NEW YORK GIANTS

RB SAQUON BARKLEY has us all, even those who went to Catholic school, refreshing our minds on the meaning of “epiphany” – as signs an “adjusted” franchise tender. Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com:

Running back Saquon Barkley said he was seriously considering sitting out games into the regular season because of his contract dispute with the New York Giants. Then he had an epiphany.

Barkley signed an adjusted franchise tag and reported with the rest of his teammates Tuesday. It was a one-year deal for $10.1 million with close to an additional $1 million in available incentives, sources told ESPN. It also included a $2 million up-front signing bonus.

It was not the long-term deal he wanted.

The Pro Bowl running back, who finished fourth in rushing with 1,312 yards last season, did not miss a single day of training camp, but he also did not get the Giants to agree to a “no tag” clause for next year. It’s conceivable the two sides will be in the same position next year. This is among the reasons Barkley isn’t ecstatic about the final result, even though both parties are happy he’s with the team in camp.

“I can sit here and lie to you and be like, ‘I wasn’t disappointed,’ or ‘I wasn’t this and that or a third.’ That would just be a flat-out lie,” Barkley said. “But I am mature enough to understand that it’s a business. Understand that deals don’t get done every year.

“Specific to my position, we didn’t get a deal done. Me and my team felt we were in good faith trying to get a deal done. The Giants felt they were in good faith trying to get a deal done. That’s life. Sometimes you don’t come to an agreement. I had to come to a decision and, like I said, I had an epiphany. I had a mindset of what I was going to do. I changed my mind.”

Barkley, 26, had said last month at his AMPT football camp that sitting out the season would be part of the conversation if there was no long-term deal by the July 17 deadline.

He had planned to not sign the tag and was contemplating sitting out regular-season games, including the Sept. 10 opener on “Sunday Night Football” against the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.

“Yeah, I was. That’s a play that I have,” Barkley said. “But I’ll be completely honest, if I sat out this year and, say, the New York Football Giants, we didn’t have a good record, do you think that is going to make another team in free agency or the Giants want to have me come back the next year after I sat out the whole year and be like, ‘We want to give you $15 million a year now?’ I don’t think that is how that is going to work.

“After having conversations and really breaking it down, when you sit there and break it down like that, the only way that I’m going to make a change or do something that is for the benefit for myself and my family is doing what I do best. And that is showing up, playing the game I love and doing it at a high level.”

Ever since the Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a long-term deal in March, Barkley had the franchise tag hanging over his head. He felt that shaped the negotiations and put him at a disadvantage over the 9½ months the two sides tried to get a long-term deal done.

Barkley and the Giants did get close to a deal by last week’s deadline, sources told ESPN. One of the final offers reached at least $22.2 million guaranteed, which was the value of the possible franchise tags for this year and next.

“If I felt like it was something that was respectable, I would have took it,” Barkley said on why he turned down the deal. “I looked at my mom, my dad, looked at my team, my family and I didn’t agree with it. So I didn’t take it. If I felt like it was [respectable], I would have.”

Barkley could have fought to keep the Giants from using the franchise tag again next year, but it was important for him to be back on the field and in the locker room with his teammates.

“It feels good,” he said. “It feels good to be back in the locker room.”

Barkley had said last month that this was all about respect. He just wanted to be compensated for what he was worth. He’s fine where it has wound up.

“Yeah, I would say in the end I got respect from the Giants because I was able to look [general manager] Joe [Schoen] in his eyes, look [coach Brian Daboll] in his eyes, and obviously we didn’t come to an agreement.

“But we were able to put everything aside. And that is part of the business. It’s a business.”

In Christian teachings, an epiphany involves the appearance of divinity.  This from CompellingTruth.org

The word epiphany comes from a Greek word epiphainein, which means “reveal.” There are three meanings or usages of the word. The first is the name of a Christian feast, Epiphany, which occurs in early January. The exact day depends upon the location and the culture of the church celebrating Epiphany, but most of the time, it occurs on January 6th, which is also referred to as Twelfth Night. The Epiphany feast celebrates the revelation of God Incarnate and the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus.

Epiphany is also used to describe any divine revelation, including Theophanies (visible appearances of God) and Christophanies (visible appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ). Many times in the Old Testament, biblical characters were visited by “the angel of the Lord,” which some scholars believe to have been a pre-incarnate Christ, making all of these appearances Christophanies (Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23; 2 Kings 19:35). It is believed that these appearances foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ in human form, as “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Other notable epiphanies include the call of Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9), and the appearance of Jesus Christ to the Apostle John on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:9-20).

