Tag: NFL

Raiders sign rookie tackle who Dane Brugler deemed mid-round draft worthy

Dane Brugler’s Scouting report put a mid-round draft grade on Gottlieb Ayedze. Now the Raiders get to see if he can live up to it.

This week the Raiders opened up a spot on the practice squad with the signing of CB Sam Webb. They have filled that spot with the addition of tackle Gottlieb Ayedze.

Ayedze was originally signed this offseason by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland. He landed on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) List heading into camp and never got a foothold before being waived at the final roster cutdown.

The 6-4, 308-pounder spent his first four college seasons as the full time starting left tackle at Frostburg State. He then transferred to Maryland as a fifth-year Senior and started nine games at right tackle for the Terrapins last season and was named Honorable Mention All BigTen.

In the leadup to the draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler put a mid-round grade on Ayedze. Here was his scouting report from his BEAST Draft Guide:

STRENGTHS: Offers functional size, strength and length for NFL trench play … doesn’t labor out of his stance and widens out mid-slide to help cut off cornering edge rushers … well-timed punch centers his target, but he can also recover and refit if his reach gets knocked away … has enough power in his upper half to turn and dump overeager blitzers, using their momentum against them … lateral quicks show on backside pulls and when working up on com bo blocks … shows adequate range when advancing on screens … keeps his head/eyes on a swivel to locate and react to extra pressures … a false start on t he Illinois tape was his only penalty in his lone FBS season…played primarily left tackle and right tackle over his career, but he also looked comfortable with his guard reps (19.3 percent of his 2023 offensive snaps came at right guard).

WEAKNESSES: More smooth than explosive as an athlete … needs to do a better job staying balanced in space to answer two -way rushers … improved sink at contact will help strengthen his anchor when responding to bull rushers … shows a little too much give when absorbing contact, allowing rushers to pry their way free … leans into his blocks in the run game but would like to see better leg drive and nastiness … core strength could use adjustments, s o he can better access power from different parts of his body … hand placement at the end of pulls tends to be inconsistent … only one season against top compe tition at the FBS level … missed the first two games of the 2023 season because of injury.

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Maryland, Ayedze played predominantly right tackle in offensive coordinator Josh Gattis’ RPO-heavy, multiple-run scheme. Despite only playing football for six years (one year of high school, four in Division II and one season in the Big Ten), he played well with the Terps, and several NFL teams bumped his draft grade between the summer and end of the 2023 season. Although he can use improved hip roll in the run game t o create displacement, Ayedze is efficient out of his stance and on the move, staying patient in pass protection to mirror rushers in smaller spaces. He started only one game at guard in 2023, but it came against Illinois — and he more than held his own against potential first-rounder Jer’Zhan Newton. Overall, Ayedze doesn’t have overwhelming size and needs to prove himself against NFL power, but he plays with control and several baseline traits that will translate well. He projects as a developmental guard who can play tackle in a pinch.

GRADE: 5th-6th Round

Most likely the Raiders liked Ayedze coming out of the draft, but their board took them elsewhere. The Raiders had already added a guard and a tackle on day two and once the draft was over had hoped to get Ayedze as an undrafted free agent, but the Eagles got him instead.

Ayedze’s injury never really gave him a chance to prove he belonged. Now healthy again, the will have that chance with the Raiders.

OL Jonah Williams’ return in 2024 after knee injury uncertain

Jonathan Gannon only would respond “We’ll see” to the question about whether Williams will return this season from his knee injury.

The Arizona Cardinals lost right tackle Jonah Williams to a knee injury after one quarter of play. He suffered a knee injury on the final play of the first quarter of the season opener and was placed on injured reserve.

The team has been coy about the possibility of his return.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon didn’t ease any concerns on Wednesday when he was asked about Williams’ potential return.

When asked if Williams would return this season, his only response was, “We’ll see.”

A response like that suggests that if a return is possible, it won’t be until much later this season.

Williams was signed to a two-year, $30 million deal in the offseason. Since he got hurt, Kelvin Beachum and Jackson Barton have both started at right tackle.

Beachum missed the game on Sunday with a hamstring injury. Barton started in his place and injured his toe in the fourth quarter. Charlie Heck finished the game at right tackle.

Beachum’s return will stabilize things at right tackle. But if he gets hurt again, that leaves the Cardinals with few options most would feel comfortable with.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

TV broadcast maps for Week 4 of NFL action

Here are the NFL’s TV broadcast maps for Week 4 of the 2024 regular season:

Let’s take a look at the television broadcast maps for Week 4 of the NFL’s 2024 regular season . . .

