NFL Player News

The Eagles selected Hurts in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 53rd overall.

Hurts (6-foot-1, 222) is a compelling quarterback prospect out of Oklahoma, but his selection by Philadelphia is a little strange. Good as Hurts might be, he will likely never challenge Carson Wentz for Philadelphia's starting quarterback role, reducing him to a backup and gadget player. Even with Wentz's various durability concerns, it feels like overkill to spend so much on a backup quarterback. Hurts shows promise for his own part, though, improving his accuracy at Oklahoma after he got Wally Pipped by Tua Tagovailoa at Alabama. Perhaps Hurts will earn Wildcat snaps or some such thing, his 4.59 speed affording playmaking ability on gimmick plays, but for the indefinite future he looks more like an expensive emergency measure for the Eagles.

With the selection of Joe Burrow with the first overall pick official, Dalton's future with the team remains uncertain, though it's highly probable that Burrow will take over as the starter, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Something eventually has to give with the Bengals, with the team either having to move Dalton or another high-salaried veteran. Dalton's current $17.7 million salary will put the team over the salary cap.

Taylor is "in the driver seat" to start the 2020 season despite the selection of Justin Herbert No. 6 overall during the 2020 NFL Draft according to head coach Anthony Lynn and general manager Tom Telesco, James Crepea of The Oregonian reports.

It's an interesting remark considering the head coach/general manager duo repeatedly iterated earlier in the offseason that Taylor was the obvious choice as a starter, so the change in language to a potential "competition" is worth noting. It still feels unlikely Taylor will cede snaps to the team's newest first-round pick immediately, if only because Herbert will likely take some time to get acclimated to the offense and his teammates in what could be an unconventional OTA period. Still, it seems likely there will be pressure from outside sources pushing Herbert into the starting lineup, particularly given his draft status compared to the less-heralded Taylor.

Talking to the media late Thursday night, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said he hadn't spoken with Rodgers about the team's decision to use a first-round pick on fellow quarterback Jordan Love, Olivia Reiner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Rodgers likely was hoping for a draft pick that would help him win games in 2020. Instead, he saw the Packers draft his potential successor at No. 26 overall, though Gutekunst believes it's too early to say that Love will eventually replace Rodgers, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports. There's an obvious disconnect between the words and the actions, so this should be an ongoing storyline throughout spring and summer. Rodgers has four seasons remaining on his contract, and while the deal technically doesn't contain any guaranteed money beyond 2020, the fact that his compensation has largely come in the form of bonuses means a trade or release before 2023 would leave Green Bay with a big dead-cap hit. It also means he has reasonable base salaries by high-end QB standards, which could be useful if the time ever comes when the Packers are willing to trade the future Hall of Famer.

The Packers selected Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, 26th overall.

Green Bay traded up from 30 to take a player who's ostensibly the long-term replacement for Aaron Rodgers, evidently unconcerned that the team's short-term political stability might be harmed in the process. To make this pick is to undermine Rodgers and the immediate competitiveness of the Packers, and no lip service can get around that fact. If Matt LaFleur can turn Love's raw skills into polished production, then the alienation this pick brings might be redeemed in hindsight. For now, though, Love arrives from Utah State with substantial turnover concerns despite his plus physical tools at 6-foot-4, 224 pounds.

The Chargers selected Herbert in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, sixth overall.

Herbert (6-foot-6, 236) is the third quarterback off the board following Joe Burrow (Cincinnati, first overall) and Tua Tagovailoa (Miami, fifth overall), but he offers similar fantasy intrigue as the first two. That's largely because Herbert brings plus athleticism with his big frame, logging a 4.68-second 40-yard dash and demonstrating intriguing rushing upside in the process. Herbert likely doesn't have as much natural passing talent as Tagovailoa or Burrow, but he is no slouch himself in that regard, throwing for 95 touchdowns versus 23 interceptions in his Oregon career.

The Dolphins selected Tagovailoa in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, fifth overall.

Tagovailoa was arguably the most polarizing player in this year's draft. The Alabama product might have been the first overall pick if not for his lengthy and concerning injury history that includes surgeries on both ankles as well as a serious hip injury suffered in November. Much has been made of his recovery from the hip injury, but as evidenced by the selection here, the Dolphins are confident that he will be their quarterback of the future. When healthy, Tagovailoa is a difference-maker at quarterback. He has remarkable anticipation and accuracy and has enough mobility to make plays outside the pocket. Some may question whether his gaudy production would have been the same if he didn't have an NFL-caliber receiving corps at his disposal, but the film shows that he wasn't simply propped up by the talent around him. The next question is whether Miami plans to "redshirt" him in 2020 to let him fully recover and learn behind Ryan Fitzpatrick or get him behind center right away.

The Bengals selected Burrow in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, first overall.

As has long been expected, the Bengals nabbed the Heisman Trophy winner to be their quarterback of the future. Burrow is coming off a historic season at LSU in which he threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and six interceptions en route to winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Tigers to an undefeated season culminating in a national championship. He completed 69.7 percent of his passes and averaged 10.76 yards per attempt as well. As for his transition to the next level, Burrow is mature at 23 years old with an excellent feel and understanding of the game. He may be near his ceiling in terms of his physical development and his arm strength is not considered elite. However, Burrow's ball placement and accuracy are unmatched in this class and he checks all the boxes sought by a team looking for its franchise quarterback. Burrow figures to start right away and will have a strong core of skill players around him, highlighted by A.J. Green, Tyler Boyd and Joe Mixon.

Jackson is aiming to run less and rely more on his arm moving forward, he said during a video conference with the Ravens on Tuesday. "We're going to have even more receivers...We're going to be pretty good. I don't think I'll be running a lot," Jackson said.

Jackson's video call covered plenty of ground, including his focus on the mental aspects of the game during the offseason considering the physical limitations in place due to COVID-19. The reigning MVP also alluded to a style change in the future in which he leans more on his weapons in the passing game and lets his running backs take the brunt of the rushing workload. Jackson's athleticism makes him a nightmare to defend, but his career longevity will be extended if running is less of a staple in his game. He had 176 rushing attempts in 2019, which was nearly 70 more than the next highest number of rushes by a quarterback.

Prescott's franchise tag number has been recalculated to $31.4 million, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Reports on the value of the tag have been all over the place, and we finally get an official number now that the signing period for restricted free agents has ended. The Cowboys would've been looking at a smaller salary if they'd used the non-exclusive option instead of the exclusive tag, but that would've allowed Prescott to sign an offer sheet with another team, whereas the exclusive tag is exactly what it sounds like. The two sides have until July 15 to reach agreement on a long-term contract, with recent reports suggesting progress has been made.