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Daily Briefing
| OBJ
After what must have been some uninspiring initial offers, free agent WR ODELL BECKHAM, Jr. is going to “take some time” to decide. Jelani Scott of NFL.com:
Those eagerly anticipating an end to “Odell Watch” will have to wait a little longer.
A day after clearing waivers following his release from the Browns, free-agent receiver Odell Beckham intends to take some time before deciding on his next team, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Kim Jones reported Wednesday. Jones added that OBJ’s high-profile decision should be “a few days away.”
After re-iterating that the decision “could take a while,” Rapoport noted during an appearance on NFL Now that the clubs that either “have offers out to Odell Beckham or significant interest” include the Chiefs, Packers, Seahawks, Patriots and Saints.
One notable team omitted from the report were the Buccaneers, which should come as no surprise following Bruce Arians’ Wednesday morning remarks. Despite the recent health troubles surrounding Tampa’s receiving corps, Arians dismissed the notion of adding OBJ, joking that they’d have “too many letters” with A.B. (Antonio Brown) already in the mix.
Having the freedom to decide his next NFL home is an opportunity Beckham is experiencing for the first time in his career so it’s understandable why he is taking his time. And as the 29-year-old wideout continues to evaluate, the suitors who are in the running for his services will undoubtedly remain vigilant and patient, much like the rest of the sports world.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com sees the Chiefs as the favorite:
At one point on Wednesday afternoon, the general vibes pointed to the Saints as the team that would land receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Late Wednesday afternoon, that changed.
The prevailing chatter is pointing to the Chiefs as the place where Beckham will land.
It’s not done until he signs, obviously. And since we first caught wind of the Chiefs as the leaders for Beckham’s services, NFL Media reported that he may take a few days to make a final decision.
In Kansas City, Beckham would be second fiddle at best behind Tyreek Hill, third if Travis Kelce is counted in that mix. But with Patrick Mahomes as the quarterback, Beckham could get both favorable matchups and plenty of targets.
Beckham eventually has to make a decision based on the factors that are important to him. From number of touches to the amount of money to the quality of quarterback to an opportunity to chase a title to the ability to lay the foundation for a free-agency payday in March, only Beckham can decide how to prioritize the factors and make a decision.
Again, it’s not done until it’s done. And if/when the notion that the Chiefs are the favorite takes root, maybe someone else will make a more serious run at securing his services.
The teams currently to watch include the Chiefs, Patriots. Saints, Seahawks, and Packers. The longer this takes, the less likely he’ll be playing for his new team on Sunday.
The Chiefs face the Raiders on Sunday night, the Seahawks and Packers play in Green Bay, the Saints visit the Titans, and the Patriots host, yes, the Browns. |
| NFC NORTH |
|
GREEN BAY
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com is incensed that QB AARON RODGERS is in a union that won’t let him be punished any more than $14,000 for breathing on the media without a mask:
A day after the NFL gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers financial slaps on the wrist for multiple blatant COVID protocol violations, plenty of people with other teams remain confused and disillusioned by the league’s handling of the situation. They believe that the NFL has different standards, with teams that some in the league office don’t like getting targeted for aggressive investigation and enforcement and others getting treated with kid gloves.
In the case of the Packers, it’s fair to ask this simple question. Who if anyone does the $300,000 fine levied by the league punish?
They’re publicly owned. The money isn’t coming out of anyone’s pocket. No single person will make a single penny less in income as a result of the fine imposed against the organization. It will come ultimately from profits that get reinvested in the team, since there’s no owner to siphon the profits for personal use.
As business expenses go, it wasn’t a bad one. Given the tenuous nature of their relationship with Rodgers, the Packers were able to avoid inflaming the situation by not forcing him to wear a mask during press conferences or fining him for failing to do so, all for the low price (relatively speaking) of $300,000. Given what proper persistence and enforcement would have potentially done to the fragile truce between franchise and franchise quarterback, it was money well spent.
Which means it’s not a real punishment, and that the only true punishment comes from removing a draft pick or two. The Packers deliberately, consciously, and repeatedly allowed an unvaccinated player to behave as if he were vaccinated. And the league deliberately, consciously, and repeatedly stood back and let it all happen. As previously noted, if Rodgers had never tested positive, none of this ever would have come to light — and no one ever would have been disciplined.
There’s a troubling element to the failure of the Packers and the league to take action regarding Rodgers. They knew he was secretly unvaccinated, but they let him behave in the public eye as if he were vaccinated. The reporters in the press room thought the maskless quarterback was vaccinated, because he created the unmistakable impression that he was.
Opponents who approached him after games had reason to believe he was vaccinated, too. As one source explained it today, opponents of the Vikings and Colts have known all year to keep their distance from Kirk Cousins and Carson Wentz, respectively, after games if they’re concerned about the possibility that unvaccinated opponents may have COVID and could shedding more virus than vaccinated players would send into the air. With Rodgers, there was no reason to think anyone should tread lightly when close to him, because he behaved as if he was vaccinated.
That dynamic, coupled with the league’s time-honored shifting standards have left many upset and disappointed by the NFL’s decision to impose limited punishment on Rodgers and the Packers for an extended pattern of violations that happened intentionally and deliberately. Rodgers ultimately received the standard fine for one single violation, even though he had many. And the Packers will just slide some money around in the QuickBooks program, not even flinching at the the $300,000 involuntary donation to the charity of the NFL’s choice.
Of course the same union that bargained the fine schedule on Rodgers is the same union whose agreement with NFL protocols give the media cover for saying “his union agreed to” the COVID rules that Rodgers balks at.
I would be curious if any players have not gone up to Wentz after games for fear that he is among the unvaccinated. |
|
MINNESOTA
COVID has struck a Vikings player so severely that he was sent to a Minnesota hospital.
A Minnesota Vikings player who is vaccinated was hospitalized Tuesday because he was having trouble breathing because of COVID-19, coach Mike Zimmer said Wednesday.
According to a source, the player is offensive guard Dakota Dozier, who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.
He is in stable condition now, per Zimmer, but remains hospitalized.
“It’s serious stuff, so, I don’t know,” Zimmer said. “Like 29 guys are getting tested because of close contact, including myself. Just do what we do.”
