NFC NORTH

DETROIT

Whoever the “close contact” was that put QB MATTHEW STAFFORD in Covid Timeout, it apparently was not a family member. And so far, he is on track to play Sunday. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press:

Matthew Stafford is on track to return for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings after passing his latest COVID-19 test, but Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia had little to say Thursday about how the organization intends to make it happen.

Kelly Stafford wrote in an Instagram story Thursday that all coronavirus tests “came back negative” for her and her family.

The Lions placed Matthew Stafford on the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday for the second time this season after Stafford had close contact with a COVID-positive case.

Lions QB Matthew Stafford attempts to pass the ball under pressure by the Vikings’ Everson Griffen during the Lions’ 26-16 loss in Minneapolis in 2015.

Because the contact occurred Monday, according to ESPN, Stafford will finish his mandatory five-day isolation period in time to catch a private flight to Minnesota for this weekend’s game.

Patricia declined to acknowledge that possibility Thursday, insisting that “just commenting on (Stafford’s) availability for the game would fall under the category of commenting on his health status.”

Per NFL rules, Stafford and linebacker Jarrad Davis, who went on the reserve/COVID list Tuesday, are allowed to take part in virtual meetings while they are away from the team.

– – –

DL EVERSON GRIFFIN is fired up because his former coach didn’t praise him enough.  Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com:

Good is the enemy of great in Everson Griffen’s world.

The newly acquired defensive end for the Detroit Lions took exception to his former coach, Mike Zimmer, calling him a “good player” ahead of the Minnesota Vikings’ Week 9 showdown with their NFC North opponent.

Asked about Griffen’s return to Minnesota after he spent 10 seasons with the Vikings, Zimmer said, “Everson was a good player for us. I wish him well, just not this week.”

The Pro Bowl defensive end appeared to take Zimmer’s comment as a slight for not noting the contributions he made for the Vikings throughout their six seasons together (2014-19).

“This is the best I’ve felt in a long time, and I got a little frustrated when I read that comment what Zimmer said, ‘Oh, Everson was a good player,'” Griffen said. “Like, Coach Zimmer just wasn’t a good coach, he was a great coach to me, so for him to call me a good player, that kind of hurts my feelings.

“On Sunday I’m really looking forward to playing the Vikings and showing them that I am a great player. I’m excited, I’m ready to execute, my mental health is strong, my physical health is strong, my mind is strong, and I’m ready to go out there and dominate. I’m ready to create, adapt and go out there and win.”

Griffen was named to the Pro Bowl during four seasons in Minnesota (2015-17 and 2019) and ranks fourth in franchise history in sacks with 74.5. The 32-year-old edge rusher opted out of his contract with the Vikings after the 2019 season and became a free agent in March. While the coronavirus pandemic limited Griffen’s activity in free agency, the defensive end eventually signed with the Dallas Cowboys in August where he spent the first seven weeks of the season before being traded to Detroit for a conditional sixth-round draft pick in 2021.

Griffen later noted on Twitter that he expected more from Zimmer after he “gave everything for that team.”

“I miss guys,” he said. “I miss Harrison [Smith], I miss Anthony [Barr], I miss E.K. [Eric Kendricks], I miss Zimmer. So when Zimmer said that about that — I’m a good player — all right, we’re going to see who’s a good player on Sunday. That’s what I’ve got for him.”

Throughout his nearly 10-minute Zoom call with reporters Thursday, Griffen kept referencing the “good player” comment, often unprompted. The Vikings tried to get the defensive end to return this offseason on a reduced salary but lost out in the sweepstakes to Dallas.

“They’re going to put some respect on my name,” Griffen said. “He going to put respect on my name, that’s all I’m saying, like he just wasn’t a good coach to me, he was a great coach. He helped me improve, helped me grow. I don’t ever talk bad about people, so for him to call me a good player, all right, I got something for him on Sunday.”

GREEN BAY

No brag, just fact?  Nick Shook of NFL.com:

In the last three weeks, Davante Adams has caught 30 passes for 422 yards and six touchdowns.

That type of stat line typically resides next to the name of a second or third receiver on a team, and is seen as a solid contribution over a season. Adams has done that in less than a month, providing a major spark to a Packers team that sorely needed it and putting Adams in the top 10 of the league’s receiving rankings.

Adams, understandably, is feeling pretty good about himself right now. When asked if he thinks he’s the best receiver in the NFL, Adams was honest Thursday night after Green Bay’s 34-17 win over San Francisco.

“Yeah, I think that’s fair to say,” Adams said. “I think that’s not being conceited. That’s just confident.”

The numbers don’t lie. Adams stands inside the league’s top 10 in receiving despite playing in just six of the Packers’ eight games so far this season. He entered Thursday night leading the NFL in targets per game and receptions per game, was tied for the lead in receiving touchdowns and ranked second in receiving yards per game, and managed to find a way to increase most of those categories with his Thursday night performance.

“It’s what I expect to do,” Adams explained Thursday. “It’s just about emptying that tank, man. I’ve got a lot to give. I’m relied on a lot in this offense and I’ve got a very talented quarterback.”

