HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bears Place S Deon Bush On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 8th, 2020 at 8:40am CST by Rory Parks

The Bears have placed safety Deon Bush on the reserve/COVID-19 list, per a team announcement. According to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com, Bush did not test positive for the coronavirus, but he is considered a close contact with someone who did test positive while he was away from the team (Twitter link).

This is notable because Bush flew with his teammates to Tennessee for this week’s game against the Titans before he learned that the person he was in contact with tested positive, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. Luckily, COVID-19 tests across the league came back negative this morning, but given the virus’ incubation period, the Bears might not be out of the woods just yet.

Indeed, OL Lachavious Simmons did recently test positive and has joined Bush on the reserve/COVID-19 list. OL Aaron Neary has been summoned from the practice squad to take Simmons’ place on the active roster.

Chicago selected Bush in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He has started only two games since his rookie season and has seen limited defensive snaps, but he has been a key special teams contributor. Simmons, a seventh-round rookie, just got promoted from the taxi squad earlier this week.

In other Bears news, the club is expected to sign veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Kush has a visit lined up this week, and assuming he clears COVID-19 protocols and passes a physical, he will join the team. He started four games for the Bears in 2016 and seven contests in 2018.

Cowboys To Work Out Marquette King

November 7th, 2020 at 5:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Cowboys punter Chris Jones out with an injury, the team is bringing in a well-known free agent as potential insurance. Marquette King worked out for the Cowboys on Saturday.

King has not punted in an NFL game since the 2018 season, when the Broncos released him. He did, however, punt in 2020, doing so with the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks. Punter Colton Schmidt joined King at the Saturday workout. Although Schmidt joined King at the team’s facility Saturday, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News notes his workout will occur next week (Twitter link).

Best known for his six-season Raiders tenure and post-punt celebrations, King visited the Texans earlier this year. They opted to go in a different direction. The Cowboys have another punter on their roster, Hunter Niswander, who will handle that role Sunday against the Steelers.

King, who led the NFL in yards per punt in 2013 (48.9) and cleared 48 yards per boot in 2017, could serve as potential insurance while Jones is out. The 32-year-old specialist would need to go through six days’ worth of COVID-19 testing before practicing with the Cowboys, should they sign him.

Schmidt served as Buffalo’s punter for nearly as long as King was with Oakland. He punted for the Bills for four-plus seasons, but the team went in a different direction three games into the 2018 season.

As for Jones, he underwent abdominal surgery this week, Gehlken tweets. This will be Niswander’s first NFL game. He spent three seasons (2015-17) as Northwestern’s punter.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/20

November 7th, 2020 at 5:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Ravens Activate 6 Players From Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 7th, 2020 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ahead of a key AFC matchup against the Colts, the Ravens will have a handful of defenders back. They activated six players off their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday.

Patrick Queen, DeShon Elliott and L.J. Fort are poised to return to Baltimore’s starting lineup after the team activated the defenders from the COVID list. Each was deemed a high-risk close contact to All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who tested positive for the coronavirus and remains on the COVID list.

Linebacker Tyus Bowser, cornerback Terrell Bonds and linebacker Malik Harrison also came off the Ravens’ COVID list Saturday. Matt Judon came off the list earlier this week.

Humphrey will miss Week 9’s Baltimore-Indianapolis game, but the Ravens having several of their starters back will put them in better position to bounce back after their loss to the Steelers. Baltimore’s defense ranks fifth in DVOA, sitting first against the run.

The Ravens promoted Bonds, a second-year player out of Tennessee State, and linebacker Kristian Welch to their active roster. They also promoted safety Geno Stone as Humphrey’s COVID replacement. They placed wide receiver Chris Moore on IR due to a thigh injury.

Ravens Promote Dez Bryant To Active Roster

November 7th, 2020 at 3:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dez Bryant‘s comeback date appears set. The Ravens are promoting the former Pro Bowl wide receiver to their active roster.

Bryant will dress for Baltimore’s Week 9 game against the Colts and will have a role, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Bryant has reportedly performed well in practice and offers the type of veteran presence and third down target that the Ravens have been missing.

