HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/20

December 21st, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Promoted from practice squad: OL Danny Isidora
  • Waived: TE Kevin Rader

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

 

Washington To Sign LB Mychal Kendricks

December 21st, 2020 at 2:53pm CST by Rory Parks

The Washington Football Team is signing veteran linebacker Mychal Kendricks off the Seahawks’ practice squad, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post says that Kendricks will fly privately to Washington and will be available to play immediately (Twitter link).

This is pursuant to a new wrinkle in COVID-19 protocols that allows players already being tested by a team — like Kendricks — to join or try out for a new team without going through the six-day entry testing period. The absence of such a provision is what forced the Broncos to play a game without a QB when their entire quarterback room was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Kendricks has not played a single snap this season. He hooked on with Seattle’s taxi squad in October, was briefly released when it appeared he would be signing elsewhere, and rejoined the P-squad when the other deal fell through. He did play 14 games (all starts) for the ‘Hawks in 2019, and he has 103 appearances (91 starts) in his pro career.

The 30-year-old ‘backer has appeared in PFR pages a great deal over the past several years, thanks largely to the fact that he pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2018. His sentencing has been postponed multiple times, so he remains eligible to play in the NFL.

Washington’s defense is a big reason why the team sits atop the NFC East standings, and linebackers Kevin Pierre-Louis and Cole Holcomb have turned in productive campaigns. However, neither player was able suit up for yesterday’s loss to the Seahawks, and Kendricks will provide experienced depth if nothing else.

Browns OL Chris Hubbard Done For Season?

December 21st, 2020 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Browns are 10-4 and appear to be playoff-bound for the first time since 2002, but they suddenly find themselves thin at right guard. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), offensive lineman Chris Hubbard suffered a dislocated kneecap in Cleveland’s win over the Giants last night. Hubbard will go under the knife, and his season will be over.

Hubbard was filling in for starting RG Wyatt Teller, who sustained a sprained ankle in the Browns’ loss to the Ravens last week and who is not expected back until the playoffs, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Teller also missed some time earlier this season with a strained calf, and his absence is significant. The third-year blocker is playing at a Pro Bowl level and is currently Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated guard.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski said this morning that he is not prepared to rule Hubbard out for the rest of the season, and he also said he does not know if Hubbard will need surgery. However, he did confirm that the veteran O-lineman will miss a significant amount of time (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).

Hubbard has not lived up to the five-year, $37.5MM deal he signed with Cleveland in March 2018, but he does offer valuable experience and depth. He has started in Teller’s absence in each of the four games that Teller has missed this season, and he also started a game at right tackle. Rookie Nick Harris will line up at right guard for the time being, and it would not be surprising to see the Browns sign a reinforcement in the coming days.

Lions Fire ST Coordinator Brayden Coombs

December 21st, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Rory Parks

The Lions have fired special teams coordinator Brayden Coombs, per a team announcement. Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes that special teams assistant Marquice Williams will take over the coordinator position for the final two games of the season.

Coombs, 34, began his coaching career as an intern with the Bengals in 2009. He served as Cincinnati’s assistant special teams coach from 2012-19, and his units were generally quite successful. The 2019 Bengals special teams unit was ranked first by Football Outsiders and fifth by Pro Football Focus, which prompted Detroit to hire Coombs as its ST coordinator back in January.

But a source told Rothstein that Coombs did not mesh with the culture that the organization is trying to create. In the Lions’ loss to the Titans yesterday, Coombs called for an unsuccessful fake punt without the knowledge of anyone else, including coaches and some players on the field. While Coombs’ abilities as a coordinator are clearly strong, the team apparently felt that his unilateral decision was emblematic of his overall approach. As Rothstein says, the team had been considering making a move for some time, and the fake punt was simply the last straw.

In related news, the Lions recently hired Chris Spielman to serve as a special assistant to chairman and president & CEO. Spielman, a franchise icon who played linebacker for the Lions from 1988-95, will be a key voice in the general manager and head coach hires that Detroit will soon be making, and he spoke at length about the vision that principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp has in terms of the club’s direction and culture.

As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News observes, Spielman — the brother of Vikings GM Rick Spielman — and team president Rod Wood used the word “culture” 22 times in 36 minutes at Spielman’s introductory press conference last week. Organizational sources tell Rogers that Coombs’ departure is a reflection of his “me-first” attitude that undermines that culture (Twitter links).