When asked whether the player’s reaction was to the vaccine (booster) or COVID-19, Zimmer said: “No, it was COVID. I’m not a doctor, but it was COVID pneumonia or something — he had a hard time breathing.”
The Vikings have five players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including starting center Garrett Bradbury and starting safety Harrison Smith, who was placed on the list 90 minutes before Sunday’s 34-31 loss at Baltimore after he tested positive. The Vikings are operating under the league’s intensive protocols, which means more testing teamwide to help contain the outbreak.
– – –
RB DALVIN COOK sounds confident that he did nothing wrong. Charean Williams ofProFootballTalk.com:
Dalvin Cook insists he is innocent of abuse of a former girlfriend, whose lawsuit filed Tuesday accuses the Vikings running back of assault, battery and false imprisonment during an altercation a year ago.
“I just want everybody to know I’m the victim in this situation and the truth and the details about the situation will come out at a further time,” Cook said Wednesday, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.
Gracelyn Trimble, 26, flew to Minnesota in November 2020 to break up with Cook and retrieve her belongings, according to the lawsuit. She accuses Cook of giving her “a concussion, leaving a scar on my face and taking me through hell.” She is seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Cook’s attorney, David Valentini, contends Trimble broke into Cook’s home, assaulted the NFL player and two houseguests and then allegedly tried to extort Cook for millions of dollars. Cook deferred all questions about details in the lawsuit to his attorney and his agent, Zac Hiller. He did say he has no plans to countersue.
“Like I said, I don’t want to go into further details about it,” Cook said. “I know that the facts of the situation will come out and clear everything up that y’all are trying to get answers to.”
According to the lawsuit, Trimble and Cook continued to see each other off and on until permanently splitting in May. Cook said he no longer has contact with Trimble.
Cook practiced Wednesday, and the NFL said earlier in the day that his status remains unchanged. Thus, Cook is eligible to play in Week 10.
“Just seeing my business out on the social web is not ideal for me,” Cook said. “I try to walk that straight line, but bumps and bruises come through life and it’s how you handle it. I’ve been through a lot of tough things in my life, and I’ve got my head up high knowing that the truth will come out. I hate being a distraction to the team, but I know those guys got my back 1,000 percent. Just going to take this thing day by day, and I know my team’s here for me and I’m there for them day by day.” |
| NFC EAST |
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DALLAS
WR CEEDEE LAMB is getting fined like crazy by NFL Justice. Todd Archer of ESPN.com has his reaction:
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has been fined nearly $50,000 this season for uniform violations and a wave after his walk-off winning touchdown against the New England Patriots, while Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was fined only $14,650 for violating the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
“Annoy me? Nah. Confuse me a lot? Very much so yes,” Lamb said. “I just don’t understand why I’m always the one getting fined for some reason. Untucked jersey. I don’t know.”
Lamb was fined $5,150 for having his jersey untucked during the Sept. 27 game against the Philadelphia Eagles and $15,450 for the same violation against the Carolina Panthers the next week. The next penalty for an untucked jersey would be $46,350.
“Like, I don’t know what I need to do honestly,” Lamb said. “I just know for sure I’m more conscious of it. … Post-tackle or anything, I guess I got to look down, pull my jersey down. Stuff like that. It’s weird. It’s very weird, considering the next time I get caught with my jersey untucked, I heard I get fined like $50,000 or something. That’s weird.”
Lamb said that he is not wearing his uniform any differently than he did a year ago as a rookie and that he was not fined then. He has not been fined the past two games and said he will talk with the uniform inspector before games.
“Long story short, I’m going to make sure every game now that I’m fine before the game,” Lamb said.
Teammate Amari Cooper first referenced Lamb’s fines on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, saying his fellow receiver must not like money.
“I would say that too, just considering all the money I’ve been giving up at that time, six games, six weeks in a row, just consistently getting fined,” Lamb said. “I would kind of think the same thing, but I do love money. For those that don’t know, I do like money.”
Lamb was also surprised Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith was not fined for choking him after a catch in the Cowboys’ Oct. 31 win at Minnesota.
“Yes, considering I got fined, what was that for, waving?” Lamb said, adding, “Then for me to get choked on the sideline and the ref said his thumb was stuck in my helmet … that’s nonsense. … I know what it feel like to be choked. I was being choked.”
And Archer also has this on the new, improved version of Dan Quinn:
Dan Quinn was ready for the question. He knew it was coming. His answer might as well have been written on his call sheet this week.
For parts of six seasons, Quinn was the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. He had them on the brink of a Super Bowl LI title — until then-New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady led a comeback from a 25-point deficit. But Quinn was winless through five games in 2020 and was relieved of his job.
He is eight games into his job as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator and faces Atlanta for the first time Sunday since his firing (1 p.m. ET, Fox).
He mentioned all of the perfunctory notes when asked about seeing the Falcons. The “great memories” he has, how “grateful” he is that owner Arthur Blank gave him the chance and the “privilege” of coaching all of the players he had on his rosters.
But there was something more important at the top of his mind.
“You guys saw the performance [Sunday against the Denver Broncos], so there is no time to take a stroll down memory lane,” Quinn said. “We got some s— to fix. So I’ll be right where my feet are, right where I’m supposed to be going after it as hard as we can. Worry about the jerseys I coach now all throughout the week.”
The Cowboys are coming off their worst game of the season defensively in the 30-16 loss to Denver. Not in terms of points or yards but in style.
The Cowboys allowed a season high in rushing yards (190) and they failed to record a takeaway for the second straight week. The Broncos had six plays of 20 yards or more and converted 8 of 15 third-down opportunities, the highest percentage allowed by the Cowboys this season. Quinn said the Cowboys missed a season-high 14 tackles against Denver.
In balance, however, Quinn’s first eight games with the Cowboys have been a success, although some of that is measured against how historically bad they were on defense in 2020.
“We lost the game but we’re certainly not lost,” Quinn said. “There’s a big difference in that. We missed the target as a defense in this game for sure. That’s what [Monday] was about, getting to the truth of that and why. It stings to watch when those moments happen, but we’re looking forward to recapturing all the unique things about our defense that makes it so much fun to coach and play.
“You’ve got to own it. Talk about the stuff you want to hit on and after today you move past. It’s OK to sit in it for a minute, be pissed about it but you have to process it and move forward. That’s what we plan on doing.”
