Tag: Pro Dawgs

When the Chicago Bears selected Rome Odunze with the No. 9 overall pick in April’s draft after his stellar career with the Washington Huskies, general manager Ryan Poles expected the 2023 consensus All-American to form a dynamic combination with the top pick in the draft, quarterback Caleb Williams.

While the two have shown exciting upside, as Odunze ranks second on the team in receiving yards (701), third in receptions (51), and fourth in touchdowns (3), the Bears have struggled. Part of that is due to playing in the toughest division in football, with the NFC North holding three playoff teams, but Chicago’s coaching staff has done its young, promising roster no favors.

The 4-11 Bears have fired head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and thanks to Williams, Odunze, and that young roster, it will be the most desired job in the NFL coaching carousel. According to recent reports, the two most notable names on the market are interested in what the Bears have to offer.

Pete Carroll

According to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the longtime Seattle Seahawks coach and father of Huskies offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll is intrigued by the job.

His defensive-minded philosophy would go a long way toward helping former Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon establish himself as one of the NFL’s top defensive backs but would need to make a top-notch offensive coordinator to help build the future of the franchise.

Ben Johnson

Instead of making Carroll search for an offensive coordinator, the Bears could go after the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator instead. Johnson has become the most-coveted coach on the market over the last few seasons, but he has been very patient about his first head coaching position.

“My understanding is: Johnson is intrigued by the Bears’ job and he is going to be willing to listen,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said over the weekend. “There’s a lot to like in Chicago, with Caleb Williams, tons of cap space, extra draft resources. Also, a major market and they’re expected to break ground on a new stadium next year.”

Either hire would be a strong one for the organization, which can’t afford to make another hire like Eberflus, who went 14-32 in his tenure, after drafting several strong building blocks.

Trent McDuffie has quickly established himself as one of the best playmaking cornerbacks in the NFL. In just his third season, the former first-round pick and Washington Huskies star has already won two Super Bowls and was named to the All-Pro First Team in 2023.

In 2024, he’s determined to secure his third championship and second All-Pro nomination. McDuffie has already tallied a career-high 12 pass breakups, but until a few weeks ago, had struggled to force any turnovers after forcing 6 fumbles in 2023, mainly because teams have refused to throw the ball in his direction.

Against the Cleveland Browns on December 15, he hauled in his first career interception and followed that up with his second just six days later. Now, playing on Christmas Day against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he forced his first fumble of the year.

Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, the Steelers were facing a third and 15, and quarterback Russell Wilson chose to dump the ball off to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Even though Friermuth is seven inches taller and more than 60 pounds heavier than the cornerback, McDuffie showed no fear and went straight at him.

He was able to rip the ball away before it was recovered by linebacker Nick Bolton, which set up a 12-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce, sealing a 29-10 win for the Chiefs, and the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

McDuffie finished his day with 4 tackles and a pass breakup to go with the forced fumble.

Sometimes, it just isn’t your day. That’s how the Chicago Bears matchup with the Detroit Lions on Sunday started for former Washington Huskies star wide receiver Rome Odunze.

Not only did he fumble on his first touch of the game, but the No. 9 overall pick in April’s draft put the ball on the ground again on his second.

While quarterback Caleb Williams was credited for the first fumble on a handoff to Odunze, the 2023 consensus All-American bobbled the ball on a jet sweep, which was recovered by the Lions and turned into 7 points for Detroit.

“I’m not sure, honestly, I’ll have to go back and watch the film,” Odunze said after the game when asked what happened on the exchange. “I’ve just got to secure it before I run.”

The second fumble came when coach Dan Campbell’s defense swarmed Odunze on what would have been a 19-yard gain on a screen play. However, Lions defender Mitchell Agude came in and punched the ball out from behind, which Detroit turned into a field goal.

Those struggles may have gotten to plenty of player throughout the league, but not Odunze. For the man that didn’t miss a single game after suffering a broken ribs and punctured lung for the Huskies in 2023, the word quit is simply not in his vocabulary.

“I’m not going out there trying to make up for anything,” he said. “I just play the next play and try and do my job on the next down and I think when you do that things come to you and plays come to you.”

Odunze put the tough first quarter behind him and showed why general manager Ryan Poles made the right decision to select him. Just three minutes into the second quarter, Williams connected with Odunze over the middle for 15 yards on third and eight while fighting through a pass interference call against Lions safety Brian Branch.

On that same drive, on a crucial fourth down play, Odunze hauled in a diving catch for 13 yards to extend a drive that ended in a touchdown pass from Williams to tight end Cole Kmet.

And, just like that the woes of the first quarter were behind the rookie, who finished his day second on the team in receiving yards, only behind Pro Bowler Keenan Allen.

In the third quarter, he showed of his quintessential self on another fourth down conversion when Williams sailed a pass down the sideline and on a 50/50 back-shoulder ball, Odunze did what he does best, and came down with a contested catch.

The two-time All-Pac-12 First Team honoree wound up with 4 receptions on 7 targets for 77 yards and the two critical fourth down conversions in a 34-17 loss to the NFC North-leading Lions.

In a roller coaster of a game, the best players find ways to overcome adversity, which is exactly what Odunze did on Sunday. His history has shown that his first quarter was nothing more than an anomaly and shouldn’t keep him from his promising future.

Without former Washington Huskies tight end Cade Otton, who missed the game with an injury, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield relied heavily on another former Husky, wide receiver Jalen McMillan, on Sunday Night Football.

Although the Buccaneers lost 26-24 to the Dallas Cowboys, McMillan continued to show that he could be an integral part of offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s passing game moving forward. He finished his night with 5 catches for 57 yards and a touchdown, his fourth score in the last three weeks and his fifth of the season.

