DeAndre Hopkins’ PED suspension is terrible timing for Kliff Kingsbury, Cardinals

Can’t collapse down the stretch if you stink in September.

The Arizona Cardinals are doing work to dominate the NFL’s wide receiver discourse over the past week. Not in a good way, mind you.

Four days after trading a first-round pick for Marquise “Hollywood” Brown — a wide receiver who ranked 103rd in the league last season with 6.9 yards per target — the Cardinals wound up in the spotlight again. Monday, the league announced five-time All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins will be suspended for the first six games of the 2022 regular season after violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.

It’s a damaging blow in what’s been the nadir of a stellar pro career. Hopkins had season-long lows of just 42 catches and 572 receiving yards after playing only 10 games in 2021 due to injury. As a result, he missed Arizona’s first playoff appearance since 2016 — an uncompetitive 34-11 loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.

Hopkins’ scheduled absence puts an even greater spotlight on the Brown trade. The former Raven and first-round pick is coming off a season in which he recorded his first 1,000-yard campaign, despite only having starting quarterback Lamar Jackson in the lineup for 12 games.

However, his 1.71 yards per target ranked 36th among 46 receivers with at least 100 targets last season. That was almost a yard less than Hopkins averaged in 2022 — and that was one of his least efficient seasons as a pro. It was also 10 spots lower than Christian Kirk, the Arizona wide receiver who left for a four-year, $72 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars this spring.

If Brown can’t replace Hopkins’ production, things could go very poorly for a Cardinal team stuck in the same division as each of the NFC Championship Game finalists. Arizona went 3-5 last season in the 10 games Hopkins missed, though it’s fair to note those came late in the season. Falling apart once the weather turns cold has become an unwelcome tradition for head coach Kliff Kingsbury. He’s just 8-17 over the final eight games of the regular season and playoffs in his three seasons leading the Cards.

Arizona may not get the chance to fade down the stretch if Hopkins’ absence prevents the team from shining at the start of the season. Without the team’s presumptive WR1 in the lineup, Kyler Murray’s wideout cache currently looks something like this:

  • Brown
  • Rondale Moore
  • AJ Green
  • Andy Isabella
  • Antoine Wesley
  • Andre Baccellia

That’s not awful, but there’s a limited amount of looks Kingsbury can throw out there based on what we saw in 2021. Brown was mostly a short-range target for Baltimore. Moore (average pass depth: 1.4 yards downfield) was DEFINITELY a short-range target. Green was a 32-year-old, useful deep/intermediate threat who faded as the season went on (10.6 yards/target and a 67.4 percent catch rate in his first eight games, 8.0 yards/target and 51 percent catch rate in the final eight).

Hopkins averaged nine yards per target depth in his Cardinal debut in 2020 and upped that to more than 12 last season. That flexibility is vital to opening up the rest of the field for the players around him. In short, no one on the roster, either in 2021 or 2022, can do what he does.

This means Brown will have to step up, but also that 2022 second-round draft pick Trey McBride will see plenty of action early in two-tight end sets bookending Zach Ertz. Ertz was solid in his first half-season in Glendale, putting up a full-season pace equivalent to an 87-catch, 887-yard campaign in his 11 weeks as a Cardinal. He’s also going to turn 32 years old this season and was limited to only three catches for 21 yards in his team’s playoff loss.

McBride can bring instant relief as a guy who had 1,121 receiving yards in 12 games for a very bad Colorado State team last season. He’ll be relied on to get loose up the seam in order to clear space for Brown to smash toward big gains in the middle of the field.

Kingsbury came into the season with a hot seat, despite an 11-win campaign and a playoff berth, thanks to his inability to make adjustments as the season goes on. Now, he’s been tasked with making some major changes to start the year and heavily incorporate a brand-new wideout and rookie tight end in order to mitigate the loss of one of the NFL’s best receivers.

That would be a lot for even a proven head coach to handle. If Kingsbury can’t rise to the occasion, it could halt Arizona’s playoff streak at one — and portend doom for a flashy coaching hire who is great at winning games in September but unable to push through adversity later in the year.

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Baseball fans were shocked to learn that MLB isn’t drug testing players during the lockout

The Steroid Era, Part II.

Just when it seemed that Major League Baseball had already reached its peak incompetence, another wrinkle manages to appear.

As you probably know, MLB is well into a lockout that has a delayed spring training and start to the regular season looking inevitable. The league and the MLBPA have made little progress in talks, and last week’s meetings ended without a counter offer from MLB. But on Monday, the Associated Press pointed out another issue stemming from the work stoppage:

Baseball isn’t drug testing its players during the lockout.

According to AP, MLB stopped testing players for the first time in 20 years after the drug-testing agreement expired this offseason.

While this doesn’t mean that baseball will become the PED free-for-all of Steroid Era again, it does create a concerning window of test-free time for players. The lockout started on Dec. 2 — just as the testing agreement also expired — so some players could potentially choose to use PEDs for offseason training and be clean by the time the testing agreement gets renewed.

The news understandably surprised baseball fans, and some thought it meant that baseball was permanently ending drug testing (it is not). Either way, it was quite the development given how Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were recently shut out of the Hall of Fame. Classic MLB.

