Jaguars
Jaguars OL Ezra Cleveland admitted he was caught off guard when Minnesota opted to trade him to Jacksonville.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Cleveland said, via Jags Wire. “My agent called me a little bit before it happened and let me know. I had no idea.”
Cleveland added he’s ready to take on any role within the team. He’s currently expected to serve in a backup role behind OL Walker Little.
“If they want me to play, then I’ll play. If I’m a backup, I’ll be a backup,” Cleveland said. “I’m here to support the guys, get to know them, learn the offense the best I can, and I’ll be ready when my number is called. I think I got the playbook down, pretty much. There’s a few things that are different — the lingo is a little different than when I was with [Jaguars OL coach Phil Rauscher in Minnesota] — but in terms of just getting stuff down, I’m almost there.”
Jaguars HC Doug Pederson didn’t rule out Cleveland being a part of the team in the future. He’s in the final year of his contract and Jacksonville has some uncertainty at guard starting in 2024.
“I do think this definitely could turn into a long-term situation for him where he could definitely compete and be in position to help us moving forward,” Pederson added.
Texans
The Texans have battled nearly constant injuries this season. Nearly all of their offensive linemen have been hurt and missed time at some point. They lost their starting kicker in Week 9 and had to rely on a backup running back filling in. Houston had 23 players listed on the injury report this week in practice. Yet HC DeMeco Ryans said it’s just something they have to find a way through.
“It doesn’t stop our process,” Ryans said via the team website. “We go through the same process, and things happen. That’s life. Things don’t go your way all the time, so I continue to smile through it, and we’re going to have our best guys out there. Whoever is available, we’re going to have our best guys out there and we’re going to play the Texan brand of football.”
Titans
- Titans QB Ryan Tannehill said he didn’t think he would lose the starting job when he first got hurt, but once second-round QB Will Levis had a strong performance in his debut, he realized it was a possibility and got a head start on processing his emotions. (Terry McCormick)
- Titans HC Mike Vrabel said CB Sean Murphy-Bunting will be doubtful for Sunday against the Buccaneers. (Jim Wyatt)
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