🐺 Wolf Sports Weekly

It was an eventful first week of the NFL preseason, and we continue to inch closer to the real thing on September 5.

🏈 Preseason Week 1 highlights

The big story from the first full week of preseason action was the rookie quarterbacks. All the first-rounders that saw extended action looked very good.

• Bears QB Caleb Williams (4/7, 95 passing yards; one carry, 13 rushing yards): The No. 1 pick showed off his laser arm to keep the offense moving, and his rare ability on the run was also on display in a debut outing that has fans in Chicago very excited.

• Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (2/3, 45 passing yards; one carry, three rushing yards, one rushing touchdown): Washington couldn’t have asked for much more, with Daniels’ one drive including a perfect deep ball to Dyami Brown after an audible at the line of scrimmage that head coach Dan Quinn compared to Top Gunn—and the series was capped by a one-yard touchdown run on a zone-read.

• Patriots QB Drake Maye (2/3, 19 passing yards): Maye was the lone first-rounder to not do much, playing just one series that stalled quickly in rainy Foxboro conditions.

• Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. (9/16, 104 passing yards): Atlanta’s quarterback of the future looked comfortable running the offense, and head coach Raheem Morris said Penix “had a really good night.”

• Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy (11/17, 188 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception; two carries, 18 rushing yards): After a shaky start including an interception on a forced throw while scrambling right, McCarthy drove the ball down the field for a couple of deep touchdowns while seeing a lot of time in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

• Broncos QB Bo Nix (15/21, 125 passing yards, one passing touchdown; three carries, 17 rushing yards): The much-maligned Nix displayed all the tools—from precision passing with timing to throws on the run and utilization of different arm angles—that we believe will eventually make the pre-draft haters look bad.

Trending up after Week 1 of the preseason:

• Raiders quarterbacks: Taking a quarter each, both Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew did a nice job to begin the preseason, which was a great sign for Vegas after talk of subpar performances in practice from the position.

• Jets RB Braelon Allen: Somehow dropping to the fifth-round, the big rookie looks like the real deal—with teammates saying the same.

• Rams WR Jordan Whittington: The sixth-round rookie caught six passes for 74 yards and showed fearlessness and focus in traffic. Sean McVay says the Texas product is “going to be a factor for us.”

Trending down after Week 1 of the preseason:

• Steelers QB Justin Fields: While Fields showed good things as a passer, he held the ball too long at times and fumbled twice—and head coach Mike Tomlin said the good things were “just dulled by some of the negativity.” Fields is hoping to push Russell Wilson, who is set to play this week after dealing with a calf injury, for Pittsburgh’s starting job.

💰 Money problems

First, pass rusher Haason Reddick has stunningly requested a trade from the Jets—just months after New York acquired him from Philadelphia. Reddick has racked up over $1 million in fines while not reporting to the team, and now he wants to be traded. Jets GM Joe Douglas put out a statement that says, “We have informed Haason that we will not trade him.” The team traded for Reddick without having the contract situation sorted out, and it’s become an incredibly odd situation.

The holdout for Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb and the hold-in for 49ers receiver Brandon Aiyuk continue, with more discontent from the two players seeking new deals. Both Lamb and Aiyuk took to social media to voice their displeasure with their respective front offices.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones later clarified his original comments, declaring: “Well, CeeDee: You’re missed. OK?”

As for Aiyuk, his social media comment (“Brad, Niners be in the media everyday lol, it’s two options out there pick one and stop dropping reports simple”) came on the heels of multiple reports saying that he and the team had a sit-down meeting and were now working toward a long-term contract instead of a trade. Remember, in addition to Aiyuk’s hold-in, all-world left tackle Trent Williams is holding out for San Francisco.

🦅 Eagles quarterback news

Super Bowl LII MVP Nick Foles announced his retirement from the NFL.

• Foles led the Eagles to their first and only Super Bowl title in an insane playoff run that included lights-out performances in the NFC Championship (352 yards, three touchdowns) and in the Big Game (373 yards, three passing touchdowns, one receiving touchdown).

• He was on the receiving end of one of the most memorable plays in NFL history, “the Philly Special” in the win over the Patriots.

• In his career, Foles threw for 14,227 yards, 82 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions—but he really cooked behind Philly’s elite offensive line in his second stint with the franchise, and it’s interesting to think about what his career trajectory might have been if the Eagles kept him over Carson Wentz in 2019.

