NFL News

[Futureshock]

Week 13 NFL playoff picture: Buccaneers can take commanding lead in NFC South

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 5, 2022, 12:59 PM EST

Here’s how the NFC playoff picture looks heading into Monday Night Football:

CURRENTLY IN
1. Eagles (11-1) Clear path to home-field advantage.

2. Vikings (10-2) Closing in on clinching the NFC North.

3. 49ers (8-4) Can Brock Purdy lead them to the playoffs?

4. Buccaneers (5-6) Someone has to win the NFC South.

5. Cowboys (9-3) Won’t be easy to catch the Eagles.

6. Giants (7-4-1) Sunday’s tie was not a bad result for the Giants.

7. Seahawks (7-5) A game back of the 49ers for the division lead.

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
8. Commanders (7-5-1) In good shape in the wild card race.

9. Lions (5-7) Surging late in the season, but possibly too late.

10. Falcons (5-8) Win tiebreaker over Packers based on strength of victory.

11. Packers (5-8) Aaron Rodgers will need to pull a miracle to get them to the playoffs.

12. Cardinals (4-8) Win tiebreaker over Panthers based on head-to-head.

13. Panthers (4-8) Win tiebreaker over Saints based on head-to-head.

14. Saints (4-8) Need to win tonight to have any hope.

NO CHANCE OF GETTING IN

15. Rams (3-9) The worst defending Super Bowl champion ever.

16. Bears (3-10) Dead last in the conference.

[Futureshock]

Pete Carroll: Ken Walker has a strain, could play this week

Posted by Josh Alper on December 5, 2022, 12:56 PM EST

Getty Images

Seahawks running back Ken Walker was forced out of Sunday’s win over the Rams with an injury, but the team isn’t ruling him out for Week 14 at this point.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Walker jammed his ankle in his postgame press conference, but further evaluation of Walker’s injury brought a fuller diagnosis. Carroll said on Seattle Sports 710 that Walker is dealing with a strain in the foot/ankle area.

Carroll called it an “unusual” injury that he has not seen before and that managing inflammation during the week will be a focus. If they can do that successfully, Walker will have a chance to play against the Panthers next Sunday.

Walker ran three times for 36 yards before being hurt on Sunday. He has 138 carries for 649 yards and nine touchdowns this season.

[Futureshock]

David Bakhtiari’s return from appendectomy “could be a while”

Posted by Josh Alper on December 5, 2022, 5:53 PM EST

Getty Images

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has missed a lot of games because of his knee over the last two years, but a different health issue has him on the shelf at the moment.

Bakhtiari did not play in Sunday’s win over the Bears after having an emergency appendectomy last Friday and head coach Matt LaFleur sounded like the team isn’t expecting to have Bakhtiari back in the lineup in the near future.

“From what I’ve been told it could be a while,” LaFleur said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.

Zach Tom started in Bakhtiari’s place against Chicago and played every offensive snap. The Packers have a bye this week and return to face the Rams at home in Week 15.

[Futureshock]

Titans Fire GM Jon Robinson


December 6th, 2022 at 11:15am CST by Adam La Rose

In an unexpected move, the Titans are moving on from one of their top executives. The team is firing general manager Jon Robinson, as reported (on Twitter) by Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Tennessee has confirmed the decision.

This comes across as a surprise given the success the the team has enjoyed under Robinson’s tenure, which began in 2016. The Titans have had a winning record during each of those campaigns, including four consecutive 9-7 records between 2016-19. Consecutive double-digit win seasons followed, and the team earned the No. 1 seed in the conference last year.

At 7-5 in 2022, Tennessee appears poised to win another AFC South title, something which would guarantee a fifth playoff appearance since Robinson took over as GM and fourth in as many years. That span includes a trip to the AFC title game in 2019, and has made Tennessee one of the most consistent organizations in the league in terms of sustained success in recent years. For that reason, it came as little surprise when Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel signed extensions this winter.

“I believe we have made significant progress both on and off the field through investments in leadership, personnel and new ideas,” owner Amy Adams Strunk said in a statement. “This progress includes the core of our business, the football team itself, which is regularly evaluated both by results (wins and losses) and team construction/roster building. I am proud of what we have accomplished in my eight seasons of ownership, but I believe there is more to be done and higher aspirations to be met.

“I want to thank Jon for his dedicated work to set this organization on an upward trajectory and I wish him and his family the best.”

The team announced that VP of player personnel Ryan Cowden will assume Robinson’s duties on an interim basis. A search for a long-term successor will take place after the season is over. Cowden has drawn interest from other NFL teams in their respective GM searches, and interviewed twice with the Steelers this year for their vacancy. Meanwhile, Vrabel is expected to gain “significant power” within the organization as a result of this move (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).