This, from Merriam-Webster, is more in line with what Barkley meant:

What does having a epiphany mean?

a(1) : a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something. (2) : an intuitive grasp of reality through something (such as an event) usually simple and striking. (3)

Or:

Epiphany is an “Aha!” moment. As a literary device, epiphany (pronounced ih-pif–uh-nee) is the moment when a character is suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which changes the rest of the story.

ARIZONA

The Cardinals give S BUDDA BAKER some Bidwill bucks to abate his trade request.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

Arizona Cardinals star safety Budda Baker didn’t sign the long-term extension he sought but did get a pay-bump heading into his seventh season.

Baker received a raise in the form of $2.4 million in bonuses and incentives this year, including a $300,000 signing bonus, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday, per sources. Baker also received a raise for next season, Rapoport added.

Baker inked a four-year, $59 million extension in Arizona in 2020, a market-setting deal for the safety position that has since been leapfrogged. With two years remaining, Baker was set to earn $13.096 million in base salary in 2023 and $14.2 million in 2024. However, with none of that money guaranteed, the five-time Pro Bowler sought a new pact. When none materialized, he requested a trade back in April.

SAN FRANCISCO

QB BROCK PURDY is back at practice and proclaiming his arm in tip-top shape.  Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

To many outside observers, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s participation in Thursday’s practice might be viewed as him being well ahead of schedule in his recovery from right elbow surgery on March 10.

But to Purdy and his teammates, his presence under center with the starting offense in San Francisco’s second training camp practice was no surprise.

“[I] never jumped ahead of schedule or tried to do anything out of the ordinary,” Purdy said Thursday afternoon. “We had really great advice from all those professionals along the way and slowly got to where we’re at. And still have a plan to continue to carry out. It’s not, ‘We made it through practice and it’s over.’ We still have some stuff to do.”

Indeed, Purdy’s recovery from the torn right ulnar collateral ligament he suffered early in an NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in January is not fully complete. For now, he’s practicing two out of every three days. But there’s little doubt that Purdy — just four and a half months removed from that UCL repair — is on course to be San Francisco’s starting quarterback on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And though Purdy said Thursday that coach Kyle Shanahan has not yet told him that he’s starting that day, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch said all offseason that a healthy Purdy would be in line for that job after leading the Niners to a 7-1 record in eight starts to end 2022. They backed that up on Thursday when Purdy took all 21 of the reps with the starting offense and completed 3-of-10 passes with an interception to safety Tashaun Gipson on his second throw.

Backups Trey Lance and Sam Darnold alternated snaps with the second team while veteran Brandon Allen took the third-string reps. It’s a far cry from a year ago when Purdy, who was the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, was getting a couple of reps with the third string at the end of every team period.

“Coming in, being able to get a lot more looks on the defense and take command of the huddle and stuff, for me it feels a lot better,” Purdy said. “I feel more comfortable with the playbook and everything.”

The sight of Purdy back on the practice field was more than welcome to his teammates and coaches, many of whom have grown weary of the constant quarterback questions they’ve been asked throughout the offseason. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks noted that Purdy’s return brought “a level of excitement” to Thursday’s session.

“I wasn’t surprised [he’s back already],” left tackle Trent Williams said. “I talked to him a little bit over the break, so kind of knew everything was looking pretty good. … Brock is rock solid mentally. He doesn’t get flustered very easy. He took the whole process like a champ.”

After the injury against the Eagles, the Niners and Purdy consistently declined to put a timetable on when he’d be cleared to play again. Six months was a number that was thrown around publicly but other throwing athletes who have had the same surgery have been fully cleared in about five months.

Purdy sat out the spring period but began a detailed throwing program in late May. And when the Niners departed for the summer, Purdy retreated to Jacksonville, Florida, to work with private quarterback coach Will Hewlett and orthopedic specialist Tom Gormely.

There, Purdy continued his throwing program and began to ratchet up the intensity. Purdy threw longer distances, with more velocity and on consecutive days. Although he said he dealt with some arm fatigue, Purdy could feel his arm strength building back up.

When Purdy returned to the Bay Area earlier this week, he met with Shanahan and told him that he felt good enough to play 11-on-11 football again. With the blessing of the medical professionals, Shanahan agreed to clear Purdy and put him on a two days on, one day off plan.

