NFL Rumors: Dawand Jones' one advantage to cling to against T.J. Watt
The Steelers didn't have a good time in their 30-7 beatdown at the hands of the 49ers. It was certainly a bad day for the team, but one player came out of that game looking every bit as dominant as expected. That player was, of course, T.J. Watt. He had three sacks, five QB hits and a pass breakup to go along with a fumble recovery.
The next tackle who will have to face off with Watt understands the challenge on his hands. But Browns rookie right tackle is hoping he can take advantage of one weakness in Watt's approach.
"He kind of leaves his chest open a little bit during the pass game," Jones told reporters when asked about how to deal with a player like Watt, H/T Steelers Depot.
Make no mistake, Jones was very complimentary of Watt, praising him as a "great player" with "a motor of nonstop moves." He seems to understand that there's no stopping Watt. He's just trying to contain him as much as possible.
"My major thing is I need to limit him to some of [those moves], use my length and my strength to the best ability," Jones said.
All that's left to say is good luck and godspeed to the rookie.
NFL Rumors: It doesn't look good for Eagles DB Avonte Maddox
The Eagles got the win on Thursday Night Football but they appear to have lost a key defender for the season because of an injury.
Avonte Maddox is feared to have torn his pec muscle against the Vikings, John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia tweeted on Friday. A second opinion is needed, but that injury would likely keep the nickelback out for the remainder of the season.
And realistically, it might end his time in Philly.
The problem for Maddox isn't his play. He's clearly a valued member of the Eagles secondary, but his injury issues have been consistently frustrating. Philadelphia drafted him in 2018. He has managed one complete season in six years. He'll have played 11 games in two seasons if his 2023 campaign is finished as expected.
Per Spotrac, Maddox will have a cap hit of $10 million in 2024. With a dead cap figure of $7.7 million, the Eagles can save a couple million by moving on from the defensive back and they have incentive to do so considering how often he's been unavailable.
It sucks to say it, but Maddox may have played his last snap in an Eagles uniform.
NFL Rumors: Randall Cobb is the Jets emergency quarterback
The Jets have one quarterback on their active roster after losing Aaron Rodgers to a stunning Achilles injury four plays into Monday Night Football. New York is now Zach Wilson's team, but who steps in if misfortune befalls him?
There's an easy answer, unless the team makes a move of course. Practice squad Tim Boyle is expected to take the backup spot on the roster for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.
Who would take over if the Jets get a case of the 49ers and their backup plan to the backup plan gets injured as well?
They don't have another quarterback in the organization, so wide receiver Randall Cobb is on tap as the emergency quarterback for Week 2. That's according to Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic.
Cobb was a quarterback at Kentucky before switching over to play wide receiver. So he has played the position before. But he's attempted four passes in his NFL career and completed one of them.
The Jets may be content with this plan this week, but it seems very likely they'll bring in another quarterback to fill out their roster, even if they insist that Wilson is their guy.
The NFL's emergency quarterback rule allows teams to designate an additional QB as their third option beyond the two active quarterbacks on the active game-day roster. The emergency option can only enter the game if the other two are unavailable because of injury, not performance. Cobb doesn't fill that role because he's not a full-time quarterback. An added QB in the future could receive that designation.