Eagles officially name Jalen Hurts starting QB for 2021 season: 'He's earned that right'
By Cody Benjamin
Aug 31, 2021 at 7:53 pm ET2 min read
After trading former MVP candidate Carson Wentz this offseason, the Eagles refused to commit to any one successor at quarterback. First, they were linked to top draft prospects. Then they were linked to the Texans' Deshaun Watson. Even after reserving first-team practice reps for second-year man Jalen Hurts, the new staff never jumped at the chance to crown the former second-rounder as QB1. On Tuesday, that changed. Addressing reporters ahead of the club's Sept. 12 opener, coach Nick Sirianni officially named Hurts the Eagles' 2021 starter, saying the Oklahoma product "earned that right" with a strong summer."Really nobody else got any reps with the ones," Sirianni said, "and Jalen has known, 'Hey, nobody else has gotten any reps with the ones but me,' and Jalen is our starter. He's done a great job. We wanted him to take advantage of the opportunity and take the reins with ... the opportunity that he got, and we feel like the preseason that he had, he did that."
Sirianni talked up competition at every position on the Eagles' shuffled roster, including QB, but never indicated throughout the offseason that anyone was in a position to take Hurts' presumptive job. The team added former longtime Ravens starter Joe Flacco on a one-year deal as the new No. 2, and just recently traded a late-round draft pick to the Jaguars for Gardner Minshew, but general manager Howie Roseman told reporters Tuesday that both Minshew and Flacco will sit behind Hurts to open the year.
"We had a chance to talk to Jalen [Hurts] and to Joe, too, and tell them that we thought it was an opportunity to get a good player, a good person at an important position," Roseman said of Minshew, "and certainly Jalen had an excellent preseason and continued to get better, and Joe was really impressive during the preseason and during camp as a whole."
Sirianni, for what it's worth, added that he saw a marked improvement in Hurts from the start of camp until the end of the preseason, during which the former Alabama standout played minimally.
"I consistently saw a player that got better every single day," he said. "I consistently saw a player make the read, getting better with his reads and his accuracy and his ability to run and when not to run ... He did exactly what we wanted him to do. Again, nobody else has worked with the ones, so you could really argue that we named a starter a while ago. Jalen will be our starter, and he's earned that right with a great preseason, and we've got a lot of confidence in him and in that room in general."
-- Eagles’ Lane Johnson: Ankle feels good, but some swelling in training camp
Dave Zangaro
Tue, August 31, 2021, 8:11 AM·3 min read
Throughout the month of August, Lane Johnson did not appear on the Eagles’ injury report once and he didn’t miss any practices because of his surgically repaired ankle.
That left ankle is still worth keeping an eye on though.
“Just a little bit of swelling after some practices, but nothing too bad. Me and (Zach) Ertz are kind of going through the same thing,” Johnson said on Monday. “Just a little bit of inflammation. Really no issues and feeling good. Got some good work over the last couple weeks against the Patriots and the Jets last week and now going against our guys again.”
That doesn’t sound like much. A little swelling and a little inflammation. And if that’s the worst of it, chances are that the 31-year-old Johnson will be back playing at his Pro Bowl level in 2021.
But this is also the same left ankle about which Johnson said the inside “collapsed” last year. The same ankle that needed surgery to repair the deltoid ligament this offseason. The same ankle that needed tightrope surgery before the 2020 season. The same ankle that has been bothering him since the 2018 season and has forced him to miss 14 games over the last three years.
Earlier this offseason, Johnson admitted his left ankle would probably never return to the same level as his right. How could it after years of injuries and surgeries?
The problem is that left ankle is keeping the 6-foot-6, 325 pound Johnson upright. And it’s gone through a lot.
During my countdown of the top 20 most important players to the Eagles’ 2021 season, I ranked Johnson at No. 4, behind just Jalen Hurts, Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce. There’s no denying how important Johnson is to the Eagles’ success.
“I mean, you can go through the wins and losses,” Johnson said.
