Saints head coach Sean Payton and Thomas have since cleared the air. Thomas is out at least the first six weeks of the season after being placed on the physically unable to perform list at the final roster cutdown. The two-time All-Pro has the most receptions in the first five seasons of an NFL career. The Saints will need Thomas to be that player upon return -- especially with longtime quarterback Drew Brees retiring -- for the Saints to earn a fifth consecutive playoff berth Craving even more NFL coverage focusing on previews, recaps, Alabama football live online news and analysis? Listen below and follow the Pick Six podcast for a daily dose of everything you need to follow pro football. Saquon Barkley (Giants) Barkley has been derailed by injury since a stellar debut season in which he led the NFL with 2,028 yards from scrimmage (combined rushing and receiving yards) and earned 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in the process. The 2018 second overall pick was limited to two games last season because of a torn right ACL.
Barkley had his second consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season in 2019 despite missing three games with an ankle injury. The Giants aren't in a rush to sign Barkley to a new deal because of durability concerns. Interestingly, Barkley's $7.217 million option year salary in 2022 is lower than his 2021 salary cap number, which is $10,033,577. Julio Jones (Titans) An extremely tight salary cap situation made it easier for the Falcons to accommodate the trade request from the disgruntled seven-time Pro Bowl receiver. The 32-year-old is coming off one of his worst statistical seasons. Limited to nine games in 2020, primarily because of lingering hamstring problems, Jones had 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns. His six-year streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons was snapped. Nonetheless, Jones still ranked seventh in the NFL with 85.7 receiving yards per game, which was his worst mark since 2012. He is motivated to show that there's plenty of gas left in the tank. Jones is extremely unlikely to have similar production as in his last three healthy seasons in Atlanta (2017-19) because of Tennessee's run-oriented offense featuring Derrick Henry and wide receiver A.J. Brown's presence. He averaged 100 receptions and 1,505 receiving yards per season during this span. Jones will have to make the most of his reduced targets. Tyron Smith (Cowboys) Smith was arguably the NFL's best left tackle before being bitten by the injury bug. He missed 14 games last season with a neck injury requiring surgery. The last time Smith played every game in a season was 2015. A healthy Smith is a tremendous bargain. In the seven years since became the NFL's highest-paid offensive lineman on an eight-year, $97.6 million extension running through the 2023 season, the top of the tackle market has growth nearly 90%. Zach Ertz (Eagles) Ertz and the Eagles weren't close in negotiations for a new contract during last preseason and 2020 was a lost season for the veteran tight end because of quarterback Carson Wentz's startling regression and an ankle injury that sidelined him for five games. The expectation was Ertz, who is in a contract year, would be traded this offseason because of the inability to reach a new deal and the Eagles having a younger replacement, Dallas Goedert, on the roster. Goedert is also in his contract year. Ertz has been a true professional in training camp after spending most of the offseason rehabbing from ankle surgery.
