NFL News

[Forsh]

I could step in for Jeopardy and crush it. Not a problem

Oh me too, for sure

[Cody_Russell]

Think these new uniforms are slightly an improvement, but they could have been better. I like the clean look.
There are fan made Bengals uniforms out there that are impressive.

[Mainevent]

The black and white versions immediately made me think of the Cincinnati Bearcat unis.

BTW, uniform hype/reveal videos always crack me up. They are so ridiculous.

[Futureshock]

They look better. But that helmet needs to go, or be updated.

[jaadam4]

Oh man that’s such a terrible video. Seriously I’m surprised they put that crap out there. What’s up with Ocho smoking a cigar.

Very cringeworthy

[Futureshock]

A simple compromise could solve the offseason workout problem

Posted by Mike Florio on April 18, 2021, 9:57 AM EDT

Getty Images

The unexpected fight between the NFL and the NFL Players Association over offseason workouts has little to do with COVID-19, the front-line reason given by the NFLPA for not wanting to attend. Despite the trumped-up basis for the boycott, there are still issues that need to be resolved between management and labor regarding the offseason program.

Although the lingering pandemic has become the stated excuse for drawing a line in the sand, multiple sources have made it clear to PFT over the past several days that COVID concerns aren’t the driving force behind this fight. Last year’s virtual offseason program caused many players to realize that they simply don’t need to be in the facility for the early portions of the two-month session.

Plenty of veterans believe that their own offseason strength and conditioning routines are superior to the programs offered by their teams. For years, players like Odell Beckham Jr. and Ndakumong Suh have done their own thing in the early stages of the program, showing up (if at all) for the on-field OTA sessions. Last year’s experience allowed more players to realize that they can get and stay in the right shape through their own strength, conditioning, and agility drills — on their own time and in their own cities, without having to return to the places where they play football.

It’s not that players don’t want to work. They want to work their own way, and they’re willing to assume the risk of injury arising from exercising on their own.

When it comes to the on-field work, most players are willing to show up for Organized Team Activities, still the clunkiest term ever invented for “football practice.”

So here’s the compromise that could solve the problem. For Phase One (which this year lasts four weeks), players would be able to participate in meetings virtually and work out on their own. Although teams would not be responsible for injuries, attending the virtual meetings and working out remotely would qualify for both the $275 per diem and credit toward satisfying the criteria for receiving a workout bonus.

In Phase Two (one week) and Phase Three (four weeks), the players would have to attend and participate in the on-field sessions for the per diem and for workout bonus credit.

The Packers, per a source with knowledge of the situation, already have offered this middle ground to its players, even though the Packers are one of the only teams whose players won’t be pressured to join in the boycott due to the magnitude of workout bonuses utilized. In a letter sent Thursday to all players, the Packers explained that players will receive credit toward their workout bonuses by participating virtually in Phase One. For Phase Two and Phase Three, presence at Lambeau Field will be required in order to satisfy the requirements of the workout bonus.

These are, per a source with knowledge of the situation, team-by-team decisions. Although the league has decided that players this year can receive the $275 per diem for virtually participating in Phase One, the team decides whether virtual participation in Phase One counts toward the workout bonus calculation.

If more teams would make the offer that the Packers have made, more teams may see their players for Phase Two and Phase Three, if they’re willing not to have them around for Phase One.

In future years, that could also be a smart approach. Give players with workout bonuses the option to work out at the facility or elsewhere in Phase One, but still require on-field presence for Phase Two and Phase Three in order to qualify for the payment.

It’s a term that could have been negotiated globally between the league and the union last year. It’s a term that the various teams could voluntarily offer now in order to encourage more players to show up for the voluntary workouts that are most relevant to preparing for the coming season — Phase Two and Phase Three.

[Futureshock]

OFFSEASON RESEARCH

Teams Are Never 'A First-Round RB Away'

Apr 19, 2021
Warren Sharp analyzes the 20 most recent first-round running backs in an attempt to determine if it's worth it for any team to go that route in 2021.

[Futureshock]

ROGER GOODELLCOM, NFL
NBC Sports' Peter King reports changes to the NFL's overtime rules probably won't pass.


The so-called spot-and-choose proposal -- in which one team picks the spot of the ball to start overtime and their opponent chooses whether to play offense or defense -- is likely dead on arrival when it goes before league owners this spring. "Spot and choose" would deemphasize the importance of the overtime coin toss. King said the proposal -- pushed by Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh -- is "too revolutionary for a staid league to accept after a month or so of consideration." The Ravens would need 23 teams to join them to implement the OT rule change. Look for Harbaugh and other "spot and choose" proponents to continue pushing the rule change in 2022. Replacing onside kicks with a fourth and 15 is also likely to fail this spring, King reports.

SOURCE: FMIA
Apr 20, 2021, 10:56 AM

[Futureshock]

BRYCE LOVERB, UNSIGNED FREE AGENT
Washington waived RB Bryce Love.


Love, the 2017 Heisman runner-up and Doak Walker award winner as the nation’s top running back, tore his ACL in Stanford’s regular season finale in 2019 and has struggled to return to form ever since. Washington took a flyer on him in the fourth round that year but have yet to see him take the field following multiple setbacks. 24 in July, Love is facing long odds to make an active roster out of camp.

