What I’m Hearing: Jordan Love’s timeline, what’s next with Watson, Cousins’ struggles

Before we dive into Week 2, I want to share why many in the league were talking about training camp over the past couple days.

We saw some teams come out of the gate looking conditioned and fierce — like the Chiefs, Steelers, and Lions, who are all known for their brutally tough practices (not to mention, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce didn’t miss one practice all summer). Compare that to teams that lost their Week 1 games because they looked out of shape, didn’t seem in sync, or — in cases like the Browns — looked like they didn’t want to be there based on body language.

Cleveland was one of the last teams to put on pads this summer. Many team executives and coaches are still trying to figure out if there is a correlation between early-season success and how teams are practicing all summer. For teams that didn’t play their starters in the preseason, like Green Bay and Atlanta, September is the new preseason, which could catch up to them in December.

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Sam Darnold tosses his 2nd TD of the day to Jalen Nailor!

📺: #MINvsNYG on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/DD9V7zGuL6

— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024

Sam Darnold for MVP! The Bears offense stinks! Mike McCarthy is Coach of the Year!

None of this is true after one game, but I’m thrilled to get through a week of overreaction. I trust most of us know that opening weekend is a lie, but we may have seen some snippets of truth. Let’s touch on two as we head into Week 2 …

Love’s timeline, what Willis brings

Packers coach Matt LaFleur has kept the door open for Jordan Love to possibly return for Sunday’s game against the Colts, listing him as questionable. Though I’m told: “That’s not happening.” Love has an MCL sprain and has not been medically cleared to play.

The Packers are trying to keep all competitive advantages intact, which includes forcing opponents to prepare for all their QBs. While they hope Love’s is a week-to-week injury, the reality is that next week’s game against the Titans is considered by those in the know to be “a long shot.” The most optimistic timeline would have him back for Week 4 against the Vikings if there are no snags. (The Packers face the Rams Week 5.)

Love is expected to wear a knee brace when he does return, for the protection and function of the knee. The quarterback has been seen around the building and at practice, taking mental reps. Meanwhile, less than three weeks ago Green Bay acquired QB Malik Willis from the Titans. The Packers have used draft capital in three straight drafts on quarterbacks, selecting Sean Clifford (2023 fifth round) and Michael Pratt (2024 seventh round, now with the Bucs practice squad after Green Bay released him), and acquiring Willis (for a 2025 seventh-round pick). They made this move believing Willis is a better option than Clifford, despite the second-year Packer having more time with LaFleur’s playbook.

I first met Willis at rookie camp in Nashville when he was with the Titans in 2022. I stepped in front of our camera crew and stuck my hand out to introduce myself to the then-rookie. After a quick introduction, he approached the crew of four and asked each their names. When he walked away, we all looked at each other and commented on the kind gesture — this wasn’t a normal occurrence for our veteran crew. Willis answered all the questions and came off appreciative of this opportunity to play football at the highest level.

He came across as slightly innocent that day, but on the field and in meeting rooms I’m told he’s intelligent, hard-working, curious, and self-aware. There is a belief that Willis will be more comfortable running LaFleur’s offense than what he was doing this summer under first-year Titans coach Brian Callahan.

Willis’ instincts (and success) are based around his mobility. Though at times, as one Titans coach said, “the game looked really fast for him.” That may be the biggest issue for the Packers, getting Willis through his progressions with pressures coming from everywhere. The Colts are preparing to defend a run-heavy game plan led by new Packers RB Josh Jacobs, after they were gashed by Houston’s ground game in Week 1.

This will be a big test for the Packers, who opted not to sign a veteran quarterback in hopes that Love returns soon and Willis can get them through the next couple weeks.

What’s next for Watson

Deshaun Watson is facing a new civil lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in 2020; Watson denies the allegations. On the field, it was a rough season opener for this Cleveland Browns offense, and while there is an understanding Week 1 rust is real, there is also a strong belief in the building that Watson can rediscover his on-field magic. There have been no discussions about benching Watson in favor of one of the backups, Jameis Winston or Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

Watson’s contract — specifically, potential outs for the Browns — has been the subject of media speculation the past few days, but there are too many unknowns to say anything definitively. After reviewing a copy of Watson’s restructured contract, it appears that if the quarterback did not alert the team about the account detailed in the civil suit filed this week, and if an NFL investigation reveals the account detailed in the lawsuit to be credible, the Browns could void the guarantees in Watson’s contract.