He has seemingly returned to his old form, which is requiring new head coach Nick Sirianni to utilize more two-tight end sets than anticipated. The 30-year-old now says he wants to remain in Philadelphia but he may be giving a league-wide audition this season for his next destination. It's hard to imagine the Eagles retaining both Ertz and Goedert in 2022. Mike McGlinchey (49ers) McGlinchey has been a fixture at right tackle for the 49ers ever since he was drafted in 2018 with the ninth overall pick. The 49ers gave McGlinchey a vote of confidence in April by picking up his fully guaranteed $10.88 million fifth-year option for 2022. His pass protection wasn't close to being on par with his run blocking in 2020, which was stellar. McGlinchey added 25 pounds during the offseason, which put him in the 315-320 range, in an effort to get stronger. The right tackle market has taken off in 2021. The Saints signed Ryan Ramczyk to a five-year, $96 million extension averaging $19.2 million per year with $60,214,824 of guarantees where $43,014,824 was fully guaranteed at the end of June. The deal is worth as much as $102 million through salary escalators and incentives. The Panthers gave Taylor Moton a five-year, $85 million contract worth up to $90 million through salary escalators and incentives as the July 15 deadline for franchise players to sign long-term deals was approaching. Braden Smith received a four-year, $70 million extension from the Colts at the beginning of training camp. McGlinchey could get in this salary stratosphere with more pass-blocking consistency. JuJu Smith-Schuster (Steelers) Tepid interest in free agency led Smith-Schuster to return to Pittsburgh on a one-year "prove it" deal worth $8 million. He was reportedly looking for more than $15 million per year on the open market. Smith-Schuster had 97 receptions in 2020 for a rather pedestrian 8.6 yards per catch. He did have a career-high nine touchdown catches last season. Smith-Schuster has yet to demonstrate he can be a primary receiving threat. Coming close to duplicating his 2018 breakout season of 111 catches for 1,426 yards with seven touchdowns when Antonio Brown was the focal point of opposing defenses would go a long way in this department. Orlando Brown Jr. (Chiefs) Brown forced a trade from the Ravens because he wants to be a left tackle, which wasn't possible in Baltimore because of All-Pro Ronnie Stanley. He excelled at the position during the second half of 2020 in the NFL's most run-oriented offense after Stanley was sidelined with a season-ending ankle injury. Brown didn't allow a sack or quarterback hit in his 389 pass-blocking snaps at left tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2020. The Chiefs traded their 2021 first-round pick (31st overall), a 2021 third-round pick (94th overall), a 2021 fourth pick (136th overall) and a 2022 fifth-round selection to the Ravens for Brown, a 2021 second-round pick (58th overall) and a 2022 sixth-round pick. The plan is to allow Brown to play out his rookie contract rather than sign him to a contract extension. Brown showing he can be an upgrade over two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher in Kansas City's pass-happy offense could make the Chiefs regret letting him continue to play under his rookie contract.
Typically, the acquiring team pays a premium financially when a long-term deal for a player who has remaining time on his contract isn't done in connection with a trade involving significant draft capital. It's conceivable that Brown could reset the pay scale for offensive linemen with a successful transition to his new surroundings. 49ers and Packers left tackles Trent Williams and David Bakhtiari lead the way at $23.01 million and $23 million per year, respectively. Brown's consolation would be he's already a known commodity at right tackle, which has seen a market shift this offseason. Dodgers move into first place in NL West for first time since April 25 after comeback win vs. Braves Dodgers move into first place in NL West for first time since April 25 after comeback win vs. Braves The Giants also lost to the Brewers to slip into second place Mike Axisa By Mike Axisa 6 hrs ago 1 min read Watch Now: Highlights: Braves at Dodgers (169) For the first time since May 30, the San Francisco Giants are not in first place in the NL West. The Giants' loss to the Brewers (MIL 5, SF 2) combined with the Los Angeles Dodgers beating the Braves (LA 4, ATL 3) moved the Dodgers into first place Wednesday. The Dodgers are a half-game up in the division and they now have baseball's best record at 85-49. Here are the best records in baseball following Wednesday's action: Dodgers: 85-49 Giants: 84-49 (1/2 GB) Rays: 84-49 (1/2 GB) Brewers: 82-52 (3 GB) Astros: 78-44 (6 1/2 GB) The Dodgers received six shutout innings from Max Scherzer on Wednesday, but needed to rally against the Atlanta bullpen to secure the win. With two outs in the eighth inning Justin Turner and AJ Pollock pulled ground ball singles through the left side of the infield to tie the game and give the Dodgers the least, respectively. Kenley Jansen and Blake Treinen were unavailable due to their recent workloads, so Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went to Joe Kelly to protect the one-run lead in the ninth and he retired the side on 10 pitches. Wednesday's win is the 20th in the past 24 games for the Dodgers. They were five games back in the NL West as recently as Aug.
