Cowboys Cut Bait, Steelers Play Chicken, and Ravens Torture Their Kicker
Mike Garafolo reported the updates on Good Morning Football.
NFL roster deadline day is a beautiful, chaotic mess of crushed dreams and front-office stubbornness. According to Mike Garafolo at Good Morning Football, we have a fresh batch of drama featuring the cutting bait on a preseason standout, the Pittsburgh Steelers playing a dangerous game of contract chicken, and the refusing to let their kicker forget his worst nightmare.
Let's start with , because waiving quarterback Joe is the kind of move that makes you wonder if anyone in that building actually watched the games. Milton threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns across three exhibition contests, adding another score on the ground. Instead of keeping a guy with a literal bazooka attached to his right shoulder, decided Sam Howell is the undisputed backup to .
If clears waivers, he is expected to land on the practice squad. But in a league where half the teams are currently one rolled ankle away from starting a guy who sells insurance in the offseason, exposing to the open market is a massive gamble. For anyone looking at the Cowboys' win totals, the safety net behind just got significantly less dynamic.
Over in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are staring down their own self-imposed deadline with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. The franchise has a famous, ironclad rule against negotiating contracts during the regular season. The problem is Porter is currently managing a back injury that reportedly flared up during a training camp mobility test.
Trying to hammer out a massive extension while the player is actively getting treatment on his spine is a wild negotiation tactic. If they do not get a deal done before kickoff, Porter plays out the year with a massive chip on his shoulder. If you are looking at defensive player props, betting against a motivated Porter is a bad idea, and his price tag is only going to skyrocket if he locks down opposing receivers all season.
Out west, the are waiting on running back Jeremiyah Love to return from an ankle injury. Love looked electric in his preseason debut, racking up 58 rushing yards on 11 carries before getting hurt. His availability is a massive swing factor for an Arizona backfield that desperately needs his explosiveness early in the year.
Finally, the Ravens are bringing in competition for kicker Tyler Loop. If that name triggers a cold sweat for fans, it is because Loop missed a last-second field goal in Week 18 last year that literally kept out of the playoffs. He reportedly ended minicamp by hitting a clutch 40-yarder, but the front office clearly has not forgiven or forgotten.
Bringing in another leg right before the season is the ultimate psychological warfare. You can make all the practice kicks you want, but the are making it very clear that one more wide-right will have Loop updating his LinkedIn profile.
As we head into Week 1, the waiver wire is going to be a feeding frenzy. Whether it is finding a new home, Porter securing the bag at the buzzer, or Loop fighting for his NFL life, the margins for error have officially vanished.