The NFL regular season technically begins Sept. 9. For me, it doesn’t really begin until October.
The first month has the feel of extended preseason games. We’ll go around the pro gridiron landscape for some interesting items.
I for one don’t get all that enamored with the 53-man roster until it’s finally determined. A lot can happen between now and the start of the season.
As for the grass issue at the new Highmark Stadium, it is what it is. If the field wasn’t deemed ready, which, from this vantage point, looked like it wasn’t, make sure you get it right in time for the Sept. 17 home opener versus Detroit. It’s clear not all is flawless with the $2 billion-plus edifice.
Wheeling and dealing
Over the last few days, there were some two dozen swaps around the NFL, which seems like an increase from recent seasons, as teams may feel that acquiring one team’s cast-off can not only help them, but, be worth more than what you’re giving that other club in a likely lower round draft pick. A couple, or three, or so caught my eye.
Former Steelers first round pick Broderick Jones to the Cowboys, with draft picks also swapped. Jones, coming off a neck injury, was perceived as an underachiever who, quite frankly, may have been miscast on the left side. Dallas, who’s had a reputation for molding good lines, believes Jones can fit on the right side.
With Green Bay back Josh Jacobs on the Commissioner’s Exempt list related to his recent legal matter, the Packers obtained back Kaleb Johnson from Pittsburgh. Johnson, a north-south type of runner, didn’t seem to be a fit with the Steelers, yet, is only a couple of years removed from a 1,500-yard season with 21 touchdowns at Iowa. Like Jones, a change of scenery may help Kaleb here.
The Bills rivals, the Miami Dolphins, have a monopoly on Packers quarterbacks. After signing Malik Willis in the offseason, the club acquired Kyle McCord from Green Bay, while sending fellow signal caller Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville. For new Miami head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon Erik Sullivan, coming from the NFC North club, it makes sense to have guys familiar with their system.
A sneaky good one here, as the Bears sent defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. to the Falcons for Clark Phillips and a fifth-rounder. Ian Cunningham, the new GM in the ATL, worked with Chicago before and knows the player, who started every game last season. A potential shrewd move for the Dirty Birds.
Cue the comebacks
It was around 4 p.m. Sunday when the news broke that future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald officially said he was coming back to the Los Angeles Rams after a two-year retirement.
Of course, we were all over it on SiriusXM NFL Radio with extensive commentary from Super Bowl Champion Robert Turbin, then a great chat with the team’s radio play-by-play star JB Long. Frankly, this wasn’t a surprise, as Donald had been practicing with the team.
With a revamped defense featuring prime acquisition Myles Garrett, L.A. should be considered the Super Bowl favorite, which will be at their home stadium, So-Fi, where they won Super Bowl LVI. Even if Donald is a half of what he was, that will be a huge addition to a defense that, along with the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, are considered the league’s best, which, oh by the way, the Bills have to play all three of them!
Then, there’s Odell Beckham Jr., who, as we remember, seemed to have a HOF career ahead of him, as in his first three years with the New York Giants, he caught 288 passes in excess of 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns. But, then the wheels fell off.
Who will ever forget the boat trip to South Florida in January of 2017, just days before a playoff loss to the Packers, where OBJ dropped several passes. After another season with the Giants, OBJ was off to Cleveland, then ultimately wound up as a teammate with Donald with the Rams, but tore his ACL in that Super Bowl win over Cincinnati. After a year off in 2022, he played 14 games with Baltimore in 2023, then nine with Miami in 2024 and didn’t play at all last season, with a six-game suspension “served” from a substance abuse violation the year before.
With seemingly a hat in hand, and a more mature, reflective attitude, Beckham showed signs of his previous form with the Giants with seven catches this preseason, impressing new coach John Harbaugh and staff enough to be placed on the team’s initial 53-man roster.
After their last preseason game, OBJ said “I’m just truly grateful for that opportunity, that experience. It was a tough couple years, taking a step back and deciding, do you go forward with life? Are you done? The mental battles that we go through and just push through, persevere and overcome adversity.”
He may not be the same Odell Beckham Jr. who made the one-handed snare on Sunday night vs. the Dallas Cowboys, but it may be a good storyline for a more mature, reflective OBJ mentoring the young Giants wideouts and being a fan favorite once again.