13. As for the Giants, they erased a two-run deficit in the fifth inning against Brewers reliever Justin Topa, but Milwaukee retook the lead on Jace Peterson's two-out, two-strike single in the seventh. They added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth and the bullpen made the lead stand up. The Giants have lost four straight games and five of their last six games. San Francisco spent 93 consecutive days in first place prior to Wednesday, and their 119 days in first place overall are the second most in baseball this season (the White Sox have spent 120 days in first). Los Angeles is in sole possession of first place for the first time since April 25. They've spent only 25 days atop the NL West this year. The Giants and Dodgers will wrap up their season series with a three-game set at Oracle Park this weekend (Sept. 3-5). The season series is currently dead even with eight wins and 68 runs scored for each team. by TaboolaSponsored LinksYou Might Also Like Invest in Amazon CFD from 200$. You could earn, up to $2000! Don't miss this chance! 70TRADES Do You Speak English? Work a USA job from home in Bangladesh WORK FROM HOME | SEARCH ADS Do You Speak English? Work a USA Job From Home in Bangladesh USA WORK | SEARCH ADS Cam Newton released: NFL insider lists Steelers among five most intriguing teams for former MVP to land Cam Newton released: NFL insider lists Steelers among five most intriguing teams for former MVP to land Here are landing spots that offer intrigue and some that make the most sense Jason La Canfora By Jason La Canfora 8 hrs ago 5 min read Watch Now: Patriots Release QB Cam Newton (486) Cam Newton is back on the free-agent market. Now what? What's next? Clearly, Cam still wants to play football. He went back to New England on a very team-friendly deal and, obviously, no promises as to what his ultimate role would be. Turns out, in the end – due in no small part to his availability issues given his Covid vaccination status – he had no role whatsoever. Which begs the question about where he ends up and in what capacity. He didn't have a robust market in the spring. He didn't have an overwhelming summer. He lost his gig to a rookie. However, he did push the ball downfield with more vigor and he did seem more at ease in many ways and certainly a little more spry and healthy, further removed from his myriad health issues. Yeah, the MVP season feels like a long time ago, but we're no longer talking about someone on a record-setting QB contract, either. We're talking about a no-frills, veteran minimum, incentive-laden scenario at this point. We're also talking about a player who has seen a lot and been through a lot and who isn't going to be all that interested in going to a crappy team with no hope and a poor surrounding cast. That doesn't make much sense, either. And, time may end up being on Newton's side. He got through camp and the preseason without any injury concerns. It's not like he's been working out by himself all offseason. There is very recent film of him. If he wants to wait a few weeks to see if a starter goes down, to see if the demand increases as the inevitable injuries start mounting each weekend, that might be a sound and prudent approach, too. Was only a few years ago all of a sudden Sam Bradford was worth a first-round pick via trade; Cam could have more leverage by the end of the month. Much will be made about Newton possibly linking back up with his former coach, Ron Rivera, and former GM, Marty Hurney (who drafted him in Carolina) in Washington. I just don't see that happening. WFT is not planning on going in that direction. And things may be fairly tepid overall, in general. But there are a few places that might make sense. There are some scenarios that might be intriguing. Some places where his skillset - combined with the strengths of the roster and the creativity of the playcaller – may lend itself to a winning landing spot. Going ahead and getting that shot would be a wise move at this point – especially if other teams quickly find themselves in a Covid-QB crunch – and we all know Newton is a workout warrior who will keep himself in great shape. Whatever happens, this is probably his last shot to reverse the course of his career, so being judicious would be wise and linking up with a premier offensive mind should be paramount if possible. One of these couplings would be pretty interesting to me: New Orleans Saints Yeah Taysom Hill might be overpaid … but the Saints have no money on the whole invested in the QB position in the short and long term. Newton doing some of the stuff Hill does would get my attention. Sean Payton loves to road grade people. Hill focuses more on special teams? Cam as the short yardage QB? Payton