Team news: Washington Commanders | Page 43

Washington Football Team WR Curtis Samuel did not practice Wednesday according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. Samuel tried to run and stretch but ended up leaving the practice field.

Related Players: Terry McLaurin, Dyami Brown, Adam Humphries

The free agent signing is in danger of missing Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers and ceding work to rookie Dyami Brown and fellow free agent signee Adam Humphries. Samuel has dealt with injuries the entirety of his NFL career and continues to be a fantasy risk.

Dallas Goedert just told us contract talks with the Eagles have ended. He said it happened before Zach Ertz's return was known.

Goedert said he hoped to have a deal done by now, but said it won't be a distraction going into the season. Goedert is on the final year of his rookie deal. The Eagles have been down this road before, as many thought when the team didn't extend Ertz he'd be gone before this season. But now Ertz is back for the final year of his contract as well.

Robby Anderson was scheduled to make $8 million in 2021, but with extension the Panthers added $4.5 million to this season to make his 2021 salary $12.5 million. He will get $13 million in 2022 and $12 million in 2023, per a league source.

Related players: D.J. Moore, Terrace Marshall

Anderson is coming off a big year in which he caught 95 balls for 1,096 yards and three TDs. Anderson will at least run second behind assumed WR1 Moore, but will also compete with rookie Terrance Marshall, who the team said will have a role this year. RB Christian McCaffrey is also a top target in the passing game, who was missing much of last year. But Anderson does have the benefit of working with Sam Darnold, who should be the QB starter. The two were together with the Jets. We rank Anderson 29th among our WRs.

Zach Ertz has 39 targets, third most on the team in training camp. Unless the Eagles get an amazing offer it would be foolish to trade him -- especially after running so many reps in training camp with him as a big part of the offense.

Related players: Dallas Goedert

Shorr-Parks went on to say that while Ertz has been good, so has Goedert, and Goedert's "quietly having an outstanding training camp." Goedert has the most catches (39), targets (46) and touchdowns (6) of any player on the roster Eagles, according to Shorr-Parks. Having Ertz around for anther year may help the Eagles offense, but it's bad news for Goedert fantasy owners who were counting on Ertz being moved well before this point of camp. With an improved WR group, the Eagles TE targets could at least take a little bit of a hit this season.

Eagle TE Tyree Jackson will miss 8-10 weeks because of a fractured bone in his back, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP Sports Radio. The injury will not require surgery.

Related Players: Dallas Goedert, Zach Ertz

Why does this matter? It more than likely means Zach Ertz remains with the Eagles and puts a damper on Dallas Goedert's upside. Drafting Goedert at ADP is officially unwarranted. Goedert is ranked 8th and Ertz 24th in John Paulsen's half-point PPR rankings.

When a coach singles you out, as was the case with Trent Sherfield and Jauan Jennings, that’s a terrific sign that they’ll make the roster.

We know Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are locks to make the roster. So let’s add Mohamed Sanu to the list, which leaves one spot for Jalen Hurd, Nsimba Webster, River Cracraft, and Richie James.

The story says the 49ers top guys should remain at the top of the depth chart, but it's possible Shanahan was trying to get the attention of Samuel and Aiyuk, the author went on to say. It's seems to be a crowded position, but keep an eye out for Sherfield and Jennings.

The Cardinals announced several roster moves on Monday, notably activating running back James Conner off the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Related players: Chase Edmonds

Conner went on the list on Aug. 12 as a high-risk close contact. This season, only players who have not been vaccinated are placed on the COVID-19 list for being in proximity with someone who has tested positive. Conner is expected to split the workload with Edmonds this season.

But the rookie who shined brightest Sunday was wideout Terrace Marshall, who pulled in three passes for 88 yards, including a 60-yard gain on a scramble play by P.J. Walker.

Related players: David Moore, D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson

The story said David Moore didn’t have a bad day (two catches for 26 yards), but Marshall seemingly has a leg up on the No. 3 WR competition. Marshall will still be behind D.J. Moore and Anderson, and of course RB Christian McCaffrey when it comes to pass catching, but Marshall's certainly a name to watch. We had a story on Marshall last week that said the Panthers do have big plans for him.

Robby Anderson missed 2nd practice with a family issue in Florida. More reps for Terrace Marshall who team has big plans for.

Related players: David Moore, D.J. Moore

Marshall is expected to win the WR3 job ahead of Moore and it sounds like he's taking advantage of his time. Keep in mind, Christian McCaffrey will also be heavily involved in the passing game and Marshall will play behind Anderson and D.J. Moore.

With weight training facilities no longer closed off to players due to COVID-19 restrictions, Deebo Samuel has put in work during this offseason. The third-year wideout has added yoga to his training program to increase his flexibility, hopefully to eliminate any hamstring and lower body issues.

Coach Kyle Shanahan has noticed the difference in Samuel.

“I've been very happy with Deebo,” Shanahan said on Monday. “He came into camp in as good a shape as I've seen him. You know, he left OTAs not quite there yet, but trending there. And so I was really curious of how he was going to be these 40 days away. And just being in shape and stuff, it's the best I've seen him.”

The story said through a week of training camp practices, Samuel has been seen as a ball carrier in jet sweep plays but also a further away from the line of scrimmage. The wideout’s bread and butter has been making the most out of every play, primarily in yards after catch. Samuel nearly totaled 1,000 his rookie season in 2019 but was hit with injuries last year: a Jones fracture in his foot during the offseason kept him off the field until Week 4, then a hamstring injury in Week 7 before aggravating the hamstring injury which ended his season after one snap in in Week 14.