*Maps via 506sports.com

National broadcasts

Thursday night (8:15 p.m. ET): Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants (Amazon Prime – Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, Kaylee Hartung)

Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET): Buffalo Bills vs. Baltimore Ravens (NBC – Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark)

Monday night (7:30 p.m. ET): Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins (ESPN – Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky, Laura Rutledge)

Monday night (8:15 p.m. ET): Seattle Seahawks vs. Detroit Lions (ABC – Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters)

CBS (Early)

506sports.com

Red: Denver Broncos vs. New York Jets (Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Evan Washburn)

Blue: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers (Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins)

Green: Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans (Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty, AJ Ross)

Yellow: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Indianapolis Colts (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala)

CBS (Late)

506sports.com

Red: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)

Blue: Cleveland Browns vs. Las Vegas Raiders (Beth Mowins, Jay Feely, Ross Tucker, Tiffany Blackmon)

FOX

506sports.com

Red: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi)

Green: New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons (Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Megan Olivi)

Yellow: Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears (Adam Amin, Mark Sanchez, Kristina Pink)

Teal: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Carolina Panthers (Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston, Laura Okmin)

Blue (Late): New England Patriots vs. San Francisco 49ers (Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver)

Orange (Late): Washington Commanders vs. Arizona Cardinals (Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale)

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Seahawks to wear all-white uniforms for Monday Night Football vs. Lions

Seahawks to wear all-white uniforms for Monday Night Football vs. Lions

The all important uniform news for the Seattle Seahawks is finally upon us. On Wednesday morning it was announced by the team via their official Twitter account they will be once again donning their all-white away alternates for their Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football

This comes two days after learning the Lions will be debuting their black and blue “Motor City Muscle” alternates. Now, we know it will be a matchup between all black vs. all white. It actually ends up being a sort of quasi-role reversal for Detroit. Last week, they wore their all white uniforms against the Arizona Cardinals who wore all black. Now, they’re the team in black hosting a team in white.

Overall, the Seahawks have an all-time record of only 8-10 when wearing all-white uniform combo. Last year, they were 1-1 in the two games these threads were featured. Interestingly, the one win last season came in a 24-3 win over the New York Giants… in Week 4… on Monday Night Football.

This will mark the first time the Seahawks have been to Detroit without wearing their typical white jersey/blue pants away combo. Ever since this current uniform wardrobe was introduced in 2012, Seattle has made four trips to the Motor City, and all four times they wore the same uniform. Now, they are officially switching it up.

Unfortunately (for me) this does rule out my personal hopes of the Seahawks wearing their all-Action Green alternates. I feel like the bright neon green would contrast well against Detroit’s black and blue look. But alas, those uniforms will be saved for another day.

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Cardinals lose DL Justin Jones for season, sign DL Naquan Jones

Jones’ season comes to an end with a torn triceps and Naquan Jones returns to the Cardinals.

The triceps injury that Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman Justin Jones suffered on Sunday against the Detroit Lions will cost him the rest of his season. Head coach Jonathan Gannon told reporters Wednesday that his injury is season-ending.

The team then announced that Jones was placed on injured reserve.

Jones, who signed a three-year, $30.2 million contract with Arizona this offseason as a free agent, sees his first year with the team end with four total tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hit and a fumble recovery.

The Cardinals replaced him with another Jones they know.

They signed defensive lineman Naquan Jones off the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad to the active roster.

Jones spent time with the Cardinals last season on the practice squad and appeared in four games, totaling nine tackles, including one for loss.

He spent the offseason and preseason with the team as well, getting cut as rosters were trimmed to 53 players.

The 6-foot-3, 313-pound interior defender has been in the league since 2021. Between the Cardinals and Tennessee Titans, Jones has appeared in 36 games, starting eight, and has career totals of 62 tackles, seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks and two pass breakups.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Should we be more disappointed or more encouraged by the loss to the Lions?

Jess Root and Seth Cox talk about the Cardinals’ loss to the Lions in the latest edition of the podcast.

The Arizona Cardinals lost on Sunday to the Detroit Lions 20-13, allowing 20 first-half points and then holding them scoreless in the second half.

It was both frustrating and encouraging.

In this new edition of the podcast, cohost Seth Cox and I go over what didn’t go well for the Cardinals in their loss, what went well and then run down the injuries to think about and whether or not they are something to be concerned about.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Times and topics:

(1:00) What didn’t go well for the Cardinals in the loss

(21:30) What did go well for the Cardinals

(40:17) Injuries to know about

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TikTok video shows how D’Andre Swift’s glaring lack of vision has dramatically hindered the Bears’ running game

D’Andre Swift has easily been one of the biggest free agent busts this year.

Through three games this NFL season, the Chicago Bears have one of the league’s worst rushing offenses, bar none.

Chicago runners have combined for just 218 total yards while averaging an anemic three yards per carry. That’s good for 31st in the league on both counts. This utter lack of a running game has been a considerable detriment to Caleb Williams during his rookie season, as he’s been expected to put the Bears’ offense on his back much more often than the team initially hoped.

While it’s not necessarily all his fault, 2024 free agent addition D’Andre Swift might deserve the most blame for the Bears’ rushing offense’s struggles.

A new TikTok demonstrates how Swift continually ignores (or doesn’t see?) massive rushing lanes while running into defenders’ contact and … into his own teammates. It makes you reasonably think that if the Bears commit to another full-time starter, their rushing attack might not look this bad.

@joelvmoran

D’Andre Swift is one of the worst starting RBs in the league. He might be the worst #chicagobears #dandreswift #nfl

♬ original sound – Joel Moran

To be fair to Swift, it’s easier to see these kinds of open rushing lanes from an overhead view on film. When it’s happening in real time, everything is moving lightning-fast. It also doesn’t help that the Bears’ offensive line, especially on the interior, has mostly been a net negative so far.

However, Swift is a professional in the NFL.

He’s expected to see these lanes and use them. It is the bare minimum of his job responsibility. Because it’s clear that even awful offensive lines can sometimes give their running backs a good chance to make something out of a play.  Much less talented running backs do so all the time. Full stop.

The Bears host the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday. And they likely already knew about Swift’s issues before this TikTok came out. Here’s a good hunch that Swift will be benched before Chicago leaves September.

Nick Chubb is eligible to return next week; but will he?

Could the return of Chubb be near?

The Cleveland Browns have not had a successful rushing attack in over a year since the devastating injury to All-Pro running back Nick Chubb.

Now, they sit just one week away from him being eligible to come off of the Physically Unable to Perform list. This means he would be eligible for practice and to be designated for return. This is one step closer to the game field, but he would have to return to practice first.

The question is, however: will he?

Asked about it by the media on Wednesday during his media availability, head coach Kevin Stefanski was non-committal on his star running back and where he was at in his recovery. While Stefanski continues to add that Chubb is “doing well” in his recovery, the best answer the media got out of the head coach in regards to the status of his running back was a “we’ll see.”

So the suspense remains. The Browns could designate Chubb for return from the PUP list next week, or this could continue to linger. Your guess is as good as ours.

Myles Garrett set to continue to play through several injuries

The perennial All-Pro won’t slow down for injuries.

There is no talking Cleveland Browns defensive end and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett out of playing.

Despite being listed with three different injuries on the Browns’ report on Wednesday, suffering from ailments in both feet, his achilles, and his thigh, Garrett is set to continue to play through his injuries. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed this as well speaking to the media before Wednesday’s practice:

“Myles is determined to continue to play. He’s played through injuries in past.”

Despite playing through his injuries, Garrett is still performing like his normal self. Against Andrew Thomas of the New York Giants, one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL, Garrett racked up a massive seven pressures and three quarterback hits on the day. Getting set to take on the Raiders, Garrett now pulls in a more favorable draw.

Looking for answers and doing some soul-searching, the Browns can at least count on Garrett to be the same player and give it his all week in and week out. Expect more the same, whether hurting or not, from Garrett.

Browns place Pro Bowl guard on Injured Reserve; out at least 4 weeks

The Browns have lost another starting offensive lineman.

Taking another massive injury blow, the Cleveland Browns have placed right guard Wyatt Teller on Injured Reserve. This means that the three-time Pro Bowler must miss at least be sidelined for at least four weeks.

Teller left Sunday’s dismal offensive showing against the New York Giants with a knee injury after a field goal attempt in the second half. The Browns brought out the cart for him, but Teller opted to walk to the locker room under his own power.

The starting right guard for the Browns was diagnosed with a Grade 2 MCL sprain as a result of his MRI on Monday. The report was he could miss up to four weeks, and now Teller must miss at least four weeks after being placed on IR.

After his exit, rookie third round guard Zak Zinter took over duties at right guard. Expect the rookie to start the rest of the way out until Teller returns to the lineup from this knee injury.