Quinn had to sit in how it ended for him in Atlanta for more than a minute.
After the Super Bowl loss in the 2016 playoffs, he posted a 24-29 record.
He had 92 days to analyze what went wrong before Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy named him Mike Nolan’s successor. Quinn called the analysis an “after-action,” speaking with friends, coaches and personnel executives to get feedback on what he did in Atlanta about his style and his scheme.
“There was about almost a seven-year cutup that I went through to find what was good, what needed changing and what needed tweaking,” Quinn said.
The Cowboys’ defense is remarkably dissimilar to what he ran as the Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator and head coach of the Falcons.
From 2017 to 2020 under Quinn, the Falcons played Cover 3, a staple of the Seattle defense for years, at the second-highest rate in the league, according to ESPN coverage metrics powered by NFL Next Gen Stats. The Cowboys have the second-lowest Cover 3 rate (11.5%) in the league this year.
Only the New Orleans Saints play more man coverage (63.3%) than the Cowboys (61.9%)
A year ago, the Cowboys were 19th in percentage of man coverage. While in man coverage, they were 20th in QBR and 17th in interceptions. This year in man coverage, they are seventh in QBR and second in interceptions, thanks to Trevon Diggs’ seven picks.
“I think he took time off to reevaluate and go do some self-scouting, see what he can do better with and everything,” said linebacker Keanu Neal, who played for Quinn in Atlanta and joined the Cowboys in part to reunite with him this season. “And, yeah, he made some changes and it’s worked out.”
Nothing about Quinn the person has changed, according to Neal. Quinn’s personal touch has endeared him to the players who did not know him before his hiring in Dallas.
“He brings the best out of you, I don’t know how else to put it,” pass-rusher Randy Gregory said. “He’s real intense but he’s very direct in the way he handles things. He’s never a guy that’s going to harp too much on anything and get mad at you if you mess up. That’s the kind of guy you want.”
Said Diggs, “He’s just a player’s coach, makes everyone feel comfortable. He [doesn’t] put anyone down. He just wants you to be in the best position to make the plays you can.”
The per-game statistics show marked improvement in just about every category, except pass defense. Some of that can be attributed to the leads the Cowboys have had that have forced teams to throw more, but the Cowboys have allowed 34 pass plays of 20 yards or more. Some of it can be attributed to how bad the run defense was in 2020 so opponents did not need to pass as much.
Through eight games last season, the Cowboys allowed teams to convert on 49.5% of third-down tries. This year, it is 34.7%. The run defense is almost 70 yards per game better this season.
The Denver performance, however, has raised questions, especially the lack of physicality.
“Certainly, for us, that’s the thing that has to be our calling card, so every time you go, you watch us, our family and friends watch us, they say, ‘Man, you guys really bring it,’” Quinn said. “You’ve got to call on that nature. … You’ve got to always be ready to get it on. Having that mindset is a challenge, for sure, but that’s the style of defense we play. I’m quite certain we’ll recapture that.”
He would like it to come Sunday whether the Cowboys were playing the Falcons or not.
“With Q, he’s focusing on the present,” Neal said. “He’s never been a guy to focus too much on the future. He’s big on the now, winning the now, winning today and going into meetings after this and just attacking that, stacking those and ultimately that’ll end up where we want to be.” |
| NFC WEST |
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ARIZONA
QB KYLER MURRAY thinks he will be good to go come Sunday. Chase Goodbread of NFL.com:
It’s looking more likely that Kyler Murray’s ankle injury will cost him just one game.
The Arizona Cardinals quarterback said Wednesday that he’s made “crazy” progress — in a good way — in recovering from the injury and is optimistic about his availability to play Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, per Cardinals beat writer Darren Urban. Nevertheless, Murray was not able to participate in practice Wednesday, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
His return can’t come soon enough as the Cardinals look to keep a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West. Murray leads one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses and is maintaining an NFL-best completion percentage of 72.7. His ability to extend plays with his scrambling ability and distribute accurate throws to a deep and talented receiving corps has helped Arizona to 30.8 points per game, the second-best average in the NFL.
Murray did not practice last week and was designated inactive for the Cardinals’ Week 9 win over the San Francisco 49ers, despite some optimism that he might be able to play. Veteran backup Colt McCoy replaced Murray effectively as Arizona improved to 8-1. The Cardinals also played without DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) at wide receiver, who, like Murray, was designated inactive. Hopkins’ status for the game against Carolina is also uncertain. |
|
SEATTLE
It sounds like QB RUSSELL WILSON is available for you Fantasy lineup this week. Brady Henderson of ESPN.com:
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said quarterback Russell Wilson is not being limited in practice this week in his return from an injury to his right middle finger.
Wilson practiced on Monday for the first time since his Oct. 8 surgery.
“I’ve just seen him in the walk-through since then and you would never have known,” Carroll said before Wednesday’s practice. “So I don’t know what that means yet, but he looks pretty good.”
Carroll said earlier in the week that the plan was for Wilson to play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers assuming all goes well this week. The Seahawks would need to activate Wilson off injured reserve by Saturday to make him eligible. |
| AFC WEST |
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KANSAS CITY
Unprecedented recent lack of success will not keep QB PATRICK MAHOMES from flinging it downfield. Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:
The Chiefs have won two straight games to move back above .500 on the season, but concerns about their offensive production haven’t gone away.
Kansas City has scored just 33 points in those two wins and they have gone 0-for-9 on passes that have traveled at least 20 yards down the field. Those deep shots have been a staple in the offense in recent years, but defenses are working to take those plays away and the Chiefs have not been able to find the same kind of success.
They aren’t going to stop trying, though. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes made it clear on Wednesday that “it still tells that defense they have to back up” when the Chiefs throw deep and that means they are going to keep taking shots when they present themselves.
“I mean, I’m gonna take shots,” Mahomes said, via Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star. “The last few years I’ve take those shots, and they’ve worked. I’ve taken those shots, and they haven’t worked and we’ve still been able to find ways to score points. Whenever I’ve got a guy with a chance to make a play downfield, I’m going to give him a chance to make a play.”
