If you thought the NFL was going to slam the hammer down on the Atlanta Falcons for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy, you were sadly mistaken. The NFL announced Thursday that it’s docking the Falcons a 2025 fifth-round pick for their actions. Additionally, the franchise … FLOWERY BRANCH, GEORGIA – MAY 14: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons speaks to the media during OTA offseason workouts at the Atlanta Falcons training facility on May 14, 2024 in Flowery Branch, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images If you thought the NFL was going to slam the hammer down on the Atlanta Falcons for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy, you were sadly mistaken. The NFL announced Thursday that it’s docking the Falcons a 2025 fifth-round pick for their actions. Additionally, the franchise received a $250,000 fine, and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot was fined $50,000. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk blasted the NFL for this weak punishment. “The NFL took only a fifth-round pick and imposed minimal fines on the Falcons for tampering with THREE DIFFERENT PLAYERS,” Florio said. “Message to league = tamper away.” Most NFL fans agree with this take from Florio, which isn’t something we say often. “Unserious penalty,” one fan said. “I’d run it back.” “A tap on the wrist,” a second fan wrote. “Not even a slap.” Another fan tweeted, “Law and Order in America is non existent. It’s all Mad Max Fury Road now.” It’s hard to blame fans for feeling this way. Stripping the Falcons of a fifth-round pick isn’t exactly going to teach them a lesson. The Falcons, meanwhile, said in a statement they’re “pleased” that the NFL’s review is complete. Well, of course they are. “We are pleased this review is complete,” the Falcons said. “We cooperated fully with the league and its review, and appreciate the NFL’s thoroughness. As we do with every process, we will review how we operate and look for ways to improve.” After seeing how the NFL handled this situation in Atlanta, it wouldn’t surprise us if teams intentionally violate the league’s anti-tampering policy in 2025. Related: NFL Announces Punishment For Falcons For Kirk Cousins Signing
NFL Fans Not Happy With Punishment Given To Atlanta Falcons
Colts announce signing of ex-Rams CB David Long Jr. for final practice squad spot
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The Colts have added a former All-Big Ten standout to bolster their secondary depth with their final practice squad spot. On Monday, the Indianapolis Colts announced the signing of former New York Giants cornerback David Long Jr. for the final spot on their practice squad: We have signed CB David Long Jr. to the practice squad. — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 2, 2024 The All-Big Ten standout for Michigan, who was a former 2019 NFL 3rd round pick, has also played with the Los Angeles Rams (*where he began his career), Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and Green Bay Packers organizations. At 5’11,” 196 pounds (with 30 3’4” arms), the 5-year veteran has 96 tackles (82 solo), an interception, and 8 passes defensed during 66 career games (12 starts). He appeared in 14 games (2 starts) last season for the Raiders, Panthers, and Packers organizations collectively, recording 19 tackles (15 solo), and a pass defensed. Long doesn’t have the prototypical size and length that the Colts covet from their cornerbacks, but he’s gritty, physical, and competitive—and can also contribute on special teams—which is the type of player a general manager likes for those last few roster spots, particularly on a practice squad. Here’s his former NFL.com draft profile overview from 2019: Overview Death, taxes and David Long sitting under a receiver’s chin waiting to jam and bully the release – all three are inevitable. He lacks height, length and makeup burst, but it is hard to find tape where those areas came back to haunt him very often. He’s patient from press, stays connected to routes underneath, but may have to adjust to off-man and prove he can withstand vertical challenges against taller targets. He’s not as long, loose or fast as teams like, but he’s a consistent cover man with the talent to find reps early in his career. He’s not the impact ‘veteran cornerback addition’ that most Colts fans were envisioning this offseason, but he does provide experience to the tail-end of their cornerback depth chart—if he’s ever elevated from their taxi-man squad on game day.
