Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: OT Lachavious Simmons
- Placed on IR: RT Bobby Massie
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Jason Croom
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: WR Dante Pettis
The Jets have a whole host of problems, but head coach Adam Gase isn’t among them, according to GM Joe Douglas. Gase, he says, is “part of the solution,” (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post). 
[RELATED: Latest On Darnold, Jets’ Plans]
Most Jets fans wouldn’t agree. The Jets are 0-8, mired in yet another lost season. Sunday’s game against the Chiefs was predictably brutal — the Jets lost by 26 points and did not manage a single touchdown. Making matters worse, starting quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a shoulder injury though, thankfully, his MRI did not reveal serious damage.
Things aren’t going to get much easier for Gase and Gang Green moving forward. Around the league, there’s little confidence that the Jets will keep Gase as their head coach, and increasing chatter about a potential plan to tank for Trevor Lawrence. At this rate, they’re looking at pretty great odds of landing the Clemson star, universally regarded as the top talent in the 2021 class. The Jets, of course, deny any tanking plans, but they look a sizable step towards the No. 1 pick this week by trading veteran linebacker Avery Williamson to the Steelers.
After his rough outing against the Eagles, the Cowboys will bench quarterback Ben DiNucci, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Instead, the Cowboys will allow Cooper Rush and Garrett Gilbert to compete for the top job in practice.
The Cowboys entered the season with one of the best starter/backup situations in the league. Then came Dak Prescott‘s injury, followed by Andy Dalton‘s concussion and COVID-19 diagnosis. That led the Cowboys to DiNucci, who is not quite ready for primetime.
A former UDFA out of Central Michigan, Rush spent three seasons with the Cowboys, spent a bit of time with the Giants, then returned to Dallas in late October. Rush has appeared in five games for the Cowboys, exclusively in a mop-up role. Gilbert, meanwhile, has no NFL starts to his credit — his only first-string pro experience came with the Orlando Apollos, a team in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football.
Between the two, whoever emerges as the better option in practice this week will be the Cowboys’ starter against the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
It’s now official. On Tuesday, the Ravens placed star left tackle Ronnie Stanley on injured reserve. The surgery to repair his severe ankle injury will cost him the remainder of the year. 
It’s a brutal blow for a team that has relied heavily on Stanley to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson and keep the offense humming along. Up until the injury, Stanley was remarkable durable, and lucky. Between 2017 and 2019, Stanley started at least 14 games. Fortunately, he won’t have to worry about his financial security, thanks to his newly-inked five-year, $99MM deal.
Stanley was outstanding last season, earning First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Without him, the Ravens will turn to 2018 third-rounder Orlando Brown Jr., who is shifting from the right side to the left. Versatile veteran D.J. Fluker, meanwhile, is expected to man the RT spot.
In related news, the Ravens also placed rookie offensive lineman Tyre Phillips on IR with a hand injury. The issue kept Phillips out of the team’s Week 9 game and it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to return later this year. At minimum, he’ll be out for the next three games against the Colts, Patriots, and Titans.
AB is officially set to debut for TB. On Tuesday, the Buccaneers activated Antonio Brown off of the reserve/suspended list. To make room, they’ve waived fellow wide receiver Cyril Grayson. 
[Poll: Will The Bucs Regret Signing Brown?]
Brown, who is currently bunking up with quarterback Tom Brady, has been drawing rave reviews in practice. Meanwhile, many in the football world have expressed skepticism about his potential impact in the locker room.
“Mark my words, it’s going to be a problem,” one executive familiar with Brown said recently. “You have no idea the stories we could tell you about this guy. Everything is a struggle. … There were plenty of valid reasons why [Arians] didn’t want anything to do with him a year ago. Unless this guy has completely reinvented himself, and done a complete turnaround, this is going to get ugly.”
Brown, 32, will just $1MM in base salary and bonuses, with the potential to make as much as $2.5MM. If the Bucs win the Super Bowl, AB will receive a $750K bonus, and he has three separate $250K bonuses for receptions, yards, and TD milestones. Those incentives are only in play if the Bucs reach the playoffs.
The Buccaneers advanced to 6-2 after edging out the Giants on Monday night. Brown’s new squad will fight to stay atop the NFC South this week when they take on the Saints, who are riding a four-game winning streak.
The Chiefs have agreed to trade running back DeAndre Washington to the Dolphins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, Miami will send draft pick compensation to Kansas City.
