NFL News Round-Up: Joe Burrow returns to practice after appendectomy, Pete Carroll offers update on Seahawks QB starter job and more - August 14 2022
The first batch of NFL preseason games is in the books with some teams looking good, while others have some things to work on. This means that news is everywhere as we approach the start of the new league season.
This offseason has been wild. We have seen season-ending injuries, player holdouts and even players requesting a trade.
Yesterday saw Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady continue to miss practice over personal reasons. Antonio Brown made a "come get me" plea to the Dallas Cowboys and Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett showed out in his preseason game.
That brings us to today's news. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll gave his thoughts on the quarterback battle between Geno Smith and Drew Lock. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is back at practice following his appendectomy.
Here are the headlines around the NFL today.
Pete Carroll gives thoughts on Seahawks quarterback battle
With Russell Wilson being traded to the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks' starting quarterback position is up for grabs. Drew Lock, whom the franchise acquired as part of the Wilson trade, and Geno Smith are vying for the starting job come Week 1. Caroll was pleased with both players' efforts in Seattle's 32-25 loss to the Steelers.
He spoke with Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times and said it was a good outing for the pair.
Carroll said:
"As it turned out, for both guys that was a good outing because they had a lot of pressure on them to have to get things done. We're coming from behind and drives to go ahead and all that kind of stuff. I'm anxious to see how it looks when we break it down. But those were the kind of options we were looking forward to see how the guys were doing.''
Geno Smith = QB1️⃣ https://t.co/YcfEkb7sDl
The battle for the Week 1 spot for the NFL opener will likely go down to the wire, so expect both Smith and Lock to see plenty of game time over the next couple of weeks.
Joe Burrow returns to practice after appendectomy
The 25-year-old returned to practice for the first time in 19 days following an appendix surgery, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Burrow was present for the Bengals walkthrough and was seen in pads before the team's practice on Sunday afternoon.
It will please Bengals fans that Burrow did not miss too much practice. It is not known if he will see any gametime during the preseason, but at least he is out on the practice field with his teammates.
Falcons receiver Drake London not expected to be out for too long
Rookie receiver Drake London hurt his knee during the Falcons' 27-23 win over the Lions after catching a 24-yard pass from Marcus Mariota and left the field after the play. However, fears over the injury have eased.
Head coach Arthur Smith said via the Associated Press that he does not envision the rookie to be out too long.
Arthur said:
“It’s nothing that we’re really concerned about long term.We’ll be smart. He’s had a really good training camp. We hope to get everyone back by the time the regular season rolls around.”
It is a smart move by the Falcons not to rush their first-round selection back into practice, given they are still in the early days of preseason.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Associated Press, The Seattle Times and H/T Sportskeeda.