Pro Bowler in terms of pursuing a trade agreement. Other veterans could be on the team’s radar as the trade deadline approaches, though.
Graziano names DeAndre Hopkinsand Christian Kirkas wideouts who could be on the move over the coming weeks. The Titans and Jaguars have combined to win only one game in 2024, and both teams could be sellers in the build-up to the November 5 deadline. Sitting at 3-1 on the year, by contrast, the Steelers could be in the market for a veteran pass-catching addition if they can continue their strong start. Bringing in an accomplished receiver would also fit given how Pittsburgh’s offseason played out.
The likes of Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Millerand third-round rookie Roman Wilsonhave handled depth WR roles so far. With Justin Fieldsleading the way, Pittsburgh has mainly relied on the ground game while ranking just 20th in passing yardage. Adding an accomplished receiver could add to the team’s offense, although finances would of course need to be taken into consideration.
Hopkins is a pending free agent as his current pact includes three void years. The 32-year-old is attached to a salary of $8.27MM, so an acquiring team would take on a prorated portion of that figure. Hopkins had a strong debut campaign in Tennessee (1,057 yards, seven touchdowns), although his usage has taken a downturn early in 2024. The former Texan and Cardinal could be moved if he were to remain healthy, especially given Tennessee’s long-term investment in Calvin Ridleythis past offseason.
A teammate of Ridley’s in Jacksonville, Kirk delivered on his eyebrow-raising contract in 2022. The former second-rounder saw his production take a step back last season, though, one in which he was limited to 12 contests. Kirk, 27, had a slow start to the current campaign but has totaled 15 receptions over the past two games. He is owed the remainder of his $14.5MM salary in 2024; one year remains on his pact beyond that, but it does not include guarantees and carries a cap hit of over $24MM. An adjustment upon arrival or in the spring would thus be required for an acquiring team to commit to a Kirk trade.
With roughly $10.5MM in cap space, the Steelers sit mid-pack in terms of financial flexibility at the moment. A move aimed at adding a veteran receiver could be feasible (especially later in the year, as the remaining salary on players’ deals decrease), but it will be interesting to see if general manager Omar Khan significantly changes the team’s roster if Pittsburgh continues to find success with the current offensive setup.
If Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons were a pitcher in the MLB, this post would be a lot more concerning, but as a defender in the NFL, the news comes as a mere speedbump on the road of his 2024 campaign. Per ESPN’s Turron Davenport, Simmons told the media today that he missed the team’s win over the Dolphins last night due to an injury to his ulnar collateral ligament.
The UCL is a well-known ligament for baseball fans. Often the reconstruction of this ligament, nicknamed Tommy John Surgery, is cause for mourning as it usually requires a recovery time of 12 to 18 months for pitchers. The pressure applied to the elbow of a pitcher’s throwing arm requires that amount of time to heal, whereas the requirements on that same ligament for a defensive lineman are much lighter.
“I had (torn) my ligament,” Simmons told reporters. “I’m sure everybody heard of the Tommy John with baseball players. I had that injury, but I’m good now.”
The injury reportedly occurred in an act of “friendly fire” when Simmons collided with a teammate. While Simmons had to wear a large brace on his left arm last week, he was told that he wouldn’t require surgery to fix the issue. Still, limitations on his ability to extend his arm led the Dolphins to hold him out of practice and last night’s game.
Luckily for Simmons, Tennessee approaches a conveniently timed bye week. The 27-year-old veteran expressed confidence that, following the team’s bye, he would be available to play against the division-rival Colts.
Both the Colts and Titans picked up their first wins behind backup quarterbacks in Week 4. While Joe Flacco accomplished more through the air than Mason Rudolph, the latter helped Tennessee to a 31-12 win after Will Levis had struggled.
Through four games, Levis and Anthony Richardson are tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions apiece. The Colts are not considering benching their dynamic second-year QB to boost his development. Despite Monday night’s lopsided win coming on Rudolph’s watch, Brian Callahan said the Titans will turn back to Levis — assuming tests on his injured shoulder check out — following Tennessee’s bye week.
“Will’s healthy, he’s our quarterback,” Callahan said (via ESPN.com’s Turron Davenport) after the game. “He’s our starter when he’s healthy and we’re ready to roll with him. … I don’t think [Levis’ injury] is going to be anything too serious other than just your normal AC style injury. As of right now, I don’t think it’s a long-term issue for us.”
Diving for a first down, which officials deemed a failed effort that led to a Titans punt, led Levis out of action. The 2023 second-round pick experienced pain while trying to throw on the sideline, though he remained in uniform while Rudolph took over the offense. Tennessee’s run game powered the team to a win over a Dolphins team suddenly dealing with a bigger QB crisis. Rudoph finished just 9 of 17 for 85 yards.
