2020 November - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Texans’ COVID-19 Situation

November 5th, 2020 at 1:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans are working remotely Thursday and found out they will be without at least three linebackers this week. Jacob Martin tested positive for COVID-19, per Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Additionally, Whitney Mercilus has been deemed a high-risk close contact and will go on the Texans’ reserve/COVID-19 list. The Texans placed Mercilus and linebacker Dylan Cole on their COVID list, where guard Max Scharping remains.

Romeo Crennel said Martin and Scharping have experienced mild symptoms, per the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). Obtained in 2019’s Jadeveon Clowney trade, Martin has two sacks for the Texans this season. Given a recent extension, Mercilus is tied for the team lead with three midway through his ninth season in Houston. The Texans are down to two outside linebackers, with Kyle Emanuel in concussion protocol, and three inside ‘backers ahead of their Week 9 game.

The Texans join the Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, Packers, Ravens and 49ers as teams who have dealt with new COVID-19 developments this week. The U.S. documented more than 100,000 cases Wednesday, marking the first time the number entered six-figure territory since the pandemic began. As of 1:30pm CT, the NFL is proceeding with Green Bay’s Thursday game in San Francisco, despite both the Packers and 49ers having position groups decimated by the league’s coronavirus protocols. The Texans’ game in Jacksonville remains scheduled for noon CT Sunday.

Dolphins Place Myles Gaskin On IR

November 5th, 2020 at 12:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins will place running back Myles Gaskin on injured reserve, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Per league rules, Gaskin will be out for the next three games. On the plus side, head coach Brian Flores doesn’t anticipate that he’ll miss more than that.

The Dolphins anticipated that Gaskin would need time to recover from his sprained MCL, which is why they traded for Chiefs running back DeAndre Washington just prior to the deadline. Meanwhile, Matt Breida is still working his way through a hamstring injury, so Washington could see a larger-than-anticipated role against the Cardinals on Sunday. In a worst case scenario, Jordan Howard still figures to lead the way in touches, with support from Patrick Laird and Salvon Ahmed.

Gaskin, 23, has averaged 3.9 yards per carry through seven games. He’s been more of a contributor as a pass-catcher — so far, he’s registered 30 catches for 198 yards. With or without Gaskin, the Dolphins could use some improvement out of their ground game. The Dolphins have one of the league’s weakest rushing offenses with an average of just 98 yards per contest.

Bears, Texans Close Team Facilities

November 5th, 2020 at 10:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears and Texans closed their team facilities on Thursday morning in the wake of COVID-19 positives. As of this writing, the Bears are scheduled to face the Titans in Nashville on Sunday. The Texans, meanwhile, are set to play the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

This isn’t the Texans’ first rodeo. Last week, they were forced to shut down after receiving a positive player test and placing offensive lineman Max Scharping on the reserve list. Logistically speaking, that matter was much simpler since the Texans were on a bye week.

The Bears’ COVID-19 positive player is offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This news comes on the heels after Jason Spriggs‘ positive test, an indication that there could be spread among the O-Line group. The good news is that the Bears do not believe that Whitehair came into close contact with many players. The hope is that they can isolate, contain the issue, and go ahead with Sunday’s game as scheduled.

Seahawks Sign Alex Collins

November 5th, 2020 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have signed running back Alex Collins to the practice squad, per a club announcement. Collins will head to the practice squad alongside linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who was brought back after a brief hiatus.

The Seahawks worked out Collins back in January, but didn’t end up signing him at the time. Months later, he’s back. They’re plenty familiar with Collins, as he started his career with the Seahawks back in 2016. A fifth-round pick out of Arkansas, Collins was waived after a rookie season where he played sparingly. He signed with Baltimore, and ended up having a breakout 2017 season with the Ravens.

Collins became their full-time starter, racking up 973 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. After that, his career took some odd turns. A 2018 foot injury cut his season short and his arrest in the 2019 offseason prompted the Ravens to drop him. After spending all of 2019 out of football, this marks Collins’ first opportunity to get his career back on track.

49ers-Packers Still On Track

November 5th, 2020 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

COVID-19 forced the 49ers to close their facility this week, but their Thursday night game against the Packers is still set to go on as scheduled (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter).

In recent days, the Niners have been forced to place a number of players on the reserve list, including offensive tackle Trent Williams and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Kendrick Bourne. The Packers, meanwhile, will be without running back AJ Dillon due to his positive test. And, because Dillon was in close contact with fellow RB Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin, they will also be barred from playing.

The 49ers have entered the league’s “intensive protocol” to help mitigate potential spread, but as of this writing, the league is planning to go full speed ahead on Thursday night. The Niners were already set for an uphill battle thanks to prior injuries, and they’ll now have to forge ahead without many of their top receivers. Meanwhile, the Packers’ backfield could be extra shallow, depending on the status of Aaron Jones‘ calf injury.

