Marquez Valdes-Scantling picked the Saints over a surprise playoffs contender

Catching passes from Jayden Daniels on the NFC East-leading Commanders would have been fun, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling may have more opportunities in New Orleans:

Catching passes from Jayden Daniels on the NFC East-leading Washington Commanders would have been fun, but Marquez Valdes-Scantling may have more opportunities to make a play with the New Orleans Saints. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that Valdes-Scantling fielded interest from the Commanders and Indianapolis Colts, among other teams, but the veteran wide receiver picked the black and gold.

It’s easy to see why. Players want to play, and opportunities abound in New Orleans. Injuries have hit the Saints hard at wide receiver. Chris Olave is still working his way back through the NFL concussion protocol, and Rashid Shaheed is out for the season after knee surgery. Bub Means and Cedrick Wilson Jr. have each been listed on the injury report with ailments of their own. It shouldn’t take Valdes-Scantling long to climb the depth chart.

That’s certainly more appealing than competing with established weapons like Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz, Michael Pittman Jr., and Josh Downs for targets. Valdes-Scantling would’ve spent more time on the sideline in Washington or Indianapolis than he will in New Orleans. Young quarterbacks like Daniels and Anthony Richardson certainly have their appeal but what matters most is how often you’re in the game.

At the same time, it may have come down to money. We don’t know the terms of his contract, but if the Saints were the only team offering Valdes-Scantling a spot on their 53-man roster while other teams wanted him to start out on their practice squad, the difference is clear. Even a minimum salary of $1,125,000 for the season and about $66,176 each week outweighs the max he could hope for on a practice squad (up to $21,300 each week). NFL careers are short, and Valdes-Scantling owes it to himself to consider all factors when making a decision like this.

So now he’s in New Orleans. Fowler adds that Valdes-Scantling has already passed his physical and is getting to work on the playbook. The Saints have a game coming up quickly with the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday, and it would be great to see him in the mix right away.

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Is ESPN College GameDay coming to Wisconsin vs. Penn State in Week 9?

Is ESPN College GameDay coming to Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Penn State in Week 9?

The Wisconsin Badgers (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) exit Week 8 winners of three consecutive games — 52-6 over Purdue, 42-7 over Rutgers and a 23-3 triumph over Northwestern.

They return home to host No. 3 Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten) in Week 9. The game, which is a primetime national broadcast on NBC, has quickly become one of the biggest of the sport’s Week 9 schedule.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 8: Wisconsin makes a charge

Other notable matchups include Nebraska at No. 4 Ohio State, No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 24 Navy, No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon, No. 21 Missouri at No. 16 Alabama, No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt and No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M.

College GameDay will not be visiting any of the listed matchups. It also won’t be in Madison, Wisconsin for the Badgers’ big game against the Nittany Lions.

GameDay announced on Sunday that it would be traveling to Bloomington, Indiana for No. 13 Indiana (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) against Washington (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten).

Indiana enters off a statement 56-7 victory over Nebraska. Starting QB Kurtis Rourke was injured during the win, and is now expected to miss the Washington game. But that storyline won’t overshadow Indiana becoming the talk of the college football world.

Head coach Curt Cignetti has the Hoosiers on the doorstep of College Football Playoff contention in only his first season on the job — that after taking over a program that went 3-9 in the final year under Tom Allen in 2023.

Wisconsin could potentially host GameDay in mid-November when No. 1 Oregon comes to town. The Badgers would need a win over Penn State or Iowa, or both, in order to generate sufficient hype before the matchup.

For now, the Badgers are still a step away from the national spotlight.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Week 2 Washington college football round-up

How did the major college football programs in the Evergreen State handle the second week of the season?

We may be focused primarily on the Seattle Seahawks with this publication, but we love all football, especially college football. Each week, we at Seahawks Wire will give a quick round-up of how the major football programs in the Evergreen State did over the weekend.

Last week, it was a strong showing for Eastern, Washington State and Washington, who all went 1-0 at home. Central Washington did not play, but they had their first game this past weekend. Without further ado, here is the latest installment for college football round-up:

Eastern Washington University: Eagles lose 35-32 in overtime to Drake

  • Saturday was one of the sloppiest games I can remember watching the Eagles play. For large portions of the game, it seemed as if neither team wanted to win. Endless penalties, untimely turnovers and poor clock management on both sides had this game headed into overtime at 29-29 despite several lead changes. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs prevailed in the first meeting between these schools with a walk-off touchdown in overtime.
  • Next Up: The Eagles go on the road for the first time this season as they head to Hammond, LA to play Southeastern Louisiana. The Lions are 0-2 this year, and are fresh off a 35-10 loss last week.

Central Washington University: Wildcats lose 26-7 to San Diego

  • Saturday marked the season debut for the Wildcats, who were on the road to play the University of San Diego Toreros. Unfortunately, they traveled back to Ellensburg with a multiple-score defeat. Quarterback Kennedy McGill completed only 50% of his passes for 109 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
  • Next Up: Central will be back on the road to play Colorado Mesa University.

