Tag: Pro Dawgs

The Chicago Bears have been in turmoil throughout the 2024 season, sitting in last place in the NFC North and firing their head coach mid-year for the first time in the organization’s history. However, none of that has affected former Washington Huskies star Kyler Gordon.

A second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, Gordon has shifted to a full-time role in the slot and has quickly become one of the league’s best in the role. Despite missing two games with a hamstring injury, he has tallied 57 tackles, 3 for loss, 5 pass breakups, and 2 fumble recoveries on the season.

“It’s definitely tough, you know—being smart, and being eager like you said—so trying to figure out the in-between, not pushing it over the limit, but definitely testing out and just trying to make good progress on it,” Gordon said of the injury in November. “I want to be on the field back as fast as possible…I want to be out there and make plays, and have fun, and be out there with my brothers.”

However, he has returned to full strength and has been just as impactful despite the Bears’ seven-game losing streak. Gordon ranks No. 1 among all nickel defenders with 8 pressures while blitzing, holds an 84.3 run defense greade according to Pro Football Focus, which ranks No. 5 at his position, and sits at No. 7 among nickel corners with a 73.0 overall PFF grade.

Gordon will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and will be eligible for an extension with the Bears, which would be a wise choice for the organization. If he hits the open market, he would almost certainly be a sought-after commodity by any team looking for help in the secondary, whether it be in the slot or on the outside.

Cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. looks like he’s in line for a massive payday this offseason after pulling in his career-best sixth interception in the Minnesota Vikings’ 42-21 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

With 6:30 to play in the fourth quarter, the former Washington Huskies star and second-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2019 NFL draft corralled a poorly thrown pass by Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins that was intended for tight end Kyle Pitts in the end zone with just his right hand before taking a knee for a touchback. The Vikings would go on to pad their lead with a 15-yard touchdown run from running back Aaron Jones.

Murphy’s interception may have also added to the case for his fellow Husky, Michael Penix Jr., to get a shot at the starting job amid Cousins’ struggles. The 36-year-old was able to throw for 344 yards against the Vikings’ stout defense, but couldn’t find the end zone, throwing 2 interceptions on the day.

Cousins hasn’t thrown a touchdown since November 3, which greatly benefitted Murphy on Sunday, as he finished his day with 5 tackles and 3 pass breakups to go along with his interception.

Former Washington Huskies star Michael Penix Jr. has seen action in just two games during his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons: he made his NFL debut and came in in relief during a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos.

While sitting behind Kirk Cousins after being selected with the No. 8 overall pick may not have been the future Penix envisioned for himself during his final year with the Huskies, general manager Terry Fontenot has repeatedly stated he chose Penix when considering his team’s long-term future.

With the Falcons sitting at 6-6, tied for first in the NFC South, and coming off a 17-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, ESPN’s Mina Kimes believes it’s time for Penix to get his opportunity and infuse some life into a struggling Atlanta offense.

“I’ve felt like his physical limitations are holding this offense back,” Kimes said of Cousins on NFL Live. “You drafted Michael Penix Jr. No. 8 overall…I will criticize that decision infinitely more if they don’t give Penix a shot this season. You’re throwing away a season where not only do you have a chance to win the division, but you could potentially go farther if you see something with the young quarterback.”

Cousins, who is 35 years old and coming off a torn Achilles tendon, has looked the part of an ailing veteran for the majority of the season. He threw 4 interceptions in the loss to the Chargers and has thrown no touchdown passes and 6 picks in the last three weeks.

Despite being No. 5 in the NFL in passing yards with 3,052, the underlying numbers for Cousins are concerning to say the least, especially for a player who’s in the first season of a four-year, $180 million contract. He leads the league with 13 interceptions and has been able to muster a meager 21.4 points per game despite having a strong supporting cast around him.

Three of Atlanta’s final five regular season games are against some of the NFL’s worst defenses: the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers, and could give Penix a great opportunity to prove himself if head coach Raheem Morris and the front office feel that it’s time for a change.

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The Minnesota Vikings defense has thrived all season long under defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and former Washington Huskies star cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. has been critical to its success.

While facing off with his former team, the Arizona Cardinals who selected him in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft, Murphy hauled in his fifth interception of the season, marking a new career-high for the six-year player.

