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The New York Jets opted to cut Aaron Rodgers and sign Justin Fields to replace him during the offseason. This kind of commitment to Fields should bolster his confidence, but it could also place a lot of pressure on his shoulders. To this point, Fields has looked solid in training camp, aside from a scary toe injury that was quickly resolved in July. Justin Fried of the Jet Press recently reported that Fields' training camp may have reached a new low over the weekend as the young signal caller struggled. "Justin Fields put together his best practice of the summer to this point on Friday, completing his first 12 passes en route to an excellent all-around performance. The same can't be said about his showing on Saturday, however," Fried wrote. "Fields finished the day an abysmal 2-of-10 in the air, including a drop from rookie tight end Mason Taylor. "Some of his incompletions were catchable balls, but the Jets' passing game struggles on Saturday can largely be blamed on No. 7. Fields did flash his running ability with a 25-yard rushing score on the first play of red-zone drills, but the Jets would like to see more consistency in the air from the starting quarterback. Saturday's scrimmage was far from his best showing of the summer." Fields is a runner first at the NFL level, but his arm is nothing to scoff at. For most of training camp, his arm talent has been better than advertised, but during Saturday's scrimmage, it just wasn't there. A 2 for 10 performance is unacceptable for a $40 million quarterback who was signed to take over the team. The running game should open up the passing game for the Jets, which is going to need to be the case if Fields is going to struggle like this. However, it's just one day of camp. It's nothing to be too concerned about. Just because Fields lost this specific practice doesn't mean he's heading in the wrong direction as a whole.
Los Angeles Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has had a "week-to-week" designation throughout training camp as he deals with lingering back soreness. According to ESPN's Sarah Barshop and Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Sunday that Stafford won't participate in Monday's jog-through practice. "He’ll be doing a workout on his own during that time period," McVay said. "He is able to do a little bit more, which is good, and things are progressing well, but he won’t take part in the jog-through because he’ll be doing some other stuff." Stafford also won't take part in Los Angeles' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. Barshop noted that 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett IV, who has never taken a meaningful snap as a pro, "is expected to start for the Rams" in the team's preseason opener against Dallas this coming Saturday. It's unclear if Stafford will be available for the Rams' joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 13. The Rams play the Chargers on Aug. 16 and then end the preseason with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 23. "It’s static throwing," McVay said about what Stafford will do on Monday. "It’s some of the unloaded running on the treadmill. Sometimes it might even be walking. He’s able to do a little lighter cardio and able to do some good core work. It’s more just functional strength surrounding the area, making sure you don’t do anything to set yourself back based on the trajectory he’s doing. We are looking forward to getting him and easing him back into football, hopefully in the near future." It's no secret that the Rams at least considered trading Stafford to either the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders after he turned 37 years old this past February. While the Rams worked out an agreement to keep Stafford as their QB1, the club could part ways with him next offseason if his body betrays him or he looks like a player past his physical prime during the upcoming campaign. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams sixth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Such information suggests Los Angeles may want to consider looking for an upgrade over current backup signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo, who hasn't shown he can be a winning QB1 with any regularity since the 2022 season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors have died down in recent weeks, but the two-time MVP hasn’t reached a decision on whether he wants to continue playing for the Bucks, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Monday morning during an appearance on “Get Up.” “Sources tell me there’s still nothing set in stone about whether Giannis Antetokounmpo will stay in Milwaukee or whether he will be leaving,” Charania said. There have been past reports that Antetokounmpo might consider leaving Milwaukee to improve his chances of winning another NBA title. Speculation began to grow after the Bucks were eliminated in this first round of this year’s playoffs and star guard Damian Lillard suffered an Achilles tear that’s expected to sideline him for all of next season. Bucks general manager Jon Horst responded by retooling the team’s roster this summer. He waived and stretched the $112.6M that Lillard had left on his contract for the next two years and used the new-found cap space to sign center Myles Turner away from the Pacers. Horst also added Gary Harris, Jericho Sims and Cole Anthony in free agency and re-signed several of the team’s own free agents, such as Bobby Portis, Gary Trent Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Ryan Rollins and Taurean Prince. The aggressive move with Turner was viewed as an important step toward convincing Antetokounmpo that the Bucks could remain competitive in the Eastern Conference. Although there hasn’t been much trade talk over the last month, Charania insists that Antetokounmpo’s situation hasn’t been resolved. “There’s been some very real conversations over the last week or so,” Charania said. “The constant question that Giannis has, though, is can I win a championship with this roster? …He wants to win a second championship, so he’s asking that question over and over.” He added that there are “multiple teams waiting in the wings” to make offers if Antetokounmpo decides he wants out.
The Las Vegas Raiders are giving their offensive weapons a minor makeover before their first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday. On Sunday, the team announced that they had signed wide receiver Kawaan Baker and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. In corresponding roster moves, the Raiders have waived tight end Pat Conroy and wide receiver Kyle Philips. Baker was a seventh-round selection of the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 NFL Draft, appearing in two games for the team. Prior to that, he shined at the University of South Alabama, recording 126 catches for 1,829 yards and 16 touchdowns in his four years there. Okwuegbunam was a fourth-round pick of the Denver Broncos in the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Denver, followed by stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. With 30 NFL games under his belt, the Missouri product has recorded 54 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns. The two add depth to the offense, but both are going to face uphill battles to make the 53-man roster. Baker is likely competing for the last receiver spot on the roster with fellow veterans Collin Johnson and Alex Bachman. Meanwhile, Okwuegbunam has a loaded tight end room in front of him, with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer locked in and veteran Ian Thomas providing a unique skillet to the room. Both could impress the Raiders coaching staff enough, however, to warrant practice squad spots. Both moves are little more than a restructuring of depth, but the injury to safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. on Sunday could mean bigger moves are on the horizon.