Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is a simple man. He shows up, does his work, and rinses and repeats that cycle. He is as simple as a person could get, and that couldn't be more evident than how he introduced himself to his team's first-round rookie selection this year, former Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt.
The Chargers' social media team caught up with Alt, and he revealed his first interaction with his new quarterback.
The combination of Herbert and Alt may not be as exciting on paper as, say, the combination of Malik Nabers and Herbert, but this duo could go a long way if all pans out. Alt comes into Los Angeles as one of the best tackle prospects of a long time. Nobody is bust-proof but he is sure as close to it as possible.
He is a giant of a human being, standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing 328 pounds. More times than not, he will help keep Herbert upright. These two must build that camaraderie, chemistry, and trust to prove the front office right. Fans wanted a wide receiver with the No. 5 overall pick, but it would all be forgiven if Alt and the offensive line could give Herbert time to make the right play and keep his jersey clean.
Alt's job is simple, yet it's crucial that he gets it done.
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With the NFL season about to kick off, there's no better time to look ahead and predict how the division standings will shake out by season's end. This week, Yardbarker's NFL crew came together to do just that.
The Green Bay Packers are happy, as they should be, after acquiring Micah Parsons in a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Cowboys. But part of that compensation was Kenny Clark, who has a specific skill set that the Packers will lack in the interior of the defensive line room. After all, players like Devonte Wyatt and Karl Brooks have been impactful interior rushers, but they struggle against the run. Right now, Colby Wooden and undrafted rookie Nazir Stackhouse are probably the best run-stuffers on the DT depth chart. Now, the Packers will not have many resources to add more pieces, but it's still possible to look for smart solutions to add to what looks like a roster ready to win now. Veteran Christian Wilkins and rookie Cam Horsley are the best options, and we will discuss why they could make sense below. Internal options The Packers have invested significant draft resources along the interior of the defensive line. Wyatt was a first-round pick in 2022, and Green Bay picked up his fifth-year option for 2026. Colby Wooden was a fourth-rounder, Karl Brooks and Warren Brinson were sixth-rounders. Ideally, some of them could develop and play better with new defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington. Undrafted last year, James Ester is on the practice squad, but he's probably not a realistic option. A real possibility is that the Packers could use Lukas Van Ness more as an interior player on passing downs. However, it probably won't apply for early downs. External alternatives There aren't many solid defensive tackles left in free agency. The best option is certainly Christian Wilkins, a former Miami Dolphins star. He signed a huge $110 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders just last offseason, but was released and had his guarantees voided due to an injury and issues with the team's medical staff. It's a Jones fracture, so it's unclear at this point when Wilkins will be available to return. But when healthy, the veteran is a dominant player. Last season, he had 11 stops and an 80.2 PFF run defense grade. Other than that, Raekwon Davis and Maurice Hurst could be depth options, but wouldn't be clear upgrades (if at all) over what the roster has now. The best practical solutions could come by signing players from other teams' practice squads, and this is something general manager Brian Gutekunst has done a lot. The most interesting alternatives include Washington Commanders' Sheldon Day, Atlanta Falcons' Kentavius Street, and former Packer Chicago Bears' Jonathan Ford. The most intriguing option The Packers will simply not be able to replicate Clark's prime production right now—well, probably not even with Clark himself, since he showed some signs of regression last year. But there's an intriguing prospect that would make tons of sense for Green Bay. It's undrafted rookie Cam Horsley, who is on the Tennessee Titans' practice squad. A former Boston College player, he has familiarity with Jeff Hafley. Despite being undrafted, The Athletic's Dane Brugler graded him as a fifth-round prospect, highlighting he "is a stout run defender, using his heavy, upward strikes and immediate lockout to own the line of scrimmage or create vertical push." Green Bay probably prefers Stackhouse, and that's fine. But after moving on from Kenny Clark, it wouldn't hurt to add more options to the menu.