Raiders offense: Abundance of caution shows how integral Brock Bowers will be
Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers hauls in a pass against the Minnesota Vikings during the two team’s preseason game on August 10. Bowers lined up at fullback and caught the pass in the flat on this play. | Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images Talented rookie being held out of practices with a foot ailment, but should be ready to go in season opener The absence of Brock Bowers at practice due to a foot injury was eyebrow raising, to say the least. But fear not, says Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce. The Silver & Black’s prized first round pick from the 2024 NFL Draft is slated to be a full go come Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. “Yeah, just precautionary. He got a foot injury, and we just want to protect him,” Pierce said two week ago. Asked about the No. 13 overall pick missing practices last week and Pierce sounded confident the tight end will be ready to go against the Bolts. “Yeah, I feel really good about that to be honest. Just again, I’m going to go back to protecting the young guy. Sometimes you get in the league, you have got to be smart and sometimes you have got to protect them from themselves. So, that’s all it is.” Every preseason play for Brock Bowers. More blocking than Fantasy drafters would probably prefer. Maybe the Raiders just wanted to test him out in that regard. Zero snaps with Week 1 starting QB Gardner Minshew. pic.twitter.com/5klGMIrRm4 — Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) August 26, 2024 That abundance of caution just goes to show how integral Bowers is to the Raiders’ offense and plans this coming 2024 campaign. It became clear from the time the Georgia product stepped onto the practice field for Las Vegas, the Raiders have something special on their hands. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds with soft hands, the ability to run crisp and sudden routes, and smooth running like a full-speed gazelle, the tight end has nightmare matchup written all over him. Bowers has the skillset to compliment fellow young tight end Michael Mayer (second year as a second-round pick (No. 35 overall) out of Notre Dame in the 2023 draft) and be a true weapon in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s 12 personnel package. As a Bulldog, Bowers lined up all over the field and wasn’t solely relegated to the traditional in-line tight end spot. He lined up at the slot and the perimeter — areas normally reserved for wide receivers — and even in the backfield. Georgia was intent on maximizing the return on investment (ROI) it got from Bowers and Las Vegas would be wise the do the same. We saw some of it in preseason action. Without a traditional fullback on the roster — a break in Raiders longtime tradition — both Bowers and Mayer lined up as lead blocker. And it was Bowers who hauled in a pass out of the flat as fullback on a play action play against the Minnesota Vikings. That has potential to cause headaches and mistakes from opposing defenses as Bowers has shown he is an asset and not a liability as a blocker (both as pass protector and lead in the ground game) so making him position versatile by lining up in the backfield will force the opposition to adjust — or else. Brock Bowers The Raiders plan to utilize Bowers in a non-traditional TE role. Similarly to how Travis Kelce lines up everywhere in the Chiefs offense… This is GREAT for fantasy. Took LV about 5 snaps to launch Bowers from the fullback position. Epic.pic.twitter.com/GXNce0G3lU https://t.co/xDIG6DOyoU — Joe Orrico (@NoExpertFF) August 12, 2024 While having Bowers line up in a variety of spots in a multitude of formations may be juicy for fantasy football junkies, it’ll also make Las Vegas offense more potent overall. The 21-year-old rookie (not 22 until December 13) offers the ability to line up at outside receiver, in the slot, in-line and split end. He offers truly “move” tight end skill sets. This was done a lot in practices and preseason and it’ll be intriguing to see it come to fruition during the regular season. “Just a dynamic player that’s doing a good job just from a mental standpoint,” Pierce said of Bowers. “Everything that we’re asking him to do, he’s doing, and he’s not blinking. Not a lot of mental errors, not a repeat offender. Going to get better each and every week.” But here lies the rub: Las Vegas can line Bowers up where ever it wants, but can it get the talented rookie the football? Gardner Minshew is well aware he’s at the point of the Raiders attack and he has shown a penchant to get the ball to his playmakers over the course of his career. Minshew’s improvisational skills when plays break down can help create even more plays. But it’ll be up to the offensive line to give Minshew time to find the receiving targets at his disposal which not only include Bower and Mayer, but also elite wide receiver Davante Adams, reliable wideout Jakobi Meyers, and speedster Tre Tucker. The Raiders may be intent on getting the ball in the talented rookie tight end’s hands due to special yards after the catch capability, but will Minshew have the time and acumen to not only find Bowers, but the other receivers, too? The first opportunity to answer that question comes on the road at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. against the Chargers on September 8.