It came in a huge moment, too, as he picked off quarterback Kyler Murray on an overthrown ball on the second play of the fourth quarter, which directly resulted in a field goal to cut Arizona’s lead to 19-16. On their next drive, Sam Darnold hit running back Aaron Jones out of the backfield for a five-yard touchdown, giving the Vikings a 23-22 victory.

Murphy’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the 26-year-old is doing everything in his power to prove that he either deserves a hefty extension from Minnesota, or will command a sizable contract on the open market.

He’s now pulled in 8 interceptions over his two years with the Vikings, adding 21 pass breakups and a forced fumble, and has been an integral piece of Minnesota’s defense, as his team sits just one game behind the Detroit Lions in the NFC North.

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Former Washington Huskies star and Arizona Cardinals All-Pro Budda Baker has been nominated for the NFL’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award for the fifth time in his career. The former Husky was one of eight finalists for the award during the 2023 season and has been nominated for it for half of its existence.

The award, which was created in 2014, was named in honor of former Pittsburgh Steelers owner and NFL Hall of Famer Art Rooney. It is voted on by current players from around the NFL and is awarded to someone who demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game, and integrity in competition.

Each team nominates one player, and the 32 nominees are then whittled down to eight by the NFL Legends community, four from the AFC and four from the NFC. The finalists are listed on the ballot under the NFL Sportsmanship Award category when players also vote for the Pro Bowl and other honors in December. The winner receives a $25,000 donation to the charity of their choice from the NFL Foundation.

If Baker were to win the award, he would be the second Cardinal to be bestowed with the honor after wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald won it in the awards’s inaugural year.

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Despite moving to 11-1 with a 23-20 win over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day, the Detroit Lions have had some bad injury luck on defense this season. They’ve seen stars like Aiden Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone go down and have lost several other pieces, a trend that continued on Thursday.

Former Washington Huskies star defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike was among the players who needed assistance getting off the field and missed the second half after being ruled out with a hamstring injury.

After the game, head coach Dan Campbell offered an update on Onwuzurike and fellow defensive lineman Josh Paschal.

“I feel like it’ll be okay,” he said. “It could be a little bit. They could be down for a bit.”

Onwuzurike had played in every game this season after missing seven contests in 2023 and the entire 2022 season with various injuries. He has 19 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 10 quarterback hits on the season and is finally becoming the player the Lions hoped he would when the organization selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.

The Lions have Super Bowl aspirations this season, and the 6-foot-3, 290-pound defensive lineman has shown to be an important piece of the puzzle up front. He now has a week to recover before Detroit’s next game, when they play on Thursday for the second week in a row, on December 5 against the Green Bay Packers, and then has until December 15 to rest when the Lions take on the Buffalo Bills.

Even if he has to miss a few weeks, Onwuzurike may be able to return for a stretch run as Detroit looks to lock up the No. 1 spot in the NFC and the coveted bye week that comes with it.

After a stellar final season with the Washington Huskies that saw him finish second in voting for the Heisman Trophy and get selected No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons, Michael Penix Jr. hardly imagined he’d be spending his rookie season on the bench.

However, because the Falcons had signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180-million deal six weeks prior, that’s where he’s found himself to start his NFL career.

In a conversation with SportsCasting.com’s DJ Siddiqi, Penix described the adjustment to his new role.

“It’s not much of a mental adjustment; obviously, it’s just physical,” Penix said. “You’re not out there. I still have the same mentality, just make sure I’m ready each and every day as if I was a starter. I’m always going to be ready. Mental aside, I still have that drive and determination to be great. In order to do that, I have to be ready for my moment. So I stay ready.”

Penix has been ready for his moment on a Falcons team that has struggled at times and has appeared in two games in his first season. He made his NFL debut against his former offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, and the Seattle Seahawks and also showed up briefly at the end of a blowout loss to the Denver Broncos.

But as he waits his turn, Penix said he’s plenty learned from the veteran Cousins, who is in the midst of season No. 13 and was reportedly shocked when Atlanta selected the former Washington star.

“We didn’t really talk about the draft,” he said. “It happened, there’s nothing we can do about it. Our conversations are all ball, things that will help our team win football games, and he’s been a great person in the quarterback room. Anytime I have a question, he has answers, he asks me questions, and I’ll have answers. We work together. At the end of the day, our goal is to help this team win football games.”

Read Penix’s full interview with DJ Siddiqi here.