Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images Hendrickson has always and will continue to play with passion The Cincinnati Bengals lost their seventh game of the season Sunday, dropping a primetime clash with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bengals dug themselves a massive 24-6 halftime hole and couldn’t overcome that deficit. Most people either saw or read about one play following the game: Trey Hendrickson’s outburst after running into Zac Taylor, who was aiming not to pick up a flag for the defensive lineman’s actions. Hendrickson, with a couple days having past, spoke on the incident. “You play with an edge. “Everybody should. I love Zac. He’s a great head coach. He’s done a lot for me as a person. I love him. He plays with the same intensity and fire as me,” Hendrickson said via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. To be fair to the Bengals’ star, the roughing-the-passer flag that he was called for was one that almost anyone watching the game, including the broadcasters, would disagree with, and it was one that had a sizable impact as well. Hendrickson ended the game with three tackles and 0.5 sacks. Having 11.5 on the season, he has been the only Bengals player to consistently get pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback, and he’s done it at an outstanding level this season.
Trey Hendrickson speaks on outburst with Zac Taylor during Bengals vs. Chargers showdown
Indianapolis Colts Injury Report: LT Raimann Still Absent But DE Tyquan Lewis Is Close To A Return
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images The Indianapolis Colts released their Thursday practice report. The Indianapolis Colts today released their Thursday injury report for Week 12 of the NFL season ahead of their Sunday game against the Detroit Lions. Thursday’s practice report for #DETvsIND: pic.twitter.com/TWNwyLHrOc — Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) November 21, 2024 Left tackle Bernhard Raimann missed practice again today due to a knee injury. Raimann has now missed both practices this week and looks like a major doubt for Sunday’s game. Raimann looks increasingly likely to miss a second game in a row due to his knee injury. If he is unable to play then expect rookie tackle Matt Goncalves to take his place at left tackle again as he did last week against the New York Jets. Defensive end Tyquan Lewis (elbow) was a full participant at practice again today. Lewis spoke to the media today and said he was unsure if he would return this week but two practices in and his chances are looking very positive. Right tackle Braden Smith (foot) was a full participant today at practice despite being limited yesterday. Smith looks set to be available for Sunday’s game against the Lions despite the limited practice yesterday. Smith should be available barring any late changes in practice tomorrow. Corner back Kenny Moore (knee) and wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr (back) and Josh Downs (calf) were all full participants at practice today despite being listed with injuries. Moore and Downs are new additions to the injury report today after not being listed yesterday but both being able to practice fully doesn’t look like the injuries will affect their availability for Sunday.
Raiders special teams: Daniel Carlson, AJ Cole lumber along in another loss
Las Vegas Raiders place kicker Daniel Carlson went 2-for-2 on his field goal attempts in the 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Las Vegas kicker nails both field goal attempts, punter booms lone boot As far as the Las Vegas Raiders offense goes, so does Daniel Carlson. Ditto for AJ Cole II. Much of the dynamic duo’s workload is dependent on how effective the offense is and at 2-8 overall, it’s pretty clear effectiveness isn’t synonymous with the the Silver & Black when it comes to making end zone visits or even field goals. As place kicker and punter, respectively, Carlson’s and Cole’s participation rate relies heavily on how well interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense moves the ball and avoids fourth down. Take this past Sunday’s 34-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins, for example. Carlson was called up twice to boot field goals through the uprights and nailed them. Both were of the shorter variety — the first a 27-yard kick, the other a 22-yard chip shot — highlighting Las Vegas’ inability to finish drives with an end zone