Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Here are eight players that Philadelphia could consider as potential replacements for an injured C.J. Gardner-Johnson in the Eagles’ secondary
The Eagles could be without safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson for a few weeks after a test revealed that he suffered a lacerated kidney in the Sunday night win over the Packers.
Former Eagles star tight end Zach Ertz suffered a similar injury late in the 2019 season during a win over the Cowboys and was expected to miss the playoffs.
The NFL’s interception leader with six, Gardner-Johnson has been a stabilizing force at safety.
Here are eight potential replacements for Gardner-Johnson.
Six safeties the Philadelphia Eagles could target with the 2022 season opener approaching
The Eagles officially wrapped up the training camp portion of their practice schedule with a single-team session in Miami at the Dolphins training facility.
Philadelphia had already participated in one joint practice with the Dolphins when several players on their roster came down with a stomach bug, forcing a virtual meeting for Miami.
At the same time, for the Eagles, it was business as usual.
With the preseason finale set for Saturday, some of that business could include Philadelphia looking to upgrade the safety position with finals cuts and the season opener at Detroit approaching.
Marcus Epps has ascended to the top of the depth chart alongside Anthony Harris, while K’Von Wallace, Jaquiski Tartt, Andre Chachere, and Reed Blankenship battle to round out the depth chart.
If Howie Roseman isn’t entirely pleased with the direction of this unit, we’ve provided six veteran options to target as the season opener approaches.
The Detroit Lions 2022 draft class athleticism compares favorably to strong NFL players and gives an idea what might be on the horizon
The dust has settled on the second Detroit Lions draft class under Brad Holmes, and a theme is starting to become quite clear. Under the Holmes/Campbell regime, they value high character players, especially those who were team captains. On top of that, they covet prospects with primer athleticism.
Detroit walked away with one of the top athletic classes in the 2022 draft and will look to continue building its foundation with potential cornerstone players and strong depth rounding out the roster. We will get our first glimpse of these prospects with minicamp right around the corner, but what kind of comparisons can we make on these players?
Using Player Profiler’s best player comparison feature and the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) tool, we can create a picture of what we could expect from these prospects from an athletic perspective.
Here are the best comparisons for the Lions 2022 draft class.
7 toughest cuts from our Saints 53-man roster projection
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We’ve got less than a week to go until the New Orleans Saints cut their roster down from 80 players to just 53, which prompted a revised roster projection for Week 1 of the regular season. We’ve got enough data and exposure to the team to make some informed decisions but there’s enough time for some players to make their case for a roster spot. So some of these projections may end up looking far-fetched.
With that said: you can find the full roster projection in complete detail here, and a player-by-player summary here. Here are the seven roster cuts that were tougher than others:
The New Orleans Saints signed longtime Dallas Cowboys safety Jeff Heath, who led the Las Vegas Raiders with 3 interceptions in 2020:
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The New Orleans Saints have brought in another veteran to audition for a roster spot in their next preseason game. The Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Amie Just first reported that the Saints have signed free agent safety Jeff Heath, following a tryout alongside longtime Minnesota Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo.
Heath, 30, has already played eight years in the NFL — all with the Dallas Cowboys until 2020, when he joined the Las Vegas Raiders and led the team with three interceptions. He’s spent most of his snaps lining up free safety (63.5%, per Pro Football Focus charting), though he also ranked fifth on the team in special teams snaps played (279).
New Orleans’ top safeties have been active in practice, with Marcus Williams recently snagging an interception in team drills while Malcolm Jenkins and C.J. Gardner-Johnson continue to play heavy minutes. There’s a gridlock of young safeties behind All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray in rookies Deuce Wallace, Eric Burrell, and Bryce Thompson, so Heath adds some veteran experience to the mix.
It’s worth noting that the Saints didn’t re-sign D.J. Swearinger this offseason after he helped out a lot in the bottom of their depth chart in 2020, so maybe Heath has an opportunity to take that spot. Additionally, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport observed that Heath’s arrival could help the Saints maintain their practice rotation should dime back P.J. Williams have to go back to corner after converting to free safety. The Saints have taken a series of hits to the cornerbacks depth chart in training camp and may need the reinforcements.
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Raiders new CB Casey Hayward deal cheaper than FS Jeff Heath was set to make
Heading into the draft, there were still a few solid veterans on the market at the cornerback position. And many were still calling for the Raiders to make a move on one of them. The two names that were most associated with the Raiders were Casey Hayward and Richard Sherman, mainly because both played under Raiders’ new defensive coordinator, Gus Bradley.
The problem was, the Raiders had no cap room to add anyone. So, if they were to add someone, it would mean someone else had to go. And in order for the team to get a handle on just who should stay and who should go, they had to wait to see what they landed in the draft.
