Tag: backup

Seahawks GM John Schneider on Drew Lock deal: ‘He knows how much we love him’

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider sang the praises of backup quarterback Drew Lock after signing him to a new one-year deal.

The Seattle Seahawks locked up their backup quarterback on Thursday, signing Drew Lock to a one-year, $4 million deal, worth up to $7.5 million with incentives.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider broke the news during his weekly radio hit on Seattle Sport 710 am.

“Drew Lock, man, let’s go,” Schneider said “He’s coming back. What an awesome guy. Everything he’s been through – last year we talked about it a bunch. Coming here, competing with Geno (Smith), getting COVID, really bad timing for him. Game 2 was going to be his game against Chicago, then he got really sick, then he still didn’t have his legs against Dallas.

“So I’m just really excited. Really happy for him.”

Lock and Smith competed all last offseason for the Seahawks’ starting job, with Smith emerging as the winner. The process was more friendly than adversarial.

“Both those guys were awesome with pushing each other and then the support that they showed,” Schneider explained. “Geno’s scrimmage and Drew’s scrimmage (in training camp), Drew had a little bit more success that day – I forget exactly how it happened – but Geno was amazing afterwards. He’s like, ‘Hey, look, you know, I’m here for Drew, and if he’s the guy, I’m here to support him.’”

 

“And obviously Drew treated Geno the same way and was great all throughout the season and competing,” Schneider continued. “He knows how much we love him, he knows how important it was, and both their exit interviews (after last season) were great.”

[lawrence-related id=102631]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbycpfe4qgv9nf6 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Could Marcus Mariota be the Chiefs’ next great backup QB?

While Shane Buechele is poised to earn the role, our @TheJohnDillon thinks that recently released #Falcons QB Marcus Mariota could be the perfect backup QB for the #Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ starting quarterback spot is perhaps the safest bet at any position across the NFL heading into the 2023 season. Reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes will maintain his role as the league’s top passer when the season kicks off in September, and the team will continue to live and die by his contributions on offense.

But one key fact from the 2022 season looms large over the team, especially as they look to defend their newly won Super Bowl title. Mahomes has missed time due to injury in two of his five seasons as Kansas City’s starting quarterback, and his odds of remaining in perfect health decline with every passing year.

Journeyman backup Chad Henne served the Chiefs well during his four years in Kansas City, stepping in at key moments seemingly every season to help push the team over the edge, even in the playoffs.

Henne secured a playoff win for the Chiefs back in 2021 against the Cleveland Browns in a gutsy appearance that would ultimately help send Kansas City to the Super Bowl. He also made his presence felt in Kansas City’s seven-point win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in this year’s divisional round, leading a 98-yard touchdown drive that proved to be a pivotal moment in the game.

To discount the need for a competent backup in the Mahomes era of Chiefs football is to deny the team’s history, despite the obvious security they have in their starter. Henne decided to retire after Kansas City’s Super Bowl win in February, leaving a void that 2022 third-stringer Shane Buechele seems poised to fill in 2023.

If the worst came to pass, though, and Mahomes were to be sidelined with injury for an extended period, Buechele’s inexperience could doom the Chiefs’ season. Even if the MVP starter were slated to return late in the season, any extended losing could cause problems for a team with perennial Super Bowl aspirations. With this in mind, it may make sense for Kansas City to explore the option of adding a seasoned veteran to at least compete with the 25-year-old Buechele for the backup role, even if only to make the third-year signal caller prove that he has what it takes to lead the team in a pinch.

Enter Marcus Mariota, the Heisman-winning former Tennessee Titan and Atlanta Falcon who dealt the Chiefs one of the most improbable playoff losses in franchise history in a game where he completed a touchdown pass to himself back in 2018. Freshly jettisoned from Atlanta’s roster after starting for the Falcons all season, Mariota may fit the bill for what Kansas City is looking for in a backup quarterback, even if only temporarily while the team feels out Buechele’s viability in the second-string role.

Mariota’s athletic ability is unquestionable, and the experience he might bring to the Chiefs’ quarterback room could prove to be an invaluable asset to Kansas City in a worst-case scenario. He is a proven leader who has fought through some less-than-ideal situations over the last few seasons, even if his play hasn’t necessarily warranted a starting spot in the NFL.

None of this is to say Buechele is incapable of filling in for Mahomes if needed, but given the Chiefs’ reliance on their backup in key situations in recent years, perhaps a more tested veteran could handle the role better. Mariota has shown shades of Alex Smith since his time at the University of Oregon years ago, and his mobility could be a plus for Andy Reid in game planning for a backup against the Chiefs’ fierce competition in the AFC.

