Tag: 2024 season

Yes, Cowboys website featured Daniel Jones. No, he hasn’t been added to roster.

From @ToddBrock24f7: For a few brief moments on Friday, some Cowboys fans thought the Giants ex-QB had been signed by Dallas and given an iconic jersey number.

The news flash dropped jaws all over the NFL… but what happened next practically gave Cowboys fans everywhere a heart attack.

The New York Giants made their case for being a far worse “train wreck” than the Cowboys on Friday morning with the announcement that quarterback Daniel Jones had been released, just 20 months after earning a four-year, $160 million contract. That contract drew widespread astonishment at the time, given Jones’s 21-31-1 regular-season record to that point.

He didn’t get any better after the ink dried.

Once the sixth-overall draft pick, Jones was finally benched just four days ago, with a career record of 24-44-1. The team cited poor performance as the sole reason, but whispers quickly surfaced that the true purpose of the move was to protect the Giants from an expensive injury clause in Jones’s contract by making sure he didn’t see the field again in 2024.

Jones was quickly named Big Blue’s fourth-string QB, made headlines by stepping in at safety for the scout team during practice this week, and addressed the New York media and fans with a heartfelt statement about his demotion. By Friday morning, word leaked that Jones had asked for his release, and the team had acquiesced.

Despite league-low numbers over his six years as the Giants’ starter, observers immediately began wondering where Jones would end up next. For the Win wasted no time in declaring the Cowboys the destination that perhaps made the most sense, in a chaotic kind of way.

The logic is that, as bad as he’s been, Jones would probably still be an instant upgrade over both Cooper Rush and Trey Lance (and Will Grier… and even Bryan Anger) in terms of the Dallas passing attack sans Dak Prescott. And getting Jones into The Star, to download his familiarity with the Giants just days before the two teams meet on Thanksgiving- or even suit up against them- would sure add some spice to the Turkey Day tilt.

In a Cowboys season where no plot twist (or decision from Jerry Jones) is too ludicrous, it almost seems plausible.

And for a stunning few minutes, it looked to some like it had already happened.

Several social media users noticed that Daniel Jones already appeared on the Cowboys official website and had an actual “player card” there listing him as “QB, #8.”

It appeared to some that Jones had not only been added to the Cowboys roster, but he’d also been given Troy Aikman’s iconic jersey number.

Obviously, neither of the above is true. But much of Cowboys Nation had already gone off the deep end over it.

Firstly, Jones has to go through waivers to be added to anybody’s roster. Any team that claims him also takes on what’s left of his exorbitant contract, and there’s no way Jerry and Stephen Jones are spending that kind of cash on yet another QB developmental project.

Second, say what you want about the way the organization is being run, but the Cowboys brass isn’t reissuing No. 8 to anyone. Ever.

Third, two insiders have already revealed that the webpage was standard operating procedure for internal usage.

As dallascowboys.com’s Patrik Walker explained in an X reply, “It’s a player card that was added in 2023 for a lone article written at the time, an update on his injury status vs. Cowboys. Nothing else to this.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

The “QB, #8” simply referred to Jones’s position and jersey number as a Giant.

Nick Harris, formerly a Cowboys staff writer and now with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, confirmed in a reply of his own that the card was created last November for an update that appeared on the team website regarding the ACL tear Jones had just suffered.

“Him along with numerous other opponents have player cards because cowboys dot com does a thorough and in-depth job,” Harris wrote.

After the initial panic over Jones’s perfectly-explainable card, it was apparently deleted from the archives by the team’s web staffers because of the conspiratorial- and ultimately nonsensical- uproar.

But it won’t keep some from looking for something nefarious that isn’t there.

All par for the course this absurd season in Cowboys Nation.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Recently-cut Saints center already reunites with his old team

The Saints waived Erik McCoy’s replacement Connor McGovern when the starter returned from injury, but McGovern is already back with his old team:

Some New Orleans Saints fans questioned the decision to waive Connor McGovern, and this development makes those concerns look warranted. McGovern emerged as the best candidate to replace Erik McCoy at center when the Pro Bowler missed a month-plus with a groin injury — but when McCoy returned from injured reserve, the Saints let McGovern go. And the next day he returned to the New York Jets, who claimed him off of waivers.