Rudolph began the past two seasons as the Steelers’ No. 3 quarterback, moving down the depth chart after years as Ben Roethlisberger‘s backup. The Steelers’ plans changed as Mitch Trubisky struggled replacing an injured Kenny Pickett last season, and even as the underwhelming 2022 first-round pick returned to full strength, Rudolph stayed in Pittsburgh’s starting lineup into the playoffs.
This did not garner him too much interest on this year’s backup market, as the Steelers revamped their quarterback room. The Titans awaited with a one-year, $2.87MM offer. This was not especially close to the top QB2 salary offered this spring, and Rudolph did not compete for Tennessee’s starting job. Levis’ concerning early-season performance does create early questions about his viability as the franchise’s long-term option, especially with Callahan not in place when the Titans drafted the former Kentucky standout. Rudolph does not profile as such an answer, either, but Levis’ injury opens the door to Callahan needing to make a decision.
The Titans had not eclipsed 30 points since Week 17 of the 2021 season, as that squad moved to the AFC’s No. 1 seed. Levis had also made two of the worst decisions any QB has all season, with turnovers — second of which drawing Callahan’s ire — costing the Titans against the Bears and Packers in Weeks 1 and 2. But GM Ran Carthon made several offseason moves designed to support his QB investment. For now, the 1-3 Titans are sticking with that plan.
Taking the 53-man roster spot of cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who was placed on injured reserve with a groin injury, Gifford’s promotion is an expected one. The veteran linebacker has been a standard gameday practice squad elevation in the first three games of the season so far. The NFL restricts practice squad players to only three such elevations in one contract. In order for Gifford to continue appearing in games, Tennessee is signing him to a new active roster deal. If they so choose, the Titans can release Gifford after this game and re-sign him to the practice squad, restarting his three-game limit.
September 27th, 2024 at 1:58pm CST by Adam La Rose
SEPTEMBER 27: Awuzie has indeed been placed on IR, per a team announcement. A notable absence is thus in store as the team looks to rebound from an underwhelming start to the campaign.
SEPTEMBER 23: A groin injury might lead to an extended absence for Chidobe Awuzie. The veteran corner could be placed on injured reserve, Titans head coach Brian Callahan said on Monday.
An IR move would guarantee at least a four-game absence. Callahan said injured reserve is “definitely a possibility” at this point (h/t Terry McCormick of Titans Insider), so it would come as no surprise if the team were to take that route. Missing Awuzie for any period will leave the 0-3 Titans without a starter in the secondary.
The 29-year-old began his career with the Cowboys before a three-year stint with the Bengals. Awuzie followed Callahan from Cincinnati to Tennessee this offseason on a three-year, $36MM pact. That commitment illustrates the Titans’ confidence in the second-rounder’s ability to return to his pre-2022 ACL tear form. Awuzie started all three games during his debut campaign in Nashville, collecting four tackles.
Tennessee also has returnee Roger McCrearyin place at the cornerback spot, along with trade acquisition L’Jarius Sneed. The latter was franchise-tagged by the Chiefs this offseason, but team and player were unable to come to terms on a long-term deal, prompting the trade. Sneed inked a four-year, $76.4MM contract upon arrival with the Titans, and he will be counted on to remain a focal point in the secondary with Awuzie out of the picture.
Jarvis Brownleeis now in position to take on a starting role for the Titans. The fifth-round rookie has played each game so far this year, logging a minor defensive role in addition to a notable special teams workload. In terms of depth, Tre Averyis a candidate to be promoted from the practice squad to the active roster while Awuzie recovers.
September 22nd, 2024 at 8:59pm CST by Adam La Rose
The Titans fell to 0-3 on Sunday, and quarterback Will Levis‘ struggles continued. Head coach Brian Callahan confirmed after the game that no change will be made on the depth chart, though.
“Oh yeah,” the first-year coach confirmed when asked if Levis would still operate as Tennessee’s starter (via ESPN’s Turron Davenport). “We’ve also got to play better around him. I’m not going to overreact to an interception. Those things happen, guys throw picks, we just can’t give it to their team. It’s a killer. But we’ve not played a complete game in any phase at any point yet.”
Levis threw a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble during today’s loss to the Packers. That gives the 2023 second-rounder eight turnovers on the year, one in which he was expected to develop into the team’s long-term starter under Callahan. Giveaways at critical times have been a constant during the early portion of the campaign, and Levis’ ability to eliminate them will be key for his own acclimation to the NFL and to the Titans’ 2024 success.