Adams obviously benefits from playing with future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers — who threw a touchdown pass to Adams that was so beautiful, Adams said “it was almost so perfect that it threw me off” — but Rodgers also benefits from playing with Adams. His production in the last three weeks hammers home that point, especially in Week 8, when Vikings coach Mike Zimmer dedicated his defense to taking Adams away from Rodgers, and the wideout still scored three touchdowns.

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

He won’t play him, but Coach Ron Rivera says he has not given up on QB DWAYNE HASKINS.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Washington coach Ron Rivera is pushing back against the idea that the Football Team has given up on quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

“It’s funny, I benched the guy and it’s like everybody thinks his career is over here in Washington. It’s not. There’s potential, there’s opportunity. The kid has an NFL arm, it’s just a matter of him developing,” Rivera told Rich Eisen.

Rivera noted that Haskins was only the starter for one year at Ohio State and has started just 11 games in the NFL.

“Everybody forgets he played 12 games of college football and then last year he really didn’t get into the swing of things until the end of the year,” Rivera said. “I did everything I could to give him 11 weeks as the No. 1 [quarterback].”

So far, Haskins has been a big disappointment. But Rivera sounds open to giving Haskins the opportunity to prove himself before he’s done in Washington.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

JAMEIS WINSTON warming up in the bullpen?  Mike Triplett of ESPN.com:

Although Drew Brees downplayed the significance of his shoulder injury Wednesday, he remained limited in Thursday’s practice.

The New Orleans Saints quarterback was working off to the side with no pads during the early portion of practice that was open to the media and was officially listed as a limited participant. It is rare for Brees to be limited in practice this late in the week and unclear if that will affect his status for Sunday night’s critical NFC South showdown at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It is also unclear who would replace Brees in the starting lineup if necessary, with former Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill both potential candidates. Friday’s practice should shed more light on Brees’ status.

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

Backup running backs in Glendale this week?  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Dolphins will be without their starting running back this weekend because Myles Gaskin is on injured reserve and it’s looking like the Cardinals will be down their top rusher as well.

Kenyan Drake missed his second straight day of practice on Thursday. He’s dealing with an ankle injury that knocked him out of the team’s Week 7 win over the Seahawks.

Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said earlier this week that the injury wasn’t as severe as initially thought, but stopped short of saying he expected Drake to play this week.

Cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick has also been out of practice due to a thigh injury.

– – –

The Cardinals are signing veteran CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH.  James Rapien of SI.com:

Johnathan Joseph isn’t done yet. The veteran cornerback is expected to sign with the Arizona Cardinals according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 in Houston.

He was released by Tennessee on Tuesday.

The Bengals went after Joseph in Sunday’s 31-20 win over the Titans. The 36-year-old was targeted 11 times and allowed eight receptions for 92 yards according to Pro Football Focus.

Third-year wide receiver Auden Tate had multiple catches with Joseph in coverage, including a game-sealing 15-yard grab with two-minutes remaining.

The Bengals drafted Joseph in the first-round (24th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent the first five seasons of his career in Cincinnati before signing with Houston in free agency.

SAN FRANCISCO

A deep dive from Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com on whom might quarterback the 49ers in 2021:

Will Jimmy Garoppolo be the 49ers’ starter in 2021?

Given what has happened, the biggest issue facing the 49ers next offseason is what they decide to do about their quarterback situation. A year ago, I floated an idea about them possibly replacing Garoppolo with Tom Brady after the Super Bowl, but that was more of a pipe dream than something the team would realistically have considered. After 2020, things are a little different.

The ideal starting NFL quarterback means a lot of things to a lot of people, but broadly, every team wants three things. They want a passer who is cheap, reliably healthy and capable of a Pro Bowl-caliber ceiling when things are right around him. There aren’t many quarterbacks who are ever all three things at the same time for long. Right now, the only one who might fit all three categories is Lamar Jackson.

Most teams are happy if they can find a quarterback who fits two of those three criteria; most commonly, they’ll go for healthy and extremely productive (Patrick Mahomes) or cheap and healthy (Joe Burrow). In other cases, like late-career Eli Manning or Gardner Minshew, teams are willing to settle for one of the three. This is a relatively simplistic way to look at things, but it’s a good place to start.

Can you say with any confidence that Garoppolo fits any of those three criteria? Start with the issue of health, since it’s the most obvious problem for him. Past injuries aren’t always indicative of future health, but his track record with regard to staying on the field is a serious, serious red flag.

In 2016, when Garoppolo took over for the suspended Brady in New England, he started two games before separating his shoulder, ending his brief reign as the starter. In 2017, he spent the season on the bench before being traded to San Francisco, where he took over the starting job for the final five games of the year. In 2018, he tore his ACL after three games. While he was healthy for all 16 starts in 2019, he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 this season and then suffered the same injury again four starts after returning.

In three of his five seasons, Garoppolo has suffered a serious injury within three games. There has been just one season in his career in which he has started even six games in a row without suffering an injury. Some quarterbacks just struggle to play for extended periods of time without getting hurt — Chad Pennington, Andrew Luck and more recently Carson Wentz coming to mind. At this point, the preponderance of evidence suggests Garoppolo might have his issues staying healthy.

