Injury Puns Aren’t Funny
J.K. Dobbins and Irv Smith Jr. both went down with injuries this weekend and Dobbins is now out for the year now while Smith is out for an indeterminate amount of time. The content at FA was updated in the Draft Guide this weekend to reflect the injuries and for Baltimore it means that it’s even more of a hodgepodge in the backfield. Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, and TySon Williams are all in the battle for carries and will all likely have a timeshare role and of course don’t forget about Lamar Jackson and him running the ball a lot too. In Minnesota the loss of Smith for at least several weeks does hurt their goal line offense but most of the passing attack goes through Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen down the field anyway plus Dalvin Cook in the run game and some passing work.
Sweet Home Chicago
Justin Fields was spectacular at times this preseason and other times he showed why he’s still a wet-behind-the-ears quarterback in the NFL. While the Bears’ offense looked very good with him at the helm, he looked completely oblivious to the rush and there are several highlights, for the defense, of lighting Fields up in the pocket. For that reason it seems to be pointing to Fields starting in Week 2 at home against Cincinnati who has a far less vicious pass rush than their Week 1 opponent in the Rams, who they’re also playing in primetime.
Allen and Davis and Diggs Oh My!
We finally saw a close representation of what the 2021 Bills’ offense will look like in the third preseason game and dang was it impressive. They picked up right where they left off in the 2020 AFC Championship with Josh Allen looking crisp and second-year receiver Gabriel Davis looking sharp as well. He caught all five passes he was targeted for, for 75 yards. While Stefon Diggs wasn’t on the field, it’s clear he’s the top target and Davis might be the second target even in front of Emmanuel Sanders and certainly ahead of Cole Beasley. He may turn out to be a top-20 wideout this year.
Lawson Moving Again
The former first-round pick for the Bills was signed to a three-year $30-million deal last year by Miami before being moved to Houston back in March, and now Shaq Lawson is back on the East Coast AFC East for the third time. The Jets traded for Lawson on Sunday to replace Carl Lawson, no relation, who was lost for the year with a torn Achilles and Vinny Curry to a blood condition. Giving a high-powered defensive-minded coach like Robert Saleh a player like Shaq Lawson should a be a fun thing to watch for Jets’ fans.