Of course, Week 3 featured a matchup between Tennessee and former quarterback Malik Willis. The Titans tapped veteran Mason Rudolphas their backup signal-caller during the offseason, trading Willis to Green Bay shortly before the campaign. With the Packers showing disappointment in Sean Clifford(who was retained after roster cutdowns) and Michael Pratt(who was not), Willis found himself second on the depth chart at the start of the year. Jordan Love‘s MCL injury left Willis in place to start over each of the past two games, both victories.
If a change were to be made by Callahan and Co., Rudolph would take over. The 29-year-old has 13 starts to his name, each of which came during his lengthy Steelers tenure. Rudolph served as Pittsburgh’s QB1 to close out the 2023 campaign even after Kenny Pickettreturned to full health, although the team cleaned house under center during the offseason. That left Rudolph in need of a new team, and he inked a one-year deal featuring $2.7MM guaranteed.
Callahan’s comments confirm Levis will remain in place for the time being, but questions about his status will no doubt continue if his turnover issues carry over into future games. The Kentucky product has totaled 579 passing yards and four touchdowns to date in 2024, adding sparse production on the ground and taking 15 sacks. More passing efficiency and overall stability from the QB spot will be the target moving forward. If that does not come to bear, however, it will be interesting to see how the team proceeds.
Players like Hollman, Vigil, Webb, and Quarterman will now be getting called up for the third time this season. The NFL rules limit a practice squad player to three standard gameday elevations per contract. If their teams want to get them into more games in the future, the normal route is for them to be signed to the active roster after this weekend then released/waived and signed to new practice squad deals, starting their three-game count over.
Shy Tuttle‘s foot injury will keep him off the field for Week 3, as the Panthers announced that the defensive tackle has been downgraded from doubtful to out. The Panthers called up Williams to temporarily take the open roster spot. The defensive end started 10 of his 16 appearances for the Panthers last season, and he landed back on Carolina’s practice squad last month after spending the preseason with the Bills.
The Browns announced a handful of moves ahead of their game with the Giants tomorrow. Notably, the team didn’t promote any offensive tackles, which provided some optimism surrounding the availability of their injured tackles. While Jedrick Wills Jr. is expected to play (per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal), Jack Conklin will not (per Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland). Conklin hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. He practiced this week and was initially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game, but it sounds like a new hamstring injury is the culprit for his Week 3 absence.
With both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce set to miss Sunday’s trip to Minnesota, the Texans are bringing up Taylor off the practice squad. Taylor will back up Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale against the Vikings this weekend.
September 18th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta
Nine NFL teams have started the regular season with an 0-2 record. Some teams (Panthers, Broncos) are experiencing expected struggles, with others (Ravens, Rams) disappointing fans hoping for a playoff run.
Since 2015, 74 teams have opened the year with back-to-back losses, (h/t James Boyd of The Athletic). Just eight qualified for the postseason, a 10.8% rate that suggests only one of this season’s 0-2 starters will make the playoffs.
The Ravens were a toe away from taking the Chiefs into overtime (or attempting a do-or-die two-point try) in Week 1 before blowing yet another double-digit fourth-quarter lead to the Raiders in Week 2. Baltimore gambled on a new-look offensive line after jettisoning three veteran starters during the offseason, and the results thus far have not been encouraging. Lamar Jackson faced heavy pressure at crucial moments across his first two games, with right guard Daniel Faalele struggling in his conversion from tackle. First-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr is dealing with the same early hiccups that his predecessor Mike Macdonald did back in 2022, surrendering a league-high 257 passing yards per game.
Unlike past years, though, Baltimore has started the season healthy, and it is capable of winning almost any game with Jackson under center. Several young Ravens like Odafe Oweh, Travis Jones, Zay Flowers, and Isaiah Likely have begun the year with promising starts, too, so the team has plenty of reason to remain optimistic about its long-term playoff chances. The Ravens will need to win at least two of their next three against the Cowboys, Bills, and Bengals to avoid a near-insurmountable 1-4 hole.
The division-rival Bengals are also 0-2, scoring just 10 points in Week 1 against the Patriots and losing to the Chiefs on a field goal as time expired. Ja’Marr Chase‘s hold-in did not extend into the regular season, but his lack of practice time and Tee Higgins‘ hamstring injury has hindered Cincinnati’s downfield passing game. The running back committee of Zack Moss and Chase Brown is a clear downgrade from Joe Mixon, and Cincinnati’s defense has struggled to apply pressure outside of Trey Hendrickson.
Cincinnati’s minus-7 point differential is the best of any 0-2 team, and the offense will likely improve as Chase gets more reps and Higgins recovers. The Bengals’ secondary has allowed the second-fewest pass yards through two weeks, and that includes a matchup with Patrick Mahomes. Cincinnati’s season will rely on keeping its three offensive stars healthy. A search for a pass rusher at the trade deadline to pair with Hendrickson may also be avenue the team explores.