Sticking with Eagles quarterbacks, a very interesting piece was released last week about the dynamic between Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni.

• Keep in mind, the ESPN report from Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler includes plenty of anonymous sourcing. However, if you followed the Eagles closely last season it was obvious something was off—even during the 10-1 start that preceded the 1-6 collapse.

• Also, former Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale spoke plainly with ESPN, saying that Hurts called him ahead of last season’s playoffs to gain insight on how New York had success against him in Week 18.

• Essentially, the report claims Hurts and Sirianni weren’t seeing eye-to-eye on the offense, with the quarterback wanting and expecting more control.

Philadelphia brought in offensive coordinator Kellen Moore this offseason, with Sirianni said to be taking more of a hands-off approach as the relationship is getting in a better spot.

✍️ Latest player news

Steelers pass rusher Markus Golden retired from the NFL after recently re-signing with the team. Golden’s underrated nine-year career ends with 51 sacks, 11 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and a touchdown.

Titans guard Saahdiq Charles, the favorite to start at right guard, retired after four NFL seasons.

Three key players were activated from the PUP list in the past week:

• Coming off a torn ACL suffered last season, new Jets WR Mike Williams says he “for sure” will be ready for Week 1.

• Dolphins OLB Jaelan Phillips is making great progress from his torn Achilles last November.

• Giants OT Evan Neal, the former No. 7 overall pick in 2022, is looking to regain the consistent dominance he showed at Alabama in his return from ankle surgery.

Injury news from camp and preseason action includes:

• Falcons WR Rondale Moore is out for the year after a leg injury in practice.

• Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs injured his hamstring at yesterday’s practice.

• 49ers DE Drake Jackson was placed on the PUP list and is out for the season due to his 2023 knee injury, RB Christian McCaffrey is dealing with a calf injury, and first-round rookie WR Ricky Pearsall has a shoulder injury.

• Falcons third-round rookie OLB Bralen Trice is out for the season with a torn ACL.

• Chiefs WR Marquise Brown (shoulder) is uncertain for Week 1 after injuring his shoulder in the preseason opener.

• Colts WR Josh Downs has a high-ankle sprain, putting his Week 1 status up in the air.

• Bengals rookie OT Amarius Mims will miss “several weeks” with a strained pectoral.

• Giants rookie WR Malik Nabers is dealing with an ankle injury but it’s thought to not be something that’ll force him to miss much time.

• Packers rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd will again miss time with a hamstring injury.

Player visits: Former Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore visited the Vikings, and All-Pro safety Justin Simmons is visiting the Falcons after having dinner with the Saints.

The Saints signed linebacker Pete Werner to a three-year, $25 million extension.

Trade news: The Cowboys acquired former second-round CB Andrew Booth Jr. from the Vikings for CB Nahshon Wright.

📝 More NFL news and notes

The NFL is holding meetings with private equity firms this week to explore opening ownership stakes to institutional money, according to Sportico.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson felt he looked out of shape a couple of years ago, explaining why he slimmed down this offseason.

The Browns shared a vision of a potential new dome stadium in Brook Park.

The Falcons and Dolphins each unveiled their new locker rooms.

The plane carrying the Panthers ran off the tarmac at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, but thankfully everyone was OK.

Aaron Rodgers met with his dad last year for the first time since 2014, author Ian O’Connor revealed in his upcoming book about Rodgers.

Reminder: Hard Knocks on HBO featuring Bears training camp had its debut episode last week and airs each Tuesday at 9:00 PM ET on HBO and Max.

Other Sports Updates

🇺🇸 The 2024 Paris Olympics are done, with the United States by far leading the way with 126 medals and tying for first with 40 golds.

📊 The preseason AP college football poll is headlined by Georgia at No. 1.

😳 The NCAA penalized former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh with a four-year show-cause order for multiple violations. A defiant Michigan is bringing the current Chargers head coach back as their honorary captain for their August 31 season opener versus Fresno State.

⚾️ The White Sox ended their 21-game losing streak but fired manager Pedro Grifol.

🤣 Mariners outfielder Victor Robles mic’d up on Sunday Night Baseball was hilarious.

🎮 Apple Arcade is getting a modern version of Retro Bowl next month.

🏟️ FIU football’s new stadium will be called Pitbull Stadium, after the entertainer.

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