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The Carolina Panthers signed Matthew Wright to a reserve/future contract on Tuesday, allowing the team to enter the offseason with at least one kicker on the roster.
Wright, 28, spent training camp in 2023 with the Panthers and returned to the team at the end of that season. He kicked in the season finale versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Eddy Pineiro nursing an injury.
Signing Wright gives Carolina a bit of security with Pineiro approximately a month away from unrestricted free agency.
Wright is 55-for-63 on field-goal attempts -- including 7-for-11 from beyond 50 yards -- while kicking for six different teams since making his NFL debut in 2020.
More must-reads:
- The Big Five: NFL’s biggest surprises of the 2025 season — for better or worse
- Browns HC appears in no rush to give Shedeur Sanders promotion after Joe Flacco trade
- The 'Most NFL QB two-rushing-TD games' quiz
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Commanders’ latest pursuit ends in uncertainty and uneasy silence
The Washington Commanders wanted to take a look at another once-promising edge rusher to give one of the team's surprising strengths a boost. However, early indications suggest that nothing will come from the visit. Adam Schefter from ESPN reported that the Commanders were among three teams that had scheduled meetings with Drake Jackson. Peters was part of the San Francisco 49ers front office that spent a second-round pick on the explosive pass-rusher, but injuries have decimated his time in the NFL so far. Jackson was let go by the Niners after barely featuring for the best part of two seasons. He was a gifted player in college, but San Francisco felt it was one roadblock too many for the player to overcome. Drake Jackson left the Commanders without a deal after his recent visit Peters wanted to know for sure. The NFL's transaction wire revealed that the Commanders spent time with Jackson on Tuesday, which probably involved a workout of some kind and some medical assessments as part of the team's due diligence. Jackson left without a deal. He's also set to meet with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens, which might have something to do with it. But if the Commanders were 100 percent convinced that the former USC standout had something to offer, chances are that Peters wouldn't have let him leave the building. The Commanders' pass-rush has been among the team's biggest surprises this season. Fans were highly concerned about the lack of genuine quality or depth. Still, they've silenced their doubters and a whole lot more over the opening five weeks, generating pressure consistently and being among the most prolific teams against the run for good measure. Upsetting the current dynamic doesn't seem right now. At the same time, Peters is continually seeking ways to improve. He obviously saw something in Jackson during the Niners' pre-draft evaluations, but he'd have to be in supreme shape to make an impact. That might be the case, but it's not guaranteed. The Ravens might be in a better position to offer Jackson a roster spot. They recently traded Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers, so there could be an opening if everything goes well during that meeting. Washington is willing to adopt a wait-and-see approach, and Peters will have other options in mind if he's not entirely convinced. For fans, it's a waiting game. But they can relax, safe in the knowledge that those currently around are having the desired impact right now.
Bengals' Zac Taylor explains shocking Joe Flacco move for Packers game
Roughly 24 hours after outsiders learned that the Cincinnati Bengals were acquiring veteran quarterback Joe Flacco from the Cleveland Browns, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor confirmed that Flacco will start over Jake Browning when 2-3 Cincinnati plays at the Green Bay Packers (2-1-1) this coming Sunday. While speaking with media members, Taylor explained that somewhat surprising decision. Why Zac Taylor believes he can get Joe Flacco "up to speed quickly" "He's already spent a lot of time meeting with us, getting up to speed, so I feel really good about where he's at," Taylor said about Flacco, per Dave Clark of the Cincinnati Enquirer. "You just know him. ...Very comfortable with his style, concepts he's good at, things that we do. All of the terminology, there's a carryover, more so than I would have anticipated. So I feel like we can get him up to speed quickly." Flacco lost three of four September starts with the Browns before the Super Bowl XLVII Most Valuable Player was benched in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel. According to Pro Football Reference stats, Flacco began Wednesday ranked last in the NFL among qualified players with a 60.3 passer rating for the ongoing season. Additionally, he's 28th out of 32 signal-callers with a 36.7 adjusted QBR. That said, Flacco is a 40-year-old who has seen every defensive concept an opposing coordinator could and will throw his way. Back on Sept. 21, he helped the Browns earn a 13-10 win over the Packers in downtown Cleveland. Zac Taylor likes that Joe Flacco faced this Packers defense in September "It's different than a young quarterback coming in, trying to learn the system and understand what a defense is trying to do to try to challenge you," Taylor added about his decision to start Flacco versus the Packers. "Not only that, but he's played Green Bay this year, so he's already gone through a week of prep. ...Now the communication and the weekly rhythm is maybe different and unique, but he's already prepared for this opponent. So he gets a chance to refresh himself on that, while at the same time just learning our system and our terminology...and how we operate." Shortly after Taylor made his comments, ESPN BET had the Bengals listed as massive 14.5-point underdogs against Green Bay. Perhaps that line and the fact that he was discarded by Cleveland will give Flacco some extra motivation heading into the showdown that will take place at Lambeau Field.
Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel Issues Serious Warning to Tua Tagovailoa
Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins are stuck in a rut, and the pressure is mounting fast. After messing up a 17-0 lead last Sunday, the team sits at 1-4, its worst start since 2021. The defense looks shaky, and Tua Tagovailoa’s performance has become an overanalyzed topic in Miami. The team’s future and McDaniel’s job security now hang in the balance as the clock ticks toward their Week 6 showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers. And the head coach didn’t sugarcoat things during his media session ahead of the game. When asked how quarterback Tua has absorbed the high expectations amidst growing frustration, McDaniel was blunt. “A bottom line, black and white, you’re held accountable for the results while you’re trying to get better, that’s difficult.” He knows Tua faces constant noise, from praise to criticism, and how a player handles that separates the winners from the rest. “It’s not easy, but that’s something that no quarterback in the National Football League is not exposed to…They tell you you’re awesome or that you suck. What is that? How does that relate to what you’re doing to influence your next performance?” That’s as close to a warning from a head coach as you get without flat out saying ‘shape up or ship out.’ McDaniel is emphasizing accountability to a player who’s been under the microscope since Day 1. Tagovailoa, who threw three touchdowns on Sunday but watched his team collapse after a strong start, knows the sting of losing better than most. “No one wants to start the season 1-4…We’ve got to figure this out now. This feeling sucks,” Tua admitted. The Dolphins’ offense sputtered after their early lead, rushing for a mere 19 yards, their lowest since McDaniel took over in 2022. The defense gave up 239 rushing yards, with rookie Rico Dowdle running for a career high of 206 yards. This loss was a wake-up call. Miami’s meltdown was the first time under McDaniel that the Dolphins lost after holding a 17-point lead. And with a turnover differential advantage, no less. McDaniel called the loss “unacceptable,” taking full responsibility and promising immediate fixes. Despite that, the head coach’s job security remains in question. Mike McDaniel is on the hot seat The pressure on McDaniel isn’t just coming from the scoreboard. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler put it plainly on The Rich Eisen Show: “(McDaniel’s seat) is moderately hot.” Ownership likes the guy, but patience is wearing thin. “This is not something where they are looking for an excuse to move on from him right now,” Fowler said. “They want to give him a little bit of time…[But] if they have some home games that are pretty ugly, if the fans turn on the team. That’s when Stephen Ross could make a move.” That’s a polite way of saying the Dolphins’ season is hanging by a thread. The team’s defense, retooled and weaker than before, hasn’t gelled. Key players on that side were let go for locker room culture reasons, but their replacements haven’t measured up. It’s a rebuilding year with a thin margin for error. Fowler points out Miami’s transition, saying “they’re not working with a team that is ready-made to win right now, at least on that side of the ball.” With just two home games in October and intense fan scrutiny looming, McDaniel’s future depends heavily on fixing what’s broken now. The Dolphins will have to find their identity fast. And McDaniel will need to prove he’s the right man to lead them through these rough waters.
Denzel Ward reveals what the Browns are trying to do after Joe Flacco trade
After quite a whirlwind week, the Cleveland Browns currently sit with a record of 1-4 as Week 6 of the NFL season kicks off on Thursday night. The Browns have been the subject of many conversations over the course of the past few weeks, with their most recent headline making waves mid-day on Tuesday with a surprising inner-division trade with their in-state rival Cincinnati Bengals. Cleveland decided to part ways with their veteran backup quarterback Joe Flacco, which paved the road for their rookies to make more of an immediate impact sooner rather than later. This move has raised questions in various aspects, with the most important being whether the Browns are ready to focus more on next season, which would ultimately put an end to any conversations of winning this season. That conversation seems to hold very little merit, as Browns star cornerback Denzel Ward commented on the trade of Flacco in response to how their season outlook stands. “That’s what this team is about”, “We’re trying to win and bring one to the city and the organization…we’re close”, Denzel Ward said in his press conference on Wednesday. Ward has been a part of the Browns organization for eight years now, which has featured a pair of winning seasons that’s given players a taste of what winning means to the city of Cleveland and their fans starved of victory. With Ward’s comments on where the team stands after their surprising trade, it might seem difficult to buy into his promising comments that the team still wants to win. Cleveland’s defense has been stellar this season most of the way, ranking second in the league in yards allowed per game, but surrendering 24.6 points per game, which is 21st in the league overall. Ward happened to be involved in the game-winning touchdown for Minnesota this past Sunday after giving up a go-ahead touchdown to Vikings receiver Jordan Addison with 25 seconds left in the game, in which he took full responsibility for. His focus this week has shifted back to playing his brand of football along with a stout secondary Cleveland brings, and to prevent any sort of lead change down the stretch, which the Browns led a majority of the game this past week. “That’s all we preach about in these meetings and why we're here is to find a way to win”, “that’s still the 100% goal," Ward said. The Browns have a lot of work to do this week as they prepare for their road trip to Pittsburgh this weekend, a game that will require a great defensive outing from Cleveland’s defense if they hope to find a way to win against a 3-1 Steelers team.
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