The Rams hoped Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp returning to full health would pair with last year’s breakthroughs from Puka Nacuaand Kyren Williams to create one of the league’s most explosive offenses. Injuries to Kupp and Nacua, plus starting offensive linemenJoe Noteboom, Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson, have decimated the Los Angeles offense — a clear factor in their Week 2 41-10 blowout loss to the Cardinals. The Rams also have three defensive backs on injured reserve, leaving their secondary shorthanded and placing a burden on a young front seven that lost Aaron Donald to retirement in the offseason.
That young defensive front has plenty of talent in second-year players Kobie Turner and Byron Young and rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. They will need to step up their play over the next several weeks to keep the Rams afloat as the offense desperately tries to get healthy in time for a late-season playoff push.
The Jaguars‘ anemic offense has emerged as the team’s biggest issue to start the season, as Trevor Lawrence‘s 51.0% completion rate is the second-lowest in the league. The fourth-year QB needs more consistency from his pass-catching group, with none of Lawrence’s targets having more than six receptions yet. The defense has allowed just 38 points, a top-10 mark, but has not forced any turnovers that could have impacted in the team’s one-score losses.
The Colts are dealing with the highs and lows of quarterback Anthony Richardson, as the second-year QB has produced some of the best throws of the young season while also owning the league’s lowest completion percentage (49.1%) and most interceptions (four). Veteran Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Adonai Mitchell have both struggled to find a rhythm on offense, and the defense has been gashed on the ground in both games.
Richardson’s continued development will advance the offense, which has plenty of potential with a strong offensive line and a fully healthy Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis’ defense remains its biggest impediment to the postseason. Outside of the interior defensive duo of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, the Colts lack both consistent contributors and impact playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. And Buckner is now on IR.
The Titans have lost each of their first two games by a touchdown and have yet to score a point in the fourth quarter. Two of Will Levis‘ three primary receivers are new additions, as is running back Tony Pollard. As a result, Tennessee’s offense is a work in progress as the franchise’s decision-makers evaluate if Levis is the QB of the future. Defensively, the Titans have stars at all three levels: defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, linebacker Harold Landryand cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. The addition of Ernest Jones via preseason trade with the Rams may well be a shrewd move to shore up the middle, giving Tennessee the framework of a high-upside defense.
First-round pick Malik Nabershas been among the few bright spots during the Giants‘ 0-2 start, recording 15 catches for 193 yards to open the year. Daniel Jones has largely struggled when not targeting Nabers behind an offensive line with multiple new pieces. New York’s defense allowed efficient passing performances from Sam Darnold and Jayden Daniels while surrendering 5.3 yards per rushing attempt in Weeks 1 and 2. Offseason addition Brian Burns and 2022 first-rounder Kayvon Thibodeaux have yet to record sacks this season, making life harder for a young Giants secondary.
The Giants considered trading up for a rookie QB during this past draft, indicating that Jones’ future in New York depends on his performance this season. Either he succeeds, and the Giants stick with him and his contract, or he struggles and is replaced before next season, giving general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll the chance to save their tenure. This duo may not be on the hot seat presently, but this trajectory would point to temperatures rising before season’s end.
Sean Payton landed on first-rounder Bo Nixas his starting quarterback in Denver, and the rookie’s early struggles have only amplified the overall talent deficiency on the roster. Nix’s four interceptions and a virtually nonexistent running game have hindered the offense thus far, putting the defense in disadvantageous positions in both games. The Broncos’ underrated defensive line has gotten pressure on opposing QBs, but the team will need more than just Patrick Surtain in the secondary to stay in games with such a limited offense.
The Panthers benchedBryce Young after their 0-2 start, which included three interceptions and league-lows in points (13) and passing yards (245). A season-ending meniscus tear for Derrick Brown has added injury to insult to a Carolina franchise with little talent or direction at the moment. Switching to Andy Dalton at quarterback may stabilize the offense and aid the development of its young playmakers, but that still provides no long-term solution under center.
Which of these teams has the best chance to beat the above-referenced odds and rebound en route to the playoffs? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Hopkins is a pending free agent as his current pact includes three void years. The 32-year-old is attached to a salary of $8.27MM, so an acquiring team would take on a prorated portion of that figure. Hopkins had a strong debut campaign in Tennessee (1,057 yards, seven touchdowns), although his usage has taken a downturn early in 2024. The former Texan and Cardinal could be moved if he were to remain healthy, especially given Tennessee’s long-term investment in Calvin Ridley this past offseason.
