2020 November - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders Promote David Irving, Activate Damon Arnette

November 14th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Irving will have a chance to play in his first game since October 2018 on Sunday. The Raiders are activating the defensive lineman from their practice squad.

Irving will join first-round pick Damon Arnette in being on the team’s 55-man game-day roster. Las Vegas moved Arnette back to its active roster from IR. The Ohio State-developed cornerback has run into multiple instances of thumb trouble as a rookie.

The Raiders added Irving to their practice squad last month, doing so shortly after the NFL reinstated the oft-suspended inside pass rusher. The Cowboys let Irving walk in free agency in 2018, doing so after he played in only two games for the team in 2018.

Irving has been suspended four times, with his most recent substance-abuse ban sidelining him for over a year. He has shown flashes as a productive rusher, most notably in 2017 when he recorded seven sacks in eight games. The Raiders rank 31st this season with just nine sacks.

Arnette initially broke his thumb during training camp but landed on it awkwardly against the Patriots in September. He has played in just three games as a pro. The Raiders surprised many by taking Arnette at No. 19 overall. They are yet again having issues against the pass — an evergreen issue for the team — and enter Week 10 ranked 30th in defensive DVOA. A 32nd-ranked rush defense also contributes to that ranking.

The Raiders also promoted offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith from their practice squad.

Packers Activate Christian Kirksey From IR

November 14th, 2020 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Christian Kirksey will be back in uniform on Sunday. The Packers are activating the veteran linebacker from IR after a lengthy stay without one of their starters.

Green Bay parked the former Cleveland standout on IR because of a September shoulder injury. The offseason addition has been out since Week 3. His return will stand to help a Packers defense that has struggled this season.

After a strong start to his career led to the Browns signing off on an eight-figure-per-year extension, Kirksey has not shown he can stay healthy consistently in recent years. He missed 23 games during his final two Browns seasons and became a 2020 cap casualty. Kirksey still received considerable interest as a street free agent this offseason and signed a two-year, $13MM deal with the Packers. Green Bay guaranteed Kirksey $4MM but can drop him after 2020 and save $6MM, making the second half of this season key for the seventh-year vet.

The Packers also promoted wide receiver Juwann Winfree from their practice squad. The team did not activate Allen Lazard from IR, despite their No. 2 wideout making the trip to San Francisco in Week 9. In order for Lazard to return this season, he must be activated ahead of the Packers’ Week 11 game. The Packers are also elevating cornerbacks KeiVarae Russell and Stanford Samuels and safety Henry Black.

Chargers Place Justin Jackson On IR

November 14th, 2020 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Jackson will join Austin Ekeler on the Chargers’ injured reserve list. The Bolts placed Jackson on IR Saturday and promoted Kalen Ballage from their practice squad.

A knee injury will sideline Jackson and continue to change the Chargers’ backfield plans. Ballage played extensively last week after Jackson went down early. He, Joshua Kelley and Troymaine Pope will be Los Angeles’ running backs in Miami.

Ekeler remains on the Bolts’ IR because of a severe hamstring injury. No rumors have surfaced indicating his return is near. A 2018 seventh-round pick out of Northwestern, Jackson stepped in to replace Ekeler alongside Kelley and has averaged 4.1 yards per carry in his third NFL season.

Ballage gained 69 yards on 15 carries last week, doing so after Jackson went down and while Pope was out due to a concussion. Pope practiced fully throughout this week. The Bolts signed Ballage after the Jets waived him earlier this year. This will mark a return trip to Miami for Ballage, a Dolphins fourth-round pick in 2018. Ballage largely struggled with Miami, and the team ended up cutting him after an attempt to trade him failed this summer.

Dolphins Activate Kyle Van Noy From Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 14th, 2020 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

SATURDAY: Van Noy’s most recent close contact with a coronavirus-stricken person must have come several days ago. The Dolphins activated the linebacker off their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, putting him on track to play in Week 10. Van Noy’s final coronavirus test of the week must come back negative Sunday morning in order for him to suit up against the Chargers, but this will certainly help an improved Dolphins defense. Wilkins remains on the team’s reserve/COVID list.