It means Purdy still has to get to the point where he doesn’t need designated days off (the 49ers are hoping that will happen within two weeks) and continue to add more throws on the days he does participate, but Purdy has no restrictions within the practices he’s in, believes his arm strength is back where it was pre-injury and no longer has any soreness beyond what any quarterback might feel following a throwing session.

“I’ve worked up to get to this point to where my arm doesn’t hurt or anything like that,” Purdy said. “Any quarterback will tell you, ‘Hey, I’m going to go ice my arm or do whatever with my arm and do treatment on it,’ and that’s where I’m at. … Arm feels great.”

In Thursday’s practice, Purdy didn’t hesitate to cut it loose when the opportunity arose. He overthrew receivers Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings on a pair of roughly 45-yard passes and the interception came on an intermediate route intended for wideout Brandon Aiyuk.

Purdy attributed those misses to lost time in the spring and the need to get back on the same page with his pass-catchers.

“There’s just some rust I still got to knock off,” Purdy said. “I haven’t gotten any reps in OTAs or anything like that with 11-on-11 or 7-on-7. … Today it was good just to get out there, go through some reads and let it rip.”

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Is WR TUTU ATWELL a late round Fantasy option?  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Rams have two clear options at receiver: Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. So who is likely to be the third option behind them?

“I think it’s really early,” coach Sean McVay told reporters on Wednesday, “but Tutu Atwell is a guy that’s really done an excellent job. He’s super smart. Obviously, he’s well known for his speed, but he’s really done a great job in this offseason and it showed up today of really establishing himself, playing with aggressive hands, understanding the nuances of how we want to work edges and separate where he fits within the concepts.”

McVay, as he often does, then rattled off a bunch of names of other players on the depth chart: rookie Puka Nacua, Ben Skowronek, DeMarcus Robinson, and Tyler Johnson.

“The beauty of this team in general, for the people that you guys have covered us for the last handful of years, there truly is competition and that’s something for us to really evaluate and be good about finding who are the best 11 guys on offense, defense, special teams, and what are the different rotations that we can come up with as we navigate training camp?” McVay said. “But I was encouraged, I was ready to just answer a couple guys and then I start thinking about practice and a lot of guys really made plays and are worthy of being mentioned and so that’s certainly a good problem for us to have right now.”

The Rams currently have 12 receivers on the roster. Given that McVay specifically named only five receivers beyond the top two should make the remaining five a little nervous about their prospects.

Meanwhile, Atwell — a second-round pick in 2021 — is entering his third season. If he’s ever going to step up, this would be the year to do it.

BALTIMORE

Charles McDonald of YahooSports.com checks in with WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr. in Baltimore:

Even as children still chant his name and devolve into hysterics at the mere sight of him, the tables have turned for Odell Beckham Jr.

Almost a decade ago, he was the new kid on the block, torching every defense he came across during an explosive rookie year for the Giants. But 2014 was a long time ago. Pro Bowls, injuries, adversity, a Super Bowl ring and a handful of teams have put Beckham in a situation that is somewhat new for him.

Now in his first year with the Baltimore Ravens after missing all of last season with an ACL injury, he’s the leader of a younger group of wide receivers that is looking to him for guidance as they attempt to ingratiate themselves into the NFL.

Beckham appears to be taking this change in status all in stride at training camp, clearly embracing his position as the leader of this pack on the field with the other Ravens receivers who are still trying to make a name for themselves in this league. He’s attentive, giving his teammates praise, correcting them on some of the finer points of receiver play and generally staying engaged throughout their learning process.

Over the summer, Beckham traveled to Florida to practice with quarterback Lamar Jackson and rookie first-round wide receiver Zay Flowers, which is where Beckham appears to have fully realized his role as the wily veteran on the team.

“I feel like I know my role,” Beckham said. “‘Oh, I used to watch you in middle school!’ I’m a little older so I know I’m a leader and a follower all in the same breath — and I think that’s important for leaders to be able to follow and listen.”

If Beckham is going to be following anyone on the field, Flowers has the best chance to be a consistent source of big plays. Flowers didn’t break loose for many big gains against the Ravens’ stalwart defense during Thursday’s practice, but his speed is apparent and he should quickly factor into this offense with more practice reps and more time with the playbook. Even in the early stages of his first training camp, Flowers realizes the opportunity he has here to play and learn from a receiver who is as accomplished as Beckham.

