HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Vikings Place Andrew Sendejo On IR

November 27th, 2018 at 12:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings placed safety Andrew Sendejo on injured reserve, according to a team announcement. In a related move, rookie cornerback Craig James was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. 

Sendejo, 31, suffered a groin injury in Week 5 and has been out of action ever since. It may be coincidental, but the Vikings’ defense has been stronger since turning to reserves Anthony Harris, George Iloka, and Jayron Kearse in his stead. In the first five weeks of the season, the Vikings surrendered 26.2 points per contest. Since then, they’ve allowed 20.3 points per game and lost only to the Saints and Bears, two of the NFC’s best teams.

Sendejo’s 2018 season ends with 27 total tackles and one pass deflection in five games. He faces an uncertain future next year as his $5.5MM salary for 2019 is completely non-guaranteed.

James, a UDFA who attended the University of Minnesota and Southern Illinois, has been with the Vikings’ practice squad for the last six weeks.

49ers Notes: Mullens, Foster, Shanahan

November 27th, 2018 at 11:23am CST by Zachary Links

Despite an iffy performance on Sunday, the 49ers will move forward with Nick Mullens as their starting quarterback, head coach Kyle Shanahan says (Twitter link via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). Given the 49ers’ lack of other viable options, it’s not a huge surprise.

C.J. Beathard is the only other QB on the roster and he didn’t exactly inspire confidence in his five starts this year. Granted, neither player has set the world on fire. Beathard completed just 60.4% of his passes with eight touchdowns against seven interceptions while Mullens has completed 65.6% of his throws with five TDs and four picks. However, Mullens did have a strong outing in his first start against the Raiders a few weeks back.

Ultimately, both men are playing for an opportunity to stick with the Niners as Jimmy Garoppolo‘s backup in 2019. Mullens is signed through next year and Beathard is under contract through 2020, but Beathard can be cut with minimal fiscal penalty and there are zero guarantees remaining on Mullens’ pact.

Here’s more from San Francisco:

  • The latest allegations against Reuben Foster put a harsh spotlight on 49ers GM John Lynch, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports opines. The 49ers gave Foster a second chance after he was accused of domestic violence back in February. Then, on Saturday night, Foster allegedly struck girlfriend Elissa Ennis again, prompting the Niners to cut him. Robinson questions the team’s wisdom in drafting Foster in the first place given his red flags, giving him a second opportunity after the first DV arrest, and allowing Foster to be with his girlfriend in the team’s hotel.
  • Shanahan says he decided to release Foster immediately after hearing of the allegations over the weekend. “We’ll see what happens in the court of law,” Shanahan said (via Barrows). “I wasn’t there. But too many things have happened and we’ve tried to help him out a lot. I know he’s been trying, too, but this was a mess-up (so significant) that it doesn’t matter whether he did it or not. It’s time to move on.”

ASU WR N’Keal Harry To Enter NFL Draft

November 27th, 2018 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry will forgo his senior season to declare for the 2019 NFL Draft. Harry ranks as one of the top wide receivers in this year’s class and is on course to be a first-round pick. 

[RELATED: Michigan DL Rashan Gary To Enter NFL Draft]

“I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me throughout this journey,” Harry said. “These past three years have been filled with unforgettable memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It has truly been an honor to represent Arizona State University.”

Harry finished out the season with 73 catches for 1,088 yards and nine touchdowns. Some say he’s the very best wide receiver talent in this year’s class, though there figures to be plenty of debate between him, Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown, and others between now and April.

It remains to be seen whether Harry will suit up for ASU’s bowl game. Head coach Herm Edwards says that Harry will prepare as though he’ll play, but it seems unlikely that he’ll risk an injury.

Panthers To Place Damiere Byrd On IR

November 27th, 2018 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers wide receiver/punt returner Damiere Byrd suffered a broken arm in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With only five weeks to go in the regular season, the Panthers will place Byrd on injured reserve. 

Byrd, 25, has just one catch to date, but he been a special teams contributor with eleven punt returns for 104 yards on the year. Without him, the Panthers may look to sign another wide receiver, though they have five others already on the roster. Rookie D.J. Moore can also step in to handle punts, so they don’t necessarily have to add a returner.

Byrd isn’t a superstar in Carolina, but the Panthers can ill afford any setbacks as they make their playoff push. The NFC South title is pretty much out of the question and they’ll have to fight their way through a crowded Wild Card picture to make the postseason. Thanks to a three-game losing streak, the 8-4 squad has just a 31% chance of making the postseason, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Redskins QB Colt McCoy Could Become Free Agent In 2019

November 26th, 2018 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Colt McCoy took over as the Redskins’ starting quarterback after Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury last week, and while the veteran signal-caller is technically under contract through 2019, he’s on pace to become a free agent if he stays under center for the rest of the season. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com explains, McCoy’s deal will void if he plays 30% of Washington’s offensive snaps, an easily attainable figure providing the McCoy stays healthy.

However, if McCoy does exercise his option to become a free agent, the Redskins have the right to buy back the 2019 season while giving McCoy a raise. The details of that raise aren’t exactly clear, but Rapoport says it would be worth anywhere from $750K to $4MM, depending on how McCoy performs for the rest of the year.

Rapoport does pass along one example for reference: if McCoy starts the rest of the season and plays in two playoff games, he’d be entitled to a $2MM buyback, a figure that would be fully guaranteed. So instead of earning a $3.5MM and $2MM guaranteed (which is what his contract currently calls for), McCoy could collect $5.5MM in total and $4MM guaranteed.