THURSDAY: The Dolphins may be without two key defenders against the Chargers on Sunday. The team placed Christian Wilkins and Kyle Van Noy on its reserve/COVID-19 list.

While the Dolphins removed rookie Lynn Bowden Jr. from the COVID list on Thursday, practice squad wide receiver Matt Cole landed on it as well. A Dolphins staffer tested positive for the coronavirus last week. It is not known if Wilkins and Van Noy’s Thursday designations are related to that case. Van Noy’s placement stems from contract tracing, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets.

Unless Wilkins and Van Noy last came in contact with someone who tested positive prior to Tuesday, they will be forced to miss the Dolphins’ Week 10 game. The NFL requires high-risk close contacts to isolate for five days. This would certainly affect Miami’s hopes at winning a fifth straight game.

A 2019 first-round pick, Wilkins has been a Dolphins starter for two seasons. Van Noy followed Brian Flores from New England, signing a four-year, $51MM contract this offseason. Van Noy has recorded two sacks and 33 tackles this season.

Bengals Activate Sam Hubbard, Place John Ross On IR

November 14th, 2020 at 2:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Takkarist McKinley will not make his Bengals debut this week, needing to go through the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol. But the team will have a key pass rusher in uniform after some time away.

The Bengals activated Sam Hubbard from IR Saturday. The third-year defensive end has missed the past three games because of an elbow injury.

Cincinnati also moved John Ross to its IR list. While Ross has not been active since Week 6 and has not caught a pass since Week 1, he has run into multiple injury issues during another disappointing season. After a foot injury shelved him recently, more foot trouble emerged in practice this week, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

This setback came shortly after Bengals coaches had a conversation with Ross about working as a cornerback, Garafolo notes, but the injury came on a play in which Ross was playing his usual position. None of this is good for a player who joined the Bengals as a top-10 pick.

The team did not pick up Ross’ option and has not featured him prominently this season, using younger players Tee Higgins and Auden Tate over Ross. While Ross requested a trade, the Bengals did not move him. Ross’ contract expires at season’s end. The Combine’s 40-yard dash record holder is not on track to enter free agency with much momentum.

Hubbard will return to a defensive line that no longer houses Carlos Dunlap, whom the Bengals traded during Hubbard’s injury hiatus. Hubbard will rejoin Carl Lawson in Cincy’s lineup, while McKinley — added on waivers this week — is set to join the incumbents next week.

The Bengals also placed cornerback Darius Phillips on IR and promoted guard Quinton Spain, wide receiver Stanley Morgan, cornerback Jalen Davis and defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie ahead of their matchup with the Steelers.

Texans Place David Johnson On IR

November 14th, 2020 at 1:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The concussion David Johnson suffered last week will pause his initial Texans season until at least December. The Texans placed their starting running back on IR.

Johnson will be out until at least Week 13. The Texans elevated C.J. Prosise from their practice squad earlier Saturday; he represents depth behind Duke Johnson for the time being.

Acquired in one of the bigger offseason trades in recent memory, David Johnson has at least been available throughout this season — after injuries became commonplace for the former All-Pro in Arizona. The former Cardinals standout, however, has not rebounded to the point of justifying the three-year, $39MM extension or being a key part of a DeAndre Hopkins trade. Johnson is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has only caught 16 passes (for 161 yards) this season.

After acquiring Kenyan Drake from the Dolphins, the Cardinals benched Johnson last season. He battled multiple injuries in 2019 and missed 15 games in 2017 because of a broken wrist. Johnson, 29 next month, has one season remaining on his Cardinals-constructed contract.

Houston also activated safety A.J. Moore from IR and placed linebacker Dylan Cole on its injured list. The team promoted Corey Liuget, offensive lineman Greg Mancz and linebacker Nate Hall as well.

Texans Elevate RB C.J. Prosise

November 14th, 2020 at 12:43pm CST by Ben Levine

With David Johnson sidelined with a concussion, the Texans are turning to a notable name from their practice squad. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that Houston is promoting running back C.J. Prosise.

Prosise, a former third-round pick out of Notre Dame, became a free agent following four seasons with the Seahawks. After auditioning for the Lions and Bears, the 26-year-old secured a practice squad gig with the Texans back in early September. Prosise was elevated to the active roster twice that month, and after being signed to the active roster in late September, he was subsequently waived in late October.