We’ll learn in the coming days if Odell Beckham will be the recipient of any future deep balls in Kansas City, but it appears those shots will be coming regardless of who is lining up at wideout for the AFC West club. |
|
LAS VEGAS
Hmmmm.
Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com:
Attorneys for former Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III are fighting to keep his medical records away from prosecutors charging him with driving under the influence in a fiery car crash that killed a woman earlier this month.
Already facing felony DUI resulting in death and reckless driving charges, Ruggs, who did not appear in person in court Wednesday, was also hit with additional felony DUI and reckless driving charges and a misdemeanor charge for possession of a firearm while intoxicated. The additional charges would mean additional prison time for Ruggs if convicted.
“The evidence supports a second felony DUI charge,” Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson told reporters. “We believe that Mr. Ruggs’ girlfriend [Kiara Je’nai Kilgo-Washington] was substantially injured, and under Nevada law, if one is substantially injured in a DUI collision as a result of the defendant’s actions, we can file a second charge.”
Asked how much time Ruggs could be facing if convicted on all five charges, Wolfson replied, “The bare minimum, actually, would be two years in prison, up to as much as somewhere in the 50-[years] range. These are nonprobationable offenses. So the felony DUI charges, if Mr. Ruggs is convicted, he can’t get probation. He must get a prison sentence.”
Ruggs, 22, is accused of driving 156 mph with a blood alcohol content twice the legal limit in Nevada when his 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray slammed into the rear of Tina Tintor’s 2013 Toyota RAV4, which burst into flames, at 3:40 a.m. Nov. 2. Tintor and her dog were both killed in the crash. The 23-year-old’s funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
“I have been doing this for 40 years, and I can tell each and every one of you that I have had multiple experiences where the facts that were presented at the outset of the case turned out not to be the facts,” Ruggs’ attorney David Chesnoff said. “So that’s why I keep saying, ‘Please don’t prejudge, let us do the work in the courtroom.’ The state, the prosecutor will do theirs, and that’s when the facts will be determined.”
Chesnoff and legal partner Richard Schonfeld cited state privacy law as they tried to persuade the judge to temporarily block access to Ruggs’ medical records, saying state law supersedes federal health records privacy requirements.
Attorney Peter Christensen obtained the same temporary block on behalf of Kilgo-Washington, who was a passenger in Ruggs’ car and reportedly underwent surgery on an arm after the crash.
The judge set a Dec. 8 hearing to decide whether Ruggs’ and/or Kilgo-Washington’s medical records must be turned over to police and prosecutors, which would be the key to the additional felony charges Ruggs is facing. A Dec. 16 preliminary hearing of evidence was also set to determine whether Ruggs will face trial in state court.
Ruggs posted $150,000 bail last week and is under house arrest with strict conditions — he is being monitored electronically; cannot drive or consume alcohol, including being tested four times per day for alcohol; and had to give up his passport — as his criminal case proceeds.
While we can think of cases where the media’s facts prove to be unreliable, it will be interesting to see how they possibly could have messed up here. Does it matter whether or not Ruggs was intoxicated – is it better that he was driving 156 mph sober? Was he not going 156 mph? Those pretty much seem to be the only two facts in play. |
| AFC EAST |
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MIAMI
Are the Dolphins recycling towards greatness or plummeting towards the abyss? Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com:
On Nov. 3, one day after the NFL’s trade deadline expired, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier walked briskly into a small room filled with as many reporters as the league’s COVID-19 protocols would allow.
This was his first time speaking to local media in an official capacity since the 2021 NFL draft, and while he can be described as quiet and reserved, he has been anything but as GM. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Grier has orchestrated the second-most trades (26) in the NFL since the start of 2019. He has traded All-Pros, such as safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and left tackle Laremy Tunsil; dealt quarterback Ryan Tannehill; and added polarizing players, such as quarterback Josh Rosen.
But after all the wheeling and dealing, it’s unclear if Grier’s aggressive moves will pay off.
Miami is 40-49 since Grier became GM in 2016, and most of his deals have been to acquire draft capital to build for the future. He stripped down the roster prior to the 2019 season, shedding salary and accumulating draft picks, and it led to a promising 10-6 finish in 2020.
Chris Grier’s First-Round Picks
Grier has made nine first-round selections as Miami’s GM. Three have been traded and two others are currently backups:
YR. PLAYER POS. PK. STATUS
’21 Jaylen Waddle WR 6 Starter
Jaelan Phillips LB 18 Backup
’20 Tua Tagovailoa QB 5 Starter
Austin Jackson OL 18 Starter
N. Igbinoghene CB 30 Backup
’19 C. Wilkins DL 13 Starter
’18 M. Fitzpatrick* S 11 Steelers
’17 Charles Harris* LB 22 Lions
’16 Laremy Tunsil* OT 13 Texans
Note: * = Traded by Dolphins
But in 2021, the year everything was supposed to come together, Miami has sputtered to a 2-7 start as it prepares to host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday (8:20 p.m. ET, Fox/NFL Network).
There are no indications Grier’s job is in jeopardy, but that could change if Miami can’t turn its season around and finish strong.
“We’re all frustrated,” Grier said. “We’re trying to turn this thing around in the second half of the season. But we’ve added good, young players.
“We’re happy with where they are, and we think they’ll keep developing.”
Grier has had 13 top-90 picks in the past three drafts, but his moves at quarterback and offensive line could define his Miami legacy.
Tannehill, traded in 2019, has helped lead the Tennessee Titans (7-2) to the AFC’s best record. And Grier used the No. 5 overall pick in 2020 to select quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. With a 7-7 record, 18 TD passes and 10 interceptions, the verdict on Tagovailoa is incomplete.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid said the Dolphins’ picks looked good on paper prior to each draft under Grier, but noted his use of four top-90 picks over the past three drafts on offensive linemen (Liam Eichenberg, Austin Jackson, Robert Hunt and Michael Deiter) has not panned out. Miami has the worst pass block win rate in the NFL at 44.6% and has allowed the most pressures in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
“The offensive line is just something he’s missed on consistently,” Reid said. “I think that’s really what’s set this rebuild back.”
As Miami tries to turn its season around in the second half, here is a look back at Grier’s six drafts.
