NFL News Updates

Author: nfltalk

  • Cameran Brown didn’t land with Texas Tech football by chance. He fit a specific need

    Cameran Brown didn’t land with Texas Tech football by chance. He fit a specific need

    Joey McGuire had no choice but to start three quarterbacks in each of his first two seasons as Texas Tech football coach. No other way around it, thanks to injuries.

    And when Tyler Shough and Behren Morton both were sidelined two years in a row, it merely extended a pattern. The last season in which the Red Raiders didn’t have a starting quarterback miss a game because of injury was 2017. The last Tech quarterback to start every game was Patrick Mahomes II in 2016.

    Some might take that as a sign to avoid running the quarterback at all costs. McGuire says he doesn’t much want to use Morton in a quarterback-run game next season, but that doesn’t mean he’s shelving the quarterback-run game. Not by a long shot. He recruited West Georgia transfer Cameran Brown for the express purpose of keeping that element in the playbook.

    McGuire credited senior offensive analyst Kirk Bryant with putting together scouting information for Bryant and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Zach Kittley to review.

    “The one thing I wanted whenever I asked them to look is a true dual-threat quarterback,” McGuire said recently, “because it was going to be hard to recruit a guy knowing that Behren was the number-one guy. Part of the sales pitch to him coming to Texas Tech is that, ‘We’re going to be able to play you in different situations, so it’s not like you’re just coming to be a backup.’ “

    Red Raiders north of the border: Texas Tech football exes dot rosters for start of CFL season

    Joey McGuire makes player comparison: Texas Tech football coaches make a decision on Kasen Long’s future

    Remember K-State debacle: Texas Tech football wants to make QB run game more potent

    Brown, listed at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, was named the No. 2 quarterback at the end of spring practice, ahead of recent scholarship signees Jake Strong and Will Hammond. A…

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  • Pats’ Christian Gonzalez, Eagles’ Nolan Smith among young players set to rebound from injury, early struggles

    Pats’ Christian Gonzalez, Eagles’ Nolan Smith among young players set to rebound from injury, early struggles

    Every year in the NFL, we see breakout stars. And they come in all shapes and sizes with different backstories. Here, we’re going to begin a breakout mini-series with young “rebound” selections who fell into the shadows of the football-watching world either due to injury or simple disappointment. 

    To qualify for this article, a player had to be entering either his second or third year in the NFL. 

    Let’s get to it.

    Injury rebounds

    Christian Gonzalez hurt his labrum in early October and was subsequently placed in season-ending injured reserve. Then a multitude of enormous franchise-altering developments took place with the Patriots, so it’s relatively easy to forgot how good the first-round pick from Oregon was in his first four NFL games. 

    The man-coverage specialist had three pass breakups, an interception, didn’t allow a touchdown in his coverage area, and missed just one tackle on 209 total snaps. A freak athletically with super-smooth hips and brilliant route-recognition skill, Gonzalez was born to play in New England’s defense (yes, even after the Bill Belichick era).

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  • Inside the future of Florida State: AD Michael Alford offers perspective amid potential ACC exit

    Inside the future of Florida State: AD Michael Alford offers perspective amid potential ACC exit

    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Michael Alford might have the best seat in college athletics. From a field-level box that he personally reimagined at Dick Howser Stadium, Florida State’s athletic director might be sitting closer to the batter than either dugout-bound coach. Alford is able to watch this weekend’s NCAA baseball super regional surrounded by food, drink, boosters and praise. 

    This is part of the third-year AD’s kingdom. As the baseball season winds down, the former Mississippi State outfielder is basking in more than sunlight. Mike Norvell has stopped by, a sign that football is back but also a reminder of the hurt that still lingers from being left out of the College Football Playoff following the 2023 season.

    “It just wasn’t right,” Alford grumbles between pitches.

    It wouldn’t be fair to label Alford as the primary force behind Florida State’s push to exit the ACC, but he is the leader of a powerful athletic brand making news almost daily at this point. And Alford, thankfully, has been available on the subject since the exit attempt became public during a live-streamed board of trustees meeting in February 2023. 

    Since then, Florida State has arguably committed enough words, effort and documents to provide a legal walk-through for any school that wants to follow its path.

    “I’d say there’s a lot of people interested in the formula, the blueprint,” Alford told CBS Sports. “[There have been] a lot of questions about how we got to this point. It’s really looking at the analytical side of where this business is going, making sure we are positioning ourselves for the future.”

    That formula/blueprint is still in the development. FSU sued the ACC last December. Clemson followed with its own suit in March. The ACC has counter-sued. 

    That’s…

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  • Teven Jenkins wants a contract extension, but Bears haven’t made an offer

    Teven Jenkins wants a contract extension, but Bears haven’t made an offer

    Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins is heading into the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, and he’d like to work something out to remain in Chicago for the long term. But that would require both parties engaging in a negotiation.

    So far, Jenkins says, he and his agent have expressed interest in the Bears, but the team hasn’t made an offer.

    “We reached out, but nothing is on the table,” Jenkins said.

    Asked if there’s mutual interest with the Bears in a contract extension, Jenkins said, “Up in the air.”

    The Bears drafted Jenkins with the 39th overall pick in 2021. He has struggled to stay health and played in just 31 games through three years, with 24 starts. When healthy last year he played his best football, and he said his No. 1 priority this year is staying healthy for 17 games. If he does that, he’ll be due for a significant second contract next year, whether with the Bears or some other team.

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  • Trojans Wire talks USC-LSU college football on national podcast

    Trojans Wire talks USC-LSU college football on national podcast

    The USC-LSU college football season opener is one of the best games in Week 1 of the season, just before Labor Day. We joined the Powers On Sports podcast, hosted by Jason Powers, to discuss that game plus a few other Week 1 showcase games.

