Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images New York’s former quarterback isn’t expected to land in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Eagles are the self-proclaimed Quarterback Factory but they’re not expected to add former New York Giants QB Daniel Jones to their roster. The following comes from an article posted by NFL insider Adam Schefter on Saturday evening (bold emphasis mine): Now Jones and the Giants have expedited their divorce, freeing the quarterback to find a new home next week. One team unlikely to pursue Jones right now is the Eagles, who already signed former Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Schefter adds that Jones is aiming to sign as a backup with a contender as opposed to being a starter on a bad team. Jones, who was officially waived Saturday by the Giants, is expected to have multiple options but likely will prefer to finish this season on a playoff contending team, where he will be involved in big games, rather than going to a meandering quarterback-needy team not remotely in playoff contention, according to sources. It’ll be interesting to see what Jones lands. Anyone have any guesses? I could see the Minnesota Vikings make sense as a hedge on Sam Darnold and a potential upgrade on QB2 Nick Mullens. Jones might be more inspiring than Kyler Murray’s backup, Clayton Tune? We’ll see. The Eagles reasonably could’ve been interested in Jones since Kenny Pickett hasn’t looked good in practice or game action. But they seem intent on sticking with him as QB2, perhaps in part due to his familiarity with the system at this point. They also still have Tanner McKee as QB3. BGN readers weren’t excited about the idea of the Eagles adding Jones, even though it was acknowledged Jones might be an upgrade on Pickett:
Eagles “unlikely to pursue” Daniel Jones
Should Giants claim CB just waived by Minnesota Vikings?
Akayleb Evans | Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images Taking a flier on adding a young depth player might not be a bad idea It is no secret that cornerback is one of the positions the New York Giants will need to try and upgrade once the 2024 season ends. Could the Giants get a head start on that endeavor by claiming a young cornerback who was just waived by the Minnesota Vikings? The Vikings have waived third-year cornerback Akayleb Evans, a 2022 fourth-round pick who started 15 games for the Vikings in 2023. After playing 855 defensive snaps (85%) for Minnesota last season, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound 25-year-old had only been on the field for three defensive snaps this season. The Giants recently cut reserve cornerback Nick McCloud after he refused to take a pay cut. Deonte Banks has struggled as New York’s No. 1 cornerback, third-round pick Dru Phillips has been excellent in the slot, and Cor’Dale Flott, a third-year player who is still just 23 years old, has held his own opposite Banks. There is little depth, however, behind those three. Veteran Adoree’ Jackson plays limited snaps, but is on a one-year deal and unlikely to return in 2025. Tre Hawkins, a 2023 sixth-round pick, rarely plays. Art Green was recently signed off the practice squad to add depth. Christopher Gates of SB Nation’s Vikings website, Daily Norseman, told Big Blue View that Evans “could be” worth a claim for the Giants. “He started 15 games for the Vikings last year and actually showed some promise as a rookie in 2022. For the second half of last season, though, he was kind of a mess … missing tackles, getting beaten in coverage, really dropped off for reasons I’m not totally sure of,” Gates said. “I think the talent is there, to be sure, and I think the Giants could do worse on the waiver wire than Evans.” In a pre-draft scouting report, Draft Buzz wrote: Akayleb Evans is an excellent athlete who currently looks a little raw but has elite measurables and if developed correctly may have top upside. He is an elite run defender as a corner who consistently wraps up the ball carrier, but is lacking as a cover corner and gives up too many big plays and penalties. It doesn’t seem like it would hurt the Giants to put in a claim and take a look at whether Evans might be better than some of the depth options they currently have.
