NFL Rumors: Matt Nagy explains decrease in Chiefs' deep passes
The Kansas City Chiefs are 7-2 with a comfortable lead over the second-place Las Vegas Raiders (5-5) in the AFC West. Patrick Mahomes has been in standard MVP form, while Travis Kelce is once again the best tight end in football. Factor in a dominant top-five defense, and the Chiefs very much look the part of a title contender... most of the time.
A bad loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8 left even the diehard Chiefs fans a bit queasy. The offense ranks eighth in total yards per game, which is solid, but certainly not on par with expectations for a Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid offense.
One common complaint has been Kansas City's move away from the deep ball. Mahomes has arguably the strongest arm in football, but he's averaging 7.3 yards per pass attempt — his lowest mark since he was a rookie backup in 2017.
Matt Nagy, who assumed the offensive coordinator role following Eric Bieniemy's move to the Washington Commanders, recently opened up on the reason behind Kansas City's shift in approach.
"You want to be able to take shots, you want to be able to run the football, there's a lot of things you want to do. But you also have to adjust to what defenses are giving you and what they're not giving you. So I think when you look at, right now, with our downfield numbers, we're still we're still taking shots, right. Probably the biggest thing is we want to, however, that is, we want to be able to be a little bit more efficient... . But we're certainly taking the shots; I think efficient-wise, we can be better."
That's a fairly elliptical non-answer from Nagy, but he does hint at a driving theme behind the Chiefs' more conservative offense: efficiency. In a way, it has been successful. Mahomes is averaging the best accuracy numbers of his career and the Chiefs are still winning football games.
But, when projecting toward the postseason, the Chiefs' noticeable step back in overall offensive production and big-play explosiveness is definite cause for concern. There are several potential factors — Kansas City's lack of reliable WR talent stands out — but the simple truth is that Nagy's offense doesn't have the same juice that Bieniemy's did. Andy Reid is the mastermind pulling the strings, but Kansas City can probably afford to let Mahomes take a few extra shots downfield without tanking their efficiency.
NFL Rumors: Cowboys sign LB Rashaan Evans from practice squad
The Dallas Cowboys have signed Rashaan Evans, the No. 22 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, to their 53-man roster, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Evans spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons, where he started all 17 games and accrued 159 tackles and two sacks.
Evans was previously on the Cowboys' practice squad. The linebacker has appeared in three games for Dallas this season, including one start, with three tackles to his name. It has been a battle to re-establish himself this season, but the 28-year-old now gets an opportunity to carve out a consistent role with the Cowboys' main group.
The move comes after rookie defensive end Viliami Fehoko, a fourth-round pick, was placed on IR with an ongoing knee issue.
Dallas was able to sign Evans despite interest from several NFL teams, per Rapoport. He was a legitimate everyday contributor for the Falcons last season, so there's a recent track record of success to bank on. Evans is slated behind Markquese Bell on the Cowboys' depth chart, but he figures to see a few extra reps following this promotion. Clearly, the front office saw enough to keep Evans from venturing elsewhere.
Evans and the Cowboys will face the Carolina Panthers at 1 PM E.T. on Sunday, Nov. 19.
NFL Rumors: Ryan Tannehill, Jimmy Garoppolo could replace Joe Burrow for Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are stuck between a rock and a hard place after Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending ligament injury in his throwing wrist during Thursday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens. At 5-5, the Bengals are last place in a competitive AFC North. Barring a serious stroke of luck, it's hard to imagine the Bengals accomplishing anything of note the rest of the way.
That said, the Cleveland Browns also lost their QB and the Pittsburgh Steelers are probably the most unsustainable winner in the NFL. If Cincinnati can somehow manage to land a reliable QB in Burrow's stead, there's a path to a wild card berth — a dark, difficult to navigate path, but a path all the same.
Jake Browning, a 27-year-old rookie, is expected to start in Burrow's absence. He completed 8-of-14 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown following Burrow's injury against the Ravens. Cincinnati has trusted Browning enough to roster him as Burrow's sole backup, but there are flashier and more proven potential replacements on the market.
One can't help but canvass the NFL for proven veterans in unfavorable situations. The Tennessee Titans, for example, have handed the offense over to rookie Will Levis. That could put Ryan Tannehill on the outs. He's set to hit free agency in the offseason, but the Titans could release him sooner to allow him to chase reps (and a postseason berth) with the Bengals.
Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo finds himself in a similar position. He has a contract out at season's end and the Raiders have made the transition to rookie Aiden O'Connell, who appears to have the faith of the coaching staff. If the Raiders were to waive Garoppolo, he immediately becomes an upgrade over Browning.
Tannehill and Garoppolo have limited ceilings, but both have captained successful offenses into the postseason. The Bengals have a wealth of WR talent, starting with Ja'Marr Chase. That's a potentially fruitful setup, even for average QBs.
Tennessee or Las Vegas have to allow their veteran QB to leave before Cincinnati can make a move, but it's an intriguing hypothetical that bears monitoring.