visit. Overall, though, Carlson is a middle of the pack amongst his contemporaries across the league — more on that Where They Stand section. K Daniel Carlson makes a 22-yard field goal, capping off a 16-play, 66-yard #Raiders scoring drive. Carlson is now 2-for-2 (100.0%) on the day. He notches his 57th career game with multiple field goals since entering the league in 2018, tied for the fourth most in the NFL. — Raiders PR (@RAIDERS_PR) November 17, 2024 Cole Mine The Raiders punter officially only had one lone boot on the books against Miami: A third-quarter 54-yard blast that went from Las Vegas’ 40-yard line to Miami’s three-yard line. Cole did have another punt attempt much earlier in the game — in the first quarter — but that blast (a touchback) was wiped out due to a running into the kicker penalty by veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell, which gave Las Vegas the first down on 4th-and-4. Cole remains one of the top punters in the league but, much like Carlson, he’s in the middle of the NFL pack in terms of attempts. Where They Stand Carlson sits at 16th overall in terms of field goal attempts with 20. The Houston Texans’ Ka’imi Fairbairn and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Chris Boswell top the field amongst kickers with 31 and 30 attempts, respectively. In terms of makes, Carlson is 13th with 18. Boswell paces the league with 29 makes with Fairbairn second with 26. Carlson’s 90-percent field goal percentage puts him 12th overall in the league. The Detroit Lions Jake Bates hasn’t missed this season and is 15-for-15 on the year. Flip to Cole and he’s in the middle of the pack in terms of punts and yardage. He’s 16th in the league with 37 punts. The Cleveland Browns’ Corey Bojorquez leads the league with 55 boots. Cole is 14th in yardage at 1,975. Bojorquez tops that category with a total of 2,828. So while we joke Cole gets plenty of attempts to compile statistical superiority, he’s actually in the middle, not near the top in both attempts and yards. Where he does lead the league is in terms of yards per punt at an average of 53.4. The Jacksonville Jaguars’ Logan Cooke follows him with a 51.6 average. In terms of net yard average (subtracting touchbacks and return yardage from the overall average), Cole is 3rd with a 44.6 net average. Cooke is lead dog with a 46.4 net yard average. Week 11 punter rankings: it’s neck and neck for AJ Cole and Logan Cooke, punting on teams that have otherwise nothing left to play for pic.twitter.com/PxCyfRIEc1 — Puntalytics (@ThePuntRunts) November 18, 2024 Up Next: The Raiders host the Denver Broncos this Sunday for the second go-around between AFC West foes. In 12 career games against the Broncos, Carlson is 24 of 27 on field goals and 28 of 29 on extra points. In Las Vegas’ 34-18 Week 5 loss to Denver, Carlson went 1-for-1 on both field goals and extra points. Cole, meanwhile, has 11 career games against the Broncos with a total of 39 punts for 1,896 yards (49.89 yards per boot average). Of those punts, 17 have been downed inside Denver’s 20-yard line and three have been touchbacks. In the Week 5 loss, Cole punted five times for 267 yards (53.4 average) with two of his kicks pinning the Broncos deep. Extra Points: Linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Amari Burney paced the Raiders special teams unit with 20 snaps (87 percent of the groups entire count). Fellow linebacker Amari Gainer followed closely with 18 snaps. Wide receiver DJ Turner, safety Christopher Smith II, and linebacker Kana’i Mauga each had 14 snaps while defensive end Charles Snowden contributed 13 snaps (he also played 46 snaps on defense). Turner’s presence as a no nonsense gunner on coverage units is invaluable as he has the speed and tenacity to force fair catches or make stops right at the catch point.
Colin Cowherd: ‘This is the best version of Buffalo’
Colin Cowherd: ‘This is the best version of Buffalo’ Colin Cowherd: ‘This is the best version of Buffalo’ Nick Wojton Longtime sports talk host Colin Cowherd from “The Herd” liked what he saw from the Buffalo Bills against the Kansas City Chiefs. “This is the best version of Buffalo,” Cowherd said. The Bills (9-2) beat their rivals in a 30-21 final. But more than that, Cowherd said he likes the 2024 Bills than the way the team was assembled in previous years. Cowherd breaking down the Bills’ win can be found below: Read all the best Bills coverage at the Democrat and Chronicle and Bills Wire.