Remember, the Saints cut second-year wide receiver A.T. Perry to make room for McGovern in the first place, having signed him off the Jets practice squad. Moving on from that proven veteran at this point felt a little premature, and that only looked worse when McCoy exited his first game back after aggravating that groin injury. Fortunately, he’s expected to be fine when players return from their time off during the bye week.

Still — unless this was a case of McGovern asking for his release, you have to wonder if he was the best option to let go. He’s been better in the middle than other players on the roster like Shane Lemieux or Landon Young. There are guys at other positions who aren’t contributing much on Sundays. But the Saints clearly felt this was their best path forward. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come back to haunt them.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints sign a wide receiver back to their practice squad during bye week

The New Orleans Saints re-signed rookie wide receiver Jermaine Jackson back to their practice squad during the bye week:

That didn’t take long. The New Orleans Saints re-signed rookie wide receiver Jermaine Jackson back to their practice squad not long after waiving him last week, with another rookie going on injured reserve as a corresponding move — defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat, who suffered an elbow injury early in training camp and only recently returned to the team.

Jackson had been supplanted as the Saints’ returns specialist by another practice squad wideout, Dante Pettis, but they clearly want to keep him in the fold. Attrition with season-threatening injuries to players like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Bub Means almost demands they keep that depth intact. But we’ll have to wait and see whether Jackson returns to the field this season.

As for Pettis? He came up a toe’s width shy of a punt returned for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns last week, but still gained 53 yards on the play. Like Jackson he was an accomplished returns ace in college and interim head coach Darren Rizzi (who of course has a background as a special teams coordinator) wants him to get more opportunities to impact the game.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

NFL flexes Thursday night game in Week 16; leaves woeful Cowboys in primetime for now

From @ToddBrock24f7: Four teams got their Week 16 schedules turned upside down over TV ratings, but the train-wreck Cowboys would still be a Sunday night draw.

Even when they’re crashing and burning, the Dallas Cowboys remain a draw for the TV networks.

While the NFL has announced the unprecedented move of rescheduling the Week 16 Browns-Bengals clash from Thursday to Sunday and moving Broncos-Chargers up by three days to take its place, they will, for now, be leaving the Cowboys-Buccaneers right where they are on that Sunday night.

The two teams currently have a bad combined record of 7-13. NFL.com computes Tampa Bay’s chances of making the postseason at just 34% heading into this weekend’s slate of games; Dallas has less than a 1% chance.

The Cowboys, nevertheless, will play their traditional late-afternoon game on Thanksgiving Day in what is usually one of the most-watched games of the NFL schedule. And on Dec. 9, they’ll participate in a special Simpsons-themed animation alt-cast on Monday Night Football.

It’s too late to move the Cowboys out of either national viewing window, no matter how bad the team is.

And yet, they’ll ostensibly still be duking it out with the Bucs at AT&T Stadium in primetime, just three days before Christmas.

Mathematically, the Bucs could pull themselves back into contention by then and be fighting for a wild card berth (or even control of the NFC South). On the Cowboys side, though, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will likely be stuck with detailing the team’s utter collapse this season and openly pondering which coaches and players will survive what is almost sure to be a massive bloodletting once it comes to a merciful end.

The sad reality is, despite both teams’ poor showings thus far in 2024, the matchup remains one of Week 16’s more watchable options.

Under the league’s current flexible scheduling rules, only a Sunday afternoon game can be shifted to Sunday night. That day’s marquee game will pit the Eagles at Commanders, a divisional battle currently slated to air on Fox in the early-afternoon window.

Almost every other possible tilt for the Sunday night slot, however, includes at least one team currently holding a losing record. And not a one of them has the love-’em-or-hate-’em, can’t-look-away clout of America’s Team.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit took a shot just last week at this very phenomenon when he joked during a Monday Night Football promo, “Just keep putting Dallas in those high-profile windows… That is a train wreck.”

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

And yet, people will tune in.