“Working hard every day, really going for what you want,” Flowers said when asked about what Beckham has started to instill in him. “He did it as a young player. He had 1,000-yard season after 1,000-yard season, and I’m just trying to learn what he did and take a routine from him.”

The Ravens will need this duo to lean on each other this year to start maximizing their window to win with Jackson’s new albatross contract starting to kick in this season. Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews has been carrying the bulk of this passing game over the past few years, but if the Ravens are going to end up as the best version of themselves, they’re going to need more lifting from the receivers. Last season, Andrews led the team with 847 receiving yards, almost 400 more than second place on the team. Beckham and Flowers, along with former first-round pick Rashod Bateman (who is currently on the physically unable to perform list), will need to be a huge part of that.

The task that lies ahead of the rookie and the vet is large, but it isn’t insurmountable. Beckham may not be the absolute force he was earlier in his career that got him lauded as one of the greats immediately, but he has learned more than enough to be a beacon of knowledge, information and enthusiasm for a player who is in the position Beckham was in almost a decade ago.

CINCINNATI

QB JOE BURROW has a calf injury, believed to be slight.  But he went off on a cart.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffered what is believed to be a calf strain during Thursday’s practice and will undergo further testing, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

Burrow was carted off of the field at the Paycor Stadium facility, and head coach Zac Taylor told reporters the team would know more soon regarding the severity of the injury.

During an 11-on-11 drill, Burrow pumped left and scrambled right when he came up hobbled, clearly favoring his right leg as he skipped on his left leg before going down on the practice field, according to video shot by WCPO-TV. Burrow was attended to by the medical staff before he was carted off.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase told reporters after Thursday’s practice he isn’t overly concerned about Burrow’s status after some unspoken communication with the star QB on the practice field.

“We always give each other that nod,” Chase said, per The Athletic. “He gave me a nod he’s all right. He’s a strong dude.”

Burrow, a Pro Bowler who led the Bengals to a Super Bowl berth in the 2021 season, suffered a season-ending left ACL tear during his 2020 rookie year. Since coming back from that injury, he’s propelled Cincinnati into the AFC hierarchy.

Entering the 2023 campaign, Burrow is amid contract talks for what portends to be a mammoth extension with the Bengals, who he led to back-to-back division titles for the first time in franchise history.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com believes his recovery period should last until he puts ink to paper.

Joe Burrow avoided a lightning bolt on Thursday. He should remain in the house until he gets his second contract.

It goes without saying that Thursday’s close-call calf injury means Burrow should not practice or play until he signs a long-term extension. (Even though it goes without saying, I’ll say it anyway.) There’s too much at risk, too much to lose for the franchise quarterback.

The Bengals surely won’t blame Burrow for protecting himself until the new contract shifts the injury risk to the team. If he were to suffer a season-ending injury, the Bengals would have no real reason to complete the contract, at least not until Burrow became healthy again.

That said, maybe the Bengals would do it anyway. If they hope to keep Burrow for the next 10 years or longer (and they do), slamming the brakes on the long-term contract simply because he can’t play for 2023 would run the risk of Burrow saying, “You know what? I’ll just finish my rookie deal, get tagged twice, and then leave as a free agent.”

Still, it’s always better in the quest to get top dollar to be actually playing. Burrow apparently will be able to play this year. He shouldn’t set foot on a field, however, until he puts his signature at the bottom of a new contract.

– – –

The Bengals did get one extended contract done.  Paul Dehner, Jr and Larry Holder of The Athletic:

Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson signed a one-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday. Here’s what you need to know:

Hendrickson, 28, will be under contract with Cincinnati through the 2025 season after landing the extension.

The Bengals defender is coming off consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in 2021 and 2022. He’s picked up a combined 22 sacks in his two seasons in Cincinnati.

He’s tallied 42 career sacks in six NFL seasons, his first four were with the Saints.

go-deeper

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Why this deal made sense for Hendrickson

Hendrickson had a right to feel uneasy about his contract situation. He was a sitting duck next year with his contract up after the 2024 season. The Bengals could get rid of him in March and save $15 million against the cap with only $2.5 million in dead money. It is currently the second largest 2024 cap hit behind Joe Burrow. Hendrickson correctly sought security considered he’s already outperformed his original contract through two seasons. He ranks as a top 10 edge rusher by most every metric, but well shy of the top of the market which is now over $20 million. This provides comfort — as well as more money — for Hendrickson. — Dehner

Why this deal made sense for the Bengals

The Bengals notably don’t like doing third contracts for veterans. They don’t want to pay players into their 30s expecting performance of their 20s. Conversations occurred last year at this time about a new contract, but never progressed. Nobody wanted this lingering in the background again. This makes both sides happy, keeps Sam Hubbard and Hendrickson both under contract through 2025, but only adds his age 31 season. It allows the Bengals to tinker with financial structures as they try to fit their young stars into new extensions without worrying about losing value in paying for drastic cliff. — Dehner

What does this mean for other business?

