NFL News

[jaadam4]

OJ Howard didn’t make it? That’s crazy.

I hope the Lions sign a qb and Malcolm Brown

[Futureshock]

Raiders waiving 2021 first-round OL Alex Leatherwood

Published: Aug 30, 2022 at 02:51 PM
Nick Shook

Alex Leatherwood's disappointing start in Las Vegas has met a sudden end.

The Raiders are waiving the 2021 first-round pick, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported. The team is also trading cornerback Trayvon Mullen, a former second-round selection, to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick that could become a sixth-round selection based on playing time, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Leatherwood's selection was a surprise on draft night, but the Raiders -- who were then led by general manager Mike Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden -- maintained they didn't care what doubters thought of their choice. Despite the consensus opinion that Leatherwood was over drafted by at least one round, Las Vegas pushed forward with the belief Leatherwood would pair with Kolton Miller to give the Raiders bookend tackles for years to come.

Then, the proof (or lack thereof) started to surface in the 2021 season.

Leatherwood began his rookie season at right tackle, but didn't last too long. He played a total of 257 snaps in his first month in the NFL and was remarkably bad, earning offensive game grades in the 30s in three of his first four games, per Pro Football Focus.

Leatherwood, who started all 18 games (including postseason) last year, struggled at right tackle so much that he was eventually moved to guard, with Brandon Parker flanking him at tackle. The rookie improved slightly from there, even finding notable success in a 17-13 win over Denver in Week 16.

The regime that selected Leatherwood didn't last beyond the 2021 season, and the Alabama product began Year 2 back at tackle under coach Josh McDaniels. Position fit didn't matter to McDaniels as much as the basics of playing offensive line in the NFL, with McDaniels telling the Las Vegas Review-Journal "what we're going to focus on is fundamentals, technique."


We didn't need the Rosetta Stone to translate what McDaniels was saying. After a second professional preseason, evidently, Leatherwood didn't improve his technique enough to keep his job. Perhaps even more significant is the Raiders lost Parker to a season-ending triceps injury, and still waived Leatherwood.

Leatherwood wasn't the only swing and miss from the Gruden-Mayock era, but he was among the most notable because of draft position. The new power duo of McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler proved later Tuesday they weren't stopping at Leatherwood, either, as they traded Mullen to Arizona.

Mullen was a second-round pick in the first draft class of the Gruden-Mayock era. When compared to Leatherwood, Mullen was much more productive, but Ziegler's offseason accrual of competition was a sign the new regime wasn't as high on Mullen as the previous duo.

After all, he wasn't their pick. He needed to prove he could keep his job.

In the end, the Raiders believed it was in their best interest to move Mullen, clearing the way for the likes of Nate Hobbs, Rock Ya-Sin, Amik Robertson and Anthony Averett as the team's top four corners.

McDaniels and Ziegler won't leave their imprint on the Raiders overnight. It will take time and possibly more notable departures such as Leatherwood and Mullen for the new leadership to make a lasting mark.

[Futureshock]

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-roster-cuts-tracker-team-by-team-player-moves-ahead-of-the-2022-season

NFL roster cuts tracker: Team-by-team player moves ahead of the 2022 season

[Futureshock]

Brian Robinson back in Commanders’ facility

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 30, 2022, 3:33 PM EDT

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Commanders running back Brian Robinson is back at the team facility, just days after he was shot twice in a carjacking.

The team released video of Robinson, on crutches and with a bandage around his knee, entering the facility and being greeted by head coach Ron Rivera and others.

“Good to be back in the building, for real,” Robinson told Rivera.

A rookie third-round draft pick out of Alabama, Robinson had a strong preseason and appeared to have earned the starting running back job until he was shot over the weekend. Although the Commanders are unsure when Robinson will be cleared to return, they kept him on their initial 53-man roster, suggesting they think he will be able to play early in the regular season.

A bullet passed through Robinson’s knee without doing serious damage to any ligaments, tendons or bones.

[Futureshock]

That is, Former D2 National Champion QB of the Mighty Ferris State Bulldogs Jared Bernhardt...


Former lacrosse star Jared Bernhardt makes cut to 53 players in Atlanta

Posted by Josh Alper on August 30, 2022, 3:02 PM EDT

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The Falcons have unveiled their initial 53-man roster for the 2022 season and it includes wide receiver Jared Bernhardt.