Washington State University: Cougars dominate Texas Tech 37-16

  • Unofficially the Mike Leach Bowl, the Cougars hosted the Red Raiders as the two teams the legendary Leach both coached. In Leach’s honor, Washington State absolutely dominated Texas Tech with an astonishing 301 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. WAZZU had built up a 27-10 lead at halftime and the game was essentially over from there.
  • Next Up: The Apple Cup at Lumen Field.

University of Washington: Huskies defeat Eastern Michigan 30-9

  • The Huskies have successfully defended home turf twice to start the season in the Jedd Fisch era. Their opponents haven’t been world beaters by any means, but they took care of business by beating two teams they should easily succeed against. Now, the Huskies will go “on the road” to Lumen Field to play the Cougars in an Apple Cup that has lost significant meaning thanks to the near-dissolution of the Pac-12.
  • Next Up: The Apple Cup at Lumen Field

More Seahawks Wire stories

Seahawks created $9.5m in cap space by restructuring DK Metcalf’s contract

NFC West Watch: Division went 2-2 in Week 1

Around the NFL: Russell Wilson likely to miss 2nd-straight game

Mike Macdonald offers honest evaluation of OL play in Week 1

Two Notre Dame assistants meet with top-rated 2026 recruit in Indiana

Will the Irish ultimately land his services?

[autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] came to Notre Dame with the promise of recruiting heavily within the state of Indiana. Recent recruiting activity by the Irish suggests they’re living up to that promise.

The top-rated Indiana recruit in the 2025 class, Jalen Haralson, will make his official visit to Notre Dame over the coming weekend. But even if the Irish don’t win his services, they have a backup plan.

Almost a year ago, the Irish made an offer to South Bend native Steven Reynolds III, who goes to Washington and is the top-rated Indiana recruit in the 2026 class according to 247Sports and On3. Perhaps because of the proximity, the Irish sent a pair of staffers to follow up with him Thursday:

https://twitter.com/jakeweingarten/status/1831807542244340168

Naturally, Reynolds has offers from multiple schools. Those include Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue and IUPUI. The Irish need to take every advantage they can in their effort to land him. Hopefully in the end, Reynolds’ South Bend roots will win out.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

What the trade for Elijah Molden means for the Chargers

Breaking down what the Elijah Molden trade means for the Chargers defense under coordinator Jesse Minter.

On Wednesday, the Chargers acquired defensive back Elijah Molden from the Titans, adding another versatile piece to the secondary.

Molden takes the spot vacated by JT Woods, who was waived on Wednesday after Los Angeles claimed Titans running back Hassan Haskins earlier in the day. A player like Molden is likely the ideal outcome the Chargers were hoping for when they moved Woods to corner midway through the preseason – the former Titan played almost the same amount of snaps in the box, at deep safety, and in the slot for Tennessee last season.

For Los Angeles, it also gives them four safeties they can truly rely on. Derwin James and Alohi Gilman have been penned in as the starters ever since Gilman re-signed with the team in March. AJ Finley took a massive step forward in training camp and earned the third safety job over Woods. But beyond that, the Chargers had Woods – who again, moved to corner – and veteran Tony Jefferson, who made the 53 off the back of a stellar performance in the preseason finale.

With Molden on the roster, they can now rotate James, Gilman, Finley, and Molden into different spots depending on matchups and disguises, a hallmark of the Jesse Minter defensive scheme. Molden’s experience as a starter – he started eight games for Tennessee last season – likely propels him into the third safety spot. That also has the consequence of pushing Finley back into a primarily special teams role, where he excelled in 2023. Los Angeles would have relied on Woods, who has struggled on special teams, in that role if the initial 53-man roster stuck.

But Finley has also played well enough to earn a role on defense, and it’s not out of the question that the Chargers could play three or even all four safeties together depending on the package. Dime packages could include Molden and James moving into the slot with Gilman and Finley as the deep safeties. James and Molden both can play in the slot, which will allow the defense to be much more multiple under Minter.

For as little as the Chargers gave up—NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that LA sent late-round draft compensation to the Titans—it may end up being a move that unlocks a new level of this defense.

Commanders GM Adam Peters on trading John Ridgeway III to the Saints

Washington Commanders GM Adam Peters on trading John Ridgeway III to the New Orleans Saints: ‘There was a lot of interest in him’

The New Orleans Saints agreed on a trade with the Washington Commanders to acquire John Ridgeway III, getting some help at defensive tackle with Khalen Saunders on the mend. On Wednesday, Commanders general manager Adam Peters shared his reaction to the move.

“There was a lot of interest in him,” Peters told ESPN’s John Keim. “Good opportunity for him to go somewhere and play more probably than here and a scheme that fits him a little more.”

Peters added that he thought Ridgeway had put together “some of his best tape” in the Commanders’ final preseason game with the New England Patriots. Ridgeway was their highest-graded defender in that matchup at Pro Football Focus, with an 87.0 overall player rating and three tackles (all solo defensive stops), plus a quarterback pressure. Not bad for a big nose guard.