In six games for Houston this season, Prosise has only seen five offensive snaps (vs. 71 special teams snaps). The veteran previously saw time in 25 regular season games during his time in Seattle, rushing for 264 yards and two scores on 65 carries. He had another 36 receptions for 393 yards.

Johnson exited the Texans’ win over the Jaguars last weekend after being on the receiving end of a big hit from Jacksonville linebacker Myles Jack. Backup Duke Johnson proceeded to collect a career-high 20 carries, and he’ll likely lead the rushing attack against the Browns tomorrow. Houston is also rostering running back Buddy Howell.

Browns To Activate RB Nick Chubb

November 14th, 2020 at 11:46am CST by Ben Levine

The Browns are about to get a major boost to their offense. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Cleveland has activated Nick Chubb from injured reserve. The running back is expected to play tomorrow against the Texans.

Chubb was rolling through his first three-plus games of the 2020 campaign, collecting 335 rushing yards and four scores on only 57 carries (good for 5.9 yards per attempt). However, he was placed on injured reserve with an MCL injury in early October, but there was always some optimism that Chubb would return sooner than later. Following a productive week at practice, the Browns staff felt Chubb was ready to return to the field.

In his stead, the team has turned to Kareem Hunt and (to a lesser extent) D’Ernest Johnson. Hunt, who has 18 receptions through eight games, should still see a role in the passing game, but Chubb should otherwise take up the majority of the carries. The running game will have an excellent opportunity for a standout performance against Houston tomorrow, as the Texans are allowing 159.5 rushing yards per game.

Offensive guard Wyatt Teller should also be on the field against Houston. The lineman was limited in practice this week with a calf strain, but head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that Teller would be good to go this weekend.

Steelers Activate QB Ben Roethlisberger, Three Others

November 14th, 2020 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

Following a brief stint on the COVID-19 reserve list, Ben Roethlisberger will be under center tomorrow against the Bengals. The Steelers announced that they’ve activated their quarterback from the COVID-19 list. The team also activated offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels, and linebacker Vince Williams.

The four players didn’t test positive, but they were close contacts of tight end Vance McDonald, who had a positive test earlier this week. As a result, these players had to isolate for several days and test negative before rejoining the squad.

“I’m doing good,” Roethlisberger said (via Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette on Twitter). “I feel great. If my body enjoyed the week off, my mind teaching pre-kindergarten did not enjoy the week off. It’s fun to be home, but I definitely missed the guys.”

Naturally, the team is now making up for lost time in their preparation for Cincinnati. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that Roethlisberger was expected to participate in the Steelers walkthrough this morning, with the team hoping to get their veteran quarterback some extra time on the practice field.

After being limited to only a pair of games in 2019, the 38-year-old has played a major role in the Steelers undefeated record in 2020. Roethlisberger has completed 68.1-percent of his passes (a mark that would be a career high) for 1,934 yards, 18 touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Vikings Release OL Pat Elflein

November 14th, 2020 at 9:11am CST by Ben Levine

After being activated from the injured reserve yesterday, Pat Elflein is now a free agent. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings have released the offensive lineman. The 26-year-old is now fully healthy and hopes to get an opportunity for “some real playing time elsewhere.”

The former third-round pick earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team in 2017 after starting 14 games at center for the Vikings. He played the same role in 2018, but he was switched to guard in 2019 after Minnesota drafted Garrett Bradbury in the first round of that year’s draft.

Elflein started 15 games at guard in 2019, and he started the 2020 season opener before tearing a thumb ligament. That injury forced Elflein to land on the IR, and after returning to practice three weeks ago, his IR-DTR window had recently come to an end. Therefore, the Vikings had no other choice than to activate Elflein.

As our own Sam Robinson noted yesterday, the Vikings have used veteran Dakota Dozier as a guard starter all year, and they recently moved second-round rookie Ezra Cleveland into their starting lineup at guard. Considering the recent performance of Dalvin Cook and the Vikings running game, the coaching staff apparently thought it was better to roll forward with their current grouping.