Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Steelers are keeping second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph on the bench and starting undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges for the second consecutive game Sunday as Pittsburgh (7-5) visits the Arizona Cardinals.
The Steelers are keeping second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph on the bench and starting undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges for the second consecutive game Sunday as Pittsburgh (7-5) visits the Arizona Cardinals.
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the team has been grooming rookie Travis Homer to take over as the team’s primary kick returner.
On Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks receiver Tyler Lockett’s role was limited to just his duties as the team’s primary receiving option.
Typically, Lockett is also responsible for returning both punts and kicks, a role he has held ever since he was an All-Pro special teamer back in 2016, his rookie season.
However, after suffering a lower leg injury in Week 10 against the 49ers, Seattle decided to let David Moore return punts and rookie running back Travis Homer return kicks, giving Lockett a bit of a breather.
Homer in particular looked excellent on his one return opportunity, gaining 29 yards. It has been a long time coming to see him in that position, and coach Pete Carroll made it clear it won’t be the last time we see him back there.
“We’ve been grooming Homer for some time now,” Carroll said on Monday. “We’ve been really wanting him to take this spot for us and be a kickoff return guy. He got one good shot, and he just roared it up in there just like you like to see. I like the fact that he’s a running back and he has all of the skills and training to take care of the football and all that, and he really hits it. He had a 29-yard return and smoked it up in there really nice.”
The Seahawks talked a lot in the preseason about transitioning Lockett away from return duties in order to preserve his health, but it took a scary leg injury for them to actually make moves – a sign they may not have felt Moore and/or Homer were ready.
They both looked ready on Sunday though, and it’s possible they take those jobs and run with them for the rest of the season, freeing up Lockett to focus exclusively on the Pro Bowl caliber season he’s having as a receiver and limiting injury risk for the veteran.
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The New Orleans Saints scheduled a free agent workout with former Cincinnati Bengals LB Curtis Akins, after Stephone Anthony was injured.
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The New Orleans Saints may be considering their options at linebacker, at least near the bottom of the depth chart. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the Saints scheduled a workout with free agent linebacker Curtis Akins, a rookie out of Memphis who spent the summer on the Cincinnati Bengals’ 90-man roster. Akins is listed at 6-foot-1, 229-pounds and timed the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at his pro day. He led the Memphis Tigers defense in total tackles in both 2017 (88) and 2018 (100).
NFL teams typically work out free agents on Tuesdays, giving them an opportunity to update in-house scouting reports and consider all available options. So don’t be shocked if more reports come in with other free agent linebackers making the trip to New Orleans.
What caused the Saints to go down this route? They’re set at the top of the depth chart with Demario Davis, Kiko Alonso, and A.J. Klein, but may have an opening among their backups. Linebacker Stephone Anthony has become a core special teams ace for the Saints (and first-year special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who he played for last year with the Miami Dolphins) but he limped off the field on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers. Anthony was spotted walking into the blue medical tent, leaning on teammates, though he later exited it and was seen running on the sideline.
If Anthony is hurt, it makes sense for the Saints to bring in free agent linebackers who would also help out on special teams. Whether Akins or someone else could resolve that issue is up in the air, but New Orleans is running short of options. They’ve lost four linebackers to injured reserve this year including a starter (Alex Anzalone) and a rookie backup (Kaden Elliss). Hopefully Anthony is fine; if not, Akins may end up being the best option.
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The New Orleans Saints picked up a game-changing talent in Deonte Harris, and if he keeps it up, he might make franchise history.
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The New Orleans Saints didn’t have much to hang their hats on during last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, but one player remained a bright spot: rookie return specialist Deonte Harris. Harris picked up 19 yards on a timely punt return and had his best game as a kickoff returner (bringing back four of them for 109 yards) in the loss, doing his part to give his team good field position.
What’s impressive is that this is who Harris has been all season. He’s the only player in the NFL to record 200 or more yards returning both punts (he has 232) and kickoffs (309). It’s rare to see a player impact both areas so well, especially as a rookie. And it’s not like he carries an elite NFL pedigree as a former five-star recruit; he’s a product of Assumption College, a small school in Worcester, Mass. While he stunted on that lower level of competition (earning the NCAA all-division record with 14 combined touchdown returns along the way), the ease of which his skills have translated to the NFL might be unprecedented.
His performance so far stands out well in the context of Saints team history. The 232 punt return yards he’s logged through nine games are the fourth-most in a single season for New Orleans since Sean Payton was hired as head coach, surpassing Reggie Bush’s own rookie production in 2006. He’s on pace to collect 412 yards on punt returns, which would be the best total in Payton’s era and the fifth-most in franchise history. It’s a long shot for him to unseat Michael Lewis’s 2002 season (his 625 punt return yards and 1,807 kick return yards earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition), but it’s obvious that Harris can’t be completely ruled out.
Talk about hitting on an undrafted free agent signing. And these numbers don’t account for a long punt return touchdown Harris scored against the Chicago Bears but lost on a dubious holding call that still vexes his coaches. He’s a player who’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball; hopefully the Saints can start to involve him on offense.
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Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.
The Ohio State product made his first NFL start in Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Bills (6-3) with season starter Case Keenum in concussion protocol. In the debut start for the Redskins (1-8), Haskins completed 68.2 percent of pass attempts (15 of 22) for 144 yards without throwing an interception. He was sacked four times for a loss of 28 total yards.
Haskins also came off the bench this season versus the Giants (2-8) and after Keenum was injured versus the Vikings (7-3). The 22-year-old was the Redskins’ 2019 first-round draft pick and Callahan said Monday that he knew he would make a long-term decision, but wanted to have a conversation with the QB first.
The Redskins host the Jets (2-7) Sunday.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.
Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is going to run the Redskins offense for the remainder of the season, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.
