First Call: Tricky idea for Browns to address QB issue; injury concerns in Ravens-Bengals; honoring Franco Harris
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The Pittsburgh Steelers may not have to worry about this impacting them, but there’s a potential stopgap solution to the quarterback problem in Cleveland.
We also examine Thursday night’s primetime AFC North matchup, share an honor for Franco Harris and look at Gerrit Cole’s Cy Young Award.
All that in Thursday’s “First Call.”
Food for thought
This isn’t anything that could be turned around in time to affect the Steelers for Sunday’s game. But ProFootballTalk floated a sneaky way for Cleveland to perhaps offset the loss of quarterback Deshaun Watson for the rest of the year.
The trade deadline has come and gone. So, if the Browns want to improve on their QB situation from P.J. Walker and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, the franchise would have to hope that another team cuts a quarterback who is better than those two.
Mike Florio of PFT suggested that Cleveland back-channel communication to either the Tennessee Titans or Las Vegas Raiders that they would be willing to sign either Ryan Tannehill or Jimmy Garoppolo respectively if those players were put on waivers.
Since both QBs appear to have been benched for younger QBs, this would be a way for the clubs to get out from under those contracts. And it’s unlikely anyone else would put in a claim based on what they make. Here is how Florio explained the scenario.
“Tannehill has a $27 million base salary for 2023. He has $12 million remaining. And if he’s released and clears waivers, he could be entitled to collect the balance of the salary as termination pay. Garoppolo’s salary for 2023 is $11.25 million ($5 million remaining). He has $11.25 million in fully guaranteed salary for 2024. If he’s released and not claimed, the Raiders would be on the hook. … For now, the Browns seem to be intent on proceeding with the guys they have. And that’s their prerogative. But if they want to explore getting Tannehill or Garoppolo, there’s a way to make it worth either team’s while to shed the lingering financial obligations.”
As Florio points out, that’s probably some sort of violation of league rules but not exactly easily enforced.
That said, I’m guessing it’s still unlikely to happen, certainly not before Sunday. That means the Steelers get Thompson-Robinson instead of Watson.
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True North
Speaking of the AFC North, the other half of the division is playing each other Thursday night. The Baltimore Ravens are hosting the Cincinnati Bengals. ESPN Bet is setting the odds at Baltimore minus-3.5.
The Bengals have ruled out wide receiver Tee Higgins, defensive end Sam Hubbard and receiver Andrei Iosivas. Defensive lineman Trey Hendrickson will play despite hyper-extending a knee last week.
Also, the Bengals posted and then deleted a video of quarterback Joe Burrow arriving in Baltimore with some sort of brace on his right hand. He is not on the injury report.
On the Baltimore side, Trenton Simpson (LB) is out. So is tackle Ronnie Stanley. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey is doubtful, and receiver Devin Duvernay, safety Daryl Worley, guard John Simpson, and linebacker Kyle VanNoy are all is questionable.
The Ravens currently lead the division at 7-3. The Steelers and Browns are tied at 6-3. Then the Bengals come in at 5-4. The Ravens won the first meeting 27-24 in Week 2.
An honor for Franco
This weekend, Penn State unveiled a mural honoring former Nittany Lion legend and Steelers Hall of Famer Franco Harris.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame posted an image of the mural in Happy Valley. The mural itself is made up of nearly 2,000 photos that were sent in by family, friends and his fans.
This weekend, Penn State unveiled a new mural to honor the late Franco Harris.
It's made up of nearly 2,000 photos that were sent in by family, friends and his fans. pic.twitter.com/SfuwmrqVxs
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 15, 2023
Harris died 11 months ago, just a few days shy of his jersey retirement at Acrisure Stadium.
At Penn State, Harris totaled 2,002 yards rushing with 24 touchdowns and averaged over 5 yards per carry while also catching 28 passes for 352 yards and one touchdown.
Over 13 seasons in Pittsburgh, Harris won four Super Bowls and gained 12,120 yards (15th all-time) on 2,949 carries. He scored 91 rushing touchdowns. Harris also caught 307 passes for 2,287 yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
Award stop for the Cole train
Former Pirate Gerrit Cole was named the unanimous winner of the American League Cy Young Award on Wednesday. Minnesota’s Sonny Gray was second.
The New York Yankees right-hander had finished in the top five of the balloting five times before. One of those times was in 2015 with the Pirates. Cole led the AL in ERA (2.63), ERA+ (165), WHIP (0.98) and innings pitched (209). He was third in strikeouts (222) and tied for second in wins (15).
Ron Guidry is the only other Yankee to have won the Cy Young unanimously. Via ESPN Stats and Info, Cole “is the sixth pitcher in Yankees history to win the Cy Young and first since 2001 (Roger Clemens). Each of the previous 5 Yankees Cy Young winners made the World Series the year they won. The 2023 Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time in Cole’s tenure.”
San Diego’s Blake Snell won the National League award. He also won it on the American League side with Tampa Bay in 2018.