In the last five seasons, the Eagles (including the playoffs) are 38-21-1 with Johnson in the lineup. They’re 8-18 with him out of the lineup.
“But really, for myself, when I’m not playing, man, it’s tough,” Johnson said. “You miss your guys. You’re so used to being in the team room every day, in the film room and having those relationships. And then when it’s cut short, you have to rehab, you have to do this, you have to do that. Really, for me, being out there with the guys, I’m cherishing it. Football is my life, man. I love what I do.”
The Eagles paid Johnson like he was that important in 2019. They signed him to a four-year extension, which at the time made him the highest paid right tackle in the NFL at $18 million per season. Johnson is still the only Eagle signed through the 2025 season. He’ll be 35 heading into that season.
Johnson is still a cornerstone of the franchise … as long as his ankle lets him be.
-- Vikings gain confidence in Dede Westbrook as a receiver and punt returner
By Andrew Krammer Star Tribune
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021 — 6:33PM
Receiver Dede Westbrook didn't play in the Vikings' preseason, but the former Jaguars starter has been building trust among the coaching staff as he's ramped up his workload during practices the past couple weeks.
Westbrook, who signed in July before training camp, has been working with the first-team offense and quarterback Kirk Cousins. He's drawn strong reviews while running routes on his surgically repaired left knee, which required ACL surgery last October and sidelined him from early camp practices and the entire preseason.
"They've been getting him in practice the last couple weeks," coordinator Klint Kubiak said. "He's gotten some live reps with Kirk, so we have confidence in Dede. He's been practicing a lot lately, so we're really excited about him."
The Vikings offense could use another versatile option such as Westbrook, especially after tight end Irv Smith Jr. suffered a knee injury that is likely to be season-ending. Coaches planned to use Smith as a mismatch option in the slot on passing downs. Westbrook was the Jaguars' primary slot receiver and could help the Vikings replace Smith as a downfield target. Cousins called Westbrook a "plug-and-play" option, given his 160 catches, 1,720 yards and nine touchdowns in four NFL seasons.
"He can play a lot of spots," Kubiak said. "Coach [Keenan] McCardell has him really ready to play in this offense at all positions. He's been getting some valuable practice reps, and that gives us confidence."
Coaches are also expecting Westbrook to contribute at punt returner. Even though he didn't get any live reps in the preseason, special teams coordinator Ryan Ficken said he trusts Westbrook because of his experience, which includes a 74-yard touchdown return for the Jaguars in 2018.
"I'm very comfortable with him there," Ficken said. "We've practiced him a lot. Also, this is not his first NFL game as a punt returner. He's had success with Jacksonville and that was partially the reason we wanted to bring him here."
-- San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Trey Sermon had a strong finish to his preseason, rushing for 37 yards on seven carries in the 49ers' Week 3 preseason matchup.
A third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Sermon is expected to push for carries in San Francisco’s backfield behind Raheem Mostert.
Mostert, who has been solid when he’s healthy the past two seasons, will likely begin the season as the starter, but Sermon has an opportunity to carve out a bigger role for himself as the year goes on.
WynnBET certainly believes that Sermon’s stock is rising, as he has opened in second place to lead all rookies in rushing and receiving yards this season at +350 odds. Najee Harris, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round pick, is the heavy favorite in the prop at -250 odds, but it’s interesting that Sermon is well above Denver Broncos rookie Javonte Williams.
-- Trent Williams [49ers]
The NFL’s highest-paid left tackle has missed the last few weeks with a knee injury. Rookie Jaylon Moore stepped in and has played well in Williams’ absence, but there’s no true replacement for one of the most impactful players on the 49ers’ roster.
Knee injuries at Williams’ age are worrisome, so it’ll be something to monitor during his debut on Sunday. The 33-year old’s strong suit is his athleticism and mobility for a player of his size, so hopefully, his knee injury doesn’t limit what he’s able to add to the 49ers’ offensive line from a run-blocking standpoint.
