Category: NFL News

The Bills are still searching for their Tremaine Edmunds replacement.

That doesn’t mean his former teammates just forgot about him.

Edmunds played the first five years of his NFL career with the Bills.

Among that faction of ex-teammates who haven’t forgotten him is quarterback Josh Allen. The QB shared a nice embrace with Edmunds on the field over the weekend when the Bills visited the Bears.

Both during and after the preseason outing, Allen went out of his way to chat with Edmunds. The first encounter in the clip below is when both took the field in the opening quarter:

Then after the game, Allen made sure to find Edmunds at midfield.

Having both been selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Bills, the two naturally share a large bond. It looks like the mutual respect was certainly there after the final whistle:

Story originally appeared on Bills Wire

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Tom Brady’s iconic playing career ended with a playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys in January. Less than eight months later, Brady was in Dallas as a Las Vegas Raiders minority owner. 

The seven-time Super Bowl champion enjoyed a pregame stroll on the field that included exchanges with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott and Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs. 

Ever the competitor, Brady also had a pregame message for Jimmy Garoppolo and the rest of the Raiders’ quarterbacks. 

It appears that Brady is settling into his post-playing life. He would surely enjoy it more if the Raiders were able to end their 40-yard championship drought. The Raiders haven’t won the Super Bowl since Marcus Allen won MVP honors during the silver and black’s drubbing of Washington in Super Bowl XVIII. Brady had a small hand in the Raiders’ title drought; his Patriots beat the Raiders in the 2001 divisional round in a game that is remembered as the infamous “Tuck Rule” game. 

The Raiders took a step in the right direction earlier in the day when they came to terms with running back Josh Jacobs on a 1-year, $12 million deal. Along with Jacobs, the Raiders’ roster has several notable players that includes Garoppolo, Jacobs, Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby, Chandler Jones and Marcus Peters. 

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On the same day rookie kicker Anders Carlson missed a couple field goals at Packers practice, Mason Crosby made it clear he wants to return for a 17th season. The 38-year-old free agent posted a video to his Twitter on Thursday, showing he still has something left in the tank if a team needs a veteran kicker in 2023. 

After 16 years in Green Bay, Crosby was not re-signed following a season in which he didn’t have the same kicking power as before. However, Crosby attributed this to the effects of a knee surgery he underwent in July of 2022.

It wasn’t necessarily Crosby’s leg that caused the team go in a different direction. There were also salary cap implications to keeping an accomplished franchise kicker, and Green Bay wanted to start a new chapter with younger players.

So, they used a sixth-round draft pick on a cheaper, 25-year-old replacement in Anders Carlson. That marked the start of a roller coaster ride that still hasn’t ended.

Carlson has been unable to make field goals consistently throughout training camp and the preseason, but the team was prepared to deal with ups and downs of having a young kicker.

But with the start of the regular season a little over three weeks away, Carlson still looks shaky. The team needs a stable kicker in 2023 and Crosby is a potential option as long as he remains unsigned.

For now, all signs point toward Green Bay sticking with Carlson, but that could change when the kicks and points start to count.

Story originally appeared on Packers Wire

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Aaron Rodgers is set to take his first preseason snaps in five years when the Jets play the Giants this Saturday. In the meantime, the star quarterback returned to TV on Tuesday for Episode 3 of “Hard Knocks,” HBO and NFL Films’ annual training camp series.

As expected, Rodgers remained a focal point of the program, even as the spotlight briefly turned to Dalvin Cook’s arrival, joint-practice fights with the Buccaneers and bottom-of-the-depth-chart competitions.

Here’s a roundup of A-Rod’s most notable moments from the latest episode:

Friend and former Packers teammate Randall Cobb confirmed what we all could’ve guessed about Rodgers, telling Jets wideouts after an uneven practice that if the QB doesn’t trust a receiver, he won’t throw him the ball. “He does not like throwing interceptions,” Cobb said with dire seriousness, urging his colleagues to sharpen their fundamentals.Several fights broke out at joint practice with the Buccaneers, all of which were extinguished without much incident. Rodgers played up the nonsensical nature of the scuffles, joking during the action that he’s “too old for this.”Former Jets receiver Braylon Edwards visited practice and asked for Rodgers’ thoughts on new No. 1 target Garrett Wilson. The response: “Special. He’s so f—ing quick. He gets out of his breaks so quick. He’s special. (And the) best part is he’s a good dude. He’s a good kid. He cares about it.” Stock up for No. 17 once again.It’s been clear since the first episode that Rodgers and 2021 first-round QB Zach Wilson are quickly becoming pals. The latest evidence: Rodgers teasing Wilson for his game-day headbands, which the latter insisted are not…..

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The Kansas City Chiefs secured their first win of the 2023 preseason against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, managing to redeem themselves after suffering a heartbreaking loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 1.

While the preseason victory won’t count toward their effort to get back to the Super Bowl, the progress that Kansas City made against Arizona is sure to help the Chiefs as the regular season inches closer.

Several of the team’s lesser-known players stood out in the fantastic effort against Arizona and may have helped their case to earn a roster spot ahead of the NFL’s cut day later in August.