already has one former Heisman winning QB reclamation process going on. He's always willing to think outside the box. San Francisco 49ers Kyle Shanahan was adopting college concepts for RGIII a long time ago. I know they already have two quarterbacks … And I know that Trey Lance isn't going to miss much time with this issue with his finger. But what if the 49ers quickly reached a point where trading Jimmy G seemed their best course of action, and they had a suitor willing to take that salary off their hands? And then Cam slides out to San Francisco, where Shanahan has been dealing with far less accomplished back-ups for quite some time? He could create some challenging looks with the run action, and throw in how they use the fullback as well and you could have some serious beef to deal with up front. Pittsburgh Steelers The Steelers are carrying three quarterbacks for now, but Swayne Haskins stumbled late after a nice start, Mason Rudolph has never shown he can be the guy and Ben Roethlisberger completely fell apart in the final months of last season. New offensive coordinator Matt Canada has deep college roots, and with an offensive line that could be a big problem again this year, forcing teams to defend a guy like Cam in the run game would clearly open some things up. Rookie back Najee Harris is going to need some help. Having two older QBs might be odd, but banking solely on Big Ben bouncing back and staying healthy might be a stretch, too. Atlanta Falcons They just picked up Josh Rosen … and he made the 53-man roster. They tried an ATL reunion with Todd Gurley a year ago, and yeah, that failed, Alabama football live streaming but throw the fans a bone and bring Cam back home. There won't be much to cheer about and at this stage Matt Ryan stepping aside in certain situations so Cam can handle a package or special situation is hardly an insult. Drew Brees was doing it for Hill for years. Create a little chatter and buzz for a franchise that has struggled to incentivize the locals package that beautiful new stadium. Would be worth a whirl to me. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Okay this is just wishful thinking. But Cam joining Tom Brady in Tampa after lasting just one year as the Brady replacement in New England would be serendipitous to say the least. Yeah, Brady has been great on all of those QB sneaks over the years … But he's almost an AARP candidate. Give 'em to Cam! I mean what is this team winning if Blaine Gabbert had to take over for any extended period of time? Bruce Arians could find a way or two to deploy Cam. And if you want to go a winner, you couldn't do any better than this outfit. It would be a heck of a storyline if nothing else. I think Cam could rock some creamsicle, don't you? College football picks, schedule: Predictions against the spread, odds for top 25 games Thursday in Week 1 A closer look at the top games on the slate as the 2021 college football season kicks off David Cobb By David Cobb 14 hrs ago 2 min read Watch Now:
Betting Preview: 4 Ohio State At Minneso... (235) The first week of the 2021 college football season is officially underway, and while games were played in Week 0 and on Wednesday, the first showdown involving a top 25 program takes place Thursday. No. 4 Ohio State travels to face Minnesota in the second Big Ten conference game of the season as the Buckeyes eye a return to the College Football Playoff and chance at a national championship. With Justin Fields no longer under center, Ohio State will be relying on its bevy of talented pass catchers to supplement first-year starter C.J. Stroud. Minnesota is looking to find its footing after a disappointing 2020 campaign that saw the team play just seven games, finishing 3-4 without a win over an upper echelon opponent. Also Thursday, UCF and Boise State will square off in one of the top Group of Five games this season. Not only do both programs hope to kick off the season with a big-time win, they will also be angling to show off their credentials as the Big 12 will undoubtedly be evaluating both teams as potential additions to the league after the departures of Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC. Thursday also marks the debuts new coaches as UCF's Gus Malzahn replaces Josh Heupel and Boise State's Andy Avalos steps in for Bryan Harsin after the latter coaches left for Tennessee and Auburn, respectively. While winning is all that matters for the standings, we care about whether these teams will cover their spreads. Be sure to stick with CBS Sports throughout the day for college football coverage from the opening kickoff on Thursday to the final whistle. Let's take a look at our expert picks for the first big game day of the season.
