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Marcus Mariota continues downward spiral in Eagles' tie
On Thursday night, the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles were fit to be tied, playing to an 18-18 draw in the second week of the NFL preseason. The league owners voted to eliminate preseason overtime in 2021, much to the delight of anyone who watched this game. The last thing fans needed was an extension of this alleged display of football.
For the second time in as many games, Eagles backup quarterback Marcus Mariota was subpar. He completed nine of his 17 pass attempts for 86 yards while throwing an interception and taking three sacks. Tanner McKee, the Eagles' sixth-round draft choice from Stanford, was marginally better than Mariota. McKee went 10-for-18 with 147 yards and a touchdown pass.
The fact that a sixth-round rookie played even slightly better than Marcus Mariota shows just how far Mariota's star has fallen. During his three college seasons at Oregon, Mariota was incredible. In 2014, he won the Heisman Trophy with an astonishing 57 touchdowns (42 passing, 15 rushing) to just four interceptions. The Tennessee Titans selected Mariota with the second pick in the 2015 draft to mixed results. In 2017, he led the Titans to their first playoff win in 14 years, but just two years later, he found himself benched for Ryan Tannehill.
Mariota was decent in 13 starts for the Atlanta Falcons last season before being benched for rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder. What happened after that remains unclear. Mariota says that he underwent voluntary surgery for a chronic knee injury. An anonymous NFL agent was quoted as saying that Mariota quit on the Falcons by rehabbing in Las Vegas, away from team facilities.
When the Eagles signed Mariota as a backup in March, they were hoping he could be a more capable substitute than Gardner Minshew. Minshew lost both of his starts last season while relieving an injured Jalen Hurts, nearly costing the Eagles the number-one seed in the NFC playoffs. Given Mariota's preseason performance, Philadelphia could wind up in even greater turmoil if Hurts were injured again.
Should the Eagles choose to search for a more suitable backup quarterback, they have an option that could make for a good story. In May, Matt Ryan joined CBS Sports as a game analyst, but made it clear that he hadn't fully retired. While Ryan had a tumultuous season of his own last year with the Indianapolis Colts, he does have an MVP award to his name and is a likely Hall of Famer. On top of that, Ryan is a native of the Philadelphia area, having attended William Penn Charter School. He may not be the same player he was in his prime with Atlanta, but consider the other ex-Falcon that's currently backing up Jalen Hurts. Ryan could have more to lend in the Eagles' quarterback room than in the broadcast booth.
More must-reads:
- 5 questions the Eagles need to answer in preseason clash vs Browns
- 3 Free Agents Named Targets The Eagles Must Consider Signing
- The 'NFL mascot names' quiz
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Saints quarterback has 'convincing lead' in training camp battle
The New Orleans Saints' three-way quarterback competition is narrowing before the team's first preseason contest against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Per Ross Jackson of Louisiana Sports, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler has looked the best at training camp this summer, going 83-of-114 passing (72.8 percent) for eight touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and four interceptions. Rattler is beating out rookie Tyler Shough. The second-round pick has completed just 62 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and three interceptions. 2023 fourth-round pick Jake Haener has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for five touchdowns and one Interception. Jackson believes first-year head coach Kellen Moore is priming Rattler as the favorite to start in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. "Over the team’s 10 practices, these three young passers have seen their chance to earn the starting role to begin the season in a rotation of first-team reps," Jackson wrote. "But there are decisions the Saints have made in the process that indicate a favorite. "After looking over individual performance stats, practice rep distribution and the team’s treatment of each quarterback throughout the important and highly-productive scrimmages on camp day 10, it’s become clear that Rattler is comfortably in the lead, for now." Jackson thinks Rattler can fend off his "convincing lead" for the starting job if he plays competently against the Chargers on Sunday. Rattler feels like the safe choice for Moore over Shough and Haener, at least to start the regular season. He appeared in seven games and started in six in 2024. Rattler played inconsistently as a rookie, throwing four touchdowns to five interceptions. However, he's had time to develop. Given his numbers in training camp, Rattler appears to be the most polished quarterback before the regular season. Shough could eventually develop into the Saints' best option, but the rookie's completion percentage against friendly competition at camp is low before he even faces live action in the preseason.
