HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Giants Designate Devonta Freeman For Return

December 20th, 2020 at 10:40am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants designated running back Devonta Freeman for return on Friday, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. Freeman landed on injured reserve in November with an ankle injury, and New York now has three weeks to add him to the active roster.

Raanan expects Big Blue to do just that. In his first practice since being put on IR, Freeman was reportedly moving well and appears close to a return.

The former Falcons standout joined the Giants on a one-year deal worth up to $3MM in late September, and though he started four games for the team, he did not do much to disprove the notion that he is just not the same player he was a few years ago in Atlanta, where he earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods from 2015-16.

Freeman, 28, averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry over 54 totes with the Giants this season. He had the chance to seize a prominent role in the wake of Saquon Barkley‘s season-ending injury, but general ineffectiveness and the ankle injury prevented that from happening.

Still, the Giants surprisingly find themselves in the middle of a playoff race, and they can use all the help they can get. In Freeman’s absence, Wayne Gallman has stepped up in a big way, racking up 561 yards and six TDs on 121 carries (good for a 4.6-YPC average). 32-year-old veteran Alfred Morris has also maintained a 4.6-YPC average as Gallman’s complementary back.

New York, 5-8, will try to keep its postseason hopes alive with a win over the Browns tonight. They will again call upon backup QB Colt McCoy, as starter Daniel Jones is battling an ankle sprain of his own and a lingering hamstring injury. The G-Men will also be without top CB James Bradberry, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Jaguars To Be Without Punter In Week 15

December 20th, 2020 at 10:19am CST by Rory Parks

The Jaguars will be without a punter for their matchup with the Ravens this afternoon. As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, Jacksonville’s regular punter, Logan Cooke, has been ruled out due to an illness, and kicker Aldrick Rosas is likely to handle punting duties.

The Jags do not have another punter on their practice squad, so there is no option to call someone up in Cooke’s absence. Plus, as Cooke also serves as the club’s holder for field goal and extra point attempts, Jacksonville will need to have another player assume those responsibilities.

The 1-12 Jaguars are neck-and-neck with the 0-13 Jets in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes, and Jacksonville is already a heavy underdog to Baltimore. Although it would be wrong to wish an illness on anyone, Jags fans are probably happy for any development that will better their chances of landing Lawrence.

The Jags will be helmed by Gardner Minshew, who was renamed the starting QB earlier this week. Minshew doubtlessly