The price would have to be right for general manager Brett Veach to entertain the idea, but if there is any doubt about Buechele’s capability to cut it as Kansas City’s next man up, a contract agreement with Mariota could save the Chiefs plenty of headaches should their quarterback situation take a turn for the worse.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwa53mtds520q2 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

Chargers’ 2022 season-in-review: Assessing the play of Los Angeles’ quarterbacks

The Chargers are in great shape at the quarterback position.

The quarterback position has never been as important as it is now across the NFL, and the Chargers have secured themselves a true franchise signal-caller in Justin Herbert.

His expert play in his third season as a professional football player helped Los Angeles achieve their first playoff berth since 2018 this season, though the outcome of their Wild Card matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars left something to be desired.

For his part, though, Herbert’s performance was exceptional. Throughout the regular season, he threw for over 4,700 yards and 25 touchdowns while only being intercepted ten times. He was also the team’s third-leading rusher by yardage but could not find the end zone on the ground.

While he might not have lit up the stat sheet as he did in his first two seasons, Herbert still put the team in a position to win weekly, despite dealing with fractured rib cartilage for most of the season, missing multiple starters throughout the year, and being hamstrung by an offensive scheme that did not tailor to his strengths. Nevertheless, Herbert did take a massive leap as a leader of the team and solidified himself as the face of the franchise.

Behind Herbert on Los Angeles’ depth chart is journeyman backup Chase Daniel, who has carved out quite a career since 2010. Daniel did not make a start this season but made four appearances, throwing for 52 yards and a touchdown on 12 attempts, mostly in garbage time.

This output from their quarterbacks should enable the Chargers to focus on other areas of their roster in the offseason as they look to assemble a team that can be a legitimate contender in next year’s playoffs.

They will need to extend Herbert at some point shortly to ensure his place in Los Angeles for the long term. Still, outside of that piece of housekeeping, the Chargers are set at the most crucial offensive position except for his backup, which will need to be addressed, given Daniel and Easton Stick are set to be free agents.

Report: Pro Bowl Saints guard Andrus Peat ‘week-to-week’ with pectoral muscle strain

Report: Pro Bowl Saints guard Andrus Peat ‘week-to-week’ with pectoral muscle strain

That’s not ideal, but it could be worse. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that the New Orleans Saints are expected to be without left guard Andrus Peat in Thursday night’s kickoff with the Arizona Cardinals; Peat suffered a pectoral muscle strain in Sunday’s tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals that has his availability “considered week-to-week” moving forwards. Any snaps played without the three-time Pro Bowl alternate are going to be rough, but that’s the reality for New Orleans.

With just a few days to rest up between their games in Week 6 and 7, the Saints are playing it conservatively with Peat and other players managing injuries. And it makes sense given his injury history. Peat tore a pectoral muscle last year that ended his season. Taking a safer approach to this should help avoid any aggravation that worsens his injury. Hopefully he and other injured starters like Jameis Winston, Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Marshon Lattimore will be ready to return after a longer break between Weeks 7 and 8 (when the Saints return home for a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders).

In the meantime, look for young backup Calvin Throckmorton to again step into Peat’s spot at left guard. The former Oregon Duck spent most of the 2021 season replacing Peat in the starting lineup, and though he isn’t a blue-chip talent he is a capable stand-in. He just needs to watch out for false start penalties that have been a recurring problem throughout his career.

As for Peat: this latest injury situation has led to some grumbling within the fanbase considering his contract status and past availability issues. Peat never played a full 16-game slate before the NFL expanded the regular season, and if he misses the Cardinals on prime-time as expected he’ll have appeared in just 26 of 41 possible games since 2020, including the playoffs.

Because the Saints restructured Peat’s contract early this year, he’s on the books with an $18.3 million salary cap hit in 2023. Releasing or trading him prior to June 1, 2023 would only save $1.3 million against the cap while leaving behind $16.9 million in dead money, so he’ll be in New Orleans for at least another year. It’s a shame that the conversations surrounding Peat have come to this rather than his impressive moments as a blocker (he was instrumental in setting up several Taysom Hill touchdown runs a week ago), but you can’t ignore the cap commitments going his way when he’s missing so much time with injuries. It’s an unfortunate situation for both the player and the team.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=117304]

Geno Smith never lost confidence in journey back to NFL starter

On Monday, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will become the first quarterback in 50 years to log an eight-gap between NFL starts.

On Monday night, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith will become the first NFL quarterback in 50 years to log an eight-year gap between season-opening starts. Originally selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, Smith has had quite the journey back into the spotlight.