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Rams share worrisome Matthew Stafford update ahead of preseason opener
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.
Sean Payton's take about Broncos' Super Bowl chances should raise eyebrows
The Denver Broncos haven't won a playoff game since Super Bowl 50. Head coach Sean Payton expects that to change in 2025. Payton won a Super Bowl as New Orleans Saints HC during the 2009 season. He says the 2025 Broncos could do the same. "The short-term goal is winning the division," Payton told Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson in a story published Sunday. "But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I've coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some went to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that." After losing to the Buffalo Bills 31-7 in the AFC wild-card round last season, the Broncos splurged in free agency. They signed tight end Evan Engram, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back J.K. Dobbins. Greenlaw and Hufanga helped the San Francisco 49ers reach Super Bowl LVIII during the 2023 season. Many of Denver's stars are also returning, including cornerback Patrick Surtain II and quarterback Bo Nix. The second-year passer tossed the league's sixth-most touchdown passes (29 in 17 starts) during his rookie season. Payton thinks that's just a taste of what's to come. "[Nix is] going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the league in the next two years," the coach said. "That's what we're seeing right now. He doesn't take sacks. He's got exceptional arm strength. ... He threw the longest ball — [67] air yards against [the Cincinnati Bengals]. He can run. He can throw in funny body angles." Before placing your bets on Denver, remember it's in the AFC West, which features the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have made three straight Super Bowl appearances, winning two. Denver's talent could help it compete with Kansas City. In a story published July 21, ESPN's Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder listed the Broncos' projected starting lineup as the NFL's sixth best. The Chiefs, meanwhile, ranked No. 5. It seems Payton isn't overhyping his team, which could be a Super Bowl sleeper.
Dan Quinn gives a much anticipated injury update on two major starting offensive linemen for the Commanders ahead of game week
Health is key as the Washington Commanders participate in their first joint practice and preseason game this week, and we received an injury update from HC Dan Quinn before practice. We've been monitoring one injury situation on the offensive line since the season ended last year, and a recent one has popped up from another vital starter on the inside. Having two injuries on the offensive line isn't ideal at this point in the offseason, but things could be heading in the right direction for Brandon Coleman and Sam Cosmi. Update on Brandon Coleman Coleman was moved from tackle to guard this offseason, and he's been taking the transition head-on with success. He suffered a bump in the road on Saturday, however, when he limped off the field in the middle of practice and was replaced by Andrew Wylie and never returned. Quinn spoke to the media before practice on Monday and said that Coleman will be out of practice today, and they are still evaluating if he will travel with the team to Massachusetts for the joint practice and preseason game against the New England Patriots. We aren't sure what the specific injury is yet, but Quinn said he will give updates when he has more info. If Coleman isn't cleared to go this week, which is what I'm fully expecting, Wylie can come back in at guard like he did Saturday, or we could see last year's starter, Nick Allegretti, come in and get more reps at the joint practice. The fact that Quinn didn't say he was not traveling could signal that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, but we don't want to speculate about what we don't know. Sam Cosmi is progressing well Starting right guard Sam Cosmi suffered a torn ACL back in January and was expected to miss the start of the season at least. Well, Cosmi has taken those expectations and thrown them out the window. When training camp started, Quinn said that Cosmi is well ahead of schedule and playing in Week 1 is still on the table. The team won't rush Cosmi back, but the fact that he has reached this point in his recovery is encouraging. Quinn also said that there's a lot left to see in his recovery, and it's too early to tell if Cosmi will actually play Week 1, but he's "hitting all the marks", and it wouldn't even be mentioned if it wasn't a real possibility. Hopefully, Coleman can come back by the second preseason game, and Cosmi can get back to 100% before he hits the field again, but the Commanders have done a great job rebuilding the offensive line so they can fill in for these injuries without any major hiccups.
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