Robinson and the front office made a number of sizeable moves this offseason, including the trade which sent wideout A.J. Brown to the Eagles after the sides were unable to agree on a long-term extension. A source of questions during the season has been the quarterback position; Ryan Tannehill remains the team’s starter for now, but he has one year remaining on his current contract. That will invite speculation that rookie Malik Willis could start on a permanent basis if Tannehill were to struggle down the stretch, or if the team were to move on from him in the offseason.

That question, amongst others, will need to be answered in the coming months, but Robinson will no longer have a part to play in them. His track record will likely earn him plenty of interest for future front office positions, barring an unforeseen matter having contributed to his sudden dismissal.

[Cody_Russell]

Wow, that’s a surprise. Their owner must be really upset about the AJ Brown trade. Robinson is the last GM in the AFC South that I expected to be fired… especially happening at this time. Titans are going to comfortably win the AFC South.

…

Texans?
Claiming Mayfield might be our only hope of the Texans winning 2 more games because their QBs are beyond awful.

[Futureshock]

Texans Not Eyeing Baker Mayfield, Considering Starting Davis Mills?


December 6th, 2022 at 8:56am CST by Adam La Rose

When it was announced that Baker Mayfield had been let go by the Panthers yesterday, the most logical destination for him seemed to be the 49ers. The NFC West leaders have pushed back against the notion that they are interested in adding him, however, which could lead to a team higher in the waiver priority putting in a claim.


The Texans, by virtue of having the league’s worst record, sit atop that list. They have already taken advantage of that by claiming running back Eno Benjamin and wide receiver Amari Rodgers earlier in the year. In the case of Mayfield, though, a repeat of those moves does not seem to be forthcoming.

It is considered “extremely unlikely” that Houston will add the former No. 1 overall pick, reports Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. The Texans have had issues at the quarterback position throughout the season, but head coach Lovie Smith indicated that the team’s focus will be on deciding the starter moving forward from amongst their in-house options.

“Everybody that’s available we look at,” he said when asked about the potential of claiming Mayfield. “We see if they fit. We’re constantly trying to improve our roster, so if there’s anybody that’s out there, that’s what we do. Don’t know enough about Baker or anything like that. We’re trying to get better play from the guys we have on our current roster.”

2021 third-rounder Davis Mills started each of the team’s first 10 contests this season, but he has taken a significant step back statistically compared to the promise he showed as a rookie. That has led to the widespread expectation that they will select a quarterback in the first round of the upcoming draft, but his struggles also prompted a short-term move when Kyle Allen was named the starter two weeks ago.

The former UDFA has thrown four interceptions in his two starts, however, leaving the Texans with a murky situation regarding their signal-callers for the remainder of the season. Smith declined to state publicly who will be under center for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys, but Wilson reports that the team is “seriously contemplating” going back to Mills.

With Houston set to play out the string in 2022, they seem unlikely to give Mayfield, a pending free agent, the opportunity to compete for playing time in the waning weeks of the season. Such an opportunity could still come elsewhere later today in the event he is claimed.

[Futureshock]

49ers Not Expecting To Add Baker Mayfield?


December 5th, 2022 at 11:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

After requesting his Panthers exit, Baker Mayfield is on waivers. More than $1MM remains on the former No. 1 overall pick’s contract, complicating a potential late-season claim. But the 49ers certainly make sense as a team that would consider such a move.

The contending team lost its second quarterback to a severe injury; Jimmy Garoppolo will be shut down for the third time during his five-plus-season San Francisco tenure. Kyle Shanahan addressed Mayfield’s availability Monday, but the sixth-year 49ers HC is not expecting the team to add the ex-Browns and Panthers starter.

“We look into everything, but that would surprise me right now,” Shanahan said, via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner (on Twitter). “We’ve got to discuss more this afternoon. I’ve always been a fan of his, but I feel really good about our players. We’ll look into everything but I feel pretty good with where we’re at.”

With Garoppolo expected to land on IR, the 49ers will have only 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy and journeyman extraordinaire Josh Johnson — set to begin his fourth stint with the team after spending the season on Denver’s practice squad — as available quarterbacks. Mayfield, 27, would make sense as an addition here, given his pedigree. But it would be asking a lot for the scuffling QB to digest Shanahan’s complex offense and be positioned to make a quick impact. That said, Purdy is obviously set for a massive responsibility increase. If Mayfield lingers in free agency, the 49ers would have an interesting option.

While Mayfield played a major role in snapping the Browns’ near-20-year playoff drought two years ago, he has not replicated that form often since. The four-year Browns starter did play in a Shanahan-style offense in Cleveland, and the Panthers were impressed with how quickly he picked up Ben McAdoo‘s offense. But no turnaround from an injury-plagued 2021 commenced. QBR slots Mayfield as by far this season’s worst starter. Mayfield’s 18.2 figure would rank as the second-worst number in the QBR era; only Jimmy Clausen‘s 2010 rookie season — also with Carolina — produced a worst result (13.8).