Lions Place QB Matthew Stafford On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 4th, 2020 at 6:15pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions announced earlier tonight that they’ve placed Matthew Stafford on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the quarterback will have to miss any time.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter explains on Twitter, Stafford is “considered a high-risk, close contact from a non team member.” Since his most recent contact came on Monday, the veteran will be eligible to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday, making him eligible to play against the Vikings this weekend.

Of course, everything could change if Stafford’s tests don’t come back negative. Fortunately, his wife, Kelly, stated on Instagram that the 32-year-old hasn’t tested positive.

As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press notes, Stafford landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list back in July. It was later learned that his test showed a false positive, prompting changes to the NFL’s testing protocol.

Stafford’s completed only 61.4-percent of his passes this season, his worst showing since 2014. However, he’s still put up solid counting numbers, including 1,916 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and only five interceptions in seven games. In the event that Stafford was sidelined, the team would turn to either Chase Daniel or David Blough.

Giants Claim WR Dante Pettis

November 4th, 2020 at 5:17pm CST by Ben Levine

Dante Pettis is heading to New York. The Giants announced that they have claimed the wide receiver off waivers. Pettis was waived by the 49ers yesterday.

While Pettis’ impending quarantine will sideline him for this weekend’s matchup against Washington, he could see a role in the Giants offense when the team returns from bye in Week 12. New York’s receiver corps is led by Golden Tate, Darius Slayton, and Sterling Shepard (along with tight end Evan Engram and running back Dion Lewis), but Pettis could slide in as a fourth receiver.

Of course, he also could have had a role in San Francisco, but he was phased completely out of the offense by the time he was let go. The former second-rounder showed some promise during his rookie campaign, hauling in 27 catches for 467 yards and five scores in 12 games (seven starts). His production plummeted in 2019, and he hasn’t had a reception in five games this season.

As Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel pointed out yesterday on Twitter, Pettis will account for around $264K in cap space. Considering the Giants’ early spot in the waiver order, there’s a good chance a handful of other teams made a claim.

Ravens To Work Out Tramon Williams

November 4th, 2020 at 4:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are set to work out longtime Packers cornerback Tramon Williams, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. If signed, Williams would help provide depth for a group that has lost star cornerback Marlon Humphrey and others to the COVID-19 list.

Even at the age of 37, Williams believes that he can still contribute to a contender. He was briefly on the fence about playing amidst the first coronavirus wave, but he’s now intent on returning to the field.

After spending nearly a decade with the Packers to start his career, Williams circled back in 2018. He’s appeared in all 32 regular season games over the past two seasons, including a 2019 campaign where he had eight passes defended and a pair of interceptions.

Most notably, Williams was a crucial part of the Packers’ Super Bowl victory in the 2010 season. He had three interceptions during that playoff run and came up with a critical stop late in the championship game to seal the win for Green Bay.

Patriots To Sign Donte Moncrief

November 4th, 2020 at 3:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have signed wide receiver Donte Moncrief to the practice squad, per a club announcement. This was the expected move after the former third-rounder auditioned for the Pats earlier this week.

Moncrief was recently released off the Jets’ practice squad, despite their own glaring need for offensive help. That wasn’t promising for Moncrief’s prospects, but the talent is still mostly there.

Moncrief first made his name with the Colts, playing as a featured regular in Andrew Luck‘s offense. The veteran totaled 13 touchdown receptions between the 2015-16 seasons for Indy and set a career-high in ’15 with 733 receiving yards. Since then, things have been a bit rocky — he appeared a grand total of eight games for the Panthers and Steelers in 2019, yielding four catches for 18 yards.

Now, the 27-year-old will await his next opportunity while showing his stuff on the practice field. Thanks to Tuesday’s trade for Dolphins receiver Isaiah Ford, he won’t be the only newcomer to the group.

Texans To Sign Josh McCown

November 4th, 2020 at 3:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have agreed to sign Josh McCown off of the Eagles’ practice squad roster, as ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The veteran quarterback will serve as insurance for starter Deshaun Watson and could dress for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars.

McCown signed an unprecedented deal to become the Eagles’ emergency remote quarterback (and a QB whisperer for Carson Wentz) in September. Now in his 40s, McCown is essentially viewed as a player/part-time assistant, with the expectation that he’ll be a coveted coaching candidate once he eventually retires.

McCown was the backup to Wentz last year when he was suddenly inserted in their first-round playoff game against Seattle. Then, he nearly led the Eagles to an improbable win.

This year, McCown has spent the bulk of his time at home in Texas, so he won’t have to make much of an adjustment as he joins up with Watson & Co. Furthermore, the deal could give him an opportunity to showcase his expertise as the Texans plot their coaching staff for 2021.