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Isaiah Ford To Patriots]
The Dolphins have been on the lookout for backfield help in recent weeks, as evidenced by their pursuit of Le’Veon Bell. Bell ultimately landed with the Chiefs, leaving the Dolphins to settle for one of his backups.
It’s not the ideal consolation prize, but Washington did flash ability as a rookie with the Raiders, when he averaged more than five yards per carry. And, last season, he gained 162 yards as he started in the Raiders’ final two games.
The 27-year-old will join an RB group that currently includes Myles Gaskin, Matt Breida, and Jordan Howard. Meanwhile, the Dolphins won’t have to do much roster juggling to accommodate him after sending wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the Patriots earlier today.
The Bills have signed cornerback Daryl Worley to the practice squad, per a club announcement. To make room, they dropped fellow corner Lafayette Pitts. 
Worley, a 6’1″ veteran defensive back, was most recently with the Cowboys. He notched 14 tackles and one pass defensed with Dallas, but the fifth-year pro is best known for his time with the Panthers and Raiders. All in all, he has five interceptions, 35 passes defensed, and 249 total tackles across his NFL career. Now, the Bills will have him on call as a taxi squad player.
Worley’s history with GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott likely played a role in the deal. This isn’t the first time that their affinity for ex-Panthers has influenced the roster. In the last year, they’ve also signed old pals Josh Norman, Mario Addison, Daryl Williams, Vernon Butler, and A.J. Klein.
At the time of his release from the Cowboys, Pro Football Focus slotted Worley as the No. 84 CB in the NFL, out of 119 full-timers.
The Dolphins have agreed to trade wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the Patriots, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In exchange, the Patriots will send a 2022 seventh-rounder to Miami. 
[RELATED: Patriots Set High Asking Price For Stephon Gilmore]
The deal will provide Cam Newton with a big-bodied receiver, similar to one-time Panthers teammates Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. The former seventh-round pick has quietly been a key contributor in Miami this year, catching 18 passes for 184 yards in seven games.
Some have speculated that the Patriots could turn into sellers at the deadline but Bill Belichick has dismissed such talk all week. Instead, the Patriots have swung a small, but still significant, deal to bolster the offense. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, it sounds like star cornerback Stephon Gilmore will be staying put. The Patriots haven’t dismissed inquiries outright, but they have set a sky-high asking price of a first-round pick, plus a player.
There’s disagreement among high-level Packers officials on whether the long-term cost of an elite receiver like Will Fuller would be worthwhile, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Packers have discussed Fuller with the Texans, but it’s far from a given that they’ll complete a trade before the afternoon deadline. 
Fuller, who is playing on a $10.16MM fifth-year option salary, profiles as an interesting rental option for the Packers. Through seven games, he’s been Deshaun Watson‘s favorite target, catching 31 passes for a team-high 490 yards and five touchdowns. Of course, acquiring him would mean giving up significant draft capital, especially since the Texans have insisted that they’re not keen on trading players with potential for 2021.
The Packers could certainly use a weapon like Fuller, given their lack of production at wide receiver. Davante Adams has been leading the charge with 43 catches for 502 yards and seven touchdowns in just five games. Meanwhile, the rest of the group has combined for a mere 38 catches, 622 receiving yards, and four scores.
The Packers passed on their opportunity to nab an elite wide receiver in this year’s draft, and they’re window to trade for one is on the verge of closing. The NFL’s trade deadline — 4pm ET/3pm CT — is just hours away.
The Seahawks are releasing tight end Luke Willson, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The move will allow the Seahawks to activate rookie TE Colby Parkinson and maintain a group of four players at the position.
Willson, a 2013 fifth-round pick, spent the first five years of his career with the Seahawks. That streak was interrupted in 2018 when he spent one year with the Lions. After notching just 13 catches in 14 games for Detroit, and having a cup of coffee with the Raiders, he returned to Seattle for the 2019 season. This year, he was re-upped, but did not record a catch in five games.
Parkinson was drafted in the fourth round to push for snaps at tight end, which wasn’t necessarily a position of need in the spring. Unfortunately, he broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot over the offseason, delaying his debut by a few months. The Stanford product first put himself on the map with seven touchdowns in 2018. Then, last year, he set new career bests with 48 grabs for 589 yards (though he only scored once).
Parkinson will get his first chance to suit up as a pro on Sunday when the Seahawks face the Bills in Buffalo.