“It was just the hard work and I understand that there has been a gap,” Smith said during his Friday press conference. “But I’ve never lost confidence in my ability or the things that I can do on the field. My first two years I had some really great games and put a lot of great things on tape. But I was able to grow over that course of that time just being with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers and then obviously being here with Russell.”

Smith has now come full circle, preparing to square off Monday night against the quarterback he was relegated to back up over the last three seasons. For Smith, his time over the years on the bench was all about the valuable lessons learned.

“All three of them are Hall of Fame quarterbacks in my opinion,” Smith continued. “And being in the room with those guys and just learning football, being in different football systems, being around different coordinators, I was able to gain a ton of knowledge.

“That really was the most important thing to me other than anything else.”

Smith and his Seahawks are set to kick off against the Broncos Monday at 5:15 p.m. PT.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbycpfe4qgv9nf6 player_id=none image=https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[lawrence-related id=93258]

Lewis Kidd is the only undrafted rookie to make the Saints’ initial 53-man roster

Lewis Kidd is the only undrafted rookie to make the Saints’ initial 53-man roster, but time will tell if he hangs on:

Former Montana State offensive lineman Lewis Kidd was the only undrafted rookie to make the New Orleans Saints’ initial 53-man roster on Tuesday, but time will tell if he hangs on. The Saints will continue to churn its roster over the next week and assemble their practice squad, with some players moving on and off the team in procedural moves. A couple of players will also go on injured reserve, where they can return to the active roster after being sidelined for at least four weeks (up to eight players can do this in 2022).

But Kidd is in a good spot. He impressed as a run blocker in preseason but needs to work on his pass protection reps, and he has time to improve behind Ryan Ramczyk and Landon Young at right tackle. With injuries thinning out the position group — backup left tackle Trevor Penning is one of those players who will miss time with an injury, while the starter, James Hurst, as well as Young have also been on the mend — retaining Kidd was an easy decision.

Hopefully he can continue to do his part to stick around. Kidd has held his own at right tackle after converting from left tackle in college (he has some experience lining up at right guard, which may have helped with the transition), and it speaks more to the strengths of the team than the quality of this year’s undrafted rookie class that he’s the last man standing. It’s possible the team ends up waiving him to try and sneak him on the practice squad after other squads are established around the league, but he’s passed the first test. It’s on Kidd to keep it up in the days and weeks ahead.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=115116]

Alexander Volkanovski quiere ser el peleador de reserva para la pelea de peso ligero de la UFC 280

Alexander Volkanovski, campeón de peso pluma de la UFC, tiene planes de ser una opción de emergencia para la próxima pelea para el título de peso ligero, solo en caso de que algo saliera mal antes de la UFC 280. El evento de pago por evento será el …

Alexander Volkanovski, campeón de peso pluma de la UFC, tiene planes de ser una opción de emergencia para la próxima pelea para el título de peso ligero, solo en caso de que algo saliera mal antes de la UFC 280.

El evento de pago por evento será el 22 de octubre en Abu Dhabi y el evento más esperado es la pelea por el título vacante de la división de peso ligero que se disputará entre Charles Oliveira e Islam Makhachev.

Volkanovski se rompió la mano izquierda en su reciente defensa del título contra Max Holloway en la UFC 276, y dice que planifica estar listo para subir al octágono en lugar de alguien y pelear por su segundo título de la UFC.

“Quiero volver a estar adentro”, fue lo que dijo Volkanovski en entrevista en el canal de YouTube de Daniel Cormier. “Aunque no lo crean, como yo sigo entrenando, en realidad estoy pensando que si necesitan a alguien de reserva, yo seré quien estará ahí. … Les digo que yo quiero estar ahí, quiero ser el de reserva. Voy a estar en suficiente forma, voy a tener el suficiente entrenamiento para estar en buena forma y lo haré. Soy ese tipo de persona.”

Siempre he dicho que me aseguraré de que nadie más me pueda quitar esa oportunidad. Porque si alguien más va y lo hace, ¿saben a lo que me refiero?, entonces me hace a un lado y entonces tengo que esperar aún más. Eso no me gusta. Estoy feliz de sentarme aquí y que si alguien se lastima o no llega al peso o lo que sea, yo me puedo colar.”

Si la pelea se realiza según los planes, Volkanovski también dio su predicción de quién cree que ganará la pelea y qué le pasaría a la división a partir de ese punto.

“Yo creo que si gana Charles, él peleará a principios del año que entra”, fue lo que dijo Volkanovski. “Si gana Islam, siento que sería más hacia mediados de año y yo no quiero esperar tanto tiempo. … ¿Que quién creo que se quedará con el cinturón después de esa pelea? Probablemente será Islam. Pero, estaré al pendiente en caso de que necesiten que entre en lugar de alguien”.