Justin Jefferson’s jersey made the Hall of Fame before Torry Holt
Jefferson surpassed Holt for an NFL record and now even his jersey is in the Hall of Fame first Adding insult to injustice, the Pro Football Hall of Fame honored Justin Jefferson and put his jersey in the Hall of Fame before they’ve inducted Torry Holt and they did so because Jefferson passed Holt for an NFL record: Most receiving yards by a player in his first five seasons. Just to be clear, Jefferson isn’t in the Hall of Fame obviously because he’s still playing in the NFL, but to see Holt’s name come up as the reason that somebody else was honored is just another reminder that Holt is the most egregious name left out of Canton. Jefferson also surpassed Randy Moss and Jerry Rice for the record, two players who obviously had no problems getting inducted on their first try. New to the Pro Football Hall of Fame!⁰⁰ Justin Jefferson made history on Nov. 17, 2024, during the @Vikings‘ 23-13 win over the Titans, breaking the record for the most receiving yards in a player’s first five NFL seasons. In doing so, @JJettas2 surpassed @NFL greats Torry… pic.twitter.com/QI8lSgV7O6 — Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 23, 2024 Holt’s strange exclusion from Canton is once again up for debate as he was named a semifinalist this week. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2000 and 2003, as well as posting at least 1,100 yards in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. He’s a Super Bowl winner, a first team All-Pro, and a seven-time Pro Bowler. A member of the @RamsNFL‘s famed “Greatest Show on Turf” and a seven-time Pro Bowl nominee, Torry Holt is now a Semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025. #PFHOF25 pic.twitter.com/xGrDMmHft7 — Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 20, 2024 Torry Holt not being in the Hall of Fame seems kinda wild https://t.co/iEJb1SwfQh pic.twitter.com/WK4qW13MRQ — Billy Moy (@PFF_Billy) September 30, 2024 We know that Jefferson’s jersey is in Canton for doing something that nobody else has ever done except for Holt. Will Holt’s bust follow him? Or does the Hall of Fame once again prove that it is busted?
Ravens waive veteran safety ahead of MNF game vs. Chargers
Ravens waive veteran safety ahead of MNF game vs. Chargers Share this article glenn erby The Eddie Jackson experiment is over in Baltimore, as the Ravens are waiving the veteran’s safety. Jackson (non-injury-related) did not travel to Pittsburgh with the team and was ruled out for the Week 11 loss to Pittsburgh. After starting in Cleveland in Week 8, Jackson was a healthy scratch in Week 9 and played a season-low 16 snaps in Week 10. Beau Brade could replace him in the lineup. Marcus Williams could be next, with Ar’Darius Washington and Kyle Hamilton as starters.
Week 12 Colts’ Opposing QB: An analysis of Jared Goff
Junfu Han/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images Thanks to the nflFastR project and NFL NextGen Stats for the timely sources of data. For those of you new to this, I will publish key QB stats each week judging how well the upcoming opponent QB has performed. Yes, O-Line, receivers, and play-calling impact these numbers but they are primarily QB measures. I will probably modify the charts throughout the season. Commentary will be brief but feel free to let me know in the comments that stats aren’t everything. (click charts for larger view) Jared Goff has had a career resurgence after being traded to Detroit and 2024 is shaping up to be his best year ever. Let’s look at his numbers. DASHBOARD arsr, edp, opd, sg%, oz%, pr%, ttt, adot, ay/c, cmp%, cpoe, yac, yacoe, ypa, scr%, ta%, sck%, aa%, aay, ny/d, 1st%, td%, to%, epa/d, psr Detroit has a fantastic run game to support Goff, which is probably why they are one of the most run-first offenses in the league (2nd arsr, 30th edp) . . . most run-first? run-firstiest? Goff uses shotgun less than any other QB and faces heavy zone defense (32nd sg%, 3rd oz%) He endures average pressure to go along with his average time to throw (18th pr%, 16th ttt), which helps him to not abandon a lot of pass attempts (19th aa%). When he does give up on a play, he throws the ball away a lot (10th ta%). He doesn’t make a lot of deep throws, but rather relies on delivering short passes that gain a lot of yac (26th adot, 2nd cpoe, 1st yac, 2nd yacoe). Combine all of that yac with a high completion rate and low abandoned rate and you get the 2nd highest net yards per dropback in the league (2nd cmp%, 2nd ny/d). That great yardage efficiency leads to a lot of first downs and TDs (1st 1st%, 2nd TD%). His turnover rate is high (8th to%), but that is heavily influenced by his 5 INT game against the Texans. If I ignore that game, he has a below average tunrover rate (19th). Even with the drag of turnovers, he still has the 6th highest EPA efficiency to go along with the 3rd best Passing Success Rate. Simply put, he is easily a top 5 QB this year and is currently 3rd in the MVP race. HOW WELL? He is certainly not perfect as he had poor games to start the year and a less than stellar performance gainst the Titans, but his good games have been ridiculously good. HOW FAR? Most of his games have had a below average depth of target, but his accuracy has resulted in 4 games with above average depth of completions. He relies on yac for a big portion of his yardage efficiency as does Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Mahomes and Tua. TO WHO? Amon-Ra St. Brown is his clear #1 receiver, but Jamo Williams gets a ton of yards with about half the targets. Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are also stars of the yac show. Williams averages the deepest passes, but Amon-Ra gets more average EPA on much shorter throws. HOW ACCURATE? Other than weeks 1-2 and the Texans game, Goff has had consistently high completion rates even when adjusting for passing depth (cpoe). He has been deadly on anything within 20 yards and when receviers break free, he is hitting them deep, going 50% on passes over 30 yards. HOW FAST? His Time to Throw has kind of been all over the place. Most of the games where he had trouble, he threw quickly, which suggests pressure got to him. TO WHERE? He has found success all over the field, but he favors the right side. CONCLUSION The Detroit passing game doesn’t have many weaknesses. They play from under center and thrive on finding the open receiver and getting a ton of yac. Goff has been very successful with screen passes to Gibbs on the right side and Sam LaPorta likes to hang around the 0-5 yard range for the outlet pass. In the games where Goff did not perform well, the defenses pressured him, forcing quick throws. He had poor accuracy (likely due to pressure) and that resulted in lower completion rates, but also much lower yac. Goff was still good at avoiding sacks, but he couldn’t get decent yardage off of his throws and so first downs were hard to come by. If the Colts can pressure Goff and disrupt the receivers off the line, then they can throw off those timing passes which should limit yac and that is the biggest piece of Detroit’s passing success. Oh yeah, and contain Gibbs . . . and don’t let Williams or St. Brown behind you . . . and keep on eye on LaPorta . . . and you know what, I’m just going to stop there.
Raiders offense: Funnel it through rookie phenom Brock Bowers
Despite question marks at the quarterback position, Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers (89) continues to be a record-setting productive player. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Despite questions at quarterback, tight end keeps producing For the best player available (BPA) truthers out there, Las Vegas Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers is the latest paragon of why going that route is best in the NFL Draft. The Silver & Black did not need another tight end, considering it drafted Michael Mayer out of Notre Dame with the 35th overall pick in the 2023 draft. But picking No. 13 overall in the 2024 rendition of the event and with teams selecting quarterback prospects — a major need for Las Vegas — leaving the team out in the cold in that regard, general manager Tom Telesco simply couldn’t pass up on adding the best player available on the Raiders’ board. And thus, Bowers. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Georgia product arrived to the NFL scene like gang busters. Heading into this weekend’s Week 12 action, Bowers is second in the league with 70 catches, sixth overall with 89 targets, and 10th in yards with 706 proving what many draft pundits said: The tight end is one of the most pro-ready prospects coming into the league. Coming off a 13-catch, 126-yard, and one-touchdown effort in the team’s 34-19 Week 11 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Bowers continues his record-setting pace. And Las Vegas would be wise to keep funneling the offense through it’s ultra-talented and phenomenal rookie as the Raiders (2-8 overall) play host to the Denver Broncos (6-5) this Sunday inside Allegiant Stadium. Brock Bowers is special☠️ https://t.co/wryXyeo0NJ pic.twitter.com/b1lpWY347x — The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) November 19, 2024 “It means we picked the right guy in the draft. That’s one. I wish those records were also part of our team record, which is more important, wins and losses,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce began when asked about Bowers’ performance thus far. “But again, tremendous talent. I mean, we’re asking him to do a lot, throwing him in there. I mean, two-minute drill, he’s looking to come out. We’re keeping him in there. I mean, he’s fighting his tail off. We have a lot of players that’s doing that. But obviously his numbers are now on a very good historic rate, and we want to continue that. “He’s one of our better players. I’ve said that since I’ve been here, get the ball to your best players. Keep feeding them until they figure out how to stop it. We just need 10 other gentlemen to do the same thing.” While the Raiders are getting highlight performances from others — defensive end Maxx Crosby is his usual unending stamina self, cornerback Jakorian Bennett is having a sensational sophomore season, rookie guard/center Jackson Powers-Johnson is proving to be pro-ready, too, and kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole III remain standouts, for example — there isn’t much for Las Vegas to hang their hat on overall. The ground game continues to be ineffective and inconsistent while the quarterback play has been suspect. Despite all that, Bowers continues to produce and appears to be incompetence-proof. So, feed and feature the tight end until it’s no longer feasible to do so. As I wrote earlier this month, finding balance is nice, but not at the detriment of