What is Bills LB Matt Milano’s injured reserve status in 2024?
What is #Bills LB Matt Milano’s injured reserve status in 2024? What is Bills LB Matt Milano’s injured reserve status in 2024? Nick Wojton While it’s a bummer that the Buffalo Bills will be without linebacker Matt Milano for the start, and most, of the 2024 NFL season… there was good news to be found. During the NFL’s roster cut-down day, the All-Pro linebacker was placed on injured reserve. As were running back Darrynton Evans and offensive lineman Travis Clayton. But IR has layers. Clayton (shoulder) will not play in 2024. The England international was considered a long-term project piece regardless. In a new rule for this season, NFL teams were allowed to place two players on IR ahead of roster cut-down day. Previously they had to make the 53-man roster then be placed on the injury designation if their season was not over. Not anymore, which allowed Buffalo to move Milano (and Evans) to an important placement. Milano (bicep) and Evans (hamstring) were slapped with the “designated to return” status. That means Milano could still be back even though he’s on IR. That’s a good update. Milano’s future outlook remains murky as he’s labeled as “out indefinitely,” potentially until December… time will tell. Bills Wire will provide all injury updates throughout the 2024 NFL season.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73560161/2166778823.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Forecast for the Vikings’ 2024 Season")
Forecast for the Vikings’ 2024 Season
Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images The Minnesota Vikings are officially into Week One of the 2024 NFL season and its time to make some predictions about how this season will play out for our favorite team. Past Track Record This will be my ninth prediction over the past ten seasons, having abandoned any prediction in 2016 after Teddy Bridgewater went down just prior to the start of the season. Here are the results: 2015 Prediction: 10-6. Actual: 11-5. Preseason over/under: 7.5 2016 No prediction after Bridgewater went down. Acutal: 8-8. Preseason over/under: 9.5 (pre-Bridgewater injury). 2017 Prediction: 12-4. Actual: 13-3. Preseason over/under: 8.5 2018 Prediction: 13-3. Actual: 8-7-1. Preseason over/under: 10 2019 Prediction: 11-5. Actual: 10-6. Preseason over/under: 9. 2020 Prediction: 11-5. Actual: 7-9. Preseason over/under: 8.5 (March) 2021 Prediction: 13-4. Actual: 8-9. Preseason over/under: 9. 2022 Prediction: 12-5. Actual: 13-4. Preseason over/under: 9.5. 2023 Prediction: 11-6. Actual: 7-10. Preseason over/under: 8.5. Last season’s prediction turned out to be four games too high and was easily attributable to Kirk Cousins going down to injury during Week 8, and to a lesser extent Justin Jefferson also missing half the season. My predictions are always made under the assumption of something close to “normal” in terms of injuries over the course of the season and losing a starting quarterback for half the season typically has an adverse impact (though not in 2017) and isn’t a ‘normal’ injury scenario for any team. I suspect if Cousins had not been injured, however, the Vikings would’ve ended pretty close to my 11-6 prediction, so I continue to like the process I’ve used the last two seasons in making my forecast. The 2024 Consensus View The over/under win total for the Vikings this season by oddsmakers suggests a 7-10 record is the most likely outcome for the Vikings this season, although I’ve seen one or two lower than that. A rough consensus is a 6.5 over/under win total for the season. If anything, national pundit predictions come in lower than that, confirming that oddsmakers and national sports media take a dim view of the Vikings’ 2024 season. Clearly starting quarterback Sam Darnold is the primary reason for the dim view of the Vikings’ prospects this season, coupled with more excitement around all of the Vikings’ NFC North rivals. But whatever the reason, the Vikings have been written-off as also-rans for the 2024-25 season. From a division perspective, the Lions are +140 to win the division, followed by the Packers at +200 and the Bears at +275 followed by the Vikings after a substantial gap down at +950. Analyzing the Changes from Last Season In analyzing the changes for the Vikings since last season, I consider the following major components: roster changes, coaching/scheme changes, sustainability factors such as outliers in injuries, turnovers, and other luck factors, and finally strength of schedule. I then assign a positive or negative win factor for each component to arrive at the net change in wins from the previous season. Roster Changes Here is a breakdown of roster changes for the Vikings since last season, by