With the NFL regular season steadily approaching, this article aims to touch on IDP-relevant news and topics during training camps and preseason games. We'll look at injuries, contract situations, camp battles, rookie buzz, and other pertinent IDP topics. The plan was to have this article ready for your viewing every Thursday until the season kicks off. That means this is the final edition of the 2024 preseason. Thanks for tuning in; let's get to it!
IDP News: EDGE Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle
Uchenna Nwosu suffers a sprained MCL in Seattle's final preseason game.
Shortly after Seattle's preseason finale, news surfaced about Nwosu suffering an apparent MCL sprain with the possibility of a multiple-week absence. At the time of this writing, Seattle has not placed Nwosu on injured reserve, which would have knocked him out at least four games, so there is optimism his absence will be short. However, Seattle made a depth move by trading a 2025 sixth-round pick to Jacksonville for edge rusher Trevis Gipson. This comes after the Seahawks traded Darrell Taylor to Chicago, which we will cover below.
While Nwosu is unavailable, 2023 breakout Boye Mafe will be key off the edge once again, and 2023 second-round pick Derick Hall becomes more important in his second season. Hall only played 307 defensive snaps as a rookie but had alluring traits as a prospect and has flashed this preseason. With Taylor gone and Nwosu out for a few weeks, Hall has a chance to make a serious impression on the new coaching staff. While Seattle did trade for Gipson, he should be viewed as just depth for IDP purposes, as Hall would be the pickup in deeper IDP dynasty and redraft leagues.
IDP News: EDGE Darrell Taylor, Chicago
Chicago sends a 2025 sixth-round pick to Seattle for edger rusher Darrell Taylor.
The Bears have a legit presence off the edge in Montez Sweat, but after him, the edge group is a bit of a question mark of who would step up. Adding Taylor to this group makes sense as a low-risk move to bring some juice to the room. Taylor produced 21.5 sacks over his three seasons as a part-time player in Seattle, with a nine-and-a-half-sack season in 2022.
DeMarcus Walker is the likely Week 1 starter opposite Sweat as he enters his second season in Chicago. However, Walker compiled just 30 tackles (17 solos) and three-and-a-half sacks over 17 games (12 starts) last season. 2024 fifth-round rookie Austin Booker has had a solid camp and preseason showing and will likely mix in the rotation as he develops. Taylor offers more upside as a pass rusher than Walker and is more experienced than the rookie Booker. There's some intrigue with Taylor and his opportunity with his new team, making him worth a look off of the waiver wire in deeper IDP dynasty leagues if available.
IDP News: LB Christian Harris, Houston
Christian Harris (calf) will begin the season on designated to return injured reserve.
Houston has placed Harris on injured reserve due to his calf injury, meaning he is out for at least the first four weeks. Harris was set to be the Texans' LB2 alongside Azeez Al-Shaair, but now second-year man Henry To'oto'o will likely get the first shot at the vacant role. To'oTo'o should be a serviceable option in IDP leagues where you start three to four linebackers if you need depth or a replacement for Harris. However, when Harris returns, he'll revert to a part-time player.
IDP News: EDGE Bradley Chubb, Miami
Bradley Chubb stays on the PUP list and will miss at least the first four games.
Chubb staying on the PUP list is no surprise, given he is returning from a torn ACL he suffered late last season. Chubb's minimum four-game absence opens the door for highly-touted rookie Chop Robinson to get some fruitful early-season opportunity. Robinson is raw but features an electric first step and serious speed off the edge. Robinson will be a fun IDP rookie to follow early in the season, as he has both dynasty and redraft appeal, given his current situation.
IDP News: EDGE/DT Darius Robinson, Arizona
Arizona places first-round rookie Darius Robinson on designated to return injured reserve with a calf injury.
Last week, news broke that Robinson had suffered a calf injury, which unfortunately led to his being put on early-season IR and unavailable for Arizona's first four games. Robinson was expected to be an impact rookie with his inside/outside versatility and Arizona's need for more presence from their pass rush. Zaven Collins and Dennis Gardeck will hold down the starting edge spots and are deeper late-round redraft or IDP best ball fliers.
IDP News: CB DaRon Bland, Dallas
DaRon Bland is out 6-8 weeks after suffering a stress fracture in his foot.
Bland reportedly had successful foot surgery, which is good news, but is set to miss the first 6-8 weeks. Bland was electric for the Cowboys' defense last season, leading the league with nine interceptions, five of which he took to the house for six. Fifth-round rookie Caelen Carson looks to get the first shot at filling Bland's vacant role. Carson could be an early-season streaming option in true-position or CB-required leagues if he receives the rookie treatment from opposing offenses.
