Category: 2024 NFL draft

Texans bring back former pass rusher to practice squad

Rashad Weaver is headed back to join the Houston Texans.

Rashad Weaver is headed back to Houston.

The Texans are signing the former defensive end to the practice squad two days following his release from the active roster. In a corresponding move, Houston outright released cornerback Troy Pride Jr.

A former fourth-round pick out of Pitt by the Tennessee Titans, Weaver played in three games for Houston before being released earlier this week. With the Titan, he totaled 49 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in three seasons.

The Texans return to NRG Stadium this Sunday to take on the Indianapolis Colts at noon CT. Houston opens as a 6.5-point favorite.

Bucky Irving proving to be a lethal weapon for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rookie RB Bucky Irving is quickly proving to be a lethal weapon for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense

Going into the year the assumption in Tampa Bay was that veteran running back Rachaad White would become the bell cow of the Buccaneers’ rushing attack. Near the midway point of the season, however, it appears to be a three-man job, thanks in large part to the performance of rookie fourth-round pick Bucky Irving.

While Irving has had sustained success all season, his last few weeks in the league have really shown off his star potential inside the explosive Tampa Bay offense. In the last two weeks, Irving has accounted for 182 scrimmage yards and a pair of touchdowns on just 28 total touches. On the season, Irving has been extremely efficient, averaging a solid 5.2 yards per carry on 67 total runs, proving to be the most explosive member of a stacked backfield.

As the season moves along Irving is bound to be worked into the offense more and more with each game. While being in a three man backfield does hamper his production a bit, it’s hard to look away whenever Irving touches the football and he should continue to thrive for the rest of the season as one of the best rookie runners in the league.

Eagles rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell has locked down the competition already

Eagles first-round rookie CB Quinyon Mitchell has locked down the competition through his first six NFL games

It was a bit of a surprise during the 2024 NFL Draft when Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell fell all the way down to the 22nd overall pick to the Philadelphia Eagles as he was projected to go as high as within the first 10 picks. So far however it has been a match made in heaven for Mitchell and the Eagles as the rookie has been one of the top rated corners within the league.

Through Mitchell’s first 6 games of the season he has been impressive, shutting down top receivers–including fellow rookie star Malik Nabers. Quarterbacks have thrown Mitchell’s way 29 times but he has only allowed 14 completions for just 197 yards through the air. When targeting Mitchell, quarterbacks on the season average an abysmal 70.6 rating and have yet to find a touchdown against him.

Mitchell has played a large part in the secondary resurgence in Philadelphia and has quickly established himself as one of, if not the best defensive back on the team. Mitchell’s physical play style, length, and instincts are going to serve him well as he develops further and it’s scary to think what he could become behind a ferocious Eagles’ defensive line.

Steelers CB leads all UDFA rookies in snaps through Week 6

Steelers CB Beanie Bishop leads all UDFA rookies in snaps through Week 6

Undrafted free agents are always easy to root for, especially for fans of the underdog story. They’re also an integrally cost-effective way for NFL teams to balance out their rosters.

Through the first six weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the most impactful undrafted rookie has been Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Beanie Bishop. No rookie UDFA has played more than Bishop, who has logged 247 defensive snaps through Week 6. That includes one start and an average of 41 snaps per game while serving as the Steelers’ primary slot corner.

His play, as you might expect of a rookie UDFA thrown into the fire, has been up and down. Bishop has 14 tackles, a half-sack and two passes defended for Pittsburgh so far. However, Bishop is proving he deserved stronger consideration and respect during the 2024 NFL Draft process.

Sean Payton says Broncos scouted Saints QB pre-draft, ‘the whole nine yards’

Sean Payton says the Broncos thoroughly scouted Saints QB Spencer Rattler before the 2024 draft with meetings and a private workout: ‘The whole nine yards’

Spencer Rattler will have a big fan on the opposing sideline when his New Orleans Saints kick off with the Denver Broncos on Thursday night. Sean Payton said the Broncos thoroughly scouted the rookie quarterback ahead of  this year’s NFL draft, and he was impressed by what the South Carolina product showed him.

Payton and the Broncos college scouting department invested just as much time in evaluating Rattler as they did the other quarterbacks in the draft class, including their new starter Bo Nix.

