2020 November - Pro Football Rumors

Texans Gareon Conley Done For Year?

November 13th, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

Texans cornerback Gareon Conley is unlikely to return to the field this year, according to head coach Romeo Crennel (via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Houston initially had higher hopes for Conley back in September when they first placed him on injured reserve.

“He’s got an injury that he’s working through and he’s had it evaluated. It’s not where it needs to be,” Crennel said.

Conley underwent arthroscopic ankle surgery earlier this year, a minor procedure that typically cleans up lingering issue. Unfortunately, he’s experienced complications in his recovery. Conley has been going through the rehab process and trying new treatment options, but his ankle hasn’t responded well to any of it.

The Texans turned down Conley’s fifth-year option, bypassing a $10.244MM placeholder that would have been guaranteed for injury only. In theory, that should have positioned the cornerback for a tremendous platform opportunity. Instead, he’s now facing the prospect of limping into the open market after making just $1.892MM in base pay this year.

The former Raiders first-round pick quietly impressed as Johnathan Joseph‘s replacement last year. He started in six of his eight games for the Texans, compiling 27 tackles and 11 passes defended. He also started both of Houston’s playoff games, collecting 11 tackles and one sack.

Packers’ John Lovett Done For Year

November 13th, 2020 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

Packers fullback John Lovett will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a bad break for the special teams regular, who has now ended both of his pro seasons on injured reserve.

Lovett played quarterback at Princeton before signing with the Chiefs last year as an undrafted free agent. With the Packers, he’s seen time at fullback, tight end, and running back, but he’ll mostly be missed in the third facet of the game. Rookie Josiah Deguara — who was initially set for those H-back snaps — is also out with a torn ACL, so the Packers will have to look elsewhere for help. That could mean new work for Jace Sternberger, or a step up for a practice squader like Dax Raymond or Dominique Dafney.

The Packers, sans Lovett, will look to advance to 7-2 this weekend when they take on the Jaguars at Lambeau Field.

49ers Place S Jaquiski Tartt On IR

November 12th, 2020 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

THURSDAY: Shanahan confirmed the team expects Tartt to miss the rest of the season due to turf toe. Tartt is set to be a 2021 free agent.

WEDNESDAY: The 49ers’ injured reserve list will house another starter for the time being. The team placed safety Jaquiski Tartt on IR on Wednesday.

Despite being questionable to suit up for Week 9 with a groin injury, Tartt played in the 49ers’ loss to the Packers. But he left the game because of a foot issue and will now miss at least three weeks.

San Francisco has used Tartt as a first-string safety for most of his career. The 2015 second-round pick has started under three 49ers head coaches. Although the Trent Baalke regime selected Tartt, he signed an extension during the John Lynch–Kyle Shanahan era.

Injuries have been an issue for Tartt throughout his career, however. He landed on IR in 2017 and ’18 and missed four games during the 49ers’ most recent NFC championship season. This year, he follows numerous 49ers in being forced to miss extensive time due to injury.

Tartt will join Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, George Kittle, Jimmy Garoppolo, Dee Ford and Raheem Mostert as key 49ers on IR. Centers Weston Richburg and Ben Garland, and wide receiver Deebo Samuel, are also currently unavailable. Though, Samuel is not on an injured list.

The 49ers promoted running back Austin Walter to take Tartt’s place on their 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/20

November 12th, 2020 at 5:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Deon Bush
Placed on IR: DL Roy Robertson-Harris (story)

Indianapolis Colts

Promoted: DE Cassius Marsh

New York Jets

Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Travis Ross

Tennessee Titans

Promoted: P Trevor Daniel, LS Matt Overton

COVID-19 Latest: Chiefs, 49ers, Ravens

November 12th, 2020 at 5:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has not needed to adjust its schedule since Week 7, though Division I-FBS certainly has. But more teams are dealing with COVID-19 issues over the past several days. Here is the latest on this NFL season’s defining subject:

The Chiefs asked the NFL and NFLPA to conduct an investigation after a recent meeting involved a union rep speaking to the entire Chiefs roster without wearing a mask, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The unnamed union rep is not subject to the same testing the players are, which prompted the Chiefs’ concern after the meeting, Schefter adds (on Twitter). The NFLPA has addressed this matter, per Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com (on Twitter).
Iman Marshall tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports. He becomes the second Ravens defensive back to test positive in two weeks, following Marlon Humphrey. The latter’s positive test resulted in several Baltimore defenders missing each Ravens practice last week. Marshall, however, cannot play this season due to the Ravens placing him on IR in August. The Ravens announced the infected player, without identifying him, had no high-risk close contacts among the team. Humphrey is no longer on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
Kendrick Bourne‘s positive test decimated the 49ers‘ receiving corps last week, but an NFL investigation found the team to be compliant with COVID-19 protocols. They will not be punished, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. As for Bourne, he has endured a complicated several days. After testing negative twice and being removed from the 49ers’ reserve/COVID-19 list, he tested positive again and was back on it Monday. He has tested negative this week, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. If Bourne were cleared to make the trip to New Orleans, he would do so after missing most or all of this week’s 49ers practices.
The NFL placed the Eagles in its intensive COVID protocols after a coach tested positive, Tim McManus of ESPN.com notes. While Philadelphia’s facility remains open, all Eagles meetings this week will be conducted virtually.
A Bengals practice squad player tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Bengals placed cornerbacks Brian Allen and Winston Rose on their practice squad COVID list. The team currently has five players — Allen, Rose, Trae Waynes (on IR), Margus Hunt and offensive lineman Fred Johnson — on its reserve/COVID list going into its game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers currently have five players — Ben Roethlisberger, Vance McDonald, Vince Williams, Jaylen Samuels and offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins — on their COVID list.