    We also talked about non-college football topics, just so you know, but college football was very much a part of our menu of items with Jason.

    The USC-LSU game is fascinating for a number of reasons. One is that the two programs have a lot in common. They both had terrible defenses last season and completely revamped their defensive coaching staffs. They both had Heisman Trophy winners at quarterback the past two seasons. They both have coaches who left elite programs for other elite programs. They both underachieved last year. They both have failed to win conference championships this decade. They both have inadequate depth on their defensive lines. They both have uncertain quarterback situations entering the 2024 season.

    It will be fascinating to see how that game plays out.

    Here’s the Powers on Sports podcast below:

    Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

    Check out more NFL draft coverage with the USA TODAY Sports NFL Draft Hub.

    Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire

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  • Every NFL team’s most notable offseason departure

    Every NFL team’s most notable offseason departure

    Throughout any given offseason, the headlines are largely dominated by additions that franchises are making to their teams in hopes of improving the following year. But there’s another side to that coin. Departures can be just as impactful to a team if not more in some cases. 

    As the NFL gears up for its break in the coming weeks before they open up training camp later this summer, now is as good of a time as any to look back at the offseason that was and gauge the most notable departures that each team has endured. It’s important to highlight the word notable. Sure, some of these figures that were subtracted had major impacts on their teams in 2023, but it could also simply represent the end of a specific era for that club as well. Given the seismic nature of some situations, we’ll also include coaches. 

    Hollywood Brown’s two-year stint with the Cardinals didn’t reach the heights that it probably should’ve due to injuries. In 2022, a foot injury proved to be a speed bump in what was set to be another thousand-yard season for the former first-round pick. The following year,…

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  • Big 12 football transfers: New QBs at Baylor, UCF ready to make an immediate impact in 2024 season

    Big 12 football transfers: New QBs at Baylor, UCF ready to make an immediate impact in 2024 season

    The transfer portal has revolutionized roster building across college football, and the Big 12 is no exception. Every team in the conference experienced turnover and hopes a newcomer can quickly slide into a new role. Four schools looked to the transfer portal for starting quarterbacks, while four more return a former transfer as a starter in 2024. 

    At times, the transfer portal has lifted a team’s ceiling. TCU slapped together a defense with key transfers and reached the national title game in 2022. Other times, overreliance has tanked programs. Look no further than BYU and Houston, both of which took more than 20 transfers last season and finished a combined 4-14 in Big 12 play. 

    While Big 12 teams added a handful of star players, others opted to lean on internal improvement. Five schools added 10 or fewer transfers. Among them were Iowa State and Oklahoma State — two of the top three teams in the country in returning production. 

    Here are the top transfers entering the Big 12 in 2024, headlined by a handful of key offensive targets. 

    Utah WR Dorian Singer

    Revamping a miserable passing game was a top priority for Kyle Whittingham and his staff entering 2024, and Singer adds immediate firepower. The fourth-year player caught 66 passes for 1,105 yards and six touchdowns in 2022 at Arizona and impressed with 16.7 yards per catch. He adds a downfield threat for returning quarterback Cameron Rising.

    Singer is the headliner, but Utah added three receivers overall, including Washington’s Taeshaun Lyons and Syracuse’s Damien Alford. The Utes finished last place in the Pac-12 in passing offense last season, but the new additions should revamp the unit and potentially key a Big 12 title run. Singer ranked as the No. 29 receiver in the…

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  • Colts Pro Bowler, NFLPA rep Ryan Kelly calls out Roger Goodell, blasts talk of 18-game schedule: ‘Absolutely not’

    Colts Pro Bowler, NFLPA rep Ryan Kelly calls out Roger Goodell, blasts talk of 18-game schedule: ‘Absolutely not’

    The NFL has been testing the public relations waters in floating an 18-game schedule.

    Ryan Kelly is here for the counterpoint. The Pro Bowl center and NFLPA representative for the Indianapolis Colts spoke candidly against an expanded schedule on Wednesday. He’s “absolutely not” interested in an 18-game slate or commissioner Roger Goodell’s effort’s to push one.

    Colts NFLPA rep Ryan Kelly fielding a ton of 18-game related questions today.

    On if Kelly would want that: “Absolutely not.” pic.twitter.com/a3OfSQVjhH

    — Kevin Bowen (@KBowen1070) June 5, 2024

    “Yeah, 18 games sounds great when Roger is saying it on the Pat McAfee podcast,” Kelly said in a post-practice media scrum from Colts minicamp. “But until you’re the one going out there and putting a helmet on for 18 of those games, yeah, then come talk to me.”

    Roger, in this instance, is Roger Goodell. Kelly, who’s also a vice president on the NFLPA’s executive committee, was referring to Goodell’s appearance on the “The Pat McAfee Show” in April at the NFL draft in Detroit.

    Speaking to McAfee in front a crowd of fans, Goodell took on the role of cheerleader in promoting an 18-game schedule.

    “I think we’re good at 17 (games) now, but… I’m not a fan of the preseason… I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season any day… If we got to 18 (regular season) and 2 (preseason), that’s not an unreasonable thing.” – Roger Goodell pic.twitter.com/4QxyVGppMq

    — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 26, 2024

    “I think we’re good at 17 now,” Goodell said. “But, listen, we’re looking at how we continue. I’m not a fan of the preseason. I don’t think we need three preseason games anymore. I don’t buy it.”

    Goodell then turned and pointed to the crowd.

    “I don’t think these guys like it either,” he continued. … “The reality is, I think I’d rather replace a preseason game with a regular-season game any day. That’s picking quality, right? If we got to 18-2, that’s not an unreasonable thing.”

    Goodell got no pushback…

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