The score came on an impressive sliding catch just before halftime, where Mayfield found the rookie while rolling to his right from 11 yards away to cut Dallas’ lead to 20-14.

“That’s how we practice it,” McMillan said after the game. “It was just a zone route and there was a big hole that they left in the middle and I settled, and Baker just dotted it up for me.”

NBC’s broadcast crew sang McMillan’s praises throughout the night, and according to color commentator Cris Collinsworth, Buccaneers All-Pro receiver Mike Evans called the third-round pick the best rookie route runner he’s ever seen.

In the fourth quarter, Mayfield took a deep shot for McMillan in the end zone but slightly underthrew him, and the rookie, who had to slow down and come back for the ball, had it wrestled away by Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis.

“I went over the defender to try and catch it, I had it, but as we fell he just made a good play and ripped it away from me,” McMillan said. “Props to him, you can’t really get everything but I wish I had that back.”

After a slow start to the season, McMillan has come on very strong in recent weeks and is up to 27 receptions for 336 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first NFL campaign.

Before earning the first interception of his NFL career off quarterback Jameis Winston in the Kansas City Chiefs’ 21-7 win over the Cleveland Browns on December 15, Trent McDuffie had gone 1,498 days between picks. Now, he’s gotten a taste for it.

In the second quarter of the Chiefs’ Saturday matchup with the Houston Texans, quarterback CJ Stroud was under heavy pressure and tried to get the ball away to his favorite target, Nico Collins, but McDuffie dove in front of the errant pass.

Unlike his first pick, where McDuffie said he used the jumbotron to help him locate the ball, he didn’t need much help to secure Stroud’s second interception of the first half.

“The funny thing is, for whatever reason, I somehow gazed up at the jumbotron because it was a scramble drill,” McDuffie said of his first interception. “I just saw him launch it and I was like, ‘That’s to my side, so let me turn my head around.’

“I could just tell by the way [receiver Michael Woods II] was running and his eyes, he was kind of lolling around. I just peeked. I was like, ‘All right, let’s do it.’”

The pick set up a Harrison Butker field goal to give the Chiefs a 17-10 lead at halftime.

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When the Atlanta Falcons selected Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick just six weeks after giving 36-year-old veteran Kirk Cousins a four-year, $180-million contract, general manager Terry Fontenot said it would be a “good problem to have” if the former Washington star didn’t see the field until the end of his rookie contract.

However, less than a year into the deal, the organization has admitted its mistake and according to a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, will cut Cousins after the season, officially making Penix the team’s quarterback of the future.

“[There is] a widespread expectation across the league that the Falcons will not be able to trade Cousins and will have to release him before March 17, when his $10 million roster bonus for the 2026 season comes due,” Schefter said in the report. “There is no need for the Falcons to absorb any more costs for a quarterback who they have paid $90 million for 14 games.”

Cousins has struggled mightily throughout his only season with the Falcons, leading the NFL with 16 interceptions while throwing for 3,508 yards and 18 touchdowns. However, over the last five weeks, as Cousins’ mobility concerns coming off a torn Achilles tendon have worsened, he has thrown just 1 touchdown to 9 interceptions in a stretch where the Falcons have gone just 1-4 since November 10.

Despite the struggles, Penix said he was able to learn a lot from Cousins ahead of his first NFL start on Sunday against the New York Giants.

“Just the way he processed, the way he speaks to the team in meetings on the field, just the command he has to the offense, getting things the way that he wanted so that he could play fast,” Penix said. “I look up to Kirk and to be honest, Kirk couldn’t do no wrong in my eyes, so it was like, dang, when I saw him in camp leading all the way up through the season, he’s special.”

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The Atlanta Falcons made a change at quarterback, moving from Kirk Cousins to Michael Penix Jr. with one goal in mind, making the playoffs. Sitting at 7-7, the Falcons are on the outside of the NFC playoff picture looking in and will need to win out to have any shot of making the postseason.

That path isn’t necessarily impossible, with a fairly easy schedule with the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, and Carolina Panthers ahead. If Penix can lead the Falcons to the playoffs, he’ll be in a class of his own.

According to CBS Sports’ Doug Clawson, no first-round quarterback since 1970 has made their first career start in Week 16 or later with a playoff spot on the line, giving Penix a chance to rewrite history.

Atlanta has the weapons necessary for Penix to find success right away, with a strong offensive line and a supporting cast full of productive playmakers like wide receivers Drake London and Darnell Mooney, running back Bijan Robinson, and tight end Kyle Pitts.

Penix’s arm talent and ability to breathe life into one of the NFL’s most stagnant offenses could help the Falcons run the table to close out the regular season, but to reach the playoffs, they might also need a little help. The easiest path to making the playoffs would be by winning the NFC South, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who hold a one-game lead in the division, have a similarly easy schedule.

Tampa Bay will close out the regular season with the Dallas Cowboys, Panthers, and New Orleans Saints, and is favored in all three contests. If Penix can win his first start against the Giants, that will put a lot of pressure on him in Week 17 against the Washington Commanders.

At 9-5 and led by quarterback Jayden Daniels, who beat out Penix for the Heisman Trophy in 2023, the two teams are set to meet in primetime on Sunday Night Football. However, the Commanders will meet the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, and although they have already locked up the NFC East, the Eagles have a chance at the No. 1 seed in the NFC and will be looking to make a push to secure that against Daniels’ team.

Everything seems to be leading up to a riveting matchup between Daniels and Penix next Sunday, and the former Husky star will have a chance to exact revenge on the LSU quarterback for beating him out for the Heisman.

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