SOURCE: Ian Rapoport on Twitter
Apr 19, 2021, 2:30 PM

[Futureshock]

JERRY JONESC, DALLAS COWBOYS
Cowboys VP Stephen Jones said the team "certainly want to improve our defense" in the draft "barring something very opportunistic."


“Defensively, we have to get better," Jones stated. "That’s certainly one of our goals in this draft. Barring something very opportunistic, we certainly want to improve our defense." With five quarterbacks, two offensive linemen, and multiple receivers all projected to come screaming off the board ahead of Dallas' first crack at it, the Jones family will presumably have an opportunity to take the best overall defensive player (per their board) with the No. 10 overall pick. For what it's worth, Alabama CB Patrick Surtain remains the betting favorite (-300) at PointsBet to be the first CB to have his name called.

SOURCE: Jon Machota on Twitter
Apr 19, 2021, 1:27 PM

[Futureshock]

JOHN HARBAUGHHC, BALTIMORE RAVENS
Ravens head coach Jim Harbaugh said the team would "try and get" wide receivers in the 2021 NFL Draft.


The draft is the team's last chance to bolster its receiver group after largely striking out in free agency, coming away with an unreliable Sammy Watkins. Baltimore has the 27th pick in the draft. "We'll find certain wide receivers in the draft that fit us. We know who they are," Harbaugh said in a Monday presser. "We've had the meetings. And we'll try and get them." Ravens director of player personnel Joe Horitz on Monday named LSU's Terrace Marshall and Minnesota's Rashod Bateman as two wideouts the team might prioritize in the draft. "Both talented guys who have some versatility. A little different in what they do best, but certainly two guys who we have our eye on," Horitz said. For fantasy purposes, landing in Baltimore's run-first offense wouldn't be ideal for Bateman or Marshall, though both have potential to emerge as the Ravens' No. 1 receiver. NBC Sports Edge's John Daigle projects Bateman going to Green Bay with the 29th pick.

RELATED:

• Rashod Bateman
• , Terrace Marshall

SOURCE: Jeff Zrebiec on Twitter
Apr 19, 2021, 12:00 PM

[Futureshock]

ALEX SMITHQB, UNSIGNED FREE AGENT
Free agent QB Alex Smith retired.


The former No. 1 overall pick will call it quits after 16 seasons in the NFL -- seven years with the 49ers, five with the Chiefs, and three with Washington. Against all odds, Smith's recovery from a tragic 2018 leg injury culminated in 2020 with his emergence as the Football Team's starting QB. “Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I would ever be able to go on a walk again or play with my kids in the yard,” Smith said in a recorded statement posted to Instagram. “On a routine play, I almost lost everything. But football wouldn’t let me give up. Because, no, this isn’t just a game. It’s not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It’s about the challenges and the commitment they require. It’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself." Smith's best fantasy season came in 2017, when he eclipsed 4,000 yards for the only time in his career and threw 26 touchdowns to five interceptions for Kansas City. The streaming QB mainstay also ran for 355 yards and a score. Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer, who coached Smith at Utah, had tried to lure the veteran to Jacksonville as a mentor for incoming rookie Trevor Lawrence. With no shot at starting in 2021 and nothing left to prove following his horrific injury, Smith chose retirement.

RELATED:

• Washington Football Team
• , Jacksonville Jaguars

SOURCE: NFL on Twitter
Apr 19, 2021, 11:49 AM

[Futureshock]

DESHAUN WATSONQB, HOUSTON TEXANS
The Athletic's Aaron Reiss reports attorneys representing Deshaun Watson have accused Watson's alleged victims of "lying about their trauma" and the number of massage sessions they had with the quarterback.


Watson's legal defense has come into focus over the past week, and it's centered on casting doubts about the validity of the (many) accusations of sexual misconduct against Watson. The legal team charges that eight of Watson's accusers "bragged about, praised, or were excited" about providing massage services to Watson, and that five accusers have told others that "they wanted to get money" from Watson. Some of the accusers, according to Watson's lawyers, weren't truthful about how many massage sessions they had with him. The QB's attorneys claim seven of the women who have brought accusations against Watson "willingly worked or offered to work" with Watson after alleged incidents of sexual assault. Watson's legal issues could last into the summer and cost him some or all of the 2021 season.

SOURCE: Aaron Reiss on Twitter
Apr 19, 2021, 11:26 AM

[Futureshock]

TREY LANCEQB, COLLEGE PLAYER
ESPN's Dan Graziano reports the 49ers are "extremely involved" in Trey Lance's second pro day workout.


The Niners, who have the third pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, created a workout for Lance "and will have a hand in administering it," Graziano reports. Lance has reportedly worked closely this month with QB coach John Beck, who played under Kyle Shanahan when Shanahan was Washington's offensive coordinator. The 49ers gave Beck a list of drills for Lance's second pro day -- a strong indication that the team has not shut the door on taking the North Dakota State quarterback with the draft's third pick. Of course, this could be part of an elaborate smoke screen created by a team that has been linked to Lance, Mac Jones, and Justin Fields.

RELATED:

• San Francisco 49ers

SOURCE: Dan Graziano on Twitter
Apr 19, 2021, 8:52 AM

[Futureshock]

Smokescreen?

Why?