No one wants to see the 2-8 Giants play the Falcons in primetime, or the 3-7 Panthers host the Cardinals. The 2-9 Jaguars at the 2-8 Raiders is awful; besides, the country will have just been subjected to watching Las Vegas in one of Week 15’s two Monday night games.

Who else is taking NBC’s killer slot? The Patriots? The Jets?? The Titans???

So Cowboys fans may very well be forced into watching their team take one last public shellacking this season alongside an eye-rolling nationwide audience.

It’s important to note that two other teams could still be swapped into the Bucs-Cowboys timeslot; the NFL reserves the right to make a change to a Week 16 Sunday night contest “generally… no later than six days prior to the game.”

But the allure of the Cowboys playing in primetime may simply be too great.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Former Pro Bowler still hasn’t played since being traded from the Saints

Former Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore still hasn’t played for the Commanders since being traded from the Saints. He could make his debut against his old team:

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced Friday that cornerback Marshon Lattimore won’t be making his debut in their Week 12 game with the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday — meaning the former Pro Bowler will have missed his first three games with his new team since being dealt from the New Orleans Saints at the NFL trade deadline.

And Washington has lost each of their first two games since trading for Lattimore. They fell to the Pittsburgh 28-27 and were knocked out by the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles 26-18. The Commanders gave up 746 yards across those two games, so they could’ve used Lattimore’s help. But a nagging hamstring injury has kept him sidelined since Oct. 27.

Quinn added that while he’s optimistic Lattimore could play in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans, it’s too soon to say with certainty that he’ll be ready to go. If he misses that game, too, there’s a good chance Lattimore won’t make his Commanders debut until after their Week 14 bye — meaning he would be in line to play against his old team when Washington visits the Saints in Week 15. Stay tuned.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints’ 2024 season following a similar script as previous years

After 11 games, the New Orleans Saints sit in an unfortunately familiar position whether it’s Darren Rizzi, Dennis Allen, or Sean Payton leading them:

The New Orleans Saints get to rest during Week 12, as they enjoy their bye week. After 11 games, they sit in an unfortunately familiar place. New Orleans is currently 4-7. They have alternated between 4-7 and 5-6 for the last four seasons. It doesn’t matter if they’re led by Sean Payton, Dennis Allen or a mix of Allen and Darren Rizzi.

The path to the outcome is different but the outcome remains the outcome. The Saints are below-.500 football team after 11 games. Payton’s last year in 2021 was the most unfortunate because Jameis Winston led the Saints to a 4-2 record when healthy. They won the game he was injured in, then lost four in a row with Trevor Siemian at quarterback to land at 5-6.

This year’s variation included a seven-game losing streak, a coaching change and a two game winning streak by the interim head coach. It’s been quite the rollercoaster, but the Saints still ended at the same point.

The end of the season has been kinder to New Orleans. They have won three or four of their last six games each season. That would give Rizzi five or six wins as the interim coach.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints rookie’s performance gets more impressive even on bye week

Taliese Fuaga’s performance versus Myles Garrett gets more impressive after Garrett’s monster game on ‘Thursday Night Football’

Cleveland Browns edge rusher, Myles Garrett, has recorded six sacks in the past three weeks, three sacks in Week 12 and three sacks in Week 10. When the Browns came to New Orleans in Week 11, however, New Orleans Saints rookie left tackle, Taliese Fuaga, kept Garrett off the stat sheet completely.

That performance was impressive even if you isolate it to one game. A rookie tackle going against a star pass rusher and winning the battle is a positive sign for Fuaga’s ceiling. Then, when you expand your view to multiple games, what he did becomes more impressive.

Russell Wilson couldn’t get away from Garrett in the first half of the Browns and Steelers matchup on Thursday night. Garrett had three sacks and a forced fumble against the Steelers. After the game, he proclaimed himself the best edge rusher and best defensive player in the league.

With two monster performances in recent weeks, his bravado is earned. That just makes Taliese Fuaga’s Week 11 performance more impressive.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints are getting the most out of Taysom Hill, and they shouldn’t slow down

Taysom Hill had his most touches of the year on Sunday, and he’s too impactful to return to the sideline. They should keep leaning on him:

To call Taysom Hill’s performance against the Cleveland Browns incredible feels like an understatement. The New Orleans Saints tight end reverted back to the days of when he was a positionless player.

