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- Hue Jackson encouraged by first test with Tyrod Taylor (ohio.com) - Tyrod Taylor’s completions of 21 and 36 yards on consecutive plays in Thursday night’s preseason opener were obvious sources of optimism for the Browns, but coach Hue Jackson left MetLife Stadium feeling just as good about the influence of his veteran quarterback.
- Accurate to say Baker Mayfield and Tyrod Taylor were on target (cleveland.com) - Buffalo’s Josh Allen threw one to the moon Thursday night. He just wasn’t aiming for the moon. The Bills rookie made his NFL debut in Buffalo in a preseason opener against Carolina at the same time Baker Mayfield was debuting for the Browns at the New York Giants. When the two face off next Friday when Buffalo visits for the preseason home opener in Cleveland, rest assured, Allen’s incompletions will dazzle.
- ReFocused: Browns vs. Giants (PFF) - Baker Mayfield was as advertised, making plays throughout the night. His first touchdown pass was threaded between defenders to David Njoku in the endzone. He showed his accuracy on a slant to Antonio Callaway in tight coverage which Callaway was able to take for Mayfield’s second touchdown of the game. Callaway was solid in his debut hauling in three catches for 87 yards and that touchdown. His lone score was an impressive catch in tight coverage and was able to make the free safety miss and take it 54 yards to the house.
- Browns hope David Njoku builds on big night (clevelandbrowns.com) - When the Browns drafted David Njoku, they envisioned the big, tall and ultra-athletic tight end to be a mismatch nightmare for years to come. He flashed that sky-high potential with a pair of big-time touchdown catches in Thursday’s 20-10 preseason win over the Giants. While Njoku, the 29th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, remains a work in progress entering his second season, it was a promising display following a rookie campaign of highs and lows.
NFL:
- Redskins Derrius Guice suffers torn ACL, will miss season (Washington Post) - Derrius Guice assured those around him that he was okay, believing the knee injury that had curtailed his first taste of preseason action would be nothing more than a brief setback en route to a dominant first year in the NFL. But by Friday afternoon, the Washington Redskins and their dynamic rookie running back learned the sobering truth: Guice is done for the year.
- Seahawks rookie Shaquem Griffin shines with nine tackles in debut (ESPN) - Seattle Seahawks rookie linebacker Shaquem Griffin got some simple advice from teammate Bobby Wagner before his first NFL game. ”Don’t worry about too much, just run fast, run to the ball and hit hard,” Griffin said. “That’s what they’ve been preaching to me all week, and that’s what I did.”
- What does Josh Allen’s debut mean for the Bills? (nyup.com) - It’s hard to remember sometimes that Josh Allen is only 22 years old. He’s carrying the weight of an entire franchise and city on his shoulders after becoming the highest-drafted quarterback in Buffalo Bills history. Allen learned a lot from his NFL debut Thursday night at New Era Field, but his biggest takeaway is how much he continues to love the game.
- The pros and cons of paying Khalil Mack (ESPN) - Khalil Mack’s training camp holdout reached 12 days on Tuesday, with no end in sight. Neither side is talking, not Mack’s agent, Joel Segal, nor Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie, coach Jon Gruden or owner Mark Davis. Mack is scheduled to make $13.846 million this season after the Raiders exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. They could conceivably place franchise tags on him in 2019 and 2020 (the tag for defensive ends was $17.143 million this season), but Mack would have to actually, you know, show up, suit up and play.