position group, along with a positive (+), negative (-) or about the same (=) assessment of those changes relative to last season. Quarterback (=). If we are comparing Kirk Cousins to Sam Darnold, this would be a downgrade. But the relevant comparison is Kirk Cousins, Jaren Hall, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens to Sam Darnold, as those were the guys who played quarterback for the Vikings last season. And given that, an equal comparison is the most appropriate. Darnold isn’t likely to be as good as Cousins (although he has that upside), but he’s likely better than the backups that played just over half the season last year too. I did a piece a week or two ago on Sam Darnold, outlining his previous performance and issues going forward, along with the positive team factors he has with the Vikings. Clearly Darnold is in the best situation he’s ever had as a starter in terms of the players around him, but he also has better coaching and play-calling- something I didn’t go into as much in that piece. But consider these are the offensive coordinators and play callers for Darnold since he entered the league, with head coaches listed if offensive-minded: 2018: Jeremy Bates. Bates has not coached in the NFL since. 2019-2020: Adam Gase (head coach) and Dowell Loggains (OC). Apparently both Gase and Loggains called plays for the Jets, depending on the situation (red zone, two-minute, goal line, run, pass, etc.). Loggains and Gase have not coached in the NFL since. 2021: Matt Rhule (HC) Joe Brady (OC and playcaller) and later Jeff Nixon. Brady was fired mid-season and replaced with Jeff Nixon. Brady didn’t coach for a year but then became OC for the Bills in 2023. Nixon was demoted back to running backs coach in 2022 before being fired. He became running backs coach for the Giants in 2023 and was fired now coaches at Syracuse. 2022: Matt Rhule (HC), Ben McAdoo (OC). Rhule was fired after the 2022 season and now coaches at Nebraska. McAdoo was also fired, did not coach in 2023, and is now a Senior offensive assistant with the Patriots. Of all these coaches, only Joe Brady remains a key part of an NFL coaching staff. Brady was a rookie OC when he coached Darnold. So it’s not too much to say that not only did Darnold not have good coaching, he had a collection of the worst offensive coaches in the NFL in recent years. As a result, Darnold has said in the past he often felt he had to do it all, primarily because he didn’t have much quality help either from the coaching staff or the team around him. Now Darnold said he feels more like he just needs to distribute the ball effectively and everything else will take care of itself, relieving a lot of pressure he was feeling in previous stops as
Ravens restructure Roquan Smith’s contract to create extra salary cap space
Ravens restructure Roquan Smith’s contract to create extra salary cap space glenn erby We previously wrote about Baltimore needing to get salary cap compliant before Thursday’s season opener against the Chiefs, with GM Eric DeCosta having several options at his disposal. DeCosta used one on Monday, restructuring the contract of All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, freeing up close to $5 million in salary cap space. Roquan Smith approaches the game with an intense mindset, always playing with anger and never showing signs of weakness. The star linebacker was acquired by the Baltimore Ravens from the Bears in 2022, and since then, he has recorded over 245 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions and earned a 75.0 grade from PFF in 25 games. Smith had 84 solo tackles, 74 assists, 1.5 sacks, and one interception in 16 games in 2023, and he’s the best leader the Ravens have had since Ray Lewis retired.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links: John Randle Provides Comedic Relief in his “Keys” to the 2024 Season
Pundits rightfully have pointed out the Vikings will go as far as Sam Darnold’s right arm will carry them | Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports One of the Vikings’ defensive GOATs remains entertaining in retirement We made it. We’re finally to the week before Week 1! We can call it….Week 1 eve!? I don’t think that’ll catch on. But in order to get into the spirit, why don’t we try to get inside the head of one of the most vocal leaders in franchise history — none other than John Randle: On this Purple Friday, please consider my keys to the NFL season! @Vikings @NFLLegacy @ProFootballHOF @CruxCigars pic.twitter.com/pMPUKjHH2S — john randle (@johnnyrandle93) August 30, 2024 Basically, it’s just a light-hearted post as we, as fans, get amped up for a season that has a wide variety of different possible outcomes. ESPN released its team-by-team