The production is also a question, although less so than his health. Since joining the 49ers in 2017, he ranks 12th in the league in Total QBR, just ahead of Matthew Stafford and Aaron Rodgers. That’s promising, but we can also poke holes in his performance. Garoppolo has thrown deep on only 7.2% of his throws over that time frame, the lowest mark in the league for any quarterback with at least 700 attempts since the start of 2017.

He has thrown deep less frequently than avowed underneath throwers like Drew Brees, Joe Flacco and Marcus Mariota over that same time frame. Quarterbacks don’t necessarily need to throw deep to succeed, but it’s pretty clear that coach Kyle Shanahan wants his quarterbacks to take and hit their shots downfield; Matt Ryan threw passes 20 or more yards in the air 11.2% of the time during his MVP season in 2016 — when Shanahan was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta — which was the 11th-highest rate in the league.

Does Garoppolo have a top-tier ceiling? We likely can’t say anything with total confidence, but I’m skeptical. To try to get a sense of what each quarterback’s ceiling looks like, I went through the last decade and found their top eight performances by adjusted yards per attempt (AY/A), then calculated the AY/A for those eight combined appearances. Garoppolo’s eight best performances produced an average of 11.5 adjusted yards per attempt. That’s 30th over the last decade, around Case Keenum, Joe Flacco and Jay Cutler. His numbers could rise with more appearances and opportunities to excel, but his best doesn’t look to be extraordinary.

Is there something not accounted for in the numbers? Garoppolo was tied for the league lead with four fourth-quarter comebacks during the 2019 season, but even that number is generous. One of those drives started on the Pittsburgh 25-yard line after a fumble. The win over the Saints saw him complete one 8-yard pass before converting fourth-and-2 with that 39-yard pass to Kittle, who (charitably) did the vast majority of the work. Other guys have drives like this, too, but I’m not sure we can point toward Jimmy G’s fourth-quarter comebacks as proof that he’s doing more than it seems.

Furthermore, he doesn’t actually throw all that frequently. Even if we throw out the seasons in which he got hurt and just focus on 2019, he threw just under 30 passes per game. Twenty-six teams had starters with more pass attempts per game than Garoppolo. He then threw 19 passes in the wild-card round win over the Vikings and just eight in the NFC title game blowout of the Packers before throwing 31 times against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. On his final 10 throws of the game, Garoppolo went 2-of-10 for 24 yards with an interception.

OK, so Garoppolo struggles to stay healthy and is a low-volume, low-ceiling passer. What about his contract? Well, funny you should ask. The 49ers structured his five-year, $137.5 million extension with a huge roster bonus in its first year (2018) to create more flexibility in the later years of the deal. There’s no guaranteed money left on his deal, although he has $7.5 million in injury guarantees next year. Those injury guarantees shouldn’t trigger if he misses the rest of the season, since his ankle sprain should heal with extended rest.

Next year, Garoppolo has an unguaranteed base salary of $24.1 million. His cap hit would be $26.9 million, and the 49ers would free up all of that $24.1 million if they chose to cut or trade him before June 1. At the moment, he would have the 11th-largest cap hit among NFL quarterbacks next season. If the team could guarantee he would be healthy for all 16 games, that would probably represent fair value. If there’s a significant chance that he plays only five or six games, though, it’s hard to see how his deal makes sense for the 49ers.

If they agree, the 49ers could try to get him to take a pay cut or release him outright. They could try to get a trade done, although I’m not sure there would be a huge market. Garoppolo has two years and $51 million in unguaranteed money left on his deal, which is more than the Panthers needed to sign Teddy Bridgewater in free agency last March. Bridgewater got $42 million over the first two years of his deal, $33 million of which was fully guaranteed at signing.

There would be one team that looms as an obvious fit for Garoppolo, of course. The Patriots will have more cap space than the 49ers and don’t have a solution under contract for 2021. Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer are both free agents after the season, leaving Jarrett Stidham as the only quarterback under contract. They have publicly suggested that they think Stidham can be their quarterback of the future, but he has thrown four interceptions in 27 career pass attempts.

If the 49ers wanted to move on from Garoppolo, the Patriots would be the most logical suitors and the best landing spot for the veteran. The return would not be as exciting as Niners fans might hope; it’s difficult to imagine New England sending much more than a mid-to-late-round pick in return for him. How could San Francisco replace him?

Ranking the options to replace Garoppolo in San Francisco

The difficult part of giving up on Garoppolo is that the 49ers would need to have a better solution. Again, going back to those three quarterback characteristics, their replacement for him might not actually be a more talented passer. Landing on a similarly talented quarterback who doesn’t earn as much or an adequate passer who is more reliable could make sense for San Francisco. In relative order of likelihood, here’s who that quarterback could be:

Nick Mullens

The new starter in San Francisco with Jimmy G out, Mullens will be replacing an injured Garoppolo for the third time in the past three seasons. Mullens moved ahead of C.J. Beathard after impressing in his debut victory over the Raiders in 2018 and was solid over the second half of the season. The former undrafted free agent was the first guy off the bench in 2020, and his results were mixed. He was a mess in the second half of the Jets game, looked great in a blowout victory over the Giants and then cost his team a win over the Eagles with three giveaways.