Bernhardt won the Tewaaraton Award as the country’s best lacrosse player while at Maryland. He then transferred to play quarterback at Division 2 Ferris State before trying his hand at receiver with the Falcons this summer. He had five catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, which was enough for him to make it through Tuesday’s cut.

There will be more roster moves to come as teams utilize the waiver wire or sign veteran free agents who shook loose, but Bernhardt’s foray into football has proven successful thus far.

The Falcons waived or released wide receivers Frank Darby, KeeSean Johnson, Stanley Berryhill, and Cameron Batson; defensive linemen Derrick Tangelo, Abdullah Anderson, Nick Thurman, and Darrion Daniels; offensive linemen Justin Shaffer, Jonotthan Harrison, Ryan Nuezil, Tyler Vrabel, Colby Gossett, and Leroy Watson; defensive backs Corey Ballentine, Matt Hankins, Henry Black, and Teez Tabor; tight ends Anthony Firkser, Tucker Fiska and MyCole Pruitt; linebackers Nick Kwiatkoski, Jordan Brailford and Dorian Etheridge; running backs Caleb Huntley and Qadree Ollison; and fullback John Raine.

[Futureshock]

Better teams capitalize on the slow/dumb moves of lesser teams...

Sony Michel to visit with Chargers

Posted by Josh Alper on August 31, 2022, 8:19 AM EDT

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Sony Michel spent last season with the Rams and he may be back in Los Angeles this year.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Michel is set to meet with the Chargers on Wednesday.

Michel was released by the Dolphins as part of their cut to 53 players this week. Michel ran 208 times for 845 yards and four touchdowns for the Rams in the regular season last year and added 80 yards on 26 carries during the postseason.

The Chargers have Austin Ekeler at the top of their running back depth chart. Fourth-round pick Isaiah Spiller joins Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree on the current roster, but Michel’s arrival would likely cost someone a job.

[Futureshock]

Better Teams...

Bengals plan to sign O.J. Howard

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 31, 2022, 7:43 AM EDT

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Free agent tight end O.J. Howard won’t be a free agent for long.

Howard is visiting Cincinnati today, and if there are no issues with his physical the Bengals are expecting to sign him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The Bills cut Howard yesterday even though they just guaranteed him $3 million in March.

Prior to signing with the Bills, Howard had played his whole career in Tampa Bay, where he had 14 catches for 135 yards with one touchdown last year, and had 119 career catches for 1,737 yards with 15 touchdowns over his five-year career.

[Futureshock]

Now we have to deal with this week 1


Dennis Allen: “Not an easy decision” to trade Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

Posted by Josh Alper on August 31, 2022, 7:14 AM EDT

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There were a number of trades before Tuesday’s deadline to cut rosters to 53 players and the most impactful of them might have been the one that sent defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson from the Saints to the Eagles.

While Gardner-Johnson was looking for a new contract as he entered the final year of his current deal, there was no sign that the Saints were planning to trade him before word of the deal broke on Tuesday and the compensation — a fifth- and sixth-round pick with a seventh-rounder going back to Philly — didn’t knock the socks off of most people. Saints head coach Dennis Allen wouldn’t comment on Gardner-Johnson’s contract demands when discussing a trade that he said was “not an easy decision” for the team to make.

“I love the player,” Allen said, via Luke Johnson of NOLA.com. “These moves are not easy. But it was something we felt like was going to be a good move for us.”

The Saints are confident that Marcus Maye, Tyrann Mathieu, P.J. Williams, Marshon Lattimore, and Paulson Adebo give them all they need in the secondary this season. The results of that bet will weigh heavily on the NFC South race this season.

[Futureshock]

Dam it. I had a hope...


Mike McDaniel: It was a no-brainer to keep Skylar Thompson

Posted by Mike Florio on August 31, 2022, 12:01 AM EDT

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The decision quickly went from being tricky to being obvious.

When it was time to trim the roster to 53, the Dolphins didn’t hesitate to carry rookie quarterback Skylar Thompson, along with Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater.

Meeting with reporters on Tuesday, coach Mike McDaniel was asked whether it was a no-brainer to keep Thompson, a seventh-round draft pick from Kansas State who had a very strong preseason.