It has been a long road back for Bryant, a 2010 first-round pick. The Cowboys let Bryant walk in free agency in 2018, and after he turned down a multiyear Ravens offer, he ended up on a low-level deal in New Orleans. Bryant did not have a chance to play in a game as a Saint, suffering an Achilles tear in practice. That led him to miss the 2019 season as well, and he joined the Ravens’ practice squad in late October. But three days after his 32nd birthday, Bryant will be on the field once again.

The all-time leader in Cowboys receiving touchdowns (73), Bryant joins a Ravens receiving corps that has not been particularly effective this season. Lamar Jackson‘s regression from his MVP form has played a major role in the team’s aerial struggles, and Bryant would give Jackson a possession receiver to complement Marquise Brown, who voiced frustration about his lack of involvement in Baltimore’s offense last week.

Bills Place LB Matt Milano On IR

November 7th, 2020 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Milano missed time earlier this season but returned to play in Buffalo’s previous two games. However, he will be shelved for at least the Bills’ next three.

The Bills placed the fourth-year linebacker on IR Saturday. They had declared Milano out for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks due to a pectoral injury. He did not practice this week.

This is concerning for the Bills due to Milano’s initial injury absences — in Weeks 3 and 4 — coming because of a pec injury. Since returning, Milano has played a part-time role, coming off the bench and playing less than a third of Buffalo’s defensive snaps.

A Bills starter since his rookie year, the former fifth-round pick engaged in extension talks with the team this offseason. Milano, who made 101 tackles last season, has been a quality coverage linebacker for a team that has featured a top-tier pass defense. The Bills’ defense has regressed in his abbreviated season; DVOA places the team’s pass defense 22nd after top-five finishes in 2018 and ’19.

The Bills wrapped up extensions for fellow 2017 draftees Tre’Davious White and Dion Dawkins, leaving Milano in limbo. That raises the stakes for the remainder of his season, should he return from what appears to be a setback.

Lions Activate Matthew Stafford From Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 7th, 2020 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matthew Stafford did not practice this week, but he is on track to start Sunday against the Vikings. The Lions activated their veteran starter from their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday.

The Lions placed Stafford on their COVID list Tuesday, but since his last contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus occurred Monday, he will be eligible to play against the Vikings. Should Stafford’s most recent COVID test come back negative Sunday morning, he will start.

This marked the 12th-year quarterback’s second stay on the team’s reserve/COVID list. However, Stafford’s summer placement turned out to be a false positive that prompted the NFL to change its coronavirus protocols. The league has continued to tinker with its virus protocols, leading more players to land on teams’ respective COVID lists as the season has progressed.

Stafford ranks 17th in QBR this season. He will now face Minnesota without having practiced this week and with Kenny Golladay having been declared out with a hip injury.

