Team news: Washington Commanders | Page 40

If Chris Herndon stays healthy, the Jets will be set at tight end according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic. "It’s fun watching how Gase uses Herndon, too," wrote Hughes. "While he has traditional tight end abilities (he’s a very good blocker), the Jets line him up all over the field. While I don’t think Herndon will ever be in the same class as Zach Ertz or Travis Kelce, he creates so many matchup problems for defenses."

Hughes addressed the issues at wide receiver in the same article, which also bodes well for Herndon. QB Sam Darnold turned lemons into lemonade with Ryan Griffen in 2019, so the uber-talented Herndon should dwarf his numbers as long as he remains on the field. Herndon has the opportunity to be a top 10 tight end in 2020.

Earlier this month, Eagles Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz made it abundantly clear that he wants to remain in Philadelphia for the rest of his NFL days, saying that "my goal is to be like Kobe Bryant and play for one organization my entire career." Well, it looks like he may soon inch one step closer to that ultimate goal as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reports the Eagles have reengaged contract extension talks with the 29-year-old.

Related players: Dallas Goedert

Ertz still has two years left on his deal and many thought Goedert would eventually take over as the Birds top TE. But it looks like the Eagles want to keep Ertz around. The TE spot was a go-to position for Carson Wentz last year when a rash of injuries to the team's WRs hit. Ertz is ranked fourth on our TE list despite Geodert also being a threat at the position. Goedert is ranked 12th, proving just how much the Eagles target the position.

On most practice days, the Jets are lining up with Breshad Perriman, Jamison Crowder and Jeff Smith, a former undrafted free agent with one career catch. When Perriman missed a day with knee swelling, it served as a sobering reminder: The Jets are one injury away from a full-blown crisis.

Related players: Denzel Mims

The Jets like to run a lot of three-WR sets and the injury to Mims is a big deal as he was supposed to be the WR3. Even if he's back soon, he'll be behind as far as learning the offense and being on the same page as QB Sam Darnold. Because of the low numbers, the Jets recently signed veteran Chris Hogan, who Gase called a "down and dirty" competitor. Hogan has looked good but he hasn't been an every-down player since 2018.

Drew Lock/Courtland Sutton. The first 11-on-11 play of training camp was a pass to Sutton and the duo are trending the right away. The in-sync part is important because I haven’t seen a glaring miscommunication between Lock and Sutton yet, which is a good sign considering the new playbook.

Lock/Jerry Jeudy. Agreed on your “getting there” analysis. They’ve had several nice completions, the same for Jeudy and backup quarterback Jeff Driskel.

Lock/K.J. Hamler. A tough break for the offense and for Hamler, who is out multiple weeks with a hamstring injury and whose status for Week 1 is in doubt. When Hamler gets back to practice, he and Lock will have to start over.

With Hamler out, the story said guys like tight ends Albert Okwuegbunam and Jake Butt and receivers Tim Patrick, DaeSean Hamilton and Tyrie Cleveland have all picked up the slack. Lock had time with Sutton last year so it makes sense they are on the same page. Jeudy will be a key to the offense as he and Lock look to get more comfortable with one another.

Justin Jackson and rookie Joshua Kelley are neck and neck in the race for the No. 2 running back job behind Austin Ekeler.

Jackson started the week with a sizable lead after making a handful of long rushing gains in Monday’s and Tuesday’s workouts.

On Wednesday, Lynn said Kelley’s head was swimming with learning the new offense. Lynn changed his tone after Kelley ended the week with three impressive practices to narrow the gap on Jackson.

The story said by the end of the week, Kelley was running with the first team. The story went on to say Kelley might have the edge because he fills the role of the power running back, but Jackson continues to churn out yards at a high rate. Jackson has displayed power between the tackles and Kelley has made catches from the backfield.

"Last year, [Dwayne Haskins] didn't quite have the same confidence that he does now, and people can feel that. He'd be the first one to tell you that," WR Terry McLaurin said.

In 2020, that's no longer the case.

"Now, it's completely different. You can hear him clearly and concisely," McLaurin said. "He knows what he's looking for and he knows what he's looking at. I feel like that helps everyone else's game as well."

Related players: Alex Smith, Kyle Allen

Smith was just cleared to practice so Haskins is competing with Smith and Allen for the starting job. With Smith coming off a major leg injury and Haskins the team's 15th-overall pick a year ago, Haskins is probably the favorite. He's also been challenged to come out and win the job by the team.

Chargers and restricted free-agent RB Austin Ekeler reached agreement on a four-year, $24.5 million deal that includes $15 million guaranteed, sources tell ESPN.

This deal for Ekeler makes him the starter at RB for Los Angeles as they're clearly moving on from Melvin Gordon. The 24-year old finished as RB4 in total PPR points in 2019, amassing 1,550 combined yards on 132 rushes and 92 receptions. He's currently a second-round pick in early best-ball drafts, but could bump up to a first-rounder as we move through the off-season.

The Eagles on Saturday got a major boost for their wild-card round playoff game Sunday against visiting Seattle.

Tight end Zach Ertz, the team’s leading receiver with 88 catches for 916 yards, got medical clearance to dress after tests on his injured kidney, a source close to the situation said. The clearance was first reported by NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Ertz should return to a near full-time role, though it's possible that he'll be limited if the Eagles remain cautious about his kidney injury.