BYU will be without the team’s two best wide receivers when the No. 21 Cougars host No. 9 Baylor on Saturday night, sources told ESPN.
Junior Puka Nacua and senior Gunner Romney are expected to miss the game. BYU coach Kalani Sitake had said earlier in the week that they would be game-time decisions. Romney and Nacua accounted for 60% of BYU’s returning receiving yards, according to ESPN Stats & Info data.
Nacua, who is considered a dynamic NFL prospect, sprained his right ankle and wore a boot during BYU’s blowout win at South Florida last week. Romney, who is also on NFL radars, missed that game with an undisclosed injury, which will also keep from playing Saturday.
The two were BYU’s leading returning receivers from last season and projected as star quarterback Jaren Hall’s top targets in 2022. Before Nacua got injured against USF, he scored two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run on the game’s first play. Last season, Nacua finished with 805 receiving yards and tied for second on the team with six touchdowns.
Romney is in his fifth season at BYU, and he has accumulated 1,900 career receiving yards and 10 total touchdowns. In former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson’s breakout season in 2020, Romney had 767 yards and six touchdowns. For his career, he has averaged 16.2 yards per catch.
Their absence will leave BYU leaning on its run game, as the Cougars’ offensive line is the strength of the team. That unit struggled mightily against the Bears in a 38-24 loss in Waco last year, however, gaining just 67 yards on 24 carries. BYU tailback Christopher Brooks, who transferred from Cal, had a breakout first game against USF with 135 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
The Cougars will look to freshman Chase Roberts, redshirt freshman Kody Epps and sophomore Keanu Hill to fill the void at receiver. The absence of Romney and Nacua could also potentially highlight BYU’s stout tight end tandem of junior Isaac Rex and junior Dallin Holker, both of whom are considered strong NFL prospects.
Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs thinks he and his brother, Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs, are among the NFL’s elite players at their positions — and he thinks the truly elite are a pretty small group.
Stefon told Sports Illustrated that he always knew Trevon would have no trouble covering most NFL wide receivers, and that he doesn’t think most of them can really do everything a great receiver needs to do.
“I told Tre this a while ago: ‘Bro, 70% of [NFL] receivers are gonna be easy to check,” Stefon said. “There’s only like seven to eight spicy receivers who can catch, can create separation, can run fast, can stop. . . .’ ”
Stefon Diggs also said there are only three NFL corners as “the only ones that really follow” No. 1 receivers week in and week out: Xavien Howard, Marshon Lattimore and Trevon. Stefon thinks highly of himself, and his little brother.
Alabama wide receivers Slade Bolden and John Metchie III will enter the NFL draft, while linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, defensive lineman DJ Dale, safeties DeMarcco Hellams and Jordan Battle and offensive guard Emil Ekiyor Jr. are returning to the team for their senior seasons.
Bolden, To’oTo’o, Dale and Hellams announced their intentions on social media on Friday. Sources told ESPN’s Chris Low of the decisions of Metchie, Battle and Ekiyor.
Metchie led the Tide with 96 catches this season for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns before tearing his ACL in the SEC championship game win over Georgia on Dec. 4. He is rated as Mel Kiper Jr.’s eighth-best draft eligible wide receiver.
Bolden was fourth on the team in receiving yards with 408 and had three receiving touchdowns. He and Metchie are part of a receiving corps that will lose at least four of its top five receivers.
Jameson Williams, who led the team with 1,572 yards, Metchie, Bolden and running back Brian Robinson Jr. are all off to the NFL.
To’oTo’o transferred to Alabama from Tennessee before the 2021 season. He was the No. 47 recruit in the 2019 class and signed with the Vols out of De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
“I loved my experience this past season, but things didn’t end how any of us wanted,” To’oTo’o said on social media. “We didn’t achieve our ultimate goal, and I can’t leave my brothers now knowing that we have unfinished business to attend to. Let’s get to work in 2022.”
He was second on the team at Tennessee in total tackles his freshman season with 72, along with five tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. He then led the team in tackles during the 2020 season, accounting for 76 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1 interception and 2 quarterback hurries.
He made an immediate impact at Alabama, earning a starting linebacker position and tallied 112 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. He earned second-team All-SEC and is now returning to a linebacking unit that has some important players coming back, including Will Anderson Jr. and true freshman Dallas Turner.
Dale had 18 tackles, including four for a loss this past season. Hellams was third on Alabama’s team in tackles (87) and also had three interceptions. Battle was fourth in tackles this season with 84 and also had three interceptions.
Ekiyor, a redshirt junior, started every game at right guard this season.
The Seattle Seahawks could find themselves short-handed at receiver against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Seattle’s top four receivers — Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Freddie Swain and Dee Eskridge — were all unable to practice with the team on Thursday. Lockett, along with running back Alex Collins, was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Thursday after testing positive. Meanwhile, Metcalf, Swain and Eskridge were all sidelined due to injuries.
Metcalf (foot/back), Eskridge (foot) and Swain (ankle) have all three yet to practice this week. Metcalf has typically been getting at least one day off a week as he’s managed his foot injury. The back issue is a new addition. Swain’s absence on Thursday was also attributed to a non-injury related personal matter.
