With receiver Rashee Rice likely out for a while, if not the entire season, the Chiefs will need help at receiver. To get it, they can go next man up — or next man in.
The internal options are limited. They obviously need more out of tight end Travis Kelce, and they got some of it on Sunday against the Chargers. Rookie receiver Xavier Worthy needs to accelerate his acclimation to the offense.
Others already in the lineup need to contribute, from Justin Watson to JuJu Smith-Schuster to Mecole Hardman to Skyy Moore to Noah Gray.
Available free agents include Michael Thomas, Hunter Renfrow, Corey Davis, Julio Jones, and Chase Claypool. Those options frankly aren’t great.
Also, trades can happen for the next five weeks and a day.
The Chiefs should be looking perhaps for someone they can add now and/or someone they can add closer to the deadline, when more teams are willing and able to acknowledge that they aren’t contenders. Also, other receivers not happy with their current situations might decide to agitate for a trade to Arrowhead.
Possibilities include Browns receivers Amari Cooper (who reportedly was almost traded to the 49ers) and Elijah Moore, Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk, Dolphins receiver Odell Beckham Jr., Panthers receiver Diontae Johnson, Giants receivers Darius Slayton and Jalin Hyatt, Titans receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Boyd.
Then there’s Raiders receiver Davante Adams. He might want to play for the Chiefs. The Raiders might never allow their division rivals to get him.
Maybe the Chiefs simply rely on the guys they have. They should at least consider all options, if (as expected) Rice will miss extensive playing time.
It looks like Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert will miss another game.
Mostert has been out with a chest injury since the first week of the regular season, but he progressed enough to be listed as questionable to play against the Titans on Monday night. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that Mostert is not expected to be active for the game, however.
De’Von Achane, Jeff Wilson, and Jaylen Wright are the other backs in Miami.
Quarterback Skylar Thompson (ribs) and wide receiver Malik Washington (quad) are the other questionable players for the Dolphins. If Thompson is in the lineup, it will be as a backup to Tyler Huntley.
The NFL hit Packers running back Josh Jacobs hard for the hit he laid on a tackler Sunday against the Titans.
The league announced today that Jacobs has been fined $45,020 for what the league described as, “Unnecessary Roughness (use of the helmet).”
On the play in question, Jacobs took a handoff up the middle and lowered his head into Titans safety Quandre Diggs. In real time, it looked like an ordinary collision we see multiple times in every game. Diggs was none the worse for wear; he popped right up and helped Jacobs up. No flag was thrown and the TV announcers didn’t say anything about it.
But often plays that seem rather innocuous at the time result in harsh discipline once the league office has scrutinized the replays closely, and that’s what happened here. It’s true that Jacobs lowered his head and initiated contact with the crown of the helmet, and that’s the kind of hit that the NFL is trying to take out of the game of football. But Jacobs could be forgiven if he questions why he got such a significant fine for a hit that neither the officials nor anyone else had a problem with at the time.
Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel has resisted publicly announcing his quarterback choice for Monday night, but said earlier this week that he had a pretty good idea about what he would do.
McDaniel revealed his plan on Saturday morning. Tyler Huntley will get the start against the Titans.
Huntley signed to Miami’s active roster last week after Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion in their Week Two loss to the Bills. He was inactive as the team’s emergency quarterback for last Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks.
Skylar Thompson started that game, but left with a chest injury. Tim Boyle was the team’s backup quarterback in that game.
Huntley started 10 games while with the Ravens, including a playoff loss, over the last three years. The Dolphins will be hoping he can make their offense more productive than it’s been since Tagovailoa’s injury and a good outing would likely leave him in the job until Tagovailoa is cleared to return.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan said earlier this week that cornerback Chidobe Awuzie was a candidate for injured reserve and the team revealed its decision on Friday.
Awuzie has been placed on the list due to the groin injury he suffered in last Sunday’s loss to the Packers. He will have to miss four games before he will be eligible to return to action.
The Titans filled Awuzie’s roster spot by signing linebacker Luke Gifford to the 53-man roster. Gifford was elevated on a temporary basis for the first three games of the season and saw action on special teams.
In addition to those moves, the Titans signed defensive lineman McTelvin Agim to the practice squad.