Ridgeway has been an effective run-stopper for Washington the last two years, having played college football at  Arkansas before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys (who waived him during his rookie year). But the Commanders have made a lot of other investments in the trenches and they viewed this as an opportunity to get something back for a player it had cost them nothing to pick up. All it cost the Saints was next year’s sixth-round draft pick, but they’re getting back a seventh rounder, so really it’s nothing more than a pick swap.

Here’s the state of the Saints at defensive tackle once this trade becomes official:

  • On the 53-man roster: Bryan Bresee, Nathan Shepherd, Khalen Saunders (injured), Khristian Boyd, John Ridgeway III
  • On the practice squad: Kendal Vickers

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Chargers trade for CB Elijah Molden

The Chargers have added to their secondary.

The Chargers have added to their secondary.

According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Los Angeles has agreed on a trade with the Titans to acquire defensive back Elijah Molden.

In return, Tennessee is expected to receive a late-round pick, Rapoport added.

Molden reunites with CB Kristian Fulton, who also played with the Titans before signing with the Chargers in March.

Over the past three seasons, Fulton has appeared in 33 games (16 starts), posting 140 tackles, eight passes defended, five tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

Selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Washington, Molden finished with 153 tackles, 20 passes defended and five interceptions.

It’s safe to say Saints won draft-day Chris Olave trade

It’s safe to say the Saints won their draft-day Chris Olave trade. Washington just dealt another player they got with picks from New Orleans:

Well, it’s safe to say the New Orleans Saints won their draft-day Chris Olave trade with the Washington Commanders back in 2022. The Commanders traded another player they got with the picks New Orleans sold to move up for Olave in that year’s draft, parting ways with former first-round wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Meanwhile, Olave is coming off of back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

Remember, the Saints traded up to No. 11 in exchange for their picks at Nos. 16, 98 and 120. Washington made some other moves with those picks to acquire the following players:

  • WR Jahan Dotson
  • RB Brian Robinson Jr.
  • QB Sam Howell
  • TE Cole Turner

Two of them have already been dealt to other teams, with Dotson going to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. Howell was traded to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year. Turner has been limited to 22 of the last 34 games while Robinson has found moderate success as their lead running back.

And the Saints are continuing to lean on Olave. Guys like Rashid Shaheed, Juwan Johnson, and Alvin Kamara will demand targets but he’s by far the most-accomplished young player in the room. Olave is both the present and the future at wide receiver for the Saints and his usage will reflect that. Expect another big year for No. 12 in 2024.

It’s just a shame the Saints haven’t gotten similar production out of Trevor Penning, who they spent several future draft picks to acquire in a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Penning is fighting for a spot in the starting lineup after getting benched and moved from left tackle to right, which is disappointing no matter how you spin it.

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Another College Football Playoff projection leaves Notre Dame out

Stick this one on the bulletin board, too.

As we get closer to the 2024 season, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Notre Dame will need to prove a lot of people wrong. Even with the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams, no one is going to just let the Irish in. Some expert predictions in recent days are evidence of that.

Days ago, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm left the Irish out of his playoff projection. Now, you can add The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy to that list. Instead, he has the Irish facing Washington in the Holiday Bowl, a bowl the Irish haven’t played in before:

So again, the Irish find themselves on the outside looking in of one expert’s bracket. The past few days have given them a heavy dose of reality that they’ll need to win almost every game to give themselves a shot at making it. Hopefully, all of this will give them the motivation to do just that.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Washington-Washington State is most overrated Rivalry Week game

Skip this one at the end of November.

There surely are people in the Evergreen State who greatly look forward to Washington and Washington State battling it out every year. One can’t blame them with state pride on the line.

In spite of that, we’re here to tell you that when Rivalry Week wraps up the regular season, you’re better off watching another game. This game doesn’t deserve the hype it gets, especially with the Huskies fresh off coming within a game of a national championship and the Cougars going nowhere fast.

Of all the Power Five games that have been played consistently during Rivalry Week over the past decade or so, this is one of only two in which a team has won nine of the past 10 meetings. The Huskies are beneficiaries of that. The other features Virginia Tech’s dominance of Virginia.

One reason the game in the Pacific Northwest wins this regrettable battle is because the Cougars have achieved national rankings far more frequently than the Cavaliers. That being the case, it’s almost a given these days that the Hokies will beat the Cavaliers. One would expect in some years for the Cougars to beat the Huskies, but it’s just not happening.

Another reason is when the Huskies beat the Cougars, they typically dominate. That wasn’t the case in 2023 as the Huskies won by only three points, but it was their first single-digit win over the Cougars since 2010. The Cavaliers, by contrast, have lost to the Hokies by single digits four times during the same stretch.

So again, don’t waste your time watching this game between the two major Washington schools. Choose from one of the many others instead.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89