If you're an avid golfer, you know the anxiety-inducing feeling of showing up to your local muni as a twosome on a busy Sunday afternoon. The twosome you get paired with can make or break your entire weekend. Since captain Keegan Bradley finalized the U.S. Ryder Cup roster on Wednesday, let's have some fun by ranking the three worst duos you would hate to be paired with on the golf course. 3. Cameron Young and Harris English Getting paired with Young and English would be a bore fest from the first tee to the 18th green. The introductory handshakes and the occasional "nice shot" would be the only interactions you get from them all day. You'll spend the entire round debating whether they're 25 or 45. At some point, you'll ask your buddy if they're even friends. Sure, it would be a treat to watch Young bomb majestic high draws 350 yards and English drain multiple 30-footers with ease, but that's where the fun would stop. The over/under for the number of smiles cracked between the two of them might be set at 2.5. 2. Collin Morikawa and Sam Burns Morikawa just doesn't seem like a good hang this year. From multiple quarrels with the media to a handful of caddie switches in the span of a few months, Morikawa has been too high-strung and paranoid in 2025. He'd be quick to blame you for a poor drive because you blinked too aggressively in his backswing. No thank you. Burns is on the other end of the spectrum in that he'll keep to himself and pretend not to know Morikawa very well. He'll throw out a "Sorry about him, he's having a tough year" to ease the tension, but his personality isn't bubbly enough to offset Morikawa's bad vibes. 1. Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele Cantlay would be the absolute worst-case scenario as a random pairing. You'd think his minute-long pitter-patter over the ball on the first tee was a one-time exercise to ease his nerves, but you quickly realize it's a steady feature of his pre-shot routine. Even though he's hitting the fewest shots, he's taking the longest time to hit them. The groups behind you start to pile up. At one point, the impatient union worker behind you hits into your group to send a message. Cantlay doesn't care. Five hours later, you finally finish up on 18. The group that was in front of you all day is already on their second beverage at the clubhouse bar. In an age when pace of play is just as important as your final score, Cantlay would be a nightmare pairing.
Reserve quarterback Danny O'Neil threw for a second-half touchdown and ran for another and Wisconsin held Miami (Ohio) to 117 total yards en route to a 17-0 victory on Thursday in the nonconference season opener for both teams in Madison, Wisconsin. O'Neil, who replaced injured starter Billy Edwards Jr. midway through the second quarter, directed a 54-yard scoring drive that put Wisconsin up 10-0 with 4:08 left in the third quarter. O'Neil, a sophomore transfer from San Diego State, set up the score with a 22-yard completion to Grant Stec to the 3-yard line, then hit Vinny Anthony II with a touchdown toss on the following play. Edwards, making his debut after transferring from Maryland, left with a lower-body injury and did not return. The senior, who passed for 2,881 yards and 15 touchdowns last season as the Terrapins' starter, completed 6-of-13 passes for 68 yards before the injury. Preston Zachman returned an interception 17 yards to the Miami 2-yard line to set up Wisconsin's final touchdown, a one-yard sneak by O'Neil with 6:45 left. O'Neil completed 12-of-19 passes for 120 yards with one interception. Wisconsin redshirt freshman Dilin Jones ran for 73 yards on 14 carries, helping the Badgers finish with 165 yards on the ground. Miami, which returned no starters on offense, rushed for just 34 yards, averaging just 1.5 yards per carry. The RedHawks, who advanced to the MAC title game the last two seasons, managed just seven first downs and were 0-for-9 on third-down conversion attempts. Miami quarterback Dequan Finn, a seventh-year transfer from Baylor who also previously played at Toledo, completed 9-of-18 passes for 83 yards with two interceptions. Wisconsin took a 3-0 lead on its second possession, marching 69 yards in 15 plays from its own 6-yard line before settling for Nathanial Vakos' 42-yard field goal with 1:39 left in the first period. O'Neil led a 65-yard drive on the opening possession of the second half, but was picked off by Silas Walters in the end zone on 4th-and-3 from the 10-yard line.
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