breakdown over the weekend — and it. is. massive. Like most publications, the Worldwide Leader is down on the Vikings, ranking them 26th while raining pessimism on the Vikings for reasons such as quarterback and strength of schedule. NFL team previews 2024: Predictions, rankings, depth charts In other words — nothing you haven’t heard already. But with that said, all of this seems to point to the idea that the Vikings’ chances will ride or die with Sam Darnold’s right arm. And that pessimism seems…..fair. Minnesota Vikings News and Links Speaking of Darnold — wouldn’t a “HEY DARNOLD!” meme be fun, like move it football-head! — Matthew Coller has a great story over at Purple Insider about how it’s more or less now or never for Darnold. It’s Sam Darnold’s time to fulfill his potential The concept of a former No. 3 pick needing to get their act together in Year 7 is hardly a unique concept — unless you mean that they’re even getting that chance again that far into their career. But Coller has a fascinating deep dive on what’ll go into making Darnold’s season a success — and here’s a hint: a lot of it has to do with how he grows under his head coach in 2024. You knew we had to have a reaction to Mike Zimmer going bonkers on the Star Tribune, right? Zulgad’s reaction to Mike Zimmer’s candid interview with the Star Tribune Aforementioned interview Zimmer left virtually no stones unturned in his long-form conversation with Mark Craig, ranging from how he felt about his firing, having Eric Kendricks in the middle of yet another one of his defenses to how relationships with him and his players have deteriorated over the years. I’d like to tell you it’s a feel-good read based on how it starts — but I don’t think I can. Over at Zone Coverage, site founder Tom Schreier wonders if Kevin O’Connell is up to a tall task — leading a team that lost its starting quarterback, a draft pick in a car accident, and perhaps its entire identity as KOC. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s remake of the roster appears to be about halfway through. Can Kevin O’Connell Inspire Hope After A Trying Offseason? Still, KOC remains positive — and that alone is a big first step, especially when considering the team is the consensus pick to finish fourth in a four-team division. Over at the main site, Craig Peters has his weekly mailbag — this time in advance of Week 1. Monday Morning Mailbag: Vikings Enter Week 1; Quarterback Shuffle One thing Peters addresses is the Jaren Hall situation, as the quarterback was waived in favor of Brett Rypien. While Peters suggests the Hall situation wasn’t fully played out — more on that in a minute — he also notes his trust in the team’s leadership to find players who fit their system. And it’s one Rypien has played in with the Rams — where KOC came from before being hired. In the news Jaren Hall landed with the Seahawks on Monday, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Hall will join the team’s practice squad, and be behind Geno Smith and Sam Howell on the team’s quarterback pecking order. Given the way the team’s depth chart looks, Hall could be elevated to third quarterback on game days — and perhaps it isn’t the worst landing spot as neither are locks to be NFL-caliber quarterbacks in the medium-ish term. MarShawn Lloyd practiced for the Packers on Sunday, and looks like he may be ready to go Friday for the opener after having spotty availability all summer. We’ll be watching closely to see how the Packers replace Aaron Jones this season with a combination of Josh Jacobs and friends. The Giants signed cornerback Adoree’ Jackson over the weekend, and it seems like this is the cascade effect of the Vikings signing Stephon Gilmore a little while back. A lot of times, veteran player gluts at a position just need one player to sign to get the trickle opening back up again. Jackson was not particularly good last season for the Giants, ranking 71st out of 72 cornerbacks with at least 400 coverage snaps with a PFF grade of 45.9. For some context, Akayleb Evans was the Vikings’ worst-graded corner with at least 400 snaps (52.6). Again, we all know the rules, but in case someone is new: No discussion of politics or religion No feeding of the trolls Leave the gender hatred at the door Keep the bad language to a minimum (using the spoiler tags, if you must) Speaking of which, if discussing a newer show or movie, please use spoiler tags No pictures that could get someone fired or in serious trouble with their employer If you can’t disagree in a civil manner, feel free to go away While navigating the open thread, just assume it’s sarcasm Also: if you’re looking/lurking, come join the fun. Create an account and leave comments to join the discussion! It’s always fun with more!