“Yeah,” McDaniel said. “He played very well. Again, another guy that comes in, he just works every day, won over his teammates through his work ethic, and he went out and balled. Another one where we got calls again, people asking what we were going to do and they’re all saying, ‘You know, you guys would be stupid to let him go.’ And there was no thought about us doing that. We’re not in the business of being stupid.”

The reason for keeping Thompson and not exposing him to waivers came down to the basic importance of collecting and keeping good quarterbacks.

“I haven’t heard of a good football team that their problem was they had too many good quarterbacks,” McDaniel said. “They touch the ball every play. So it’s not about — you can go [through] a lot of draft classes over a long period of time, and if you’re holding your breath for a player out of the seventh round to play like he did in the preseason, you’re going to pass out. . . . [Y]ou don’t just scoff and look the other way when you have a player playing well at that position. Those are things that if you let those slip through your fingers, you’ll end up regretting that forever.”

It doesn’t mean Thompson is destined to become Miami’s starter at any point during his four-year rookie contract. It just means that they chose not to risk losing a guy who possibly could blossom into not just a starter but maybe a franchise quarterback.

And everyone who doesn’t have a franchise quarterback is looking for one. Why cut the cord prematurely on a guy who maybe, possibly could develop into one of the very best at the position?

So the Dolphins keep the ability to continue to monitor and develop Thompson, all the while evaluating whether Thompson possibly could develop into the kind of franchise quarterback that the franchise has been obsessed with finding — to the point of repeatedly tampering with Tom Brady and trying to tank for Joe Burrow, but for the refusal of Brian Flores to act upon the clear signals from the owner of the team.

Yes, Thompson has a very long way to go to become the guy the Dolphins have been searching for in the two-plus decades since Dan Marino retired. But it’s far better to wait and see what Thompson possibly will become than to do with Thompson what the Steelers once did with a guy who also wore No. 19 — and who eventually became one of the all-time greats with the Colts.

[Futureshock]

Eagles explain decision to keep Jalen Reagor

Posted by Mike Florio on August 30, 2022, 8:18 PM EDT

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Eagle receiver Jalen Reagor, a first-round pick in 2020, has been a disappointment. That isn’t stopping the Eagles from giving him a third year.

On Tuesday, G.M. Howie Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni were asked to explain how Reagor earned his spot — and whether his guaranteed contract helped keep him on the team.

“I think when you look at Jalen, one of the things that one of our scouts said to me today is he was one of the only guys that practiced every day,” Roseman told reporters. “The guy brought it every day. He worked on his craft. He had a great attitude, great energy. Obviously, he’s a talented guy. He’s 23 years old. We’re going to do whatever we think is in the best interest of the team, and we felt like there was no doubt in our mind that he deserved a role on this team.”

Sirianni was asked to share his thoughts from a football standpoint.

“I just felt like he made plays this summer, and it started right from the beginning, from day one of training camp, and it continued on throughout the practices that we had,” Sirianni said. “You could definitely see the explosion that — he’s never lost that, right? He’s had this explosion in his body, and he uses it to separate from the defense. I just thought he had a good camp and he made plays and he was more consistent this year throughout training camp.”

Reagor had 31 catches for 396 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. Last year, he caught 33 passes for 299 yards and two scores. He’s listed as the second-string receiver behind newcomer A.J. Brown.

Of course, making the initial 53-man roster means just that. There will be plenty of churning. Guys will be traded. Guys will be released. For all teams, it will continue all year long at the bottom of the roster.

[Futureshock]

Big Mouth Baker back at it...


Myles Garrett on Baker Mayfield’s comment: “We’ll take it and we’ll use it”

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 30, 2022, 6:48 PM EDT

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The Browns are well aware that their teammate-turned opponent Baker Mayfield said, “I’m going to fuck them up” in preparation for the Week One Panthers-Browns game.

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett told Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com that he’s fine with Mayfield saying whatever he wants to say — and that the Browns can get just as fired up about their meeting as Mayfield is.

“We’ll take it and we’ll use it, and I’m hoping for a great matchup,” Garrett said. “I don’t think any less of him because he’s going out there and doing the same thing he did when he was with us. He’s the same guy personally, and maybe we’ll see a different Baker when we get on the field. Who knows?”

Garrett said he respects Mayfield, who went to the Browns with the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, one year after Garrett went to the Browns first overall.