The Lions’ GM search is well underway, with the club having interviewed or planning to interview several internal options and a host of high-profile candidates like Louis Riddick, Thomas Dimitroff, and Scott Pioli. The team’s head coaching interviews will obviously start in earnest at season’s end, and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is rumored to be Detroit’s top choice.

Ben Roethlisberger Intends To Return In 2021

December 21st, 2020 at 10:28am CST by Rory Parks

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is under contract through the 2021 season, and he has no intention of hanging up the cleats before then. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the 38-year-old signal-caller will be back in 2021.

When Big Ben signed his latest deal in April 2019, Pittsburgh GM Kevin Colbert indicated it would likely be the franchise icon’s last contract with the Steelers. But Colbert later walked back those comments a bit, and owner Art Rooney II said he is open to another Roethlisberger extension that would take him into his age-40 season (and perhaps beyond).

Though Roethlisberger clearly has lost some arm strength and is averaging 6.3 yards per pass attempt — which would be a career-low for a season in which he has played more than two games — he remains one of the most accurate passers in the league and has thrown 29 TDs against just nine interceptions. All told, that amounts to a 94.9 QB rating, and his play is a big reason why the 11-2 Steelers are on the verge of an AFC North title.

A recent report indicated that the organization is concerned about Roethlisberger’s lingering knee injury and his increasing reliance on the short passing game, but Pittsburgh still profiles as a legitimate Super Bowl contender. And while Schefter says the campaign has indeed taken a physical toll on Roethlisberger, sources close to the quarterback say he is having too much fun and likes the team too much to retire at the end of the season.

Due to a contract restructure in March, Roethlisberger is set to have a gargantuan cap hit of $41.25MM in 2021. Even if the salary cap does not drop at all, one would think that another extension or some other type of kick-the-can-down-the-road machination would be in play in order to keep the rest of the roster as stocked as possible. There will still be some difficult decisions to make, but the Steelers will doubtlessly be happy to have their two-time Super Bowl champion back next season.

Washington To Consider Marty Hurney?

December 21st, 2020 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

Marty Hurney is out of work, but it might not be long before he finds his next job. The former Panthers GM will be a candidate to run Washington’s front office if the team decides to open up the position, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: Panthers Fire Marty Hurney]

Hurney, of course, has history with Washington head coach Ron Rivera dating back to their Carolina days. Hurney partnered with Rivera during the coach’s early Panthers seasons and returned to the front office as Rivera’s GM from 2017-2019. A reunion would make plenty of sense, though it would likely still leave Rivera with final say over the 53-man roster.

As Rapoport notes, the timing of Hurney’s dismissal could benefit the veteran executive. Now, he gets a head start on talks with the Washington Football Team. If they do choose to hire a GM in this cycle, they’ll join the Panthers, Falcons, Jaguars, Lions, and Texans in the market. In the next few weeks, we may see a few more NFL teams added to that list.

In the meantime, Washington will prepare to face the Panthers (oddly enough) in Week 16.

Panthers Fire GM Marty Hurney

December 21st, 2020 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday morning, the Panthers fired GM Marty Hurney. Apparently, the Panthers wanted to get a jump on their GM search and didn’t want to wait another week.

“I think sometimes you just need a restart, a refresh,” owner David Tepper said. “We did it last year on the coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have been done before on the GM side. Maybe it should have been. I’m sure people may say that, or otherwise, on both sides. I think it’s just time, on both sides, to do that. It just seems like the right time to move forward.”

Hurney first joined the Panthers in 1998 as the team’s director of football administration. The Panthers reached the Super Bowl in 2003 with Hurney in the front office and he was widely credited for helping to build the team that reached the Super Bowl in 2015. Hurney was fired in 2012, before that second SB appearance, but he was brought back in 2017 after the firing of Dave Gettleman.

This time around, Hurney got the axe just before the conclusion of a disappointing season. Things might have been different with a healthy Christian McCaffrey, and Tepper notes that the Panthers were the victim of some close losses.

“This team could easily have another four wins,” Tepper said. “The eight games that we had the ball last to win or tie — seven to win, one to tie — if you win four of those games, you’re in a totally different position right now with this young team. So looking at next year, I’m very hopeful where we will be and what we will do.”