Vikings @ Bears: Thursday Injury Report
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images Update on injury status ahead of Sunday’s game The Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears issued their Thursday injury report updates ahead of their matchup on Sunday. Here they are: Chicago Bears OT Kiran Amegadjie, Calf, Did not practice (DNP) OT Ryan Bates, Concussion, DNP S Elijah Hicks, Ankle, DNP RB D’Andre Swift, Groin, LP LG Teven Jenkins, Ankle, FP TE Marcedes Lewis, NIR- Rest day, DNP Two upgrades for the Bears today- D’Andre Swift and Teven Jenkins. Swift did not practice yesterday, so his being limited today is encouraging, but whether he’s able to have a full practice tomorrow or not could be more determinative of his status on Sunday. Jenkins being upgraded to full participant today leaves little doubt he’ll play on Sunday. Elijah Hicks did not practice again today for the Bears, so his status looks more doubtful. If he can’t go, it could be Jonathan Owens who replaces him. He hasn’t played much for the Bears this season but started for the Packers last season with average PFF grades. Minnesota Vikings TE Josh Oliver, Ankle, DNP DT Jonathan Bullard, Toe, Full participant QB Sam Darnold, Foot, Full participant RB Aaron Jones, Ribs, Full participant OLB Gabe Murphy, Knee, Full participant TE Nick Muse, Hand, Full participant Josh Oliver did not practice again today, which isn’t a good sign for his availability on Sunday. My guess is that if it’s close they may err on the side of caution with his sprained ankle so he doesn’t aggravate it. Everyone else who wasn’t a full participant yesterday was upgraded to full participant today, so it looks like Josh Oliver is the only question mark for the Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field. Follow me on X and Bluesky @wludford
Lions Week 12 injury report: Terrion Arnold dealing with groin injury
Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images The Detroit Lions released their Thursday injury report, which features good progress for Sam LaPorta and a new injury to Terrion Arnold After holding a walkthrough on Wednesday, the Detroit Lions (9-1) held a more intense practice on Thursday as they prepared to take on the Indianapolis Colts (5-6) in Week 12. With the core of the team and coaching staff having been together for over three seasons, the Lions feel like they have the intelligence and maturity to handle a scaled-back practice on Wednesday. The benefits of a walkthrough allow the team an extra day to recover, and in turn, sets the team up to have more energized practices on Thursday and Friday. Despite the Lions’ intense Thursday practice, they were fortunate to have every player on their active roster participating, including star tight end Sam LaPorta, who missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury. Let’s take a look at Thursday’s injury report and get you up to date with what we know. Note that any changes from yesterday’s report will be bolded. No practice None Limited practice CB Terrion Arnold (groin) — New injury Arnold appears to have suffered a midweek groin injury. Obviously it’s never good when an injury happens during the week of practice, but there are some promising signs. For one, he had a long media session in the locker room after practice, and he appeared to be in good spirits. We’ll know more about his status on Friday morning when coach Dan Campbell is expected to speak. Full practice TE Sam LaPorta (shoulder) TE Shane Zylstra (neck) CB Carlton Davis (thumb) CB Emmanuel Moseley (pec) — Days remaining in injury evaluation window: 5 LaPorta has been “trending the right way” and while he was only estimated to have been a full participant on Wednesday, this practice confirms he is on track to return to game action this week. Zylstra exited last Sunday’s game with a neck injury but with two full practices under his belt, the injury doesn’t seem overly concerning at this time. Davis played through his thumb injury last week and will likely be on the injury report until his thumb is fully healed. Practicing in full indicates he has not had any setbacks. Moseley is working through the final days of his injury evaluation window, and while the Lions can activate him at any time, they have until next Tuesday to make a decision. Removed from injury report Allen Robinson (concussion) Robinson was removed from the injury report as he has passed the necessary concussion protocols. Colts’ Thursday injury report (Starters are bolded) No practice LT Bernhard Raimann (knee) Limited practice NONE Full practice RT Braden Smith (foot) — Upgraded from limited Wednesday DE Tyquan Lewis (elbow) — On IR, 21-day evaluation window opened on Wednesday WR Michael Pittman Jr. (back) WR Josh Downs (calf) — new injury CB Kenny Moore II (knee) — new injury
7 most important Lions coordinator quotes: How Jameson Williams ‘fixes’ offense
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images From how Jameson Williams can “fix” a bad play to a Lions depth linebacker who has been impressing—here are the top 7 quotes from Lions coordinators this week. As always on Thursdays, we’re going to take the most important moments from the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator press conferences. This week’s topics range from Jameson Williams’ ability to save a play to a bunch of Aaron Glenn look-alikes as the team gets prepared for Sunday’s contest against the Indianapolis Colts. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson On how Jameson Williams and Jahmyr Gibbs “fix” the offense: “They are erasers, they’re fixers. If things aren’t quite right, they make it right and he (Williams) is certainly giving us that element in the passing game and I think defenses take notice of that […] I think they’ve got great instincts of how to make people miss in the open field and I think you find defenders take poor angles when trying to bring them down in space as well. So, I think that’s a great element that they bring to the table, no doubt.” Thought this was a really interesting answer from Johnson, talking about how sometimes the play call is wrong or they get an unfavorable matchup with the defensive play call. But Williams and Gibbs are such dynamic playmakers that they can turn a bad matchup into a big play with their speed and instincts. Johnson was also asked to pick which player was faster, but he didn’t take the bait. “I know where I put my money, but I’m not going to say that publicly.” On Christian Mahogany’s growth: “You’ve seen Christian grow immensely. I really wish we, as a staff, really wish, he would have been available there in the preseason because those would’ve been huge games to really get a gauge for where he’s at right now, and it’s a little bit harder in practice. Sometimes we have pads on, sometimes we don’t. But, from the one-on-one aspect, the pass-pro and run blocking, you see flashes of immense potential right there. So, we’ll continue to try to find where we can slip him in to get him more experience, but he’s a guy that we have high hopes for.” While Johnson lamented the fact that Mahogany missed training camp, he pointed to Detroit’s practice style—which includes a lot of one-on-ones even this deep into the season—as evidence that Mahogany is developing. Later, we’ll hear about another player on the other side of the ball who is also benefiting from those one-on-ones. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn On the challenge of Anthony Richardson this week: “The number one thing that we talked about as a defensive staff and with the players is, discipline has to be on high alert this week. Because of the nature of their offense every play has a run-pass option in it, so our eyes have to be in the right place on every snap, and then our ability to get the ball down has to be important. One thing they do a good job of is, they get a hat for a hat for the most part, so we have to do the little things better than they do. When I say that, it means once they get a hat for a hat, we’ve got to get off blocks and we’ve got to finish on the ball, and they do a good job of getting a hat for a hat.” The Colts really leaned into Richardson as a rusher last week (10 rushes, 32 yards, 2 TDs) with many of those being designed runs, and as Glenn put it, that means a run-pass option with just about every play. Detroit will have to be disciplined in their rush lanes, steady in keeping to their assignments, and make sure they aren’t tempted by the eye-candy the offense is giving them. On newly-added LB Ezekiel Turner’s Lions debut vs. the Jaguars “One thing that he does a really good job of, what he was known for, is his special teams performance, and then you look at the skillset and his ability to go out there and cover tight ends and cover backs, which we saw in practice, what he did, and good thing that we do is we have one-on-one situations, we have competitive periods, and that’s when we actually saw that, and when you see that, you can see you can utilize that player in certain situations, so that’s what we tried to do with him.” Detroit’s linebacking corps has been decimated by injury with Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin currently on IR. While the onus will be mostly on Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez to carry the heaviest workload, it sounds like Turner could be part of the solution, as well. While he’ll primarily be on special teams, it sounds like he could be helpful as a coverage linebacker. On fans dressing up as him at Ford Field: “This is getting out of hand again. My daughter sent that, and I think it’s actually funny to be able to see that, so I got a kick out of that. So, it was good […] The one thing I did see that my wife actually mentioned is, they have the yellow striping on the glasses, so they were very detailed. So, I’m sure they can come and help us, how detailed that was.” If you missed it, a handful of fans poked fun at Glenn for his rain-covered glasses at Green Bay: These fans are doing their best Aaron Glenn impression lol pic.twitter.com/iAvRQgqTdT — Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) November 17, 2024 Good to see that Glenn had a sense of humor about it. Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp On whether the new kickoff rule has been a success: “I think overall, I think that there’s a lot of positives about the play. It’s been safe, I think it’s been a lot safer, I don’t have the data but from what I
Eagles Injury Report: DeVonta Smith misses practice again
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images Thursday news and updates. The Philadelphia Eagles issued their second official injury report on Thursday in advance of their Week 12 road game against the Los Angeles Rams. The Eagles listed two players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: DeVonta Smith and Bryce Huff. Smith sat out again on Thursday. Two missed practices typically don’t bode well for a player’s chances of playing. If DeVonta can’t suit up, the Eagles will roll with the following wide receivers: A.J. Brown, Jahan Dotson, Britain Covey (assuming he’s activated from injured reserve), Johnny Wilson, and Ainias Smith. Huff had wrist surgery on Thursday. One would think he’s headed for a stint on injured reserve. The Eagles listed two players under LIMITED PARTICIPATION: Milton Williams and Jalyx Hunt. Williams and Hunt were upgraded to limited after missing Wednesday’s practice. Seems like they might be able to play in LA. The Eagles listed three players under FULL PARTICIPATION: Jalen Hurts, Nakobe Dean, and Britain Covey. Hurts and Dean were upgraded after being limited on Wednesday. They’re good to go. If the Eagles feel like Covey’s ready to play on Sunday, they have until 4:00 PM Eastern on Saturday to officially activate him to the roster. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY) DID NOT PARTICIPATE DE Bryce Huff (wrist)WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) LIMITED PARTICIPATION DE Jalyx Hunt (ankle)DT Milton Williams (foot) FULL PARTICIPATION WR Britain Covey (shoulder)LB Nakobe Dean (groin)QB Jalen Hurts (ankle) LOS ANGELES RAMS INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY) To be announced — check back for updates.