Bowers. “I mean, you put him (Bowers) in spots where you think the ball may go, but I mean we’re trusting progressions. And some guys the ball just finds, and he’s definitely one of those,” Raiders starting quarterback Gardner Minshew said when asked about balance. With the incoming Broncos in the thick of the postseason chase and armed with a stout defense coached by Vance Joseph, I wouldn’t be surprised if Denver put it’s best cover man — cornerback Pat Surtain II — on Bowers to mitigate the rookie’s impact. But that shouldn’t scare Las Vegas from going to the tight end. In fact, it’s a solid growth opportunity for Bowers to go up against a shutdown defensive back and see if how the rookie’s route running and catch radius fare against one of the league’s best. And it appears Bowers’ comradery and rapport with Minshew continues to grow, too. “A little bit man, it’s been nice. He blew me a kiss today, which was pretty — that was big for Brock. So I was happy to see that,” Minshew said regarding the ability to joke with the normally quiet Bowers. “He was just walking by and I was like, ‘What’s up, Broccoli,’ and he just sent me one.” Brock Bowers 57 yarder!! : #LVvsDEN on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/owAbIim8o7 — NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024 Series History: The AFC West foes have meet 130 times and it’s the Silver & Black that lead the overall series 73-55-2. Yet, it’s the Broncos that won the Week 5 meeting in Denver 34-18 to snap the Raiders’ eight-game win streak. With the two teams heading in opposite directions during the 2024 campaign, the Broncos have a shot to create a win streak of their own. Quotes of Note: “No. This isn’t a break season for me. So, it’s one of the ones you’ve got to just swallow, you’ve got to take it. And obviously we’ll look back for all the reasons, right? There’s been some noncontact injuries. There’s been guys getting rolled up, think about the Cincinnati Bengals game, you get six guys with ankle injuries, that’s kind of unheard of. Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us. Nobody feels sorry for me. You’ve got to roll out there with 11 players, and that’s what we’re going to do come Sunday.” —Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce on the laundry list of injuries the team has sustained “Yeah, a divisional game, we know these guys, right? We know them, and we had a great opportunity last time we faced them; 10-3, ball at the four-yard line, let’s
What are Bills QB Josh Allen’s current NFL MVP odds?
What are Bills QB Josh Allen’s current NFL MVP odds? What are Bills QB Josh Allen’s current NFL MVP odds? Nick Wojton The Buffalo Bills are off for their bye. It’s as good of a time as any to take a look at where quarterback Josh Allen sits in the current odds for the 2024 NFL MVP Award. Fresh off a 30-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs where Allen played a huge part, Allen’s stock has skyrocketed. For those looking to make a buck, that’s not good news, but those in Buffalo looking to be proud of their QB? We’ve got a positive update. Allen is currently at the top of the list. Here’s the full top-10 odds for MVP (according to FanDuel): C.J. Stroud +5000 Imagn Jayden Daniels +4000 Imagn Joe Burrow +2200 (USAT) Kyler Murray +3000 USAT Justin Herbert +2500 USAT Jalen Hurts +1700 USAT Patrick Mahomes +1200 Getty Jared Goff +700 USAT Lamar Jackson +200 Getty Josh Allen +150 Imagn
Vikings Activate Nick Muse from Injured Reserve
Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images And they made some other moves as well In addition to waiving cornerback Akayleb Evans, the Minnesota Vikings made some other roster moves as they prepare to face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday. The team has announced that they have activated tight end Nick Muse from injured reserve. They have also elevated long snapper Jake McQuaide to the active roster for Sunday’s game and downgraded edge defender Gabe Murphy to “out” for Sunday’s contest. Muse suffered a broken hand in the Vikings’ win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 2 and has been on IR since then. He will fill the third tight end role on the roster this week behind T.J. Hockenson and Johnny Mundt with Josh Oliver having already been declared out with wrist and ankle injuries. This is the third week in a row that McQuaide has been elevated to the active roster in the place of All-Pro Andrew DePaola, who is dealing with injury issues of his own. If DePaola is unable to come back next week, the team will have to formally sign McQuaide to the roster in order to have him available, but the fact that DePaola has not been placed on IR yet would signal that he’s going to be ready to go when the team faces Arizona next Sunday. Murphy is still in his 21-day practice window after being designated to return from injured reserve and had been listed as “questionable” on the final injury report on Friday afternoon. He was designated for return on 6 November, so the Vikings will have until 27 November to place him on the roster or put him back on IR for the rest of the season. That is this coming Wednesday, so the team will have a decision to make on Murphy here very shortly. Those should be the last of the roster moves that the Vikings make before tomorrow’s game in Chicago, but if anything else happens between now and then we will make sure you’re aware of it.