2016
Picks: OL Laremy Tunsil (No. 13), CB Xavien Howard (38), RB Kenyan Drake (73), WR Leonte Carroo (86), WR Jakeem Grant (186), S Jordan Lucas (204), QB Brandon Doughty (223), TE Thomas Duarte (231)
Starting for Miami: Howard
Players they passed on: C Ryan Kelly (18), DE Shaq Lawson (19)
Reid’s take: “[Tunsil] ended up being a successful player for them before the trade happened. … I think [Howard is] one of the bigger hits that they’ve had over the past six drafts.”
Overview: Grier’s tenure as GM got off to an excellent start, trading down and still getting an eventual Pro Bowler in the first round (Tunsil) and landing Howard in the second. Grier even added Drake in the third round and future second-team All-Pro return man Grant in the sixth. From this eight-man draft class, however, only Howard remains on the team. Grier traded Tunsil to Houston for a 2020 first-round pick that became QB Jordan Love (Packers), a 2021 first-round pick that became QB Trey Lance (49ers) and a 2021 second-round pick Miami used to take safety Jevon Holland. Grier also sent Grant to Chicago for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Drake signed with Arizona in free agency, and third-round pick Carroo, whom Miami traded up to select at No. 86, was out of the league by 2019.
It seemed to be a promising time for the Dolphins, who went 10-6 in 2016. Considering guard Joe Thuney (78) and safety Justin Simmons (98) were taken after Drake, they can be counted as misses, but they are not nearly as egregious as what took place the following year.
2017
Picks: LB Charles Harris (No. 22), LB Raekwon McMillan (54), DB Cordrea Tankersley (97), OL Isaac Asiata (164), DT Davon Godchaux (178), DT Vincent Taylor (194), WR Isaiah Ford (237)
Starting for Miami: None
Players they passed on: CB Tre’Davious White (27), LB T.J. Watt (30), OT Ryan Ramczyk (32)
Reid’s take: “[Passing on Watt] was a big-time miss. A lot of people were surprised that Charles Harris even ended up going in the first round — he didn’t have a lot of production coming out of Mizzou. … I think that was a big-time reach for Miami, it’s one of the worst picks that they’ve had.”
Overview: This was a chaotic season for the Dolphins as Tannehill tore his ACL during training camp, Hurricane Irma forced them to move their home opener and starting linebacker Lawrence Timmons temporarily went missing before Week 1.
All that aside, this was without a doubt Grier’s worst draft class. It started with his selection of Harris over Watt, the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year. Grier also passed on All-Pros White and Ramczyk, but the Harris decision really stung because the Dolphins were locked on to the pass-rusher for nearly a month leading up to the draft.
“This was a player that everybody in the building — from personnel to coaches — if you see the video of the room, everyone is going crazy,” Grier said following the pick.
The draft did not get better from there. McMillan was eventually traded to the Raiders in 2020 after three injury-riddled seasons, and Tankersley started 11 games as a rookie but tore his ACL in 2018 and never recovered, eventually being released in 2020. Only seventh-round pick Ford remains with the team.
2018
Picks: DB Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 11), TE Mike Gesicki (42), LB Jerome Baker (73), TE Durham Smythe (123), RB Kalen Ballage (131), DB Cornell Armstrong (209), LB Quentin Poling (227), K Jason Sanders (229)
Starting for Miami: Gesicki, Baker, Sanders
Player they passed on: QB Lamar Jackson (32)
Reid’s take: “Lamar wasn’t going to be for everybody — and what I mean by that is you have to invest totally in Lamar from a personnel standpoint. … I just don’t know if Miami was able and willing to do that like Baltimore was able to do.”
Overview: Probably Grier’s best draft class. He netted three current starters and a future All-Pro in Fitzpatrick, whom he traded in 2019 for picks in the first round (Austin Jackson) and fifth (DE Jason Strowbridge) in 2020, and a sixth-round pick (traded away) in 2021. Baker played well enough to earn a three-year extension in 2021, and Gesicki has arguably been Miami’s best player this season. He can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
However, a solid draft did not translate to the field, as the Dolphins missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year. Passing on Lamar Jackson stands out because of his MVP season in 2019 and Tannehill’s departure from Miami that same year.
2019
Picks: DL Christian Wilkins (No. 13), OL Michael Deiter (78), LB Andrew Van Ginkel (151), OL Isaiah Prince (202), RB Chandler Cox (233), RB Myles Gaskin (234)
Starting for Miami: Wilkins, Gaskin, Van Ginkel
Players they passed on: DE Brian Burns (16)
Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores, left, and GM Chris Grier have overseen a rebuild that began in earnest when Flores arrived before the 2019 season. AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File
Reid’s take: “Wilkins has been a good player, but whenever you’re talking about adding a player at a premium position like [Burns], I just don’t know how you could pass on that. … I thought [Burns] should have been a top-10 pick, easily.”
Overview: The Dolphins were almost completely devoid of talent in 2019 after Grier gutted the roster, and he did what he could with limited picks. He traded the team’s second- and fifth-round picks to Arizona for Rosen, who spent one season in Miami, started three games and was waived the following year after Tagovailoa arrived. Wilkins and Deiter have been solid, but after passing on Burns the Dolphins have tried repeatedly to add edge rushers.
This regular season kicked off Miami’s two-year plan to purge high-priced talent from its roster and load up on premium draft picks. It was also the first year under head coach Brian Flores, who led the team to a 5-11 record, which was better than expected considering the limited talent.
2020
Picks: QB Tua Tagovailoa (No. 5), OL Austin Jackson (18), DB Noah Igbinoghene (30), OL Robert Hunt (39), DL Raekwon Davis (56), DB Brandon Jones (70), OL Solomon Kindley (111), DE Jason Strowbridge (154), DE Curtis Weaver (164), C Blake Ferguson (185), WR Malcolm Perry (246)
Starting for Miami: Tagovailoa, Jackson, Davis, Hunt, Ferguson
Players they passed on: QB Justin Herbert (6), RB Jonathan Taylor (41)
Reid’s take: “Austin Jackson, I thought that was a reach. Noah Igbinoghene definitely was a reach. I don’t think he had any business being a first-round pick just because of how raw he was coming out.”
