Flurry of trades; lingering questions for 49ers

4) Browns take 4-QB strategy (for now): When the Browns whittled down their roster to 53 gamers, they opted to maintain 4 QBs: Deshaun Watson, Jameis Winston, Tyler Huntley and Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

So, what does the Browns protecting 4 quarterbacks say about their staff? My preliminary response is to be cautious and say one thing like, “not a lot,” as a result of it looks like this isn’t the ultimate consequence.

Requested if the Browns could have 4 QBs come the season opener on Sept. 8, head coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned, “We’ll see.”

The Browns have been spinning plates with all their latest and ongoing accidents at a number of positions, which made attending to 53 quite a bit trickier. Then on prime of that, there’s the Watson scenario, along with his lingering well being and efficiency questions.

Chopping D’Onta Foreman most likely will not harm that a lot. Releasing Germain Ifedi might need been a much bigger shock, contemplating he was just lately taking first-team reps at sort out with starters Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin out, though maybe that is a constructive signal for the veteran pair (Conklin returned to follow Tuesday). However protecting a fourth QB additionally meant they needed to minimize special-teams ace Justin Hardee Jr., a kind of delicate strikes we are inclined to overlook about down the street.

Maybe the Browns see the knowledge in a extra cautious, thorough strategy to the QB depth chart than they took a 12 months in the past. Buying and selling Joshua Dobbs (after not re-signing Jacoby Brissett) ended up hurting them when Watson went down, till Joe Flacco stepped in and led the staff to the playoffs.

Stefanski can say the Browns have “4 good quarterbacks,” as he did Tuesday, and perhaps he believes it. But when the Browns can commerce certainly one of them, I feel they may. If they cannot, although, they could find yourself regretting how they dealt with these cutdown choices. All of it comes again to Watson and whether or not he can bounce again, however the very last thing they need is their key choices coming again to chew them whereas being overcautious defending the quarterback they’ve gone in all in on.

5) Youth motion in Denver: The Broncos have been hampered in latest draft courses, missing first-round picks from the failed Russell Wilson commerce, setting the franchise again to the place it at the moment sits. Even with the sturdy late push final season, that is now seven straight sub-.500 seasons in Denver.

However one thing tells me Sean Payton may get extra — rather more — from this 12 months’s draft crop than he did from his 2023 rookie class.

The lacked a second-round choose, however the Broncos seem to have achieved effectively maximizing their draft belongings from April. The massive fish is first-round QB Bo Nix, who has earned the beginning job and is likely to be within the excellent place with Payton guiding him. Nix must be within the Offensive Rookie of the Yr dialog if he leads Denver into the playoff race.

It seems he’ll obtain assist from two Day 3 receivers, Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele. Franklin, who began slowly in camp, may want a while to ramp up earlier than he is an element, however Vele has flashed some actual capability and may crack the highest 4 receiver spots early.

This growth has allowed Denver to maneuver on from Tim Patrick, simply because the promise of fifth-round RB Audric Estimé gave the Broncos sufficient consolation to maneuver on from veteran Samaje Perine.

The Broncos additionally appeared to obtain defensive assist in the draft, with Jonah Elliss and Kris Abrams-Draine presumably carving out early roles. Regulate undrafted LB Levelle Bailey, too.

If Nix and two or three rookies might be main contributors, the Broncos may be capable to construct on what they did within the closing 11 video games in 2023, going 7-4 with a plus-15 level differential, trying far much less just like the membership that began final season 1-5 and was outscored by 71 factors.

6) Lions decide on QB2: There have been various fascinating backup quarterback battles throughout the NFL this August, few extra fascinating than in Detroit.

The Lions drafted Hendon Hooker in 2023 figuring out they had been getting a redshirt sort of participant who was coming off an ACL tear. He spent final season on the non-football damage record whereas he ready to battle for the backup job this season with Nate Sudfeld.

Hooker seemed to be the extra proficient of the 2 this preseason, though his efficiency was removed from pristine, and Lions head coach Dan Campbell appeared to tip his hand when he beforehand mentioned Sudfeld had the “higher hand” in that battle due to expertise.

“You need to have conviction that whoever that man is goes to have the ability to maintain this ship afloat,” Campbell just lately mentioned.

However as an alternative the Lions minimize Sudfeld, making Hooker the fast backup. If Jared Goff went down, the Lions’ Tremendous Bowl hopes would relaxation on the backup’s shoulders.

Goff being one thing of an iron man, having began 35 straight video games (38 if we rely playoffs), helps. Sudfeld has taken 9 regular-season snaps as a Lion. It additionally would make sense if he landed on Detroit’s follow squad. However with the revision of the QB roster guidelines, “emergency” QBs not might be referred to as up as they had been final 12 months; they should be on the 53-man roster on recreation days.

Hooker was a third-rounder for a purpose, and there is even a situation the place he could possibly be the Lions’ starter in a couple of years when Goff’s cap quantity jumps to just about $70 million. However for now, he stays a extremely proficient backup who’s one snap away from enjoying on a very good staff.