Hard to know specifically as the Bengals are moving cash and cap around from bucket to bucket as they try to make Burrow, Tee Higgins, Logan Wilson, Ja’Marr Chase (extension eligible next year) all work. Joe Mixon took a paycut before camp as part of the movement. This is the latest bit of nesting as they prepare to lay the Burrow egg. — Dehner

How Hendrickson stacks up

There’s no doubt how much of a force Hendrickson has been for the Bengals in his first two seasons. Hendrickson ranks fourth in pressure percentage among pass rushers (minimum 400 pass rush snaps) in the last two years, via TruMedia. Here’s a look at how he stacks up among the top 10 in pressure percentage:

                                 Psr%             Prsrs       Sacks

Micah Parsons               20.8          157          26.5

Rashan Gary                 18.9          119          15.5

Josh Uche                     17.6          73            14.5

Trey Hendrickson          17.4           137         22

Nick Bosa                      17.0           165         34

Za’Darius Smith             16.4           78          10

Joey Bosa                      16.2           86          13

Myles Garrett                 15.8           151        32

Maxx Crosby                 15.5           182         20.5

Matt Judon                    15.5           132        28

I’d have to imagine the Saints regret letting Hendrickson leave in free agency a couple of years ago, opting to ride with Marcus Davenport. — Holder

Backstory

The Saints selected Hendrickson in the third round of their famed 2017 NFL Draft class. The crop included Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Alvin Kamara and Alex Anzalone. Hendrickson improved through his four seasons, apexing with his 13 1/2 sacks in his final season in New Orleans in 2020. Hendrickson landed a four-year deal worth a maximum of $60 million in March 2021 with the Bengals.

INDIANAPOLIS

If RB JONATHAN TAYLOR was as irritated by Jim Irsay’s outburst against more money for running backs as Mike Florio is, he wouldn’t be in camp:

With big-picture solutions for enhancing the compensation of running backs elusive, it’s important for individual players at the position to do what they can to create leverage.

For great running backs who have finished three seasons and are in turn eligible for second contracts, that means doing whatever needs to be done to get one, before the fourth season begins.

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, the consensus top pick in fantasy football a year ago after rushing for 1,811 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns in his second season, is eligible for a new contract. He hasn’t gotten one, but he did not hold out.

He likely decided not to hold out in part because he missed six games in 2022 due to an ankle injury. His closing argument for a new contract was, simply put, not as solid as it could have been. To the extent it was a close call, however, the aggressive comments from owner Jim Irsay might have made a difference.

Irsay wisely held his tongue (or tweet) until Taylor and the rest of the Colts reported. Once players report, it becomes much harder under the labor deal to take a stand.

In hindsight, and given Irsay’s strident and condescending remarks about the running back position, Taylor should have refused to show up.

Taylor’s agent, Malki Kawa, responded to Irsay’s tweet, which suggested bad faith on the part of agents, with this: “Bad faith is not paying your top offensive player.” Kalwa separately expressed “doubt” that the relationship between Irsay and the league’s running backs generally (and/or Taylor specifically) can be fixed.

So, yes, it’s fair to wonder whether Taylor would have held out if Irsay would have sounded off before it was time for Taylor to report. If Taylor’s decision was close, Irsay’s coarse and inflammatory remarks might have tipped the scales toward Taylor giving Irsay and the Colts the finger — as Taylor should have.

– – –

If Ryan Hockensmith of ESPN.com is reading the tea leaves properly, we may get more QB GARDNER MINSHEW this year from the Colts, than rookie QB ANTHONY RICHARDSON.  Hockensmith’s long story has some good stuff on Minshew and his father, Flint and Minshew and his college coach, the late Mike Leach.  But we’ll stick to the part on Indianapolis today:

Minshew arrives at the restaurant after an OTA practice. Minshew, 27, may not be a Pro Football Hall of Fame football player. But he is a first-ballot pro football character.