Overview: This could be Grier’s defining class because of who he passed on. “Tank for Tua” was a popular slogan among Dolphins fans after the team jettisoned talent in 2019 to load up in the 2020 draft. They got their guy, along with Jackson and Igbinoghene, who seemed like reaches in real time but didn’t look nearly as bad then as they do now.
Because of his poor play at left tackle, Jackson was moved to left guard four games into the season — a position he hadn’t played since the U.S. Army All-American game in high school. Igbinoghene has been inactive for six of the team’s nine games and played zero defensive snaps in two of the games he was active for this season.
But this draft class will be determined by Tagovailoa, because Grier passed on Herbert — the 2020 Rookie of the Year — to draft him.
Multiple reports that the Dolphins entertained trading for Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson suggest they aren’t completely convinced in Tagovailoa’s long-term future with the franchise. Before the trade deadline, ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick said he would consider a trade for Watson “irresponsible” in part because the Dolphins have not set up Tagovailoa to succeed over the past year and a half.
“Tua has not been healthy,” Riddick said. “When you look at Herbert’s situation, he had great mentors in the early part of his career … and then on top of it, a guy like Herbert has had great weapons in guys like [receivers] Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.
“Tua has had none of that. He hasn’t had the help, he hasn’t had the mentors, he hasn’t been in the same kind of offensive system that would lead to him having the kind of success that Justin Herbert has had. I just don’t know how you can make a true, definitive declaration as to what he is when you haven’t really set the table for him.”
Grier said his pursuit of Watson was not a reflection of his feelings about Tagovailoa and denied a report Flores preferred Herbert and Grier selected Tagovailoa against the wishes of his coach.
“At the end of the day, we went through our process with everyone, and it was a process and we felt good about Tua,” Grier said last week. “There were a lot of things we liked about Tua. We liked Justin, too. … [Tagovailoa is] developing, and we’re happy with where he’s at right now.”
2021
Picks: WR Jaylen Waddle (No. 6), LB Jaelan Phillips (18), DB Jevon Holland (36), OL Liam Eichenberg (42), TE Hunter Long (81), OL Larnel Coleman (231), RB Gerrid Doaks (244)
Starting for Miami: Holland, Waddle, Eichenberg
Players they passed on: OL Penei Sewell (7), OL Rashawn Slater (13), RB Najee Harris (24)
Reid’s take: “There’s this weird thing that goes on in the NFL where whenever you spend a first-round pick on a player, you have to exhaust all possibilities to make that player work out. I think that’s what happened with Austin Jackson. They pretty much penciled him in at left tackle and were determined to get some type of value out of him, no matter how he looked.
“They mismanaged that, because they could have selected a Penei Sewell or a Rashawn Slater — even if you didn’t play them at tackle, just having them in your offensive line would have been great. Jaelan Phillips is going to end up being a good player, but you invest a high pick in Tua Tagovailoa, I would rather have the offensive linemen protecting him as opposed to that defensive end.”
Overview: Grier looked like a genius once the 2020 regular season finished. Not only did the Dolphins overachieve to a 10-6 record, but the pick he acquired from Houston in exchange for Tunsil wound up being No. 3 overall. He traded that pick to San Francisco for the No. 12 pick and first-round picks in both 2022 and 2023.
He made another bold move that same day, sending the No. 12 pick and Miami’s first-rounder in 2022 to the Eagles for the No. 6 overall pick — which he used to select Tagovailoa’s college teammate, Waddle. It’s too early to grade this year’s class, but Miami’s 2022 pick is currently slated at No. 3 overall, while San Francisco’s (which Miami owns) is currently No. 9. The Dolphins could have potentially owned two top-10 picks in 2022 if they had stayed at No. 3 in the 2021 draft and selected Ja’Marr Chase — who is third in the NFL in receiving yards for the Cincinnati Bengals.
On the bright side, this class yielded Holland, who has formed a promising safety tandem with 2020 third-round pick Brandon Jones.
“It’s good,” Flores said of Holland’s and Jones’ development. “We’ve got a lot of young developing players getting playing time, getting a lot of experience, and I think those two guys are probably two of the hardest working guys we have.”
What’s next?
The 2021 season has been a drastic step back for the Dolphins considering the hype surrounding the team entering the year. Grier sold a long-term plan with sustained success, but Miami is on pace for a fourth losing season in five years.
However, there are rays of hope. Three of Miami’s losses this season have come on field goals on the game’s final play, suggesting the Dolphins are not as bad as their record. They are projected to have nine draft picks in 2022, including a top-10 selection and two more first-round picks in 2023. And they are projected to have the most cap space in the NFL (more than $93 million) this offseason.
Grier will have the resources to do most anything he wants to the roster. First on his to-do list will be settling the quarterback situation. Speculation about Watson is certain to ramp up again as Grier mulls whether to make a move for a different QB or keep building around Tagovailoa.
It figures to be his most important decision yet. |
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NEW YORK JETS
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com on the status of the Jets QB position:
New York Jets coach Robert Saleh made the right quarterback decision on Wednesday because Mike White is better than Zach Wilson right now (key words), and the whole world knows it. Oh, yeah, Wilson’s sprained right knee still isn’t 100% — or so they say.
Saleh is handling this correctly because it shows he’s running a meritocracy and it sends a message to the struggling Wilson, who was silver-plattered the starting job as soon as he was drafted second overall in April. Sorry, kid, you’re not on scholarship anymore.
White has passed for 500 yards in the past five quarters and the Jets, of all teams, can’t put that kind of production on the bench. They didn’t see this coming — who did? — but they are right to keep him in the lineup because he raises the level of everyone around him, and that helps the team, which helps their rebuilding process.
There is, however, a can-of-worms aspect to this decision. Saleh opened the can by indicating it’s a week-to-week situation, declining to say that Wilson — the second overall pick in the 2021 draft! — will return to the starting job when he’s fully healthy. The matter, Saleh said, will resolve itself “organically.”
Anyone who has followed the Jets for, say, the past 50 years knows that things rarely work out in a positive, cut-and-dried kind of way. It could get messy, because it usually gets messy for the Jets. If White maintains his magic touch Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, what then?
Saleh can milk Wilson’s injury this week, maybe next week, but there could come a point where he’s picking White over Wilson based purely on football ability. And then it will be a full-blown quarterback controversy, not to mention bad optics for an organization that has invested so much in Wilson.