Panthers Pursued Clemson OC Tony Elliott For HC Job

November 12th, 2020 at 4:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

It was not hard to see the candidate atop the Panthers’ list to succeed Ron Rivera. The team gave Matt Rhule a seven-year, $62MM deal to lead a rebuild.

But the Panthers identified another college coach they wanted to meet with during their hiring process this offseason. Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott landed on Carolina’s radar, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com noting the Panthers wanted to interview the longtime Dabo Swinney assistant for their HC position.

Elliott declined the interview, but this marks the former Clemson wide receiver’s first major connection to an NFL jump. The Panthers did extensive research on the 40-year-old assistant, per Pelissero, and that intel may be relevant at some point down the road. Joe Brady has impressed in his first season as Carolina’s OC and may well land an interview with a team in 2021, even though he is 31 and has only been a coordinator for half a season. Carolina’s staff is filled with recent college coaches, with Rhule naming Brady and longtime lieutenant Phil Snow as offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, this year.

Elliott has been with Clemson since the 2011 season, rising from the Tigers’ running backs coach to a co-offensive coordinator post during Deshaun Watson‘s ascent to the team’s solo OC this season. Considering Clemson’s status as one of college football’s powers — a relatively new status for the ACC program — Elliott is bound to receive more interest from NFL teams to move up to a pro coordinator or HC post.

Cory Littleton Lands On Raiders’ Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 12th, 2020 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders continue to run into issues with the coronavirus. They placed top tackler Cory Littleton on their reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

An offseason addition, the former Rams linebacker has registered 48 tackles this season. He joins Trent Brown on the Raiders’ COVID list. While Brown is out for Sunday’s game against the Broncos and is without a firm return timetable, Littleton’s status will come down to when he last came in contact with someone who contracted the virus.

The NFL requires players who land on the reserve/COVID list to isolate for five days, even if they did not test positive. This in-season policy change resulted in the Raiders practicing without their first-string offensive line prior to their Week 7 game against the Buccaneers.

While the Titans led the NFL in players placed on a reserve/COVID list, the Raiders have incurred the stiffest punishment for violating coronavirus protocols. The NFL docked the team a sixth-round pick and has levied more than $1MM in fines against the organization this season.

One of the NFL’s top coverage linebackers over the past two seasons, Littleton opted to sign with the Raiders this offseason. Pro Football Focus has not viewed Littleton’s Raiders debut as a success so far, interestingly rating him as one of the league’s worst coverage ‘backers through Las Vegas’ eight games.

Latest On Jets’ Sam Darnold

November 12th, 2020 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Sam Darnold won’t just end the season. After consulting with several specialists, the Jets quarterback says the possibility of shoulder surgery is “not on the table,” (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).

Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been limited throughout the year. With his team now at 0-9, many would argue that surgery is the sensible move, especially since the Jets aren’t exactly committed to him beyond 2020. The Jets may be in line to draft Clemson superstar Trevor Lawrence in the spring, a move that would immediately put Darnold on the trading block.

A fresh start would probably benefit Darnold, though opinions are split on what exactly he has to offer. Recently, one NFL GM told Mike Sando of The Athletic that Darnold’s ceiling appears to be much lower than back in his USC days.

“Darnold has talent,” the GM said. “You just wonder if they have ruined it. He has played behind a poor offensive line, has had no weapons, he was throwing to really Jamison Crowder as his No. 1. If the Jets keep losing and get the top pick, you could see another team that needs a quarterback and has a better supporting cast acquiring Darnold in the offseason figuring maybe he can be an average starter, and you can win with that.”

For now, Darnold will focus on rehabbing his shoulder. It’s not clear if he’ll be active for Week 11 against the Chargers, but he does have the benefit of the bye week.

Penn State’s Journey Brown Retires From Football

November 12th, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Penn State running back Journey Brown will retire from football after learning of a serious heart condition, head coach James Franklin announced (Twitter link via Audrey Snyder of The Athletic). Brown, who was once considered to be a potential first-round prospect, was found to have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while going through COVID-19 testing in September.

Brown led the Nittany Lions with 890 yards and 12 touchdowns last year. His strong finish pushed his NFL stock even higher — the 5’11” tailback averaged 118.6 yards per contest over his last five games. In Penn State’s win over Memphis in the Cotton Bowl, Brown went off for 202 yards and two touchdowns with just 16 carries. That will stand as Brown’s final game on the field.

“I finally had the opportunity to showcase what I was born to do and, hopefully, set myself up to achieve my lifelong dream of playing in the NFL,” Brown wrote in a statement. “Unfortunately, the dream will never be realized as I have been diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which will force me to medically retire from the game of football. The pain of not being able to play the game I love anymore hurts and I can’t explain how I am feeling right now.”

We here at PFR wish Brown the best in retirement.

Latest On Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey

November 12th, 2020 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

After getting a second opinion on his injured shoulder, Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey has been told that he may be able to play next week against the Lions, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). That’s excellent news for CMC, who was previously thought to be facing a much more serious issue.

McCaffrey will be sidelined for Sunday against the Bucs, but it no longer sounds like his season is in jeopardy. It’s safe to say that he’s eager to get back on the field — McCaffrey has appeared in just three games this year thanks to an ankle injury and his latest shoulder malady. All in all, he’s got 59 carries for 225 yards and five rushing TDs on the year, plus 17 grabs for 149 yards and one score through the air. Before this, McCaffrey had perfect attendance through his first three pro seasons.

Without CMC, the Panthers will continue to rely on Mike Davis as their primary running back. The veteran has done pretty well with the first-string unit, racking up 353 yards off of 85 carries plus 43 catches for 278 receiving yards. The Panthers will need Davis to be at his best this week in order to beat the Bucs and snap their four-game losing streak.