He’s led a wild, nomadic football existence that has built to this moment in Indianapolis, where he’ll compete with No. 4 overall pick Anthony Richardson for the job. Indy is coming off a 4-12-1 season, and Caesar’s has the Colts as the third-worst odds of winning the Super Bowl. In other words, this has all the makings of Minshew Mania III.

Minshew pulls into the lot in a 2011 Acura that his parents gave him for high school graduation. He occasionally upgrades to first class on flights. But otherwise, you’d have no idea that an NFL quarterback who’s earned $5.1 million the past four years is standing there in shorts and a T-shirt of blues singer Derek Trucks.

Minshew’s mom played basketball at Mississippi State, and Flint was a former D3 football player. But Minshew is not particularly big, or fast, or much of anything else they measure at the combine. He is a solid athlete, very smart, works hard and he’s feistier than the McConaughey vibes let on. “Gardner is Gardner and that’s how he rolls,” says Colts GM Chris Ballard. “But he’s highly, highly intelligent. His IQ is at an extremely high level. He’s also very curious, and he’s not afraid to challenge you.”

– – –

He went to a Jacksonville team that had signed Nick Foles to start. But Foles got hurt 12 plays into the season, and Minshew was suddenly in at QB for a woeful Jags team.

Against all odds, Minshew rallied the Jags to a 2-2 start, causing Minshew Mania II. Fans chanted his name and wore mustaches and bandanas. The magic eventually wore off, and when Foles was ready to return in Week 9, Minshew was back to the bench.

The day the Jags announced the change, Foles asked to address the team. “Can we have a moment to appreciate everything Gardner has done and how amazing he has been?” Foles said. “I certainly appreciate it.”

The team clapped and Minshew felt stunned. “Most guys would go up and say, ‘Hey everybody, I’m back.’ But that’s special. That means so much. He has no reason to do that other than it’s the right thing to do and he’s a good person.”

That was a critical moment for Minshew. He really saw in Foles the ideal way to float between starter and No. 2 with grace — to somehow compete hard but not look over shoulders himself. The Jags traded Foles to the Bears and went to Minshew as their starter in 2020, and that season was a dumpster fire as the Jaguars limped toward drafting Trevor Lawrence No. 1. Minshew played okay until a thumb injury ended his season seven games in.

The next summer, the Jags traded Minshew to Philly to back up Jalen Hurts in 2021. Hurts had the job in Philly but, back then, he was no guarantee. Minshew backed him up, offering support when asked. It’s not an easy position to be in. Minshew thinks he’s good enough to be an NFL starter, at a time in football history when a good No. 2 quarterback can be more trouble than he’s worth. The days of Montana/Young and Favre/Rodgers are a relic of a different time.

Minshew didn’t sniff the field until an ankle injury sidelined Hurts in Week 13. The Eagles needed the game, too. Philly was a wobbly 5-7 and on the playoff outs. Cue the Minshew magic.

Against the Jets, Minshew was almost flawless in a 33-18, season-saving win. After the game, Minshew was on his way to the bus when he heard a familiar noise. His dad has a whistle he does with his lips that he’s always done to get his kids’ attention. It’s less a whistle and more like a blast of loud breath, through pursed lips. But it’s their blast of loud breath, and all the Minshews know it. When Flint does it on a recent Zoom, even his two golden doodles hustle to him.

He did it that evening, and Minshew came over for a hug. At that moment, Minshew thought about all the times his career looked like it was MIA, how he should have probably been holding a f—ing clipboard instead of his father, and his heart collided with his dad’s chest. They’d both known forever that he could do it. Sometimes they might have been the only two in the world. “We always hug,” says Flint. “We’re a hugging family who tells each other we love each other all the time. That’s just who we are.”

Hurts returned after their bye week, and Minshew realized quickly the job was Hurts’ and would remain so. Last season, Hurts missed two games and Minshew was solid in relief. He went 0-2 (663 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions). Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen mostly just needed Minshew to manage the offense as the 13-1 Eagles tried to ease into the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

He entered free agency this February not sure what laid ahead. At lunch, he mentions briefly wondering if maybe it was, finally, over. But he shakes his head. He knew he’d shown enough to get another job — not many mid-20s quarterbacks with a career 44-15 TD-INT ratio end up unemployed.

That’s about the time he got a call from new Colts coach…Shane Steichen.