Hill totaled over 200 yards, so saying this next statement may seem a bit obvious. However, the Saints have to use Hill like that every week. Let’s go deeper than production because that level won’t happen weekly. Let’s focus on touches.

Taysom Hill should be used as a secondary rushing option to Alvin Kamara and one of the most prominent receiving threats, due to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed’s injuries

This was only the second time this season Hill has touched the football 10 or more times. That number includes rushes, receptions and pass attempts. If you take away passes, Sunday was the first time Hill hit double digit touches.

Hill’s usage as a passer has increased recently. Over the last four weeks, Hill has attempted a pass in three of the four games. It’s a good way to keep defenses on their heels a little bit when Hill is taking the snap.

Passing can vary on a game to game basis, but his targets and rushes should remain at this pace. Hill caught 8 of 10 targets and ran the ball seven times.

Seven rushes feels like a reasonable mark to stretch for each week. The Saints don’t have many receiving threats, so three catches is doable. That’s a recipe for a minimum of 10 touches in a game. Hill is way to impactful for that to not happen on a regular basis.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

ESPN argues Saints should make an unconventional pick from an SEC powerhouse

ESPN’s Matt Miller argues the Saints should make an unconventional pick from an SEC powerhouse in the 2025 NFL draft with Georgia tweener Jalon Walker:

What will the New Orleans Saints do in the 2025 NFL draft? It’s way too soon to say with certainty, but there’s no better time to speculate than the Saints’ bye week. With a defense built on aging talent moving slower and making fewer plays, one obvious area they should address is their pass rush.

Just ask ESPN’s Matt Miller. He argues the Saints should go to one of college football’s powerhouses with their first pick, even if Georgia star Jalon Walker’s immediate fit in the Joe Woods-coordinated defense is unclear:

There’s a lot of uncertainty in New Orleans, which will have a new coach after Dennis Allen’s midseason firing and has questions about quarterback Derek Carr‘s future. The Saints could use this pick to improve a defense that gives up 6.1 yards per play, second worst in the league. Plus, Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis will be 36 years old next season. Walker has played as an off-ball linebacker and off the edge. He doesn’t have great size, but his first-step speed and power have helped him to 5.5 sacks. I like him in a stand-up rushing role in a 3-4 scheme if New Orleans’ new regime goes that route.

The problem is the Saints don’t have a history of developing players like Walker — undersized edge rushers who are too light to play at defensive end with a hand in the dirt, but without the experience at dropping into coverage when stanced up off the ball at linebacker. Think of guys like Zack Baun and Martez Wilson, or Davis Tull and Ronald Powell in the later rounds.

At the same time, the Saints haven’t gotten much out of plug-and-play conventional defensive ends like Payton Turner and Isaiah Foskey, either (to say nothing of the failed Marcus Davenport experiment). And it could be a whole new coaching staff making these decisions by the time April gets here. While there’s good reason to have some skepticism about Walker’s fit with the established system and coaches the Saints have right now, he could end up being just who they need to turn things around.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints’ playoff chances remain slim entering the bye week

The Saints have won back-to-back games and made ground in the NFC South title race, but their playoff probability still remains beneath 5%:

A path for the New Orleans Saints to the playoffs has come into clearer view but it hasn’t become more likely.

Next Gen Stats is used by NFL.com to project playoff probability. It gives current probability and what changes with a win or a loss this week. Because New Orleans is currently on their bye week, they have no opportunity to improve or lessen their 4% chance at making the playoffs.

Darren Rizzi has led the Saints in consecutive wins, and he’d likely punch his ticket as the team’s long-term head coach if he beats those odds.

Why is it in the single digits? The Atlanta Falcons have a 72% chance at making the playoffs. Seeing that neither team have a record good enough to be a wild card team, a percentage that high would suggest belief in Atlanta to win the division.

The Saints’ path to the playoffs is through the division. Despite making ground on Atlanta and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the analytics say completing the comeback isn’t likely.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]