On Monday, Saleh said Wilson “for sure” would return to the QB1 job as soon as he’s 100%, but he walked away from that on Wednesday. Frankly, I think it was a slip of the tongue on Monday. His intention from the outset of Mike White Mania was to ride the hot hand, rewarding an out-of-nowhere player and signaling to the rest of the locker room that winning still matters. That notion seems to get lost at times in this “play the kids” rebuilding season.
For now, White is the better quarterback. Saleh acknowledged as much, saying White is “a quarterback who is giving you a clear blueprint of how this offense is supposed to run.” White plays within the structure of the system, making smart decisions. Wilson, loaded with arm talent, has to get out of his “hero ball” mentality. He plays as if he’s trying to duplicate his memorable pro day at BYU, where he dazzled scouts with his off-platform throws.
Wilson can learn a lot by watching, which is how Saleh was spinning his decision to the media. Of course, there’s a flip side to that philosophy: If they see that much value in observing from the sideline, why didn’t they put him on the bench at the beginning of the season, making Nick Foles or Andy Dalton or someone of that ilk their starter?
Clearly, Wilson wasn’t ready to play. That became painfully obvious as the weeks went by and the interceptions piled up. He has been overmatched in every game except one, his 297-yard passing day against the Tennessee Titans. No one thought White was ready, either, so they went into the season flying blind. They now see the error of their ways.
The Jets remain committed to Wilson as their long-term starter, but that doesn’t mean they’re obligated to play him every week. White has injected life into the franchise, and who are the Jets to turn their back on that? |
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THIS AND THAT |
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AIKMAN RATINGS
The 33rd Team looks at the Aikman Ratings thru Week 9:
The most uneven teams by Aikman’s Efficiency Ratings are the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 6 on offense, and No. 25 on defense), and Denver Broncos (No. 22 on offense and No. 4 on defense). The Broncos sit at 5-4 and are squarely in contention to win the AFC West after knocking off the Cowboys, but the offense will need to improve for them to keep pace in a hotly contested division.
Despite playing without Kyler Murray on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals played an excellent game to dominate the San Francisco 49ers. In the process they overtook the Buffalo Bills for the top spot in Troy Aikman’s Efficiency Ratings for Week 10.
The Cardinals currently sit at No. 1 on offense and No. 2 on defense, showing an all-around dominance rivaled by no other team in the NFL. They’ll face an uneven Panthers squad this week that sits at No. 7 on defense, but has struggled on offense with a No. 28 ranking.
While Buffalo dropped from their perch at the top of the rankings, they still sit at No. 1 on defense after falling victim to a trap game against Jacksonville. The Bills are still considered a serious contender by the Aikman Efficiency Ratings, sitting at No. 5 on offense despite their 6-point showing on Sunday.
Other teams sitting in the top 10 on both offense and defense include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 2 on offense and No. 8 on defense), Baltimore Ravens (No. 3 on offense and No. 9 on defense) and Los Angeles Rams (No. 5 on offense and No. 6 on defense). Those 5 contending teams were all in the top 5 on both sides of the ball this past week as well, and their overall body of work paints them as the elite tier of the league in spite of this week’s results.
Some other notable rankings in Week 10 include the 7-2 Green Bay Packers sitting at No. 21 on offense and No. 17 on defense, while the 7-2 Tennessee Titans are getting it done with balance, sitting at No. 10 on offense and No. 13 on defense.
Here are the Aikman Combined Ratings:
2021 Aikman Efficiency Ratings Through Week 9
—— Aikman —— —— NFL ——
Rank W-L Team Comb Off Def Off Def Combined
1 5-3 Bills 182.1 92.7 89.4 8 1 9
2 8-1 Cardinals 172.8 95.7 77.1 5 4 9
3 6-2 Buccaneers 164.4 94.6 69.8 3 7 10
4 6-2 Ravens 163.6 94.3 69.3 2 23 25
5 7-2 Rams 163.1 92.5 70.6 4 12 16
6 5-3 Saints 161.5 86.1 75.4 28 11 39
7 5-4 Patriots 158.2 83.4 74.8 19 9 28
8 6-2 Cowboys 158.0 91.6 66.4 1 21 22
9 5-4 Broncos 156.3 81.0 75.3 18 6 24
10 7-2 Titans 155.9 88.9 67.0 15 19 34
11 4-5 Colts 154.6 87.3 67.3 12 20 32
12 3-5 Seahawks 154.0 87.6 66.4 29 31 60
13 5-4 Browns 153.1 87.3 65.8 11 3 14
14 5-4 Bengals 151.8 85.3 66.5 14 18 32
15 3-5 Vikings 151.8 89.0 62.8 9 27 36
16 3-6 Eagles 151.7 91.7 60.0 17 15 32
17 7-2 Packers 149.1 83.2 65.9 22 5 27
18 5-3 Chargers 148.5 89.0 59.5 10 16 26
19 5-3 Steelers 148.3 80.3 68.0 25 14 39
20 5-3 Raiders 147.9 84.4 63.5 6 10 16
21 3-5 49ers 147.1 86.8 60.3 13 8 21
22 4-5 Panthers 145.4 74.9 70.5 27 2 29
23 3-6 Giants 145.1 76.9 68.2 21 22 43
24 5-4 Chiefs 144.2 86.1 58.1 7 26 33
25 4-4 Falcons 140.9 83.2 57.7 20 17 37
26 3-6 Bears 139.7 75.6 64.1 31 13 44
27 2-7 Dolphins 135.1 72.9 62.2 30 30 60
28 2-6 Jaguars 133.8 72.8 61.0 23 24 47
29 2-6 Washington 132.9 75.7 57.2 16 29 45
30 2-6 Jets 131.3 76.6 54.7 24 32 56
31 1-8 Texans 128.1 69.1 59.0 32 28 60
32 0-8 Lions 126.4 74.5 51.9 26 25 51
NFL Average: 149.9 84.1 65.8 |
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BETTING RESULTS
It’s been the year of the road underdogs. Todd Furman with a tweet:
Updated NFL results
Week 9
Favorites: 4-10 ATS
Home teams: 4-10 ATS
Overs: 7-7
Home favorites: 2-8 ATS
Season
Favorites: 56-77-1 ATS (42%)
Home teams: 58-77-1 ATS (43%)
Overs: 61-73-2 (46%)
Home favorites: 31-51-1 ATS (38%) |
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COACHING MARKET
Some thoughts from Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com on what jobs might open and who might get them.