What they landed was the consensus best safety in the draft after trading up from No. 48 to No. 43 in the second round. With Trevon Moehrig now a Raider, it made Jeff Heath expendable. And days after the draft had concluded, they reeled in one of those veteran free agents still on the market, landing Casey Hayward and cutting Heath.
Heath’s release freed up $3.15 million in cap room in order to make it possible to sign Hayward.
With little to no wiggle room in terms of cap space for the Raiders, the details of Hayward’s deal pretty much had to be at very least an even swap. Turns out Heyward’s initial deal is slightly more affordable.
The former Pro Bowl cornerback will make a reported $2.5 million this season with incentives that could max out at $4 million.
Casey Hayward (Las Vegas Raiders) one-year maximum value $4 million deal includes $1M signing bonus, $1.5M base salary (fully guaranteed)
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) May 10, 2021
The net savings in terms of the cap hit right now is $650K. That seems like a pretty good deal for a longtime starter and former Pro Bowler who has been a key part of Bradley’s top-10 pass defense with the Chargers for four seasons.
Hayward will compete with Damon Arnette and Rasul Douglas for one of the Raiders’ starting cornerback jobs alongside Trayvon Mullen.
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Raiders releasing safety Jeff Heath after one season
On the same day the Raiders officially added free-agent cornerback Casey Hayward, they cut ties with one of their defensive back free-agent additions from last season. They are releasing safety Jeff Heath according to Tom Pellissero.
The #Raiders are releasing safety Jeff Heath on Wednesday, per source. He was the AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 10 last season. Now, set to be a free agent.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) May 4, 2021
It was just a few days ago Mike Mayock said Jeff Heath was the team’s starting safety.
“Jeff Heath, at this point, is our post safety,” said Mayock in his press conference following day two of the draft. “But [Trevon] Moehrig is a guy that we think can step in and compete at post safety.”
Moehrig was long considered the top target at free safety for the Raiders in this draft. They ended up landing him at 43 overall in the second round after trading up from 48 overall.
Moehrig was instantly considered the favorite to be the team’s starting free safety, but it sounded at least like Heath would see a similar role to the one he had last season as the next man up.
He led the team with three interceptions, with one of those on Patrick Mahomes to secure the Raiders’ big week five win at Arrowhead. The other two came in a blowout win over the Broncos in Week 10, earning him Defensive Player of the Week.
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When Rashard Higgins lost the ball through the end zone during Sunday’s postseason game, Dallas Cowboys fans knew exactly what would happen.
Cleveland’s Rashard Higgins was the central character in one of the most dramatic and talked-about plays of the divisional-round weekend. The Browns wide receiver was seemingly on his way to a late-second-quarter touchdown against Kansas City after hauling in a Baker Mayfield pass. Racing Chiefs defender Daniel Sorensen to the goal line, Higgins laid out, reaching the ball toward the corner pylon. The hit by Sorensen jarred the ball free. (Ignore Sorensen’s leading-with-the-helmet hit, because the refs did, too.) The loose ball skittered into the end zone, rolled around for an agonizing moment, and then tumbled out of bounds.
Much of the football-watching world held its breath waiting to see what the result of the play would be. But Cowboys fans already knew. They’d seen it before.
In Week 15 of the 2017 season, the Cowboys were visiting Oakland, hoping to keep their postseason chances alive by beating the Raiders. Dallas had moved into a 20-17 lead on a Dan Bailey field goal. (The infamous “index card measurement” from referee Gene Steratore gave the Cowboys a first down that had extended the go-ahead drive.)
Quarterback Derek Carr led the Raiders down the field in the waning minutes and appeared poised to re-take the lead with under a minute to play. On a third down call, Carr slipped away from DeMarcus Lawrence and Taco Charlton, who were quickly collapsing the pocket. Carr tucked the ball and took off for the corner of the end zone, some fifteen yards away.
Safety Jeff Heath launched himself at about the three. Carr extended the ball for the pylon. Fumble forward. Into the end zone. Then out of bounds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR8HhRLNX-E
Section 7 of the NFL rulebook covers fumbles. Article 3, Item 4 specifically addresses a fumble out of bounds in the end zone:
The Cowboys were awarded possession at the Raiders’ 20. They ran out the clock and won the game.
When the same thing happened to Cleveland on Sunday, the ensuing announcement from officials of a Kansas City touchback reignited a brief firestorm on Twitter over “the worst rule in football.”
The worst rule in professional sports. Brutal.
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) January 17, 2021
An offensive fumble in the opponents end zone giving the ball to the opposing team at the 20, is forever the worst rule in football! #Chiefs #Browns
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) January 17, 2021
Yes, my phone is buzzing from everyone who knows how I feel.