“We spent a lot of time with him. I’d say there was five. Pro day and then we had a private workout. We were all in Phoenix, the Scottsdale area, where he’s from,” Payton recalled Tuesday. “Steak dinner, the whole nine yards. Tested in the morning (and watched him) throw. He did really well.”

So Payton wasn’t exactly blown away when the Saints immediately chose to  start Rattler after Derek Carr’s injury last week. He’s seen the young quarterback tackle everything college football could throw at him, and he knows the Broncos defense will need to work hard to pressure Rattler in his second career start.

Payton continued: “It’s not surprising to see (him do well). There is, again, I’m going to use an analogy. There’s a calmness when he plays. He too has been through the adversity early on. Coming out of high school, to Oklahoma and then transferring. There is a confidence when he’s on the field. You see that in the preseason and last week. It’s not too big for him, and he has a live arm. We were really impressed.”

At the same time, that exposure could have given Payton and his coaches some insight on how to, well, rattle Rattler. They didn’t draft him when they had the chance, but that’s probably more due to having taken Nix in the first round while lacking enough picks to address higher-priority needs. But if Rattler impresses on Thursday night and hands Payton’s team a loss? It sounds like the former Saints coach would be first in line to shake his hand.

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Texans receive update on DL Kurt Hinish before Patriots game

Kurt Hinish will need another week before making his debut for the Houston Texans.

Kurt Hinish still isn’t ready to make his 2024 debut for the Houston Texans.

The Texans updated their injury report and ruled Hinish out for Sunday’s matchup against the New England Patriots. He will not travel with the team to Gillette Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Hinish, a third-year defensive tackle out of Notre Dame, was placed on the injured reserve after training camp with a calf injury. Houston chose to begin his 21-day recovery window last week, but he’s been limited at practice.

Thursday marked the end of the first week that Hinish was a full-time participant in practice, but the Texans are being cautious with his return.

Last season, Hinish finished with 22 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Running back Joe Mixon will travel with the Texans, meaning there’s a strong chance he’ll play tomorrow.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon CT.

Should Cowboys show first-round rookie patience or focus on winning in 2024?

Tyler Guyton was supposed to struggle as a rookie, the Cowboys just need to stay committed. | From @ReidDHanson

When Tyler Guyton fell to injury in the Cowboys’ Week 5 matchup against Pittsburgh, some saw it as a possible blessing in disguise. That’s because Guyton was replaced by the Cowboys All-Pro left guard, Tyler Smith, a player with previous experience at the left tackle position and someone seen as an instant upgrade. The move outside for Smith required Dallas’ top reserve lineman, T.J. Bass, to take over the vacated LG spot. Overall, it gave fans, who were growing increasingly nervous with the Cowboys pass protection, a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

Left tackle is considered a core position in the NFL. If a team doesn’t have a good one, they probably won’t be a high-producing offense. Protecting the quarterback’s blindside is Job 1 on a LT’s task list because just one break in the dam can lose a game or end a QB’s season.

The Cowboys clearly valued the position when they made Guyton their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. After letting former All-Pro Tyron Smith leave in free agency, Dallas had an obvious need.

Drafting near the end of the round it was obvious Dallas wouldn’t get the pick of the litter. Guyton represented the ninth offensive linemen taken in 2024. He was unpolished and untested. He offered a tremendous ceiling, but most scouts agreed he also would require tremendous patience.

A promising start to training camp and the preseason caused many to forget his expected career arch and led them to recalibrate rookie expectations. Just two seasons prior the Cowboys slid another rookie, the aforementioned Tyler Smith, into the starting LT spot in Week 1 and they were pleasantly rewarded. Why not have the same expectations for Guyton?

The answer to that is Tyler Smith was an exception to the norm and therefore a bit of an anomaly. As the most penalized offensive tackle in football, Smith was supposed to struggle early as well, he just didn’t. To expect the Cowboys to hit the lottery like that again two years later was probably a touch too optimistic.

So when Guyton started his rookie campaign with growing pains, many were taken back with disappointment. Five weeks into the season Guyton is grading out as the 71st OT in the NFL (out of 78 graded). His four sacks given up are second most in the league. He’s also second in penalties and 10th in overall pressures (just one behind Terence Steele). It’s safe to say he’s not good, but it’s also safe to say none of this is unexpected.