“We’ve known he has that type of demeanor and that attitude, and for better or for worse, it works for him,” Garrett said. “And I’m not mad at him using that fire and that chip on his shoulder to help him play to the level he has. He’s been successful in what he’s done.’’

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was less interested in talking about Mayfield.

“I’m not going to get involved in that type of thing,” Stefanski said. “As you know, it’s Carolina week. I get how unique it is that Baker is the starting quarterback for the Panthers. We’re really going to focus on putting a plan together to beat the Panthers. That is really the focus.”

Stefanski said he won’t be posting Mayfield’s comments on the bulletin board. He may not need to, as Garrett and his teammates have already heard.

[jaadam4]

While he is a talker for sure, I can see them spanking Cleveland. The browns aren’t going to be very good

[Futureshock]

While he is a talker for sure, I can see them spanking Cleveland. The browns aren’t going to be very good

Boy. You are out of touch. They have talent spread all over their roster of 1st and second round players. Sprinkled around high priced FAs. They and Cincy are the most talented teams in that division. And yes, I know who the other 2 teams are.

BTW, speaking of the Browns...

Browns release Isaac Rochell after claiming Kellen Mond

Posted by Myles Simmons on August 31, 2022, 3:24 PM EDT

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After adding quarterback Kellen Mond by claiming him off waivers from the Vikings, the Browns needed to make a corresponding move to place him on the 53-man roster.

Cleveland announced the team has released veteran defensive end Isaac Rochell.

The Browns signed Rochell on April 20 after he’d spent a year with the Colts. He appeared in 12 games last season, recording 17 total tackles in 177 defensive snaps and 75 special teams snaps.

Rochell was a Chargers seventh-round pick in 2017 and played his first four seasons with the franchise. He recorded a career-high 5.0 sacks back in 2018, also netting six tackles for loss and seven QB hits. He had 2.5 sacks in 2020, playing 42 percent of Los Angeles’ defensive snaps and 51 percent of special teams snaps.

Mond is currently the third quarterback on Cleveland’s roster behind Jacoby Brissett and Joshua Dobbs. Deshaun Watson’s 11-game suspension began on Tuesday.

The Browns also announced they’ve signed 12 players to their practice squad: linebacker Dakota Allen, receiver Daylen Baldwin, tight end Miller Forristall, receiver Mike Harley, center Brock Hoffman, cornerback Shaun Jolly, running back John Kelly, cornerback Herb Miller, tight end Zaire Mitchell-Paden, defensive tackle David Moore, defensive tackle Roderick Perry, and offensive tackle Alex Taylor.

All the practice squad players were with Cleveland during training camp. The Browns still have four slots open on their practice squad.

[Futureshock]

Josh McDaniels on Alex Leatherwood: We gave everybody an opportunity to really perform

Posted by Myles Simmons on August 31, 2022, 2:24 PM EDT

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Head coach Josh McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler were not with the Raiders when the franchise drafted offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood at No. 17 overall in 2021.

But the two men decided to move on from last year’s first-round pick with this week’s roster cuts, waiving him after efforts to trade him failed.

Leatherwood has since been claimed by the Bears, where he’ll get a fresh start. Head coach Josh McDaniels wished the offensive lineman the best when asked about the decision to cut him on Wednesday.

“We’ve talked about competition since we came here in every position group and trying to give every player an opportunity to earn his job, and to earn his role — whatever role that may be,” McDaniels said in his press conference. “Some are bigger than others. And we felt like we did that. We gave everybody an opportunity to go out there and play and really perform. So there’s a lot of tough decisions that you make across the roster. You hope you get them all right. We’re not perfect at that. So, hopefully, we did the best we could for our team and we tried to make the decisions we thought would help us going forward.

“So, wish Alex nothing but the best. He did everything he could here to try to earn his role here.”

Though Leatherwood was a first-round pick just last season, it wasn’t exactly a shock that the Raiders moved on. He started last season as a right tackle before moving inside to right guard. Las Vegas moved him around during the offseason program and training camp, but reports out of Las Vegas continually indicated that Leatherwood could not seem to find any sort of consistency in his performance.

It became clear in recent weeks that the Raiders were prepared to move on.

[Futureshock]

I think Shefty said yesterday that the Raiders got turned down 32 times