Mullens was benched for Beathard in the fourth quarter of the Eagles game, but after one game, Mullens was restored to the backup role and was active on game days behind Garoppolo. The Southern Miss product came in during the second half of the Seahawks game and went 18-of-25 passing for 238 yards and two touchdowns in garbage time against one of the league’s friendliest pass defenses. He’ll have first crack at the starting opportunity against the Packers on Thursday night.

If Mullens plays well, the 49ers could find themselves with the opportunity to find their quarterback on the cheap. He is making only $750,000 this year and is a restricted free agent in 2021. They would presumably give Mullens a first-round tender, which is projected to come in at $4.9 million. Dropping down from Garoppolo to Mullens would therefore save about $20 million, which San Francisco could use for help at receiver or with its defense. It could alternately try to use that last remaining season to negotiate a team-friendly extension with the 25-year-old.

C.J. Beathard

Shanahan used a third-round pick to draft Beathard in 2017, so it’s clear that he and/or Lynch saw some potential in the Iowa product. Beathard started five games in 2017 and five more in 2018, but while he improved between his rookie and sophomore campaigns, his QBR only jumped from 35.4 to 41.5. He stepped in against the Eagles and led a touchdown drive, but when he went 9-of-18 passing for 84 yards filling in for Garoppolo against the Dolphins in Week 5, Shanahan made Beathard an inactive in favor of Mullens for each of the subsequent three games.

Beathard is in the final year of his rookie deal, so the 49ers would need to re-sign him after the season if he were to get the starting job and succeed. Over 430 pass attempts so far, though, he has been an ordinary quarterback. It would be a surprise if he emerged as a viable starter.

Kirk Cousins

Before the 49ers traded for Garoppolo, there were plenty of rumors suggesting that Shanahan would reunite with Cousins when the Michigan State product was finally able to extricate himself from Washington. Cousins eventually left for the Vikings in free agency, and after beating the Saints in the playoffs last season, the 32-year-old signed a two-year, $66 million extension, all of which is practically guaranteed. (Minnesota could cut Cousins before the 2021 league year starts, but it would pay $41 million in dead money to do so, a nonstarter on a $175 million cap.)

Mike Zimmer’s team has had a frustrating season, and while Sunday’s win over the Packers might turn around the Vikings’ campaign, a disappointing year could lead the organization to think that it’s better off without Cousins. If the Vikings traded him next spring, they would eat $20 million in dead money, but they would simultaneously free up $11 million of cap space in 2021 and a whopping $45 million in 2022. The team acquiring him would basically pick up his two-year, $66 million extension.

If that seems like a lot of money for Cousins, well, I agree. His 5.3% interception rate will probably regress toward the mean as the season goes on, but the biggest benefit he offers versus Garoppolo is availability. Cousins hasn’t been on the injury report since Week 1 of the 2013 campaign. You can probably project him to play something close to 16 games, but is the likelihood of a full season from Cousins really worth paying $15 million more over the next two years than what the 49ers are set to pay Garoppolo? The idea of a challenge trade here fascinates me, but the 49ers would go from making a questionable bet on a quarterback who might just be average to an even bigger bet on a quarterback who might not be much better.

Matt Ryan

Niners fans might be more excited about the idea of adding the quarterback who won his MVP award under Shanahan. Ryan is owed just under $75 million over the final three seasons of his deal, so the money would be something close to a straight swap for what is owed to Garoppolo over the next two seasons.

For the Falcons, though, a Ryan trade is a nonstarter. We don’t even know who will be running the Atlanta front office next offseason, so unless owner Arthur Blank suddenly starts feuding with his franchise quarterback, there’s no evidence that the Falcons actually want to trade him. (That would be the first feud conducted solely through classy full-page ads in local newspapers.) Atlanta’s backup is Matt Schaub, so there’s no quarterback of the future ready to replace Ryan on the roster. The Falcons would probably need a premium pick to even consider dealing their starter.

Financially, a Ryan trade makes no sense for Atlanta. His cap hit in 2021 is a staggering $40.9 million, the second largest of any player in football and a key reason the Falcons are $25.6 million over the projected cap next season. They can restructure his deal if he remains on their roster, but if they trade him before June 1, it would result in $44.4 million in dead money accelerating onto their 2021 cap. They would save money in 2022 and beyond, but trading him would compromise their 2021 team in the process. They could theoretically wait to deal Ryan until after June 1, but I don’t think the 49ers are going to wait until after June 1 to acquire a quarterback.

Sam Darnold

If the 49ers wanted to assume some risk and take a shot on a cheaper option at quarterback, Darnold could be one way to go. The Jets’ former third overall pick is owed $4.8 million for the final year of his rookie deal in 2021, so the 49ers would have no trouble affording him. The problem is that the Niners would have to decide whether they want to guarantee his fifth-year option for 2022 next March, which would lock in a far more significant sum for 2022. Lynch might be able to negotiate some kind of extension that pays Darnold more in 2021 while giving the 49ers an out if he disappoints.