-- The Rams gave Alaric Jackson, Bobby Evans and Tremayne Anchrum all long looks once again on the offensive line, attempting to sort out who will make the 53-man roster. Evans should be a lock as a backup guard, but Jackson and Anchrum aren’t so certain to make the team. Coleman Shelton played the fewest snaps of any offensive linemen (24), which could be a sign that he’s made the final roster as a backup interior linemen.
-- LA Rams: Please stop placing square OT Bobby Evans into a round OG slot
by Bret Stuter1 week ago
I don’t stand in meeting rooms. I don’t sit next to the coaches as they go over game videos. I don’t even stand on the practice field with a whistle around my neck leading or evaluating drills or exercises. And yet, each and every time I see Bobby Evans trying to place his square offensive tackle form and technique into a round offensive guard slot, I wonder why? After all, I see the guy struggling at offensive guard. He struggled there in 2020. He is still struggling there.
I know that the right of passage for the LA Rams has been for collegiate offensive tackles to move to the guard spot, handle the chaos that is the world of an interior offensive lineman, and then move outside to the tackle spot if and when the need arises.
That strategy simply does not appear to work in the case of Bobby Evans. He is an offensive tackle by trade. He was brought through the college ranks as an offensive tackle. He simply quacks like an offensive tackle and waddles like an offensive tackle. So why insist that he is an offensive guard? If you can answer that one, you are a wiser person than I am.
I’m not here to cast stones at the young man. He is a hard worker. As a rookie, he slid into the right tackle slot and held his own. Then 2020 happened, and offensive lineman Bobby Evans found himself demoted into a player without a spot. Suddenly, the guy who gave the LA Rams some mini heroics was begging for a position to play. He never got to compete at the right tackle spot. And so, he cross-trained as an offensive guard. Only he’s not an offensive guard.
It was plain to see in the NFL Playoffs against the Green Bay Packers. Rather than return Joseph Noteboom (who started the season at left guard) for the injured David Edwards, Bobby Evans was given the assignment. And he struggled at left guard.
If you needed confirmation? Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Bobby Evans struggled mightily at right guard. I think that’s a bit kind-hearted, but let’s go with that phrasing. The reason this is important is that the offensive line, much like a defensive secondary, is one of the most co-dependant units on the football field. If one player struggles, they all look bad. Right now, offensive tackle Bobby Evans struggles at offensive guard, period.
Will the Rams stop trialing him at guard? Probably not. He may not make the team this year, and that’s disappointing. Bobby Evans is staying late. He is trying his damnedest to perform at the offensive guard position if nothing more than the fact that the Rams have so many interior offensive linemen on the last year of their contracts.
But he is an offensive tackle, plain and simple. If the LA Rams cannot offer him the opportunity to remain at that position, then they should trade him to an NFL team that can.
-- Jordan Phillips continues to have problems getting on the field while playing for the Cardinals.
The team put the defensive lineman on injured reserve Thursday with an undisclosed injury, meaning he must be out at least three weeks before he can return. Phillips had missed most of camp and every preseason game with injury issues. He then ended up testing positive for Covid, and just came off that list earlier this week.
-- The Indianapolis Colts today released linebacker Curtis Bolton and wide receiver Tyler Vaughns from the practice squad. [OUB: Think this just happened today.]
-- Two players were signed to the [Titans] practice squad – quarterback Matt Barkley and defensive lineman Amani Bledsoe. Bledsoe returns to the Titans after he appeared in 14 games for the Cincinnati Bengals last season. Undrafted in 2019, he spent that season on Tennessee’s practice squad.
-- The team [Vikings] has announced that they have waived guard Dru Samia as part of the final cuts. He is being waived with an injury designation, meaning that if he clears waivers he will go to the Vikings’ injured reserve list.
Samia was a fourth-round pick of the Vikings in 2019 and essentially redshirted in his rookie season. He got a couple of starts in 2020 when Pat Elflein was injured and, ultimately, waived, and struggled significantly in that role before giving way to Ezra Cleveland.
It’s possible that the team will look to bring Samia back to the practice squad, but that’s something we’ll have to wait and see on.