Worst rule in the rule book by far strikes again.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) January 17, 2021
from 2017: 5 ways the NFL could fix the much-dreaded Fumble Touchback Rule https://t.co/4tbOx9QmMD
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) January 17, 2021
The Browns, obviously, still had another half of football in which to recover, though the missed touchdown opportunity certainly changed the momentum and the team’s playcalling after the halftime break. The thought of a closer game where Kansas City is forced to play without Patrick Mahomes may indeed haunt the dreams of Browns fans for some time.
It won’t be the first heartbreaking fumble to snuff Cleveland’s postseason life. On the exact same date in 1988, running back Earnest Byner coughed it up at the 1, down by just seven points to Denver with 72 seconds to go and a trip to Super Bowl XXII hanging in the balance.
The rest of the world recalls that AFC Championship contest for “The Drive” engineered by Broncos quarterback John Elway. Browns fans instead look back in anger at “The Fumble.”
What a game… Hats off to the Cleveland Browns man…
We'll need to re-examine that fumble-out-the-end-zone-touchback BS… that's gonna haunt them like Byner.
— KD Drummond (@KDDrummondNFL) January 17, 2021
Even though Sunday’s call helped decide a playoff game, don’t expect there to be a rule change anytime soon, because, as many have argued, there isn’t a clear-cut alternative that seems fair to all parties involved. As Sports Illustrated‘s Dan Gartland points out, “Extending the ball near the goal line is a high-reward play, so why shouldn’t the risk also be high?”
Even if casual fans aren’t well-versed on the rule, most NFL coaches are. And they make sure their players know the dangers of reaching a live ball toward the goal line.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski is one of them.
“I will never ever doubt Rashard Higgins’ effort or our guys’ effort,” Stefanski told reporters after the game, as per ProFootballTalk. “Our rule there is not to reach the ball out when it is first and goal, and he knows that. Again, [I] appreciate his effort. He battled like he always does, but we have to fight that urge because it is such a big loss if it does end up being a touchback.”
For now, look for the apparent absurdity of the fumble-through-the-end-zone rule to be debated, at least by fans, and at least for a little while. Until, of course, it happens again.
Do I hate the rule? Yes.
Am I happy the rule existed when Jeff Heath did it to Carr? Yes.
— Corey Clark (@CoreyClarkRadio) January 17, 2021
That rule was only cool in Oakland in December of 2017.
— Blogging The Boys (@BloggingTheBoys) January 17, 2021
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Every week, there are players doing spectacular things under the radar. Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 10.
Every NFL season features a certain number of players who come out of nowhere to surprise and entertain at a level we did not expect. Perhaps they’re veterans for whom everything finally clicks. Perhaps they’re rookies who show that the NFL curve can be navigated at a quicker pace by some more than others.
Whatever the circumstances, there were several players who either expanded their 2019 performances, or came into the NFL as first-year players in 2020 and showed that they didn’t need a preseason to ball out at a professional level.
Here are the NFL’s Secret Superstars of Week 10.
Raiders have been extremely active in free agency. Raider’s wire grades every defensive signing in 2020.
The Las Vegas Raiders needed a boost on defense after finishing 19th overall in total yards but at the bottom of the league in efficiency rankings like DVOA. Mike Mayock went to work, working heavily to add players to the defensive side of the ball.
The Raiders kept free agents relatively young this offseason, and it is apparent on the defenders who were signed to contracts. Every defensive player signed at this moment averages the age of 26.3, adding a new wave of young talent. Mayock’s philosophy of making the Raiders younger and fresher to compete in the AFC is coming into fruition.
Even though nobody has played a down, let’s go ahead add grades to the players for good discussion.
Grade: A+
The sigh of relief from Raiders fans when they finally saw an excellent linebacker sign in free agency. Enter Cory Littleton, who has come to fill the void that has been missing for years in Oakland, a coverage linebacker.
Littleton in match coverage. Kittle becomes final 3 so Littleton runs underneath him and makes a nice out-of-phase play.
Sees Kittle gets his hands up and he gets his arm in between to knock the pass away. pic.twitter.com/Od1lB11fzd
— Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) March 22, 2020
Littleton is one of the best linebackers in pass defense in the league. PFF has graded him at an elite level at a 90.6 the past two seasons with him only trailing Lavonte David of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Littleton will be the new leader in the middle helping shut down tight ends and even can hang with quicker running backs.
This is one of the best signings in years, and the value was even better. Most people projected around $13 to $14 million, and the Raiders landed him 11 million base pay. Fantastic signing for the Raiders.
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