Purdy displayed somewhat surprising effectiveness in the 49ers’ win over the Dolphins, completing 25 of 37 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. Purdy threw 1,467 college passes as a four-year Iowa State starter, and while those throws did not generate much draft interest, his debut went better than Trey Lance‘s first extensive outing last season. Purdy’s performance also prompted the 49ers to release Nate Sudfeld this offseason; the team then kept the No. 262 overall pick as its third-stringer entering the season. That said, teams now having time to prepare for Purdy could change the equation — even with the 49ers deploying a four-All-Pro offense.

For now, the Purdy-Johnson duo will be how San Francisco attempts to pick up the Garoppolo pieces. It will be interesting if Mayfield lands with a team before season’s end.

[Iron Lion]

The Titans GM must've been doing something inappropriate. Just because AJ Brown has a revenge game you fire a guy whose teams are always winners?

[Cody_Russell]

Read up into the decision a little… some people suggest there was a power struggle between Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson. Vrabel was upset about the AJ Brown trade. Other people suggest it was time to move on because the Titans hit their ceiling. Similar to the reason that the Lions got rid of Jim Caldwell. Wanting to take a step to get to the next level…

Theories. Who knows the real reason. I just find it to be bizarre with the timing.

[Tom]

I would have guessed the power struggle.

[Topweasel]

I would have guessed the power struggle.

This. You don't have a GM losing his job and keeping the Coach unless there is a power struggle. You also don't fire him after the Eagles game unless the trade played a part in them moving on from him.

[Futureshock]

Odell Beckham should be upset that Cowboys leaked information about his knee

Posted by Mike Florio on December 6, 2022, 8:39 PM EST

Getty Images

The Cowboys have a plan. They always do. As it relates to free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr., that plan currently isn’t doing Beckham any favors.

He visited the Giants and the Bills. There were no leaks about their medical examination of Beckham, who suffered a torn ACL in February. Then came the Cowboys. Then came the leaks.

Consider this from ESPN’s Ed Werder, who has covered the Cowboys for years: “The Cowboys have concerns after Odell Beckham Jr.’s physical that his recovery from torn left ACL in Super Bowl has not progressed enough to ensure he would play before mid-January and possibility exists signing him would have no benefit until 2023 season.”

So who did this come from? Beckham’s camp? No way. It only came from the Cowboys. And it’s obvious that the Cowboys wanted it out there.

At one point, it appeared that the Cowboys possibly were going through the motions with Beckham in order to get the Giants to pay more. Now, it looks as if the Cowboys are trying to get Beckham to take less — or, more specifically, to not insist on a contract that extends beyond 2022. They also may be trying, as one league source has opined, to placate players and fans who had been clamoring for the Cowboys to sign Beckham.

The source called the team’s decision to leak negative information about Beckham’s knee “astounding.” There was even a suggestion that Beckham, who recently sued Nike for breach of contract, should sue the Cowboys for violating his medical privacy rights.

“How could he even consider signing there now?” the source asked.

And while this indeed will help get the players to accept a decision not to sign Beckham, the players should realize that this is how the game gets played. And at some point any of them may be on the wrong side of said game.

If they’re leaking information about Beckham to the media, what are they leaking about others, from Dak Prescott to Randy Gregory to Ezekiel Elliott to whoever, whenever, however?

So, yes, it’s a bad look for the Cowboys. And, no, Beckham shouldn’t sign there.

It should motivate him to take what he can get with another team for the balance of 2022, and then to become a free agent in 2023 and hit the open market and get paid.

[Futureshock]

Rams were only team to put in a waiver claim for Baker Mayfield

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 6, 2022, 6:06 PM EST

Getty Images

Only one team wanted Baker Mayfield.

The Rams were the only team that put in a waiver claim for Mayfield, according to Field Yates of ESPN.

Under the NFL waiver system, when the Panthers put Mayfield on waivers, all 31 other teams had an opportunity to put in a claim for him, and the team with the worst record that put in a claim would get him. The Rams were third in the waiver order, but that didn’t matter because no other team wanted him anyway.

Although Mayfield is a big name and a former No. 1 overall pick, the rest of the league figured his poor play this season, combined with the fact that the season is almost over, meant he was unlikely to contribute anything this season.

Still, that only one team put in a claim for Mayfield shows that no other team even thought it was worth bringing him in for the rest of the year to get an early evaluation and consider signing him in free agency next year. That doesn’t bode well for Mayfield’s hopes of generating much interest when he hits free agency in March.

[Futureshock]

They don't get this tanking thing.

I know, they don't have a first, but, they have picks in most of the other rounds. They could turn their 2nd rounder into basically a first. third into second, etc...

[Tom]

They signed Mayfield to get Stafford some competition and light a fire under his ass…