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73559942/1968464418.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Chiefs open season with rematch of AFC Championship against Ravens")
Chiefs open season with rematch of AFC Championship against Ravens
Chiefs open season with rematch of AFC Championship against Ravens Contributors: Arrowhead Pride Staff The 2024 NFL season begins on Thursday night with the world champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The two teams last met in 2023’s AFC championship at Baltimore’s M&T Bank stadium last January, when the Ravens — the conference’s top seed — were 4-point favorites over the Chiefs, who had entered the postseason as the third seed. Kansas City shocked Baltimore by holding it to 10 points for the third time that season. Like both previous games, it ended as a 17-10 Ravens loss. The Chiefs moved on to Super Bowl LVIII, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to become the first team with back-to-back NFL championships in nearly two decades. On Thursday night, the Chiefs are beginning a campaign that they hope will end with a first-ever Super Bowl three-peat — and the Ravens will be well-motivated to spoil the party.
Browns announce throwback uniform dates
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Cleveland will sport their alternate uniform combo against the Raiders, Broncos and Chiefs this season. One of the pleasures of game days for the Cleveland Browns at the old Municipal Stadium was the first glimpse of the orange helmets emerging from the baseball dugout. It did not matter which decade or which uniform combo the team was wearing – the brown jersey and orange pants of Brian Sipe’s teams in the 1970s, or the all-white that was favored by the club in the late 1980s with Bernie Kosar leading the way – those helmets signaled that it was about to go down and the opposing team better be ready. Much of that mystique is lost nowadays with the over-produced intros, but one constant is that the Browns are still sporting one of the league’s iconic uniforms. That extends to their throwback uniform set, which debuted in 2021 as part of their 75th Anniversary season. A white helmet was added in 2023 to create a look that hits all the right notes, rather than being the type of garish display that other teams are fond of rolling out. MARK YOUR CALENDARS the all-white unis are back in action three times this season @DUDEwipes x #DawgPound pic.twitter.com/Pt3PC7spec — Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 2, 2024 On Monday, the Browns announced they will wear the throwback kit and helmet three times this fall as part of their “White Out Series.” (Sorry for the unavoidable marketing jargon.) The first game will be in Week 4 when the Browns take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in the first of a three-game road trip. The throwbacks will return to the closet until December when the Browns will once again wear them on the road in Week 13 for a Monday night meeting with the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Not wanting to leave the hometown fans out of the fun, the Browns will bring the throwbacks out for the third and final time in the regular season when they host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15. The dates for the throwback uniforms are the latest uniform-related news from the Browns as they previously announced a return to white facemasks on their standard orange helmets.
Should it be concerning for Rams to make late position switch on offensive line?