BEFORE THIS PAST DRAFT, Steichen had told his new GM, Ballard, that he wanted competition at quarterback, and he advocated signing Minshew. He didn’t have to push hard. Ballard was the Colts’ GM when the team brought in Minshew before the 2019 draft.

“I’ve always been an admirer,” Ballard says. “I always thought he was made of the right stuff. He’s going to fight and scratch and claw and make it a hard decision for everybody. But on the flip side, if he’s not the starter, he’s going to do everything he can to get the other guy ready and be ready himself.”

That’s really the biggest thing he took away from Leach, and then The Hug. It will crush Minshew not to be an NFL starter… but he’ll never need it to know his own self-worth. The success is nice, but the belief is better. “I know what I can do,” he says as he chews. He finishes what he is chewing and takes another bite. It seems like he might say more. But that’s all he has to say about that. He knows what he can do. That’s it. End of sentence.

Minshew is the ideal guy to put in the room with a future franchise QB like Anthony Richardson. Minshew raves about Richardson’s talent and work ethic, and Richardson seems to like having Minshew alongside him, even in competition. Richardson is 21, with undeniable upside but only one season as a college starter. He will get the job someday, maybe even against the Jaguars. But until then, it’s the best version of a head-to-head QB battle in 2023. “If we’re in a quarterback competition, I’m playing against you as a quarterback,” Minshew says. “I’m not playing against you as a person. There’s a big difference.”

When the check arrives a few minutes later, he’s flipping through pictures of Billy Minshew, his grandfather, when he comes upon one of himself holding a sword. It was a gift from his grandmother. “That’s my home defense,” he says with a smile, and then he gets up from his chair to leave.

He makes his way off the deck and out the front door, holding it for a man and woman standing nearby. It’s the same couple from earlier who’d been getting after it at the next table over. Now they’re puffing well-deserved darts outside. Minshew never seemed to notice them during lunch, and they certainly had been too preoccupied to have been thinking about him much, either.

Minshew nods his head to acknowledge them, and lets the door close behind him. He walks off into the distance, through the lot toward his car. As he gets near the Acura, he never turns his head but says, “Hey, don’t make me look like an a–hole, ok?” He opens the car door, waves goodbye and gets in, and he never once looks back over his shoulder.

MIAMI

A setback for the Dolphins as CB JALEN RAMSEY goes on the shelf for a bit.  Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com:

Dolphins star cornerback Jalen Ramsey will undergo surgery on the meniscus in his left knee and is expected to miss the start of the regular season, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Ramsey’s ACL is intact, the sources said.

It wasn’t immediately known exactly how long Ramsey will be sidelined, but one source told Schefter he could miss “a few months,” depending on how the surgery goes.

Ramsey posted on social media that he’ll “be back on that field stronger than ever.”

Ramsey left Thursday’s practice early after colliding with wide receiver Tyreek Hill and was carted back to the locker room afterward.

The three-time All-Pro participated in 11-on-11 drills in the team’s third day of training camp but appeared to get tangled up with Hill while in coverage. Both players fell to the ground, and Ramsey sat upright for a few seconds before standing to his feet. He attempted to walk off the injury before leaving the field under his own power.

Team athletic trainers tended to his left knee for the remainder of practice, and Ramsey was carted back to the locker room at the conclusion of practice.

The Dolphins traded a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long for Ramsey this offseason, pairing him with another All-Pro in cornerback Xavien Howard. Coach Mike McDaniel is expected to comment on Ramsey’s status when he speaks to the media Friday morning.

NEW YORK JETS

Robert Saleh defends his OC Nathaniel Hackett after a verbal pile-on from Sean Payton.  Tyler Greenawalt of YahooSports.com:

The New York Jets weren’t too happy when they heard Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton blast their offensive coordinator and ex-Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett.

In an interview with USA Today, Payton called Hackett’s 15-game tenure with the Broncos “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” after the Broncos went 4-11 under Hackett. Payton went on to blame Hackett for Denver’s downtrodden season as well as Russell Wilson’s career-low performance. The Jets hired Hackett to be their offensive coordinator months after the Broncos fired him.

“I live by the saying, ‘If you ain’t got no haters, you ain’t popping.’ So hate away,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters after hearing Payton’s comments. “Obviously, we’re doing something right if you’ve gotta talk about us when we don’t play until Week [5]. And I’m good with that.”

Payton also took a cursory shot at the Jets and compared their offseason hype to what Hackett’s Broncos received before the 2022 season. He pointed out New York being featured on this season of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” as an example of unnecessary and perhaps detrimental attention, even though Saleh and quarterback Aaron Rodgers already publicly said they didn’t want to be featured on the show.