Darnold’s availability could depend on whether the Jets end up with the first overall pick and whether top-ranked quarterback Trevor Lawrence enters the draft. If the Jets decide to move on from Darnold, it would probably cost something close to the second-round pick the 49ers sent to the Patriots for Garoppolo. The problem is that the Niners are already down their third-round pick after trading for Trent Williams.

If San Francisco wants to move on from Garoppolo and Shanahan thinks he can unlock something out of a guy he said in September was going to have a very good career, Darnold could make sense.

Aaron Rodgers

Speculation is fun! Rodgers has been an MVP candidate this season, so the idea of dealing him seems wild. At the same time, we still have half a season to go, and the Packers are still the same organization that drafted Jordan Love in the first round in April. They didn’t draft Love to sit him for the entirety of his rookie contract. I don’t think Rodgers is likely to leave until after the 2021 season, but if things end poorly in 2020, could Green Bay send Rodgers to the organization that passed on him in 2005?

I could see Rodgers as a possible 49ers quarterback in 2022, but 2021 doesn’t seem likely. If the Packers traded him before June 1, they would eat $31.6 million in dead money on their 2021 cap and only save a little under $5 million in cap space. It would likely take a total collapse from Green Bay or some disastrous turn in the relationship between Rodgers and coach Matt LaFleur for a trade in 2021 to make any sense at all. While the Packers are doing a bit of soul-searching after losing to the Vikings on Sunday, neither of those scenarios seems particularly likely.

Trading Rodgers while he’s declining is one thing, but the Packers can’t credibly trade him when he’s playing like one of the three or four best quarterbacks in football. This one seems downright implausible.

A rookie draft pick

The ESPN Football Power Index gives the 49ers only a 2.5% chance of finishing with a top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but it might also be underestimating just how banged up this team is after its 4-4 start. The Niners aren’t likely to end up in the hunt for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence or Ohio State’s Justin Fields — the quarterbacks who could go Nos. 1-2 in the draft — but if they do fall to the bottom of the top 10, they could find themselves in the running for North Dakota State product Trey Lance, whose one-game college season is over. Shanahan and Lynch haven’t been shy about paying premiums when they’ve fallen in love with players in the past, so it’s also possible they would consider putting together a significant package to move up if they love one of the quarterbacks in this year’s class.

Of all the options, Garoppolo is still the most likely person to be under center for the Niners in Week 1 next season. Teams aren’t often rational about their quarterbacks, and this regime has publicly scoffed at any suggestion that he won’t be the long-term starter. After a wildly frustrating 2020, though, the Niners might have to reconsider their plans if they want to make a trip back to the Super Bowl.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

Covid Alert!  The trainer tests positive!  NFL.com:

The Kansas City Chiefs has placed star defensive tackle Chris Jones on the reserve/COVID-19 list, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Thursday.

Earlier in the day, the Chiefs announced that a staff member had tested positive for the novel coronavirus. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported the staff member in question is head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder.

One of the top athletic trainers in the NFL, Burkholder is in his eighth season with the Chiefs and second as VP of Sports Medicine. Trainers are at the forefront of keeping COVID-19 protocol.

Jones did not test positive but was a close contact with someone who tested positive, Garafolo reported. Due to the nature of the league’s COVID-19 protocol it unclear if Jones would be available to Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers.

“The club was notified this morning that a staff member has tested positive for COVID-19,” the teams said in a statement Thursday. “The individual is self-quarantining, under the team’s medical care, and contact tracing is taking place. The team is now in the NFL’s Intensive Protocol and working closely with the league and medical experts.

“The health and safety of our players, coaches and staff members remains our number one priority.”

LAS VEGAS

Having initially spared the Raiders, the NFL Medical Justice has now decided to extract a price.  Charles Robinson of YahooSports.com on the crimes and their punishment:

The NFL has fined the Las Vegas Raiders $500,000 and head coach Jon Gruden $150,000 in the wake of what the league deemed as “repeat offenses” against COVID-19 protocols this season, two league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The NFL will also strip a 2021 sixth-round draft pick from the Raiders, following the league’s determination that offensive tackle Trent Brown and other Raiders violated various aspects of COVID-19 guidelines that league commissioner Roger Goodell set forth.

A Raiders team spokesman didn’t immediately respond for comment.

The sanctions are the strongest yet delivered by the NFL, exceeding the $350,000 penalty delivered to the Tennessee Titans in October for protocol violations that were discovered in that franchise in October. The latest fines bring the Raiders’ financial tally to $800,000 docked this season — and Gruden’s individual fine tally to $250,000 — for violations stemming from Brown landing on the COVID-reserve list in late October, a non-credentialed employee being allowed into the team’s locker room after a Week 2 win over the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football,” and an additional fine for Gruden failing to wear a mask properly during that same game. Las Vegas also had 10 players fined a total of $165,000 for failing to adhere to COVID-19 protocols during a charity event in late September.

This latest fine also becomes a clear display of the NFL’s resolve when it comes to punishing teams under the “repeat offender” flag. After an Oct. 21 practice, the Raiders placed Brown on the COVID-19 reserve list, while also quarantining five teammates who had contact with Brown while failing to wear masks. A joint NFL and NFLPA investigation also determined that Brown had failed to properly adhere to continually wearing a tracking device that is used to aid teams with contact tracing in the event of a positive test in a franchise.