Whether the Redskins have interest in using their buyback clause will likely rest on two factors: how well McCoy plays, and their optimism regarding Smith’s health. Per Rapoport, Washington would have been comfortable deploying McCoy as its starter this season had it not been able to acquire Smith from the Chiefs, so the club clearly has confidence in the 32-year-old. As far as Smith goes, the Redskins are optimistic that he’ll be ready for the 2019 campaign, but his recovery timeline is uncertain.

Injury Notes: Vikings, Packers, Colts, Bucs, Falcons

November 26th, 2018 at 9:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings received some excellent news on Monday when an MRI revealed cornerback Xavier Rhodes suffered a “very, very mild” hamstring injury, head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters, including Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). While Minnesota does have depth in its secondary (Mackensie Alexander, Holton Hill), the club had already lost rookie first-round corner Mike Hughes for the season. And missing Rhodes, who was named All-Pro in 2017, for any amount of time would have been devastating. After beating the Packers on Sunday night, the Vikings now have a 63% chance of earning a postseason berth, per FiveThirtyEight.com.

Let’s take a look at more injury news from around the NFL:

  • Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari suffered two knee injuries and an ankle injury against the Vikings last night, but there is still hope he’ll be able to play against the Cardinals in Week 13, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. After being defeated by Minnesota, Green Bay will almost surely need to win out to have any chance at making the playoffs, and losing Bakhtiari certainly wouldn’t help matters. Arguably the league’s best pass-blocking tackle, Bakhtiari missed six games over his first five seasons in the NFL. If Bakhtiari’s not able to play against Arizona, former second-round pick Jason Spriggs would take over on Aaron Rodgers‘ blindside.
  • After going down with a concussion against the Dolphins, Colts running back Marlon Mack is “iffy” for Week 13, tweets Mike Chappell of Fox59. Mack missed three games with a hamstring injury earlier this year, but has averaged 16.5 carries per game since as Indianapolis’ lead back. The 6-5 Colts face a winnable game against the Jaguars next Sunday as they fight for a playoff spot, and would turn to Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines to play more snaps if Mack can’t go.
  • Buccaneers receiver DeSean Jackson is headed to New York to get a second opinion on his thumb injury, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jackson was originally injured in Week 11, and while he played against the 49ers in Week 12, it still sounds as though the issue is bothering him. Elsewhere in Tampa Bay, tight end O.J. Howard — who is already on injured reserve — is facing a four-to-six week recovery timeline for his ankle ailment, tweets Laine. Given that the Bucs are already out of postseason contention, Howard isn’t a candidate to return this year.
  • Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said linebacker Deion Jones looks excellent but stopped short of saying Jones will be ready for Week 13, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Jones was activated off injured reserve in advance of Week 11, but he still has yet to see the field. After originally suffering a foot injury in Week 1, Jones hasn’t played since, and his — and other key defenders’ — absences have contributed to Atlanta’s disappointing 4-7 record.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/18

November 26th, 2018 at 8:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

  • Released: DB Horace Richardson

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Redskins

Steelers Designate LB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi For Return

November 26th, 2018 at 8:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers have designated rookie outside linebacker Olasunkanmi Adeniyi to return from injured reserve, according to Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk.

Adeniyi played three seasons as Toledo before entering the 2018 draft with a year of eligibility remaining. Last year, Adeiniyi played in 14 games for the Rockets and posted 8.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles on the way to being named second team All-MAC. In his pre-draft profile of Adeniyi, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com called the now-21-year-old a “high effort player” who nonetheless lacks exceptional athletic talent.

Pittsburgh thought enough of Adeniyi’s work during the preseason to keep him on its initial 53-man roster, a move that now makes him eligible to return from injured reserve. Now that Adeniyi is back at practice, the Steelers have a three-week window during which they must either activate Adeniyi, or leave him on IR for the remainder of the season.

The Steelers don’t necessarily need any help on the edge, as they rank first in the NFL in sacks and second in pressure rate. Adeniyi, if activated, would likely serve as depth behind T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, and Anthony Chickillo while also playing on special teams.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/26/18

November 26th, 2018 at 7:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

New York Giants

Oakland Raiders

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL Suspends Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette

November 26th, 2018 at 6:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL has handed Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette a one-game suspension after he took a swing at Bills defender Shaq Lawson on Sunday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Specifically, Fournette — who was ejected from yesterday’s matchup along with Lawson — will be banned for violating the league’s unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness rules. Fournette has already appealed the suspension and will hear back on Wednesday, tweets Rapoport.

Jacksonville will now head into its Week 13 matchup against the Colts with a new offensive coordinator (quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich, who replaces Nathaniel Hackett), quarterback (Cody Kessler), and running back. Carlos Hyde, whom the Jaguars acquired from the Browns earlier this year, figures to see split time with T.J. Yeldon in a makeshift Jaguars backfield on Sunday. Both backs will run behind an offensive line that’s now without its best player in Andrew Norwell, who was placed on injured reserve earlier today.

At 3-8, the Jaguars have no shot at a playoff berth, so missing Fournette for one game won’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. However, Fournette — who had returned in Week 10 from a lengthy injury-related absence — will be penalized financially. The former fourth overall selection will be now forfeit 1/17 of his $1.699MM base salary, which amounts to roughly $99K.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, Fournette could potentially be subject to an even greater financial loss. If Fournette’s rookie contract contains void language regarding suspension, the remaining $7MM in guaranteed money left on his deal could be removed. If the Jaguars were to attempt to release Fournette and not pay him those remaining guarantees, he’d surely take his case to an arbiter.

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