The Cowboys are sticking with their guy. Despite some fan urging to keep Smith at LT and Guyton to the bench or to replace Steele at right tackle, the Cowboys appear to be committed to the cause.

They knew developing him would be a process and have the long-term goals in mind. They know Guyton needs practice and needs reps to reach the heights they think he’s capable of, and the only way to do that is live action on the field.

With all of that said, the risk is real, and it could cost the Cowboys the 2024 season. Guyton’s a liability in pass protection and a danger to Dak Prescott. Mike McCarthy has done a good job of rolling Prescott out of the pocket to the right side and giving his young LT help whenever possible, but even with that Guyton’s a league leader in pressures allowed.

The Cowboys are committed to developing Guyton because they know, in the long run, it’s the smart thing to do. Guyton has a long way to go but they knew that when they picked him. His play shouldn’t be seen as disappointing because he was always supposed to be a project player like this. Patience is required and with any luck a commitment to his development will start to produce positive results in the not-too-distant future.

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Giants fifth-round rookie has monster day in win over Seahawks

Giants fifth-round rookie Tyrone Tracy has monster day in win over Seahawks

One of the biggest question marks heading into the 2024 season for the New York Giants was how they were going to replace the running back position with the departure of the franchise player that was Saquon Barkley. While the Giants have mostly attacked the position with veteran free agent pick up Devin Singletary, on Sunday against the Seahawks a new player emerged at the position in fifth round rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr.

With Singletary out on the day with an injury the Giants turned to the rookie Tracy in hopes he could help fill the void at the running back position. Not only did Tracy fill that void, he ended up being a major reason New York walked away with the win. Tracy galloped for 129 yards on just 18 carries for an average of 7.2 yards per touch, showing a natural explosion that the Giants have been missing to this point in the season.

Tracy has shown he should be a staple within the running back rotation even when Singletary returns to action, and should Tracy to continue to perform at such a high level it’s not unreasonable to think he could end up the bell cow of this New York offense.

Drake Maye will get his 1st start for the Patriots in Week 6

Maye has been sitting behind Jacoby Brissett for the 1-4 Patriots, who rank 31st in scoring and yardage

The New England Patriots are making a change at quarterback, and their prized rookie pick from 2024 will be the new starter–at least for one week.

The Patriots revealed on Tuesday that they are switching from veteran Jacoby Brissett to No. 3 overall pick, Drake Maye, ahead of Week 6. Maye has been Brissett’s backup for the first five games, during which the Patriots have ranked 31st (of 32) in both scoring and yardage on offense.

Now, rookie head coach Jerod Mayo and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will look to the future with Maye. The rookie from North Carolina had an up-and-down preseason. Maye will make his starting debut against the 4-1 Houston Texans.

Report: Saints rookie QB ‘is a strong candidate’ to start in relief of Derek Carr

Report: Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler ‘is a strong candidate’ to start in relief of Derek Carr, but the Saints will weigh their options:

Now this is interesting. After reporting that New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple games with an oblique injury, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport added that rookie passer Spencer Rattler “is a strong candidate to get the start” while Carr is on the mend.

That’s surprising given Jake Haener, not Rattler, has been the initial backup for Carr all season. Whether it’s mop-up duty or relief for an injury, it’s been Haener going into games whenever Carr has stepped out. But this might suggest offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak would rather go with Rattler if he’s given a full week of practice reps to prepare for a matchup.

And that would make sense. No one questions whether Rattler is the most talented passer out of the three. The concerns surround his inexperience. Two of the game’s most aggressive defensive coordinators are waiting for him in Todd Bowles (with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Vance Joseph (on the Denver Broncos), so that would be an uphill battle for anyone, especially a rookie making his first two starts. The Saints drafted Rattler in the fifth round this year out of South Carolina.

We’ll see what happens. Rattler and Haener are both viable options, but that also means neither is overwhelmingly favored to a point where it’s an easy call to make. A bad experience out of the gate could doom a quarterback’s career before it starts. Just look at what happened to Carr’s older brother on the Houston Texans way back when.

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