While multiple teams have been fined for COVID violations this season, the Raiders were the first franchise to have a draft pick stripped for repeat violations. Goodell put the potential sanction on the table with teams in an early October conference call, when he delivered a stern warning to teams that the NFL would ramp up its punishments for continued COVID violations. Goodell later issued a memo to teams repeating that same warning.

“Protocol violations that result in virus spread requiring adjustments to the schedule or otherwise impacting other teams will result in additional financial and competitive discipline, including the adjustment or loss of draft choices or even the forfeit of a game,” Goodell said in the memo. “… Simply put, compliance is mandatory. Now is the time to recommit ourselves to our protocols and best practices for the duration of the season.”

AFC SOUTH

INDIANAPOLIS

Good news on the Covid front for the Colts.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Colts practiced without four members of the team on Thursday because of contact tracing after a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, but they will be back to business as usual on Friday.

According to multiple reports, the Colts have defensive tackle Sheldon Day, defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., and guard Quenton Nelson back in the building after a round of negative tests. They were found to be contacts of the infected part, but not the high-risk level of contact that would have required them to miss five days.

As long as tests from the next couple of days come back negative, all four players will be able to play against the Ravens on Sunday.

The Ravens have had their own COVID-19 concerns this week, but got linebacker Matthew Judon back on Thursday and six other defensive players are expected to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list in time to play this weekend.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

Dolphins coach Brian Flores insists the team believes in QB TUA TAGAVAIOA no matter how bad he might play the rest of the season.  NFL.com:

Brian Flores went out of his way to rebut the notion that the Miami Dolphins handed the starting reins to Tua Tagovailoa in order to get a sense of whether he’s the quarterback of the future or not.

On Thursday, the Dolphins coach strenuously repudiated a report that suggested Miami wanted to use the final 10 games of the season to evaluate whether Tua could be the long-term solution or whether the club might consider another QB in the 2021 draft.

“There’s a couple things out there, let’s call it a source close to Dolphins’ thinking saying that we are auditioning Tua. I’m just going to tell you about my thinking. We brought Tua here because we believe in him, same as all the other draft picks. We believe in developing players and improving players on a daily basis,” Flores said, via ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe. “That would be the opposite of giving someone a 10-game audition. That’s just my thinking on that, just so everybody’s clear.”

Flores’ comment came unprovoked, per reporters on the call, underscoring the coach’s desire to get in front of any narrative that could hinder his young QB’s confidence.

The report suggested that with Miami owning the Houston Texans’ first-round pick, which currently sits at No. 6 overall, the Dolphins could be in a position to draft another signal-caller. Like the Arizona Cardinals did in immediately moving on from Josh Rosen in favor of Kyler Murray, it’s possible Miami could view a 2021 prospect to be a significant upgrade on Tua.

First, the Dolphins would need to see how the rookie looks against NFL defenses for a significant stretch.

Flores underscored his belief that Tagovailoa is the Dolphins’ QB of the future, and his insertion into the lineup had nothing to do with any 10-game beta test.

“I’m comfortable with what comes out of these 10 games,” Flores said. “Since I’ve been here, I think everybody has heard me talk about the development of players, improvement on a daily basis. I just don’t see how somebody close to Dolphins thinking can say that this would be a 10-game audition. Not sure where or who that came from.”

Tua completed 12 of 22 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown in his first career start. The QB wasn’t asked to do much as the Dolphins blitzed their way to a 28-17 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Starting with Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, expect Tua to have more on his plate.

THIS AND THAT

OVER?  IT’S NOT OVER UNTIL IT’S OVER

This was noticed by Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com:

It’s probably noble that the San Francisco 49ers didn’t want to give up long after Thursday night’s game was decided.

If you bet on the under, it didn’t feel so warm and fuzzy.

The 49ers, unable to do anything on offense all night against the Green Bay Packers, finally found life in the final few minutes. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan called a timeout instead of letting the final seconds run out. The 49ers ran empty sets and went to no huddle.

The over/under opened at 51, and was down to 48 at BetMGM by kickoff. Of all the money bet on the over/under, 55.5% was on the under.

Those under bets looked great until about five minutes left. The depleted 49ers offense couldn’t move the ball. The Packers started easing up, running the ball most of the fourth quarter. The Packers led 31-3 about halfway through the fourth quarter, and they had no reason to score anymore. Even when Mason Crosby barely hit a 53-yard field goal with a little more than six minutes left, it was 34-3 and bettors had at least an 11-point cushion.

Most teams at that point give up. They don’t want to take on any extra injuries — and the 49ers have taken on what seems like 100 injuries this season — and just want the game to end.

Shanahan didn’t want the game to end.

The 49ers’ first possession after the Packers’ field goal indicated they were still trying to move the ball and finish the game with some positive feelings. They ran an empty formation with Mullens.

The 49ers never let up. They kept passing. Richie James scored on a 41-yard touchdown with about five minutes left. Uh oh. The Packers ran three times and punted. The 49ers needed a touchdown to ruin Thursday night for a few people. A sack by the Packers, which would have probably clinched the under, was nullified because of the defender initiated contact with Mullens using his helmet. Jerick McKinnon was tackled near the sideline and the clock kept running, and instead of letting time run, Shanahan called timeout with 39 seconds left even though his team had no chance to win. At that point, under bettors had to know what was coming.