AFC East Notes: Gilmore, Pats, Tua, Jets

November 7th, 2020 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Patriots shopped Stephon Gilmore this spring, they hung onto him at the trade deadline after setting a high price for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. When asked if the Patriots entertained offers for Gilmore, Bill Belichick said he was not aware of that occurring. The Pats gave Gilmore a $5MM pay bump this year but will face a decision on the standout cornerback in 2021. That will be the final season of Gilmore’s five-year, $65MM deal. With Jalen Ramsey and Marlon Humphrey each securing extensions worth north of $19MM per year, thus blowing the lid off a long-stagnant corner market, Gilmore will understandably want to cash in while still in his prime. His potential new contract affected his trade market, Tom Curran of NBC Sports notes. Gilmore will turn 31 just after the start of next season.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • The Dolphins‘ trove of draft picks in 2021 appears to have affected their decision to move Tua Tagovailoa into their starting lineup now, creating an audition of sorts ahead of what looks like a strong quarterback draft. However, owner Stephen Ross was not behind the decision to insert Tagovailoa into the starting lineup, per the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero. With Ross a major supporter of the quarterback the Dolphins were eyeing for more than a year before this year’s draft, it would certainly be interesting if the team continues to be linked to a potential first-round QB pick ahead of the 2021 draft.
  • With their 0-8 record at the bottom of the league, the Jets will continue to be linked to 2021 QB prospects — namely Trevor Lawrence. Their 2018 first-round draftee’s status will move the Jets closer to the Clemson quarterback. Sam Darnold is now unlikely to play against the Patriots, after suffering a shoulder setback against the Chiefs. Adam Gase said Friday that Darnold told him he was not throwing as well as he hoped, and the Jets on Saturday downgraded their starter to doubtful for Monday’s game. Joe Flacco is in line to receive a third start as a Jet.
  • More trouble for the AFC’s New York franchise. Jets players and their agents alerted the NFLPA recently about cameras existing in the team’s locker room, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Specifically, the NFLPA contacted the NFL about surveillance equipment being hidden in smoke detectors in the Jets locker room, Mehta adds. The league indicated cameras have existed in and around the team’s locker room since 2008 and that the players were aware of them. Per several anonymous current and former players, via Mehta, that does not appear to be the case. No consent form permitting cameras is believed to have been signed, and Mehta adds the NFLPA is “troubled” by the Jets unilaterally placing cameras in the locker room.

Giants Not Planning To Cut Golden Tate?

November 7th, 2020 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Giants-Golden Tate divorce is starting to appear imminent, though it might not happen this season. The team announced Saturday it will face Washington without the veteran wide receiver, indicating Tate will not make the trip. Issues with effort and performance are behind the Giants deactivating Tate, Kim Jones and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com report (on Twitter).

Tate will be given the chance to return to New York’s lineup next week, Jones adds, and an in-season release does not currently appear to be on the table, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Tate is still on track to collect more than $4MM in base salary this season. Were he to be cut this season, he would head to the waiver wire since the trade deadline has passed.

The Giants did shop him ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline but found no takers. They will not carry his $8.5MM salary on their 2021 books, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes. The Giants could save $6.1MM by releasing Tate in 2021.

A 2019 free agent signing, Tate began his Giants career with a four-game PED suspension that voided future guarantees. Although he caught a crucial touchdown pass late in Monday night’s loss to the Buccaneers, he voiced frustrations about his lack of targets during the game. This preceded an Instagram post from Tate’s wife regarding her husband’s role in New York’s offense and Tate liking another Instagram post indicating he should be cut and given a chance with another team. Tate saw time on New York’s scout team in practice this week, Raanan adds.

Through seven games this season, Tate has 22 receptions for 226 yards and two touchdowns. While both those scores came over the past two games, Tate has only been targeted five times in those contests. He has worked as the Giants’ clear No. 3 wide receiver since Sterling Shepard‘s return from IR. Tate has three 1,000-yard seasons on his resume (all with Detroit) and made the Pro Bowl in 2014.

Titans DE Jadeveon Clowney Considering Surgery

November 7th, 2020 at 10:27am CST by Ben Levine

Jadeveon Clowney is questionable for tomorrow’s game against the Bears, but there’s a chance he’ll be sidelined for longer than that. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the Titans defensive end is currently dealing with a meniscus issue in his knee.

All options are on the table for the 27-year-old, including surgery. As Garafolo notes, Clowney has tried to battle through the injury, and there’s a chance he continues playing at less than 100 percent.

Clowney missed most of his rookie campaign as he recovered from a torn meniscus, but he’s otherwise stayed healthy throughout his career. The former first-overall pick has only missed four regular season games since the start of the 2017 campaign.

Following a one-year stint with the Seahawks, Clowney inked a one-year, $12MM deal with the Titans back in September. He’s been a bit underwhelming in Tennessee; in seven games, he’s compiled 15 tackles and zero sacks. Clowney played at least 80-percent of his team’s defensive snaps through the first three weeks of the season, but that number dropped all the way to 62 percent during last weekend’s loss to the Bengals. Of course, both his production and decline in playing time could be attributed to the injury he’s currently dealing with.

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