Eagles Film Room: Concept of the week – Crunch
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Closer look at Philadelphia’s scheme. In addition to writing the All-22 offense and defense reviews after each Eagles game this year, I will also write this one called ‘Concept of the Week.’ I will break down a specific concept or play on offense and defense and explain the play in more detail. Hopefully, this will allow you to look out for that play in future weeks. This week, we will look at Kenny Gainwell’s big run against Washington, which came on a concept called ‘Crunch’. Crunch “Crunch” is a type of trap play. It’s a rare concept involving a trap and a wham block. I haven’t seen the Eagles run it in a long time, and it’s definitely more of a Kellen Moore concept than a Jeff Stoutland one. It’s a boom-bust play, so you don’t see it often. If it hits well, it can be an explosive run, but if anyone screws up, it can end very badly. Let’s get into the concept. As I said above, it involves both a trap and a wham block. These are blocks that pull a blocker to block an uncovered defender. This block will go opposite to the rest of the offensive line. Trap and wham are the same thing. Wham uses a tight end to block, while trap uses an offensive lineman. That’s it. I saw someone describe the offensive line movement as looking like a pair of scissors a few years ago and that has always stuck with me. Crunch is a brilliant call if you run a lot of pin-pull because it looks similar, but the play hits the opposite side. The Eagles do run a lot of pin-pull! Additionally, When you are in shotgun, the back will normally run to the opposite side he is lined up. However, on crunch, the running back gets downhill fast to the same side that he is lining up which may catch the defense out. Normally on a gap-blocking scheme run (power, counter, etc), the line pins down to the backside and pullers pull to the play-side. This play does the opposite! Which makes it pretty unique and cool. Let’s look at the design. When you see it drawn up, it’s pretty clear you need an athletic offensive line to run this. There’s a lot happening here! As you can see, the Eagles are running crunch to the right. So the tight end ‘whams’ the 3-technique to his left and the right guard ‘traps’ the other defensive tackle. The right tackle and center will “pin” defenders back or towards the play-side (the opposite to other gap scheme runs, remember). This creates a scissor-blocking action between each pair of blockers as I mentioned above. It’s cool! 13) Then we saw a Kellen Moore staple, normally referred to as ‘Crunch’. You can spot this run as it involves a guard trap block and a wham block to hopefully create some space up the middle. It’s an excellent change up from the Eagles usual runs and it worked perfectly here! pic.twitter.com/0GEkjH0lAU — Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 18, 2024 It’s a bit of a confusing play, so if you want to check out a video segment, have a look below! I do the ‘Concept of the Week’ segment on my podcast weekly too. On the Shane Page Ep.5⃣8⃣ Eagles vs Commanders All-22 Film Review Concept of the Week: Crunch The Eagles defense is having fun This was the worst offensive design of the season Full Episode https://t.co/wdMADFe51a@JonnyPage9 pic.twitter.com/D9GKIbr7DX — Eagles Pin-Pull: A Philadelphia Podcast Network (@EaglesPinPull) November 20, 2024
Emotional Daniel Jones ‘still trying to process’ benching by New York Giants
Daniel Jones | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Daniel Jones was emotional, but typically accountable as he met with the media on Thursday for what might have been his final press conference as a member of the New York Giants. Jones arrived to the podium inside the Giants’ Quest Diagnostics Training Center, an unusual occurrence for a mid-week interview with a prepared statement. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft said that playing for the Giants had been “a dream come true” and said that he was “100 percent accountable for my part” in the Giants being 2-8. Jones, normally stoic, grew increasingly emotional as the roughly 11-minute session with media moved along. Jones has received support from teammates this week, including from Dexter Lawrence and Darius Slayton, who came to the Giants with Jones in that 2019 draft. “I’ve created a lot of great relationships here with the guys here, and definitely appreciate the support, but it’s about the team, and what’s best for the team,” Jones said. “I think, I know the guys will be ready to go, I know Tommy [DeVito] will be ready to go this week.” Jones, though, understands that he won’t be on the field with them. Jones looked like QB4 behind DeVito, Drew Lock and newly-signed practice squad quarterback Tim Boyle on Wednesday. On Thursday, Jones spent some time playing safety on the scout team. “I’ve got the injury guarantee, so I understand it,” Jones said. “They don’t want to take any risks. So, yeah, at that point, it’s just do as you’re told.” Jones knows that the injury guarantee, which would see him collect $23 million if he can’t pass a physical when the league year opens next March, is part of why he will likely never play another down for the Giants. “I think that was a piece of the conversation for sure,” he said. “I wanted to play. I wanted to play badly and do what I could to play, but yeah, I think it was a part of it.” Jones demurred when asked if he would have been willing to waive the injury guarantee, though his answer left open the possibility he might have entertained the idea. “I wanted to play. I want to play. I want to be on the field,” Jones said. “I tried to do as much as I could to make that possible and make create a situation where we were both comfortable, but I think those discussions went on with my agent and with Joe [Schoen]. I want to play. I want to be on the field, but it’s [the] unfortunate business side of the game, too.” The Giants are 2-8 and have the lowest-scoring offense in the league. They were 6-11 last year, and Jones is 3-13 in his starts over those two seasons. Between the performance on the field and his contract situation, Jones admitted that the possibility of being benched was “maybe a little bit in the back of your mind,” especially after the Week 10 loss to the Carolina Panthers. “I think obviously we’re 2-8, and that’s not where we want to be, and they’re looking to change things up, so I think that was what was communicated,” Jones said. “Definitely not happy about it. Not what you want to hear, so yeah, all those emotions you have, but at the end of the day, this is football, and we’re in a business where you expect to get results, and we weren’t doing it, so you got to accept it and understand.” Will Jones stick around for the final seven games? In 2022, when the Las Vegas Raiders benched Derek Carr for the final few games under similar circumstances Carr and the Raiders agreed to have Carr leave the team before the season ended. Jones wasn’t ready on Wednesday to commit one way or the other. “I think I’m still kind of processing, and for now I’m doing the best I can to help Tommy prepare, help the team prepare, and that’s what I’m going to do right now,” Jones said. “I think first you think about what’s best for the team and how you can help, and then myself and what’s best for my situation going forward.” It won’t be any surprise if Jones decided not to hang around as a scout team safety and spare wheel doing little more than tossing a few passes in individual drills and handing off to running backs. Maybe that happens after Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaners. Maybe it comes after the Thanksgiving Day game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants will take a cap hit of $22.21 million next season when they release Jones even without the injury guarantee. That is pro-rated signing bonus money Jones has already been paid, but that needs to be accounted for within the cap. “It’s been a tremendous honor to be a part of this organization, to represent the Mara and Tisch families,” Jones said. “It’s a first class organization, and I’ve met a lot of great people here, and then created a lot of great relationships, especially with teammates and guys I’ve played with, and it’s been a real honor to be a part of it.” Jones, unless something unexpected happens, will finish with a 24-44-1 record as the Giants’ starting quarterback. What’s next for Jones? He will be able to look across the field on Sunday and see Baker Mayfield, on his fourth team and playing exceptionally well for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There are other examples of highly-drafted quarterbacks excelling long after moving on from their original teams — like Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and Jared Goff. “Just still trying to kind of process this, and what’s best for the team, what’s best for me, and thenmake a decision on that going forward,” Jones said. “But, yeah, I’m confident in my ability, a lot of good football ahead, and I’m excited for that.” After 5½ years, it’s obvious none