Buck understood. The Fox play-by-play announcer made a joke about some people still being interested in what was going on, a reference to the over/under that was in the balance. NBC’s Al Michaels often makes similar cracks about people sweating bets late in games.

The 49ers got to the 1-yard line and McKinnon punched in a touchdown with 4 seconds to go.

“You mentioned Al Michaels a bit earlier. Now I feel like Al Michaels,” Buck said, regarding his sly comments about the over/under.

“I thought you handled that very well,” Aikman said after a long laugh.

It’s nice those two could have some fun about it. Plenty of bettors weren’t in the mood for a laugh. 

DARK DAY AT ESPN

ESPN has laid off 10% of its work force.  Chris Bumbaca of USA TODAY:

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact sports, the media side of the industry bore the latest brunt.

ESPN on Thursday announced a company-wide reduction of 300 staffers, network president Jimmy Pitaro said in a memo to employees obtained by USA TODAY Sports. In addition to calling the moment an “inflection point,” Pitaro said 200 open positions at ESPN will not be filled.

Ivan Maisel, an 18-year ESPN veteran and highly respected college football writer, announced he has been told that his contract won’t be renewed when it expires Jan. 31. “I feel good about the stories I have told via writing and on video, on the college football podcast that I helped establish, and especially, my role in creating and producing the editorial, podcast and video content for College Football 150,” Maisel tweeted.

Disney, ESPN’s parent company, has suffered significant losses due to the pandemic. But even before COVID-19, cord-cutting and customer behavior shifts caused Disney to examine its digital strategy and begin emphasizing direct-to-consumer products and practices.

“Prior to the pandemic, we had been deeply engaged in strategizing how best to position ESPN for future success amidst tremendous disruption in how fans consume sports,” Pitaro wrote in his memo. “The pandemic’s significant impact on our business clearly accelerated those forward-looking discussions.”

Earlier this week, The Athletic reported the layoffs were expected to focus on remote production, while some cost savings could come from the non-renewal of talent contracts. ESPN endured a cut of a similar size (approximately 300) in October 2015 and laid off nearly 200 staffers — almost half being journalists or on-air talent — in 2017.

According to Sportico, ESPN employs about 4,000 at its headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut, and about 2,500 other staffers around the world.

Recently retired Bob Ley isn’t happy.

Put blunty, Ley tweeted, “Trying to remain objective and unemotional as I learn of the @espn team members laid off today. Not possible. Not as I see countless decades of journalistic experience, and expertise jettisoned. Just when we need it most. Enjoy the DIS stock price and your NFL football.”

The New York Post reported some of the possible reasons for the move by the company.

“We are parting ways with many exceptional teammates, all of whom have made important contributions to ESPN,” ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said as part of a statement. “These are not easy decisions, and we will work hard to make their transitions easier.”

As is the case across Disney, ESPN is trying to shift more of its business to direct-to-consumer. It has created ESPN+, which had reported 8.5 million subscribers as of this summer. The pandemic has also created new ways to deliver programming with fewer people.

The Post reported this week that Disney is trying hard to take “Sunday Night Football” from NBC. It also wants two NFL packages. It has been known for nearly two years that Disney would like to add a Super Bowl to its next deal with the NFL.

OVERWORKED

Gil Brandt at NFL.com identifies 6 players out of whom too much is being asked:

Tony Dorsett always complained Tom Landry didn’t give him the ball enough.

In his first three years in the NFL, from 1977 to ’79, Dorsett logged 748 carries, or 17 per game, for the Cowboys — but he thought that number should have been more like 25 per game. Though Dorsett was unhappy about it at the time, he later thanked the Dallas coach, because the judicious usage helped lengthen his career.

It seems safe to say few football players will ever chafe at being featured too heavily in the game plan. And yet, few are capable of being the sole driver of team success over the course of an entire season.

Below, I’ve identified six players who are being asked to do too much in 2020. I want to be clear that the players listed below are clearly capable of answering the bell — their inclusion here is more about suspect workloads and an unsustainable lack of support.

Alvin Kamara

New Orleans Saints · RB

With injuries sidelining Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders over multiple games, the Saints have been heavily reliant on Alvin Kamara this season — and he has emphatically delivered, singlehandedly driving New Orleans’ offense. The dual-threat running back has played on 76 percent of the team’s offensive snaps over the past three games, including 78 percent in last Sunday’s overtime win over the Bears. The fact that he leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (987) and first downs (50) heading into Week 9 becomes even more impressive when you consider he’s played one fewer game than a significant portion of the league, thanks to the Saints’ Week 6 bye (12 teams still had not yet taken their bye through Week 8). Kamara has posted 100-plus scrimmage yards in six straight games, the longest such streak in the NFL this season.

Of course, just because Kamara can put an entire team on his back week after week doesn’t mean that he should — history tells us players who maintain a workload like his for too long eventually become less effective and more susceptible to injury. Hopefully the foot injury that kept him from practicing Wednesday isn’t a sign of trouble to come. Luckily for Kamara (and the Saints), his burden should get a bit lighter once Thomas and Sanders return to action (which could happen as soon as Week 9), with Kamara’s snap percentage easing down to the mid-60s.