IDP News: LB Ernest Jones IV, Tennesee
The Rams shake up the IDP world by trading Ernest Jones IV and a 2026 sixth-round pick to Tennesee for a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Talk about a surprise move right before we kick off the season, sheesh! Jones was the leader and signal-caller for the Rams defense and was coming off a career-best 145 tackles (74 solos) and 14 tackles for loss in 2023. So, what happened? Head coach Sean McVay called it a ‘football decision”, which eludes to the recent news of the Rams informing Jones, who is in the final year of his rookie deal, that he was free to seek a trade after not making progress on a contract extension. So, what does the fallout of this trade mean for the linebacker situations for both teams? There's still plenty to figure out until they hit the field, but let's discuss.
How the Rams' defense changes.
First, let's touch on the Rams side of things. The Rams typically only feature one full-time linebacker, so Jones and his 2023 93% snap share departing town leave a glaring void. Returning from last year, with their 2023 defensive snaps in parenthesis, are Christian Rozeboom (550 snaps), Troy Reeder (192 snaps), and Jacob Hummel (43 snaps). New to the group and making plenty of noise during camp, and this preseason is undrafted rookie Omar Speights. In a recent article via The Athletic, Jourdan Rodrigue stated, “McVay said that Reeder and Rozeboom will be the “base” starters as preparation for Week 1 begins.” If Reeder and Rozeboom do indeed start, the biggest questions are how long it will last and what snap volume their roles entail. It's also worth noting that Hummel was given play-calling duties during preseason action, so let's not completely count him out. However, Speights is the most intriguing player of this group for my money and is a nice taxi squad stash in dynasty leagues and the one I'm taking a late-round shot at in deeper redraft leagues. As for the rest of the group, don't drop anyone of significance yet. Let's hope Week 1 provides some clarity, but this will be a key unit to follow during the early parts of the season.
How the Titans' defense changes.
Now, on to Tennesee. Before the trade went down, Kenneth Murray and Jack Gibbens were set to be the main players at linebacker, with Murray donning the green dot. So, what does the Jones shake-up do? While this is merely speculation at this point, with it being so close to Week 1 and Jones needing time to get acclimated, Murray will likely stay in the lead role for now. However, Gibbens' prospective expanding role is likely in jeopardy as he and Jones could eat into each other's workload early on. Circling back to the lead duties, Jones is a real threat to steal the green sticker off of Murray's helmet when he's up to speed with Dennard Wilson's scheme–I feel he's the better player. However, with Week 1 so close, Murray is the only one I'd feel comfortable rolling out until we get more information. This linebacker group and Tennesee's comfortability in Jones handling more responsibility will be a situation to monitor in the early weeks of the season.
IDP News: Carolina LBs
Josey Jewell and Shaq Thompson see their first preseason action, with Jewell in the lead role.
It took until Carolina's final preseason game, but we finally got to see Josey Jewell and Shaq Thompson in action. Both linebackers started and played 15 defensive snaps, but more importantly, Jewell was in the lead role as the play-caller. This is great news for Jewell's IDP outlook, as it solidifies he is set for full-time volume. Jewell also has past success in Ejiro Evero's scheme, as he recorded a career-high 128 tackles (70 solos) while playing for Evero in Denver during the 2022 season. Jewell's LB25 ADP via The IDP Show is shaping up to be a nice value for IDP gamers. Shaq Thompson is also worth a look as drafts get deep, with intriguing rookie Trevin Wallace remaining a prime dynasty stash and waiver wire redraft name to remember if injuries strike.
IDP News: Chargers LBs
Rookie Junior Colson sees his first preseason action, while Denzel Perryman and Daiyan Henley sit out this past week.
Last week's article also covered the Chargers linebackers and Colson's return to practice. With Perryman and Henley both being held out of this week's game, Colson started, playing 22 defensive snaps, and was given lead duties in his first preseason action. While Colson seeing the field is a positive thing, the only drawback is with Perryman and Henley getting rested, it's clear he's currently behind the two in the pecking order. Perryman is a solid veteran with yearly injury concerns. Colson beating him out at any point won't be a surprise. Henley, on the other hand, is young and athletic with coverage upside. Let's temper early expectations for Colson, but when he's ready, he and Henley are a duo I'd like to see work together.
Thanks for taking the time to read my article. Feel free to reach me on Twitter @KBellf54 with any questions or feedback.
