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Month: December 2024

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/25/19

November 25th, 2019 at 7:55pm CST by Ben Levine

A handful of practice squad moves to pass along:

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

The signing of Joseph is somewhat notable, as Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed three field goals during his team’s three-point loss to the Saints yesterday. Joseph appeared in 10 games for the Browns last year, converting 17 of his 20 field goal attempts and 25 of his 29 extra point tries. Elsewhere, Nelson Jr. is in contention for one of the best first names in the league.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/25/19

November 25th, 2019 at 7:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Monday’s minor transactions:

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers

Vikings Work Out OLs Russell Bodine, Marcus Martin

November 25th, 2019 at 6:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings are eyeing some offensive line reinforcement. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports (via Twitter) that the team worked out offensive linemen Russell Bodine and Marcus Martin.

Bodine, 27, has generally played center throughout his career. The 2014 fourth-rounder spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals, starting all 64 of his appearances. He signed a two-year deal with the Bills during the 2018 offseason, and he proceeded to appear in 10 games (10 starts) for Buffalo. He was traded to the Patriots back in August, but he was released a week later.

Martin, a 2014 third-round pick, has bounced around the league a bit since his three-year stint with the 49ers. The 25-year-old has 26 career games (24 starts) under his belt, but he hasn’t seen the field since the 2016 campaign. The offensive guard signed with the Seahawks this past offseason, but he was released by the team at the end of the preseason.

The Vikings recently placed Brett Jones on the injured reserve, but the center had only played a limited role with the organization. The Vikings didn’t play this past weekend, but Josh Kline was forced out of the lineup for Week 11 as he recovered from a concussion.

The Vikings also worked out a pair of running backs in Johnny Stanton and Ryan Yurachek. Stanton had a previous stint with the organization, with the collegiate quarterback trying his luck at fullback. Yurachek spent this past preseason with the Cowboys.

Chargers Release Dontrelle Inman From IR

November 25th, 2019 at 5:57pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Chargers have released wide receiver Dontrelle Inman from their injured reserve, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The veteran will be placed on waivers and can be claimed by another team tomorrow. If he is not claimed, he will become an unrestricted free agent. The move ends his second stint with the Chargers organization.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia in 2014, Inman emerged as a legitimate pass-catching option in San Diego, which culminated in a breakout 2016 season. As the team’s starter, Inman made 58 receptions for 810 yards and 4 touchdowns.

A series of offseason moves relegated Inman to the bench and he was traded to the Bears during the 2017 season. In Chicago, Inman returned to the starting lineup, but was unable to replicate his success from the year prior. As a free agent that offseason, Inman signed a one-year deal with the Colts where he received substantial playing time (15 games and 9 starts), but barely amassed 300 yards receiving.

The Patriots signed Inman early in the offseason, but after requesting his release the team let him go, allowing him to return to the Chargers. Inman entered the season as the team’s third receiver and got a chance to start when Mike Williams had to miss Week 4 with an injury. Inman was quite productive stepping in, recording 5 receptions for 76 yards. However, during the game he suffered a quad injury that led Los Angeles to place him on injured reserve. Since, the team has gained more confidence in their depth at the position and even though Inman now appears to have recovered from his injury, the team has decided to go in a different direction.

 

WR Golden Tate In Concussion Protocol

November 25th, 2019 at 5:19pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Giants wide receiver Golden Tate is once again in the concussion protocol after landing awkwardly on a touchdown reception in Sunday’s 19-14 loss to the Bears, according to a team release. While rookie quarterback Daniel Jones has struggled to adjust to NFL defenses, Tate has been his most productive receiver.

The Giants front office was criticized mightily for their decisions to select Jones with the sixth overall pick and to trade Odell Beckham Jr. General manager Dave Gettleman believed the team would be better served by recouping assets for Beckham and signing Tate to a 4-year, $37.5MM contract. Only time will tell whether Jones can become the New York’s franchise quarterback, but injuries to the Giants skill positions have further hampered his ability to be productive.

Tate was an iron man over the first nine seasons of his career, playing in at least 11 games every season and appearing in at least 15 games over the previous eight. However, Tate was suspended by the league for the first four games of 2019 for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. In the Giants seven games since his suspension, he hauled in 36 receptions for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now, the team may have to rely more heavily on Sterling Shepard, who just returned from the concussion protocol himself.

 

Giants S Jabrill Peppers Suffers Fracture

November 25th, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Giants safety Jabrill Peppers was diagnosed with a traverse process fracture, according to a team press release. While it is not uncommon for fractures to end a player’s season, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports that head coach Pat Shurmur told reporters he does not expect the injury to be season ending. The training staff does not seem to think that Peppers would be at greater risk of suffering a major injury if he played with the injury, but pain is still a large concern.

In the third season of his professional career, Peppers has avoided missing time with any major injuries, starting 40 of his team’s 43 games. Acquired last offseason in the trade that sent Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns, Peppers has been one of the most productive players on New York’s defense. He has recorded 76 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 5 passes defended, and one pick-six.

According to Paul Schwartz of The New York Post, Peppers suffered the injury after returning a kickoff in the first half of the Giants 19-14 loss to the Bears. Normally, Peppers only handles the team’s punt returning duties, but convinced special teams coach Thomas McGaughey to give him a shot. He had returned a punt for 40 yards earlier and felt like he was in a good spot to make a big play.