Let’s talk head coaches on the hot seat: What have you guys heard on jobs that could come available?
Graziano: This is always such a touchy topic at this point in the season. I can hear Chris Mortensen yelling at me now about how these guys have families, and it’s insensitive to talk about hot seats. But the fact is there are always changes in the head coach ranks, and this year won’t be any different.
The Raiders will likely look for someone to replace interim coach Rich Bisaccia, though it’s not totally impossible that he takes them on a run and convinces the organization to keep him. Other situations being watched closely by people around the league who track these things include Chicago, Denver, Jacksonville and Minnesota, though again I stress that a lot depends on what happens.
There has been a perception since before the season that Denver was a spot to watch, but Vic Fangio and the Broncos are 5-4, so maybe not. I’m interested to see which situations take a turn for the worse from here on out. You think Miami could make a move if things keep going poorly there? Cincinnati, if it completely falls apart in the second half? Is it possible that a fourth losing season out of five could put Kyle Shanahan in trouble in San Francisco?
Fowler: That’s true, Dan, many of those questions are still tough to answer right now. Six head-coaching jobs opened last year, and hitting that number is not a slam dunk, though the season promises a few surprises. I’ll say this about Denver and Fangio: New general manager George Paton really likes him and is known to be incredibly loyal. He stayed in Minnesota for years despite overtures for several GM opportunities elsewhere. This isn’t a situation in which the new GM is looking for “his guy.” That doesn’t mean Fangio is completely safe, but the Broncos’ fighting back to get over .500 helps. The question now becomes: Is Denver’s offensive ceiling under the current staff too much to overcome?
The NFC North also takes the spotlight here. Hard to argue with Mike Zimmer’s .567 winning percentage in Minnesota, but there have been whispers that players are worn out by his coaching style. I do believe that’s real. Perhaps Chicago’s Matt Nagy will get the rest of the season to build on some of the offensive progress we saw from Justin Fields on Monday Night Football. And to your questions, it wouldn’t surprise me if Brian Flores and Kyle Shanahan got more time. Zac Taylor would need an epic collapse in Cincinnati to be fired.
Graziano: Agreed, but that’s why I’m trying to project, right? We don’t know what’s going to happen, and there are nine weeks that could totally turn everything we think we know right now on its head. Where could you imagine there being an opening that doesn’t look possible now? I guess you never know when some of the older guys such as Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll and Bruce Arians might decide to move on, but there’s no indication that any of them are thinking that way. I also don’t think the Giants give up on Joe Judge yet. What do you make of that situation?
Fowler: Yeah, the sense I get is New York really doesn’t want to filter through coaches every two years, and it does like Judge. I’m thinking he gets a third year barring major disappointment down the stretch. The Giants are showing signs of life with convincing wins over Carolina and Las Vegas and nearly knocking off the Chiefs at Arrowhead.
Of the seasoned coaches, Belichick just retooled an improving roster and Arians is having too much fun. I guess it wouldn’t shock me to see Carroll, at age 70, step down if Seattle continues to slide. He changed offensive coordinators in the offseason, and if the defense continues to struggle, another coordinator change might be on the way. After that, there wouldn’t be much left to change, except results.
Who are the top candidates most likely to get interviews in this cycle?
Fowler: Let’s buck the offense trend and start on defense. The league is loaded with former head coaches-turned-defensive coordinators who should get serious consideration, including the Cardinals’ Vance Joseph, Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles, Cowboys’ Dan Quinn and Bills’ Leslie Frazier. All have their defenses playing at high levels while serving as valuable resources for their head coaches. At least one is likely to secure a job, though it won’t be all about the offensive cachet this cycle.
The Raiders’ Gus Bradley, Rams’ Raheem Morris and Saints’ Dennis Allen are also part of the former-head-coach fraternity belonging in that conversation. Those guys can all coach, though they all needed more quarterback help when they held head-coach jobs, save Quinn, who went to a Super Bowl. A few other coordinators looking for their first head-coaching jobs who could create buzz are the Browns’ Joe Woods, Colts’ Matt Eberflus, Titans’ Shane Bowen and Giants’ Patrick Graham.
Graziano: We’ll obviously hear plenty of the usual suspects on the offensive side as well, including Kansas City’s Eric Bieniemy and Buffalo’s Brian Daboll (assuming those offenses can get back on track before the end of the season). I expect teams with open jobs will talk to Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Green Bay offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Dallas’ Kellen Moore could get himself on radar screens if the Cowboys’ offense keeps humming the way it was before last week’s flop. San Francisco’s Mike McDaniel is well thought of in league circles. You still hear people talk about Carolina’s Joe Brady, though I don’t understand what has happened the past two years in Carolina to make that the case.
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In the long shot category, Kevin O’Connell is the Rams’ offensive coordinator, and there are some head coaches in the league who didn’t have to work for Sean McVay for long before getting their jobs. There are a couple of former NFL linebackers in DeMeco Ryans (49ers) and Jerod Mayo (Patriots) who are seen as rising stars in the coaching community and could end up on these lists sooner rather than later.
What about former head coaches such as Jim Caldwell or Marvin Lewis, who have shown interest in getting back in over the past couple of years?
Fowler: Those two were in the mix last year and could get another look. At some point that window might close. You mentioned O’Connell: That’s a good sleeper pick. Seems like every year we have an unexpected candidate thrive in an interview setting to secure a job (Joe Judge, Brandon Staley), and O’Connell has the demeanor for it. Moore has made a compelling case, and Daboll should continue to do so. Tennessee offensive coordinator Todd Downing, whom you’ve mentioned before, is creating buzz — there’s something in the Tennessee waters, I suppose. From Arthur Smith to Downing, the offense keeps humming. And from the Smith tree, Dave Ragone has impressed in Year 1 with Atlanta, particularly his work with Cordarrelle Patterson.
Not sure what to make of the Bieniemy situation. His job interview tally has to be close to 20. He’s obviously qualified. It has become so unclear which franchise will provide him that chance. |
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