Check out which Chiefs put together the best performance against the Cardinals on Saturday:

(Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)

Smith-Marsette led Kansas City in yards per reception after grabbing four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown against Arizona. His upside as a returner on special teams may force the Chiefs’ hand to keep him on the 53-man roster after his standout performance on offense. With another big day against the Browns this week, he could be a lock to make the team.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Christiansen managed to lead the Chiefs in tackles for a second-straight week and was flying around the field at State Farm Stadium as he helped Kansas City dominate the Cardinals’ offense. He has proven to be an active member of the defense when he is on the field and should be considered the front-runner to earn a spot as a depth linebacker on the Chiefs’ roster in 2023.

(AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

Buechele’s preseason excellence is approaching legendary status, and he has managed to push veteran Blaine Gabbert for the Chiefs’ backup quarterback role next season. He ended his day against the Cardinals with 105 yards on a perfect 10-for10 passing. This performance may have been his best ever.

(John Cordes/AP Images for Panini)

Bootle is a sneaky-solid member of the Chiefs’ secondary and needed a showing like the one he put together against Arizona…

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The Atlanta Falcons took Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and since then, people have been waiting his first time on the field. Well, the day has come, and on Friday night the rookie saw playing time in the Falcons’ preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Here is a look at his first carry in a Falcons uniform:

In his highly anticipated debut, he had four carries for 20 yards and a 6-yard reception, doing it all in one drive. 

The 21-year-old has a lot of hype surrounding him this season and currently occupies the top spot for best odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at +300, according to Caesars Sportsbook.

Ahead of the game, head coach Arthur Smith confirmed that Robinson would take the field. 

“We’re not going to go crazy, we just need the reps. We need to get our bread-and-butter concepts in there and he’ll see his tracks. We’re not going to sit there and show everything but we need to execute well,” Smith said leading up to the matchup against the Bengals (via ESPN).

“I’m really excited,” Robinson said ahead of his first NFL appearance. “Shoot, even last week, it was super fun just to support my teammates and be the best teammate I can be.”

Smith said this is another step for Robinson and making the transition with him from college to the league, something the running back admits is a drastic change.

“We’re not going to show everything with him. He just needs to get his feet wet,” Smith said, adding that Robinson is handling the attention he’s been getting in a mature way.

Robinson finished with 3,410 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns at Texas, with his career best in those categories…

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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Matthew Stafford didn’t have much of a relationship with Stetson Bennett before the Los Angeles Rams drafted the rookie quarterback in the fourth round. But Stafford and Bennett have two major things in common: They are former Georgia Bulldogs and each of them have won a championship at SoFi Stadium, albeit on different levels.

“He’s like all the other young guys on this team, just trying to figure it out and trying to figure out what it’s like to be an NFL player, where to be, what to do and continue to try to kind of carve his way, which is fun to see and fun to be a part of,” Stafford said of Bennett. “He’s a really talented kid, runs around, makes plays, throws it great, but he’s like every other rookie. They’re just doing the best they can to try and figure stuff out as quickly as possible.”

Stafford’s comments symbolize the current state of the Rams. Entering training camp, the Rams roster included 36 rookies. Fourteen of them were selected by the club in the 2023 draft.

Rookies and young, unproven players fill the Rams’ roster. They are trying to “figure stuff out” with the regular season less than a month away.

It’s beneficial that the Rams have two sets of joint practices, against the Las Vegas Raiders this week and the Denver Broncos next week, in addition to three preseason games.

‘Going to get a little hot-headed’: In NFL joint practices, teams challenged to keep cool

Los Angeles Rams rookie quarterback Stetson Bennett in action during the preseason game against the Chargers.

“I think what we can try to do is challenge them to use the tools, not be afraid to fail so that you can actually have some of that growth occur in a smart way,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “You want to be able to try out some of these fundamentals and techniques in a situation, in a setting like these practices. Go shoot your shot in some of these preseason games, but I think the more that we can create those situations and scenarios, whether it be on…

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Former NFL running back Alex Collins died Monday as a result of a motorcycle accident, the Seattle Seahawks announced. He was 28 years old.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Alex Collins this morning,” Collins’ family said in a statement, which was released through the Seahawks. “Alex was cherished by his family and friends as well as supporters from all around the world. All who truly know him can attest to his drive, determination, and larger-than-life personality. We kindly request your thoughts and prayers for our family during this difficult time. We ask for privacy as we navigate through our grief. We will provide updates regarding funeral arrangements as they become available.”

Collins was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played for the team for one season before moving onto the Ravens for two years. After a year off, he came back to Seattle for two more seasons. He most recently played for the Memphis Showboats of the USFL.

“With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of Alex Collins,” the Ravens said in a statement. “Always quick to greet everyone with a smile, he was a genuinely kind person who carried a special joy and passion wherever he went. May Alex always be remembered for the light and love he brought to so many people in his life.”

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh also released a statement, saying, “Alex was a joy to be around and someone whose light shined brightly. I’ll always remember him for being a great teammate who had an uplifting spirit that impacted everyone he encountered. He was also a smart player who ran with unlimited determination, and he contributed to a lot of our success during his time in Baltimore. We send our heartfelt condolences and support to Alex’s family. May he now rest in God’s eternal peace.”

The Seahawks also posted their condolences: “Absolutely heartbroken. Prayers are with the Collins…

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