Derrick Henry

Tennessee Titans · RB

Derrick Henry is simply amazing. As usual, he’s racking up rushing stats by the truckload — but his impact on Tennessee’s roster goes well beyond his status as both the reigning 2019 rushing champ and 2020 leader so far. Henry is also the key to the Titans’ success with the play-action pass, helping Ryan Tannehill flourish since Tannehill’s 2019 reemergence as a legitimate starting quarterback. The good thing for all involved is that Henry is no stranger to carrying a heavy workload; it’s something he’s done on every level of football, from high school (he carried the ball 1,397 times in four years) to college (he registered 395 attempts as a junior at Alabama) to the pros. And it looks almost like Henry gets stronger the more he works. So one could argue that he’s being asked to do the exact right amount by the Titans.

The thing is, this approach works great — until it doesn’t. Henry lifted the Titans to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance last season, averaging 188.5 rushing yards in the Wild Card and Divisional Rounds. But he couldn’t keep the Chiefs from overwhelming Tennessee in the AFC title game. Henry is a powerful force, but he’s also so important that if an opponent can somehow stop him, they’ve got a good chance at stopping the whole team. And by virtue of his position, he’s less capable of quickly helping make up the difference in games where the Titans fall behind. It makes sense to lean on Henry, but finding a bit more balance will help fortify their 2020 hopes.

Dalvin Cook

Minnesota Vikings · RB

Dalvin Cook generated 67.87 percent of his team’s yards from scrimmage in the Vikings’ upset of the Packers last Sunday, a share that has been topped only three times in a single game since 2010 (once by Adrian Peterson with the Vikings and twice by Matt Forte with the Bears). He’s also responsible for 29.5 percent of the Vikings’ scrimmage yards for the season, second-most in the NFL (behind Kamara’s mark of 35.6%). He’s scored more rushing touchdowns (10) than all but six teams in the league — and he’s scored more total touchdowns (11) than one entire team (the Jets, who’ve scored eight).

With QB Kirk Cousins struggling to find consistency, Minnesota’s offense this season begins and ends with Cook. That’s not necessarily a bad thing — in games where Cousins attempts 30-plus passes (since he joined the team in 2018), the Vikings are 9-14-1, but in games where Cook attempts 16-plus carries (since he joined the team in 2017), they’re 15-4. Cook will be central to any kind of turnaround Minnesota might make after stumbling to a 2-5 start. But it’ll be tough to claw too far above .500 without Cousins and the 23rd-ranked aerial attack picking up more of the slack.

Terry McLaurin

Washington Football Team · WR

Only two receivers have been targeted at least seven times in every game this season: DeAndre Hopkins and Terry McLaurin. At least the Cardinals have other complementary pieces to utilize. McLaurin has racked up 69 targets through seven games, 42 more than the next closest receiver on the team (Dontrelle Inman). McLaurin is putting together yet another quality season, all things considered, with 43 catches for 577 yards and two touchdowns. But I’d love to see how much more effective he could be in an offense that includes a difference-maker at QB and another receiver who can draw defensive attention away from him.

Myles Garrett

Cleveland Browns · DE

It’s become obvious why the Browns were seeking another edge rusher this offseason to pair with Myles Garrett, a pass-rushing machine currently tied with the Rams’ Aaron Donald for the NFL’s sack lead (nine). The amount of blocking attention Garrett demands should make it easier for his teammates to get to the quarterback with one-on-one matchups, but the Browns’ three other defensive ends (Olivier Vernon, Adrian Clayborn, Porter Gustin) have four sacks and seven QB hits combined thus far. Garrett is a star, but at times it seems as if the only reliable arrow in the Browns’ defensive quiver is Garrett’s ability to sack QBs and force turnovers. Cleveland is tied for first in the NFL in takeaways (14) but ranked 19th in yards allowed, 27th in points scored and 26th against the pass through Week 8. Luckily for the Browns, their Week 9 bye comes just in time for Garrett to recover from the knee injury that limited him last Sunday against the Raiders.

Russell Wilson

Seattle Seahawks · QB

There are plenty of reasons to consider Russell Wilson the front-runner for the MVP award, but we could start with the fact he’s pushed Seattle to the head of the NFC pack without a reliable defense or ground game. The Seahawks’ rushing attack has been decimated by injuries at the running back position, leaving Wilson to pick up the slack. After rushing for less than 400 yards in each of the last two seasons, the quarterback is on pace to finish 2020 with 594 rushing yards, which would be the second-highest rushing total of his career — a reminder of a time when his passing skills weren’t as developed as they are now.

Without Wilson, Seattle would average just 88.3 rushing yards per game, less than every team but the Bears (85.6) and Texans (84.9). The 32nd-ranked defense, meanwhile, had allowed the most yards in NFL history through a team’s first six games before firming up in Sunday’s win over San Francisco. It would be a shame if Wilson went on to be named MVP, only for the Seahawks to be felled in the playoffs because of their lack of balance.