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Another road win could extend Fields’ run

Unfortunately, we aren’t going to see Russell Wilson play against his former team when the Steelers visit the Denver Broncos. Justin Fields will get the start, and if he wins on the road again, Tomlin may stick with the hot hand for the home opener next week. (Though it’s notable that the Steelers didn’t score a touchdown in Week 1.)

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith showed last week he is fine calling the game conservatively and leaning on the ground game. I’m expecting another run-heavy, conservative game plan with reliance on T.J. Watt and the defense smothering rookie QB Bo Nix.

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Despite how it looked, Cousins is healthy

Kirk Cousins and the Falcons have been consistent about this all offseason and throughout training camp: There are no restrictions on the 36-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles injury. Though watching him struggle against the Steelers last week, it was a little hard to believe it.

Based on some conversations, the consensus is clear: Cousins’ leg feels good, with no lingering issues from his surgery. However, there is some rust. There is also a first-time play caller in Atlanta, in Zac Robinson. (A piece of wisdom from a league source: “Just as we afford rookie QBs some leeway, let’s extend the same understanding to first-time play callers.”)

Cousins didn’t play in any of the preseason games. The thinking is his shaky Falcons debut could be a combination of everything above, plus some hesitation when it comes to getting hit again at game speed.

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The Tua effect

Many team executives and players across the league are discussing how they would handle the situation with Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. This won’t be easy for anyone — not for Tagovailoa and not for the team.

Everyone is aware that this isn’t just about football; it’s about the quarterback’s health. Given Tagovailoa’s history of head trauma, the organization and the quarterback will take the next few days and possibly weeks to determine what is best. The diagnosis was a concussion, marking Tua’s fourth head injury in the last two years, including three diagnosed concussions. Two years ago, the league changed the concussion policy after Tagovailoa was injured in back-to-back games, against the Bills and the Bengals.

The league now requires players showing gross motor instability to be taken out of the game and tested for a concussion. The term “ataxia,” which is defined as a disruption of speech, motor skills, or balance, has been added to the protocol. It is crucial to note that if this new protocol had been applied two years ago, Tagovailoa would not have been allowed to re-enter the game against the Bills.

This past week (before the Thursday night game), the league again clarified another player-safety rule regarding quarterbacks: the difference between roughing the passer by slinging and by slamming. A slam occurs when a defender lifts up the QB and slams him down, which is strongly discouraged (think professional wrestling). A sling is when the quarterback doesn’t leave his feet. In the Texans-Colts game last week, Colts QB Anthony Richardson was sacked by Mario Edwards in the first quarter, a tackle determined to be a sling and therefore not penalized. The Colts called the league to inquire about what they felt was a borderline hit.

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Saquon was almost a Texan

We all know the story by now — and if you don’t, go catch up on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in which cameras followed Giants general manager Joe Schoen this past offseason. Giants owner John Mara probably won’t ever forget it either, telling Schoen, “I will lose sleep if we lose Barkley to the Eagles.” Well, Mara must not be getting much sleep these days (though for a few reasons).

Saquon Barkley left the New York Giants as a free agent and signed with their division rival. Then we saw his electric debut with Philadelphia (three touchdowns, named NFC Offensive Player of the Week). GM Howie Roseman gave the running back a three-year deal, worth almost $13 million annually. It was big money for the Penn State alum, who tested the free-agent market for the first time and won.

But Philly wasn’t the only team pushing to get Barkley in the building. The Houston Texans were aggressive in trying to land Barkley, but eventually were priced out. No worries for Houston; they traded for Joe Mixon from the Bengals instead.

Houston knew the Bengals had plans to release Mixon. To avoid losing him to the waiver wire, Houston traded a seventh-round draft pick. The RB also received a new three-year, $27 million contract that included $13 million guaranteed with a $6 million signing bonus. In his Texans debut, Mixon ran for 159 yards and a touchdown, taking AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors while the Bengals scored 10 points in an upset loss to the New England Patriots. Tough start for the exes.