The Panthers are now the fifth team in the NFL with a GM vacancy, joining the Falcons, Jaguars, Lions, and Texans.

Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald Receiving HC Interest

December 20th, 2020 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald has attracted the attention of NFL teams for a long time, and his stock continues to soar. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Fitzgerald can expect formal requests for interviews after the Wildcats’ bowl game, and two NFL teams already inquired about his availability in the wake of Northwestern’s Big Ten Championship Game loss yesterday.

A source tells Schefter that nine NFL teams have expressed interest in Fitzgerald over the past five years, though the 46-year-old has thus far resisted the call from the professional ranks. In January 2019, he said he was not interested in NFL jobs, and there have been no concrete reports to suggest that he has changed his mind. Indeed, he has coached Northwestern (his alma mater) for 15 seasons, and he has repeatedly referred to the position as his “dream job.”

In November, we heard that the pandemic and the toll it has taken on collegiate athletic departments could make some high-profile college coaches more receptive to a move to the NFL, but it’s unclear if Fitzgerald feels that way. As Schefter observes, the ACC recently hired former Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips as its next commissioner, and Fitzgerald and Phillips enjoyed a strong relationship over their 12 years together. Theoretically, Phillips’ departure could make Fitzgerald more amenable to leaving Evanston if the right NFL opportunity presents itself.

Fitzgerald has been connected to the Panthers and Packers in the past, and he is seen as the Bears’ top choice for HC if Chicago fires Matt Nagy. Fitzgerald does live close to the Bears’ training facility, and team ownership has been eyeing him for awhile. Previous rumors have indicated that the Bears’ HC gig is the one NFL post he would seriously consider.

Florida TE Kyle Pitts Declares For Draft

December 20th, 2020 at 11:23am CST by Rory Parks

Florida tight end Kyle Pitts has declared for the 2021 NFL draft, thereby foregoing his final season of collegiate eligibility, as ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter). To guard against the possibility of injury, Pitts will not play in the Gators’ bowl game.

The 6-6, 240-pound talent is considered one of the best tight end prospects in recent memory, and as such, he is expected to come off the board in the first round. The Patriots and Cardinals profile as possible landing spots, and despite the presence of Mark Andrews, the TE-reliant Ravens could also give Pitts some serious thought.

Pitts ends his college career on a high note — at least from a personal standpoint — as he secured seven catches for 129 yards and a TD in Florida’s loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. In eight games this season, he compiled 43 catches for 770 yards and twelve scores. He is a semifinalist for this year’s John Mackey Award.

At the next level, Pitts will need to refine his route-running and blocking, but that’s largely true of any college tight end. He has experience lining up in-line and outside the numbers, and his outstanding body control and athleticism will serve him well in the pros.

Saints Place Jameis Winston On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 20th, 2020 at 10:59am CST by Rory Parks

The Saints will have quarterback Drew Brees back in action this afternoon, but they will be without their expected backup. The team announced that it has placed Jameis Winston on the reserve/COVID-19 list, thereby ruling him out for New Orleans’ much-anticipated battle with the Chiefs. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Winston did not test positive for the coronavirus, but he is a close contact of someone who did.

The plan was to have Winston serve as Brees’ QB2 so that Taysom Hill, who went 3-1 as as Brees’ replacement under center over the past four games, could resume his jack-of-all-trades role. However, Winston’s placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list means that Hill will be the backup signal-caller, and the Saints may be more reluctant to deploy him as a runner/receiver as a result.

Just this morning, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports wrote that Winston could have a future with the Saints beyond the 2020 campaign. Though Hill signed an extension in April and is expected to become the team’s starting QB in 2021 — assuming Brees retires — New Orleans has reportedly been impressed with Winston’s work ethic and ability.

The former No. 1 overall pick of the Buccaneers signed a modest one-year, $1MM pact with the Saints this year in an effort to rebuild his value, and there may be opportunities for him elsewhere in the coming offseason. But given Hill’s lack of experience, the Saints might still represent his best chance to win a starting job.

After a wild roller coaster ride in 2019 that saw him lead the league in passing yards (5,109) while throwing for 33 TDs against a stunning 30 interceptions, Winston has attempted just 10 passes this season.

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