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images At the last minute, the Rams switched Steve Avila back to left guard. Should we be concerned? One of the biggest storylines of the 2024 offseason for the Los Angeles Rams was that Steve Avila was moving from left guard to center. The Rams signed Jonah Jackson in free agency to play left guard, giving Avila that freedom to move back to his more natural position that he played at TCU. Of course, there was going to be an adjustment period and a learning curve. That comes with every position in the NFL. However, that’s even more so the case at center in the Rams offense. While the quarterback is still in charge of some of the protection calls, much of that falls on the center due to the quarterback also needing to dictate motion pre-snap. In an ideal world in the McVay offense, the quarterback is able to handle all of the motion calls while the center handles protection. Just as the clock was about to strike midnight before Week 1, the Rams made the surprising decision to move Avila back to guard and announced that it would be Jackson playing center. The odd part about this move isn’t just that the Rams are doing this less than two weeks before the start of the season, that they are moving Avila back to left guard, or that they are moving Jackson to center after signing him to play guard. It’s a combination of all three that make the entire situation strange. The big question is of course, why now? Part of the issue here is that the Rams have been playing musical chairs along the offensive line for a majority of the offseason. Jonah Jackson has hardly practiced all summer, Alaric Jackson missed time due to injury as well as Rob Havenstein on the right side. Even if the Rams had wanted to experiment with Jackson at center, they wouldn’t have been able to until last week when Jackson returned to practice. Still, it does seem strange after paying Jackson as one of the highest paid guards in the NFL. At an average of $17M per year, Jackson would be the second-highest paid center behind only Creed Humphrey. In fact, there is a $3.5M gap between Jackson and Frank Ragnow in third. Meanwhile, Jackson was signed as the third-highest paid left guard. That makes Jackson the second-highest paid center despite not playing more than 100 snaps at the position since 2017 when he was at Rutgers. This isn’t to say that Jackson can’t play center, only that the timing of it is weird. Jackson’s PFF Grade in 2017 at Rutgers was a 67.8 which would have put him at 50th among centers. Coming out of the draft, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller noted Jackson as, “a versatile prospect who could play any of the interior positions as needed.” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had Jackson as a guard/center prospect. While the Rams seemed open to the idea of moving Avila back to left guard, earlier in August it sounded as if they wanted to do what they could to keep him at center. Said McVay, “However long Jonah (Jackson) is out, if we deem that whoever can plug in that center gives us a better opportunity for him to play at guard, then that’s what we’ll do. We’ll find the best five. It’s really important…I think we want to be able to pick and choose, but we want to keep (Steve Avila) at center. If we have to move him to guard, that’s not something we’re afraid to do either.” The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue added, “It’s clear the Rams will NOT move Steve Avila from center unless there’s an emergency.” If that’s the case, what constitutes as an emergency? Things can of course change as the NFL landscape is always changing. Again, it is worth nothing that the Rams have had to navigate injuries along the offensive line all offseason. That doesn’t mention Alaric Jackson’s suspension that will put him out for the first two weeks. It’s possible that the Rams feel more comfortable with Avila playing next to Noteboom than Jackson. This could also be a case of the Rams only having to change one player on the offensive line as opposed to two if Jackson does go down in the first two weeks. With Noteboom at left tackle, the Rams are thin at guard depth whereas Beaux Limmer could step in at center. Still, it seems odd to put a player in a position that they haven’t played regularly since 2017. Where this does become interesting is if the switch is permanent. There is a legitimate reason to put Jackson at center now. With the lack of guard depth in combination with the emergence of Limmer, it makes sense to put Jackson at center so that only one change needs to be made on the offensive line if he suffers an injury. For example, if Jackson were to go down, the Rams would slot Limmer in at center rather than having to move Avila to left guard in addition to Limmer at center. However, when Alaric Jackson returns, Noteboom would be able to provide depth at left guard. If the concern is still that Jackson could get injured due to his history, that seems like something that should have been known prior to signing him to a top-3 contract in free agency. The Rams have made this type of l ate move before. Back in 2021, the Rams trained Austin Corbett at center all offseason only for Brian Allen to be named the starting center right before the season. Allen ended up playing at a high level and the late move paid off. However, even that move was made in early August. The decision to move Jackson to center comes with a little over a week before Week 1. With the move coming this late in the process, it is also worth wondering how
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73859167/usa_today_24764296.0.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,800&ssl=1 "The Linc – “Over their past six games, the Commanders have a bottom-six run defense”")