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Still no deal, but Ja’Marr Chase in ‘good spirits’

The Bengals didn’t spend any time wallowing around the building or practice field this week, fixating on the 77 yards of first-half offense they had in their home loss to New England.

Self-awareness is not an issue in that locker room.

The Bengals know the offense looked out of sync, that they couldn’t run the ball, and that the tackling was awful (they gave up 170 rushing yards). They know that won’t cut it against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ revamped wide receiver room.

Cincinnati’s own star receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, played Week 1 despite not getting the big payday he’d been holding in for all of training camp. Chase was said to be in “good spirits” and practicing all week in Cincinnati. However, still no deal. We’ll see if they can get this finished soon.

As for this game, the Bengals’ ability to slow down a Chiefs offense that mirrors the 2021 edition will be the game plan of defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. He’s done pretty well flustering Mahomes over the years, so much so fans have been donning “The Loufather” tees.

The Bengals are 3-2 against the Chiefs since 2022, and Anarumo’s defenses are a big reason why. In the past, he has successfully figured out how to simulate pressures, vary the looks and make Kansas City’s offense earn every yard. The same approach will be applied on Sunday, with red zone defense critical in forcing the Chiefs to kick field goals. The Chiefs see the Bengals as older and, at this moment, not built to lock up and defend, but they do believe Cincinnati has enough in its arsenal to mix coverages and pressures to force the Chiefs to earn their points via long scoring drives.

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The NFL’s other big rule change

We’ve dedicated a significant amount of time explaining and gathering opinions on the new kickoff rule, which featured prominently in Week 1. One coach summed up the the regular-season debut of the hybrid kickoff this way: “Some teams kicked all touchbacks. Others kicked one (short of the end zone) to test it and if it was a return past the 30-yard line, they just kicked touchbacks. The interesting thing to watch is a place like Buffalo with crazy wind so you can’t always just kick touchbacks; (Arizona) had big returns in that game. Cleveland will do the same. As it gets colder some kickers won’t be able to kick touchbacks.”

However, there was another significant NFL rule change that came into play on Sunday, though you might have missed it: The NFL’s expanded “replay assist” rule.

It came up in the Broncos-Seahawks game in Seattle. Here was the situation: In the fourth quarter, with Seattle up 26-13, Dre’Mont Jones and Leonard Williams hit Broncos quarterback Bo Nix on an incomplete pass. The officials threw a flag for roughing the passer on Jones, turning what would’ve been second-and-10 at Denver’s 36 into a first-and-10 in Seahawks territory. However, after a 29-second delay, referee Brad Allen made this announcement: “After replay assist, there is no foul for (a hit to) the head and neck area.”

Among the NFL’s new rules:

Replay assist was expanded to review roughing the passer, intentional grounding, and late hits out of bounds penalties for possible overturn.

The Seahawks were the first team to benefit from the roughing the passer rule on this Dre’Mont Jones hit: pic.twitter.com/0upJI4wNOv

— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) September 9, 2024

The “replay assist” rule has been in place for several years. However, this season, the NFL has expanded its capabilities to include reviews of roughing the passer, late hits out of bounds, and intentional grounding penalties. These penalties can be advised for overturn on “specific, objective aspects of a play when clear and obvious video evidence is present,” the rule states.

Thanks to this new rule, a Seahawks penalty was overturned, and fans — specifically those in the Pacific Northwest — had one less complaint about the league’s officiating.

But, of course, you can’t make everyone happy in the NFL. I heard from a few coaches and general managers about unnecessary roughness calls involving quarterback scrambles, for which replay assist is not available. As we have seen, most of the quarterbacks in this league have the ability to move outside the pocket, scramble and slide. (I discovered that it’s now easier to list QBs that sit in the pocket than it is to lay out all the mobile ones.) In Tampa, we saw Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels involved in two plays on which it appeared he was hit in the head and/or neck when sliding. The UNR flag was thrown, but replays showed that the defenders actually missed Daniels, leapt over him, or got out of the way. We saw it happen three other times in Week 1, including in Buffalo when the Bills were flagged for UNR against Kyler Murray, and there was no contact at all. We will probably see it more this weekend. This could be an easy replay assist addition in the future considering the league’s explosion of mobile QBs.

(Top photo: Brooke Sutton / Getty Images)