Saleh wasn’t the only one to respond to Payton. Jets offensive tackle Billy Turner, who played for Hackett with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-21 and with the Broncos in 2022, called Payton a “[expletive] bum,” while cornerback D.J. Reed and tackle Mekhi Becton applauded Saleh for his comments.

As for the Hackett hate, Saleh stood by his offensive coordinator. The two worked together for one year with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Hackett’s hiring seemingly played a role in Rodgers’ decision to push for a trade to New York. So even though Hackett may have had a bad year as a head coach, Saleh appears happy to have him run the offense.

“I think Hackett’s doing a phenomenal job here,” Saleh added. “… I get it. There’s a lot of external noise. There’s a lot of people who are hating on us. There’s a lot of people looking for us to fail. There’s a lot of crows pecking at our neck. But all you can do is spread your wings, keep flying high, until those crows fall off and suffocate from the inability to breathe.”

THIS AND THAT

STERLING SHARPE

The Hall of Fame’s veterans committee has chosen 12 candidates for induction next February.  Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com endorses one of them, Sterling Sharpe:

The NFL is a brutal game. You can’t guarantee a 10-year career. But greatness is undeniable, even if it’s fleeting.

Sterling Sharpe didn’t play long for the Green Bay Packers. He lasted just seven seasons, being forced into retirement due to a neck injury before he turned 30. But anyone who watched Sharpe knew he was one of the best receivers of his era, or any other era. It was undeniable.

Sharpe took a step toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Thursday. Sharpe was named one of 12 senior committee semifinalists. Up to three of those semifinalists can be selected for final consideration for Hall of Fame induction. A high percentage of senior committee finalists are inducted into the Hall. The other semifinalists this year are Ken Anderson, Maxie Baughan, Roger Craig, Randy Gradishar, Joe Jacoby, Albert Lewis, Steve McMichael, Eddie Meador, Art Powell, Otis Taylor and Al Wistert.

This seems like a good year for Sharpe to get his due and a ticket to Canton.

Sterling Sharpe was a dominant receiver

Terrell Davis was an important figure in the Hall of Fame induction process.

Davis was a regular season MVP and Super Bowl MVP. He was a three-time All-Pro. He was as dominant in the postseason as any non-quarterback not named Jerry Rice. But he played in just 78 games, and 17 of those came after an ACL injury that effectively ended his prime. It took a while for him to break through and get into the Hall of Fame. Finally, Davis was a part of the Hall’s Class of 2017.

That opened the doors for other players who were among the best in the NFL but had their careers cut short by injury to be considered by the Hall of Fame.

Sharpe didn’t have the postseason accolades of Davis, but he was dominant. For years, opponents knew that Sharpe was getting the ball. They were helpless to stop it.

“He was an unstoppable, remarkable receiver,” Ron Wolf, who was GM of the Packers and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, told the team’s site. “When you review what he accomplished, it’s truly legendary. He was the only offensive weapon we possessed, yet the opponent’s defense couldn’t stop him. He should be in Canton. He’s much better than most of the people that have gone in recently at his position.”

When it’s asked which eligible player not in the Hall of Fame deserves most to be in, Sharpe is a common answer. He played at a Hall of Fame level for seven seasons. Why hold a neck injury against him?

Sharpe was still in his prime in 1994, his final season. He had 94 catches for 1,119 yards and a NFL-best 18 touchdowns. Sharpe led the NFL in touchdown receptions twice, led the league in receptions three times (once setting an NFL record) and in receiving yards once. He was a three-time All-Pro. And in 1994, he was still one of the best in the game.

He suffered the neck injury on a routine play, run blocking against the Atlanta Falcons. A career can end that fast. Had Sharpe kept playing, with a young star quarterback named Brett Favre on a team that would win a Super Bowl two years later, his Hall of Fame case would have never been in doubt. But he had to retire and then wait on the Hall of Fame as lesser players made it in ahead of him. You have to wonder if Sharpe not being cooperative with the media during his playing days was a factor.

Davis played 78 games. Sharpe played 112. Like Davis, Sharpe was unquestionably a Hall of Fame-level talent. It’s time he gets his bust in the Hall.

That’s a pretty good group of 12.  We are partial to former Bengals QB Ken Anderson, as well as Sharpe.  49ers RB Roger Craig was also great in his short prime.