The only receiver from their active roster that participated in practice on Thursday was Penny Hart, who has seven total catches in his career for 56 yards. Six of those catches and 53 yards have come this season for Seattle. The Seahawks have four receivers currently on their practice squad in Cody Thompson, Aaron Fuller, Cade Johnson and Matt Cole. Thompson and Fuller have been practice squad elevations previously and have spent all season on the team’s practice squad. Johnson has spent most of the year on the squad with Cole a new addition this week.
Some combination of those four players may need to come up to the active roster if Lockett doesn’t clear protocol and/or Metcalf, Swain or Eskridge can’t play.
It’s not the same bind the Rams find themselves currently in with 25 players on the COVID-19 reserve list, but at least at receiver they may have to get by without their top options available.
Right guard Gabe Jackson (knee), tackle Brandon Shell (shoulder), safety Quandre Diggs (knee), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (quadriceps) and defensive tackle Bryan Mone (knee) also did not practice on Thursday.
So much for Kelvin Benjamin’s comeback story. Less than three months after signing the former Panthers wide receiver, who was attempting to revive his NFL career as a tight end following a three-year hiatus, the Giants have released the former first-round pick. On Wednesday, Benjamin was seen leaving practice early on the first day of New York’s training camp following what several reporters described as a lengthy and heated conversation with coach Joe Judge and general manager Dave Gettleman. Now, he’s off the depth chart before even kicking off a projected competition at tight end.
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Benjamin, 30, took the field with the Giants Wednesday morning. Reports indicate, however, that Judge and Gettleman began meeting with the one-time Florida State standout before warm-ups had even concluded. At the end of their conversation, Benjamin removed his helmet and walked alone, off the field and back into the Giants’ facilities.
Benjamin originally signed with New York in May following a workout, and was set to compete with reserves Kaden Smith and Levine Toilolo for a backup role behind Evan Engram and Kyle Rudolph. He was last seen in the NFL as a reserve wideout for the Chiefs in 2018. A first-round pick of the Panthers, he spent nearly four years in Carolina, topping 1,000 yards as a rookie before injuries and reported conditioning issues led to a decline in production. He was traded to the Bills in 2017, going on to play 18 games for Buffalo.
The future of Chicago Bears star receiver Allen Robinson has been up-in-the-air dating back to last September, which was also the last time there were contract discussions between both sides.
When the Bears placed the franchise tag on Robinson back on March 9, it didn’t come as a surprise after listening to GM Ryan Pace talk about Robinson’s importance to the team without any real progress in signing him to a long-term extension.
Robinson had been hesitant about signing his franchise tag, which made sense given the lack of progress on a new contract. But after some initial hesitancy, Robinson has signed his franchise tag, according to Ian Rapoport.
So why the sudden change?
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Robinson noticed that wide receivers weren’t exactly raking in the cash in free agency. So why not take the $18 million payday and wait another year to hit the open market.
Biggs also noted that Robinson “does not believe agreeing to tag affects his leverage for a multi-year deal.”
Allen Robinson took note of the fact WRs are not breaking the bank in free agency. He does not believe agreeing to tag affects his leverage for a multi-year deal.https://t.co/n1uslrUE2f
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 19, 2021
Biggs doesn’t expect this to be a “tag and trade” scenario, which is interesting considering Pace and head coach Matt Nagy met with free-agent wideout Kenny Golladay on Wednesday night, examining their options at the receiver position.
CHARLOTTE – With one of their regular pass-catchers heading into the free agent market next month, the Panthers held onto some of their depth at the position.
The Panthers signed wide receivers Brandon Zylstra and Keith Kirkwood to one-year deals Monday. They were both scheduled to be restricted free agents.
Zylstra, 27, played in every game and caught three passes for 35 yards last season.
Of those receiving yards, 28 of them came dramatically — on a fake punt against the Chiefs, hauling in the surprise pass from punter Joseph Charlton.
Kirkwood, 26, played in just one game last year because of injuries. He started the season on injured reserve, was activated for the Bears game, but re-injured his left clavicle and was shut down for the year. He caught one pass for 13 yards.
As a rookie with the Saints in 2018 (when Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady was on staff there), Kirkwood caught 13 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. He also played for Panthers head coach Matt Rhule at Temple.
The Panthers have starting wideouts DJ Moore and Robby Anderson under contract, though Curtis Samuel is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on March 17. None of the rest of the receivers on the roster at the moment (Marken Michel, Ventell Bryant, Amara Darboh, Omar Bayless, and Ishmael Hyman) caught a pass last year.
The Panthers still have two RFAs they’d like to retain — offensive tackle Trent Scott and defensive tackle Efe Obada.
Scott started seven games at left tackle because of injuries to Russell Okung. A known commodity to line coach Pat Meyer from San Diego, Scott provides a bit of insurance at a position in flux.
The Panthers have just one of their starting linemen from last year under contract (center Matt Paradis), though they’re expected to use the franchise tag on right tackle Taylor Moton if they can’t reach a long-term deal.
Obada developed into a solid interior rusher, and was second on the team with 5.5 sacks last year.