Julian Love replaced Peppers on Sunday, but defensive back Michael Thomas is listed as the backup strong safety on the team’s website. Thomas is a veteran special teamer and may be hesitant to remove him from that role. Furthermore, Love, a fourth-round selection in the 2019 draft, recorded an interception in his first extended playing time on the defensive side of the ball.

Injury Notes: Redmond, Moore, McManis, Mack

November 25th, 2019 at 4:32pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Bengals season of bad luck just continues getting worse. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, the team fears offensive lineman Alex Redmond suffered a torn biceps during warmups for yesterday’s game. If true, the already depleted Cincinnati offensive line will have to move forward with another man down.

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016, Redmond worked his way onto the Bengals roster and eventually earned a starting spot along the team’s front. In 2018, Redmond started 15 games for Cincinnati and was expected to be the team’s starting right guard entering the season. A four game suspension for violating the league’s PEDs policy and a series of injuries, however, have limited him to just two starts on the year.

Here’s some more injury notes from around the league:

  • Defensive end Damontre Moore suffered a fractured forearm in the 49ers dominating 37-8 victory over the Packers on Sunday Night, according to Matt Maioco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Moore’s season was over and that the team would add defensive lineman Jeremiah Valoaga from the practice squad to take his roster spot. Moore was one of a handful of players in the now defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF) signed by NFL teams after the AAF season concluded. The 49ers originally released Moore at the start of the season, but signed him a couple weeks ago to deal with injuries along their defensive line. He accrued five tackles, one quarterback hit, and a forced fumble over two games prior to his injury.
  • Bears brass fear defensive back and special teams ace Sherrick McManis suffered a season ending groin injury in Sunday’s victory over the Giants, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. McManis has appeared in 131 games over a ten-year career as one of the better special teams players in football. Last season, the Bears relied on McManis for rotational depth in their secondary as well. It appears the team will need to find a replacement for the versatile veteran.
  • Colts head coach Frank Reich revealed that running back Marlon Mack will not play this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The news does not come as a surprise. Mack suffered a fractured right hand in Indianapolis’ Week 11 victory over the Jaguars and was expected to miss several weeks of action. Mack had been one of the Colts most dynamic weapons. The South Florida alum was averaging 4.5 yards per carry and recorded 938 yards from scrimmage over the team’s first ten games.

 

Hunter Renfrow Out For Season?

November 25th, 2019 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hunter Renfrow suffered a scary injury Sunday and may not return this season. The rookie slot target suffered a puncture lung and a broken rib in the loss to the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and Jon Gruden is not sure if the Clemson product will return in 2019.

Gruden acknowledged Renfrow may be done for the season (Twitter link). More tests are scheduled, but that would obviously be a blow to a resurgent Raiders team with designs on a playoff berth. The Raiders will travel to Kansas City in Week 13.

The fifth-round rookie took hard hits from Jet defenders Bless Austin and Henry Anderson and left the game. Renfrow still led all Raider receivers with three receptions for 31 yards in the 34-3 rout.

In the wake of Antonio Brown‘s bizarre Raiders stretch, Renfrow helped the team’s passing game recover. He has 36 receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns. Only Tyrell Williams has more receiving yards than Renfrow among Raiders this season. The team will need to turn to trade acquisitions Zay Jones and Trevor Davis, along with potentially rookie Keelan Doss, more after this news.

Eagles Waive WR Jordan Matthews

November 25th, 2019 at 3:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jordan Matthews‘ third stint with the Eagles is over. Philadelphia made the decision to waive its on-again, off-again wide receiver on Monday.

An Eagle from 2014-16, Matthews caught on with his original NFL team in 2018 and again this season. This reunion did not produce much statistically. The sixth-year veteran caught four passes for 33 yards, serving as insurance for an injury-battered Philly wideout corps.

DeSean Jackson has missed most of this season, and Alshon Jeffery missed another game on Sunday. The Eagles lost to the Seahawks, dropping to 5-6. They did so with a wideout skeleton crew. This latest Matthews departure could point to Jeffery being ready for Week 13.

The 27-year-old wideout has not recaptured the form he showed during his first Philadelphia stay, when he surpassed 800 yards in three straight seasons. He also failed to make an impact in Buffalo, following a 2017 trade, or San Francisco. Given Matthews’ history with the Eagles, it cannot be assumed he’s done with the franchise. But Philly’s Week 13 crew against Miami is not set to include him.

Panthers’ Dontari Poe Done For Season

November 25th, 2019 at 3:14pm CST by Zachary Links

3:14pm: Poe’s season will indeed end early. The veteran defensive tackle has elected to undergo surgery on his quad injury, according to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The former first-round pick will undergo the procedure Tuesday morning.

12:53pm: The Panthers fear that Dontari Poe suffered a torn quadriceps muscle in Sunday’s loss to the Saints (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Poe is having an MRI to confirm the injury, but the club thinks they already know the result, which will end Poe’s season. 

The Panthers’ thin playoff hopes took a major blow on Sunday with the loss to New Orleans and it figures to be rough sledding the rest of the way without Poe, who was an anchor for the defensive line. Through eleven games (ten starts), Poe notched 4.0 sacks from the interior, plus 22 tackles and seven tackles for a loss. For his work, Pro Football Focus has Poe rated as the No. 40 interior defensive lineman in the league.

The Panthers can be expected to look into DT help between now and Sunday’s game against the Redskins. While they’re at it, they may also shake up the kicker spot by replacing Joey Slye with another leg.

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