Lions activate CB Emmanuel Moseley from injured reserve, Ennis Rakestraw to IR
Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK The Detroit Lions secondary is getting even stronger as Emmanuel Moseley has been activated from injured reserve and will be added to the 53-man roster. The Detroit Lions are activating cornerback Emmanuel Moseley from injured reserve, and placing rookie corner Ennis Rakestraw on injured reserve with a hamstring injury in a corresponding move. Coming off his third stint on injured reserve in as many years, Mosely will have a chance to prove he is still the player the Lions coveted during the 2023 free agency period. Coming off an ACL in his final year with the 49ers, the Lions signed Mosely and he was expected to challenge for a starting role on the outside. After suffering a setback during his rehabilitation, Mosely was eventually able to rejoin the Lions mid-season and tore his other ACL just a few snaps into his return. Mosely went through the rehabilitation process once again and by 2024 training camp, he was fully healthy and competing for another starting role, this time inside at nickel. Moseley and current nickel starter Amik Robertson were neck-and-neck in their competition when Moseley tore his pectoral during joint practices with the Giants, landing him back on injured reserve. “Yeah, it’s tough. That’s tough, and he’s the one that has put so much work into coming back from two ACLs and it’s frustrating,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said during training camp. “Look, you’ve got two decisions, you either rally one more time or you say, ‘You know what, enough’s enough.’ And my gut’s going to tell me that he’s going to rally again.” Moseley did indeed put in the work to rehab for a third time, and just under three weeks ago, he began officially practicing with the team. “Yeah, he’s been taking reps, he’s gotten better over the last three weeks,” Campbell said on Friday. “[…] He’s trending the right way, I’ll tell you I would love to get him up this game and I think we’ll see what today looks like. He’s continuing to get better and better. But we see him doing a little bit of everything, corner, nickel, safety. He’s help is what he is. He brings another piece for us that we can use.” Moseley’s return is coming at the perfect time because in addition to Rakestraw, the Lions will also be without rookie corner Terrion Arnold. Additionally, this Sunday’s game against the Colts represents the first of three games the Lions will have in the next 12 days, making additional depth a massive advantage to have available. As for Rakestraw, he recently suffered a hamstring injury and will now miss the next four games while on injured reserve. He will be eligible to return in Week 16, just as the Lions are making their final preparations for the playoffs.
Lions elevate LB David Long from practice squad for Week 12 vs. Colts
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images The Detroit Lions have elevated LB Davis Long Jr. for their Week 12 game against the Indianapolis Colts. The Detroit Lions announced they are elevating linebacker, David Long Jr., from the practice squad for their Week 12 game against the Indianapolis Colts. With injuries to Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin (all on injured reserve), the Lions have needed to shuffle around their linebacker group and have recently added more depth. This week, the Lions added Long to their practice squad, after he was surprisingly released from the Miami Dolphins. Originally drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans, Long played mainly on special teams early in his career before developing into a starter and becoming a highly sought-after free agent. He would eventually sign with the Dolphins and was even named a captain this season, which is why many were caught off guard when he was released last week. The Lions were quick to sign Long to their practice squad and they appear to have both short and long-term plans for him. “Well, he’s played football, he’s played the linebacker position, he’s banked a lot of reps and played really good football,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Long. “He’s really one of those guys, got a knack for finding the ball, he’s an aggressive player, run-and-hit, and so, it gave us a chance to have somebody that, if we need it, and he can acclimate to what we do, how we do things here, get on top of the playbook, then if we can use him, we’ll use him. And, in the meantime, it’s special teams and it’s insurance (that are) really the role(s) right now. But we’re excited to have him here and just see what he can do, let him compete like everybody else.” As Campbell noted, Long is likely filling a special teams role this Sunday, but he could also give the Lions depth at the WILL linebacker position, depending on how much of the playbook he has digested this week. Malcolm Rodriguez is expected to step into the starting WILL position this week, but the only other option the Lions have at the position is Ezekiel Turner, who was just signed to the active roster last weekend. With Long also in the fold this week, he will give the Lions more insurance at this position. With Anzalone expected to remain out for the regular season, Barnes unlikely to return this year, and Reeves-Maybin’s status still up in the air, Long will have a chance to prove he can take on a larger role in this defense and audition for a spot on the active roster.