Volkanovski todavía tiene una férula en la mano lesionada, pero ha seguido haciendo lo que puede para mantenerse en forma para tener una oportunidad para el peso ligero. Mientras tanto, siente que algunos de sus compañeros de peso ligero cerca del grupo principal deberían hablar más sobre sus deseos de participar en la siguiente lucha por el título cuando él regrese a las 145 libras, incluso si eso significa una pelea por el título interino.

“Aquí estoy con la mano rota así que nadie me puede quitar mi lugar, pero entraría poco preparado”, dijo Volkanovski. “Aún así estaré preparado, pero estoy dispuesto a ser una peleador de reserva para los asesinos de la división de peso ligero para que nadie me quite esa oportunidad. … Estoy seguro de que no soy tan diferente, estoy seguro de que todos piensan así.

“Muéstrenme. Muéstrenme que ustedes creen en ustedes. Vayan y tomen el puesto No. 1, no me dejen oportunidad. Me quedaré aquí sentado y diré que ustedes son los campeones, ustedes tendrán esa oportunidad. Es así de sencillo”.

 

Artículo traducido por Ana Lucía Toledo

[lawrence-related id=49708,49703]

Colin Kaepernick: Could he fit for the Seahawks as a backup quarterback?

Now that he’s willing to return to the NFL in a backup role, is quarterback Colin Kaepernick a good fit for the Seattle Seahawks after all?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbycpfe4qgv9nf6 player_id=none image=https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick hasn’t given up his plans to return to the league but he has tweaked them just a bit. During an interview on the I AM ATHLETE YouTube channel on Monday, Kaepernick stated he’s willing to assume a backup role for now.

“Yeah. I know I have to find my way back in,” Kaepernick said. “So, yeah, if I have to come in as a backup that’s fine, but that’s not where I’m staying. And when I prove that I’m a starter, I want to be able to step on the field as such. I just need that opportunity to walk through the door.”

After re-signing Geno Smith on a one-year deal last week, the Seattle Seahawks now have three quarterbacks under contract heading into the 2022 season and are not likely to add another free agent to the mix this offseason. However, all that could change in an instant and Kaepernick could be just the man Seattle is looking for. Both have unfinished business.

“I’ve been to the Super Bowl; we were one play away,” Kaepernick said. “Well, I need to finish that. My mentality isn’t just to go out and compete. No, I want to win a championship. And I know that it may take different paths to get there, but I wholeheartedly believe I’m going to make that happen.”

[lawrence-related id=88018]

[listicle id=87325]

Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith to re-sign with Seahawks

Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith is re-signing with the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the last three years backing up Russell Wilson.

The Seattle Seahawks have now added another quarterback to the mix to spice up the competition this offseason. The latest signee is a very familiar face, however, having backed up Russell Wilson for the last three years. Free-agent quarterback Geno Smith is re-signing with the Seahawks as first reported by Jordan Schultz.

Smith was originally selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft out of West Virginia and played four seasons in New York. He next spent a year each with the Giants and Chargers before signing with Seattle in 2019.

Smith was called up last year when Wilson suffered his hand injury and completed 65 of 95 passes attempted for 702 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception.

[lawrence-related id=87683]

[listicle id=87325]

Seahawks hope QB Geno Smith signs to capitalize on chance to start

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hopes free agent quarterback Geno Smith re-signs with Seattle so he can capitalize on the chance to start.

Geno Smith finally has the chance he’s been waiting for . . . the opportunity to compete to earn the starting quarterback position. With QB Russell Wilson traded to the Denver Broncos and only a couple of QBs on the Seahawks roster, the spot is wide open for the taking.

However, Smith remains a free agent and has yet to sign a new contract with Seattle.

“It just hasn’t happened,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters at the league meetings this week in Palm Beach, FL. “It’s a negotiation . . . It would be a shame if he misses this opportunity. He has invested a lot with us, he knows our system the best. He performed well at it once he got going last year. Can he take off from where he finished up?”

Smith has been a steady backup for the Seahawks over the last three seasons, especially stepping up last year when Wilson suffered an injury to his throwing hand. Carroll is just hoping he can come to terms on a new deal to stay in the Emerald City and compete for a possible starting job.

“The opportunity he has been waiting for has finally arrived, so I just can’t imagine he’s going to miss it, but we’ve got to get it done still,” Carroll continued. “We’ve got to keep working it in case it doesn’t happen. We’re competing there.”

[lawrence-related id=86913]