Former Seahawks WR Josh Gordon files for reinstatement to NFL

Former Seattle Seahawks WR Josh Gordon has once again filed for reinstatement to NFL after his indefinite suspension for repeated violations.

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon has once again filed for reinstatement to the National Football League.

“Josh Gordon officially has submitted his reinstatement letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and hopes to be with a team for training camp, per a league source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Friday. “The NFL has been randomly drug testing Gordon for the past three months and is said to have passed all tests.”

Gordon was suspended indefinitely in December of 2019 after repeated violations of the NFL’s policies on substance abuse and performance-enhancing substances. He was granted conditional reinstatement last December, but it was rescinded just over one month later due to allegations Gordon had experienced a “setback” in his recovery.

If reinstated, Gordon would become an unrestricted free agent.

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Seahawks DE Damontre Moore suspended 6 games for PED violation

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Damontre Moore has been suspended six games for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Just one day after the Seattle Seahawks’ dominant 37-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the team received some bad news from the NFL regarding defensive end Damontre Moore.

Moore has been suspended for six games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Moore recorded a QB hit and a tackle for loss against the 49ers. He also performed well in the Oct. 11 matchup against the Vikings, notching a sack and a forced fumble.

This marks Moore’s second suspension since arriving in the NFL, having been suspended for two games in 2017 during his time with the Cowboys. The incident triggering the suspension occurred during his first stint with the Seahawks, in which he was arrested for DUI.

As a result of his latest suspension, Moore will not be eligible to return to the active roster until Mon., Dec. 14

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Seahawks re-sign WR Josh Gordon, who is waiting on reinstatement

The Seattle Seahawks have re-signed wide receiver Josh Gordon, who is waiting on reinstatement from violating the NFL’s drug policies.

Veteran wide receiver Josh will once again play for the Seattle Seahawks. Seattle and Gordon have already worked out a deal he has signed for as soon as he is reinstated into the National Football League. David Canter, Gordon’s agent, tweeted the news Thursday morning.

Gordon was on Seattle’s roster for five games last season before he was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse and performance-enhancing drug policies after testing positive for a banned substance and a masking agent. He was then suspended indefinitely by the NFL.

He submitted his application for reinstatement in June and it is going “very well,” per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Gordon must be reinstated before he can play this season.

Gordon started one of five games played for the Seahawks in 2019 and logged seven receptions for 139 yards.

This story is continuing to develop.

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Jaguars DL Josh Mauro suspended 5 games for PED violation

The Jags defensive line took another blow to their regular season depth Friday, this time due to suspension.

According to an NFL spokesperson, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive lineman Josh Mauro has been suspended for five games without pay for a violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

Mauro was signed by the Jaguars on Aug. 11 after recently being with the Oakland Raiders. He has been in the league since 2014, previously spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants. Mauro added a veteran presence on the defensive line now currently in the wake of the retirements of Rodney Gunter and Aaron Lynch.

Mauro joined the Jags on a non-guaranteed one-year contract worth $910,000. He will forgo approximately $182,000 of salary for the 2020 season. Mauro will be eligible to practice this preseason and will be eligible to make his return after the Jags’ Week 5 game against the Houston Texans (Oct. 11).

Mauro is the second player on the roster to receive a regular season suspension for PEDs as defensive tackle Carl Davis will have to deal with one, too. His suspension terms will be for four games, making him eligible to return after the Jags’ Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Former Seahawks DT Al Woods agrees to terms with Jaguars

The Seattle Seahawks are now without their second member of the offensive line, with Al Woods agreeing to terms with the Jaguars.

Former Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Al Woods has come to terms with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a tweet from his agency, Sports Trust Advisors.

Woods becomes the third Seahawks unrestricted free agent to find a new home this offseason, following the footsteps of defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson and tackle George Fant.

The Seahawks always seem to find veteran nose tackles to sign to cheap, one-year deals, and Woods played that role perfectly last year. In 14 games, Woods recorded 32 combined tackles, one sack and two fumble recoveries.

He ended his tenure in the Emerald City on a sour note, however, getting suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, causing him to miss the team’s final two regular season games, as well as both playoff contests.

Now he is off to Jacksonville, leaving Seattle’s interior defensive line a little thinner as they head into the second week of free agency.

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Bryan Mone recalled from practice squad to replace Al Woods

Undrafted free agent defensive tackle Bryan Mone was recalled from the Seattle Seahawks practice squad to replace the suspended Al Woods.

The Seattle Seahawks recalled defensive tackle Bryan Mone from the practice squad to take the place of veteran Al Woods, who was suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.

Mone, an undrafted free agent out of Michigan, began the season on Seattle’s roster and played in three games. He recorded three combined tackles, all in Week 1 against the Bengals.

Now, he’ll look to fill the role of nose tackle and run-stuffer vacated by Woods, who is not eligible to return from suspension until the third game of the playoffs, should Seattle still be playing.

“He’ll just step right in,” coach Pete Carroll said of Mone on Friday. “He’s tough. He’s physical. He’s got a great motor for chasing the ball for such a big man. We’re always showing his highlights. I think I had three highlights on yesterday from just his effort in practice. So, that’s kind of who he is. The players are fired up that he gets a chance to help us right now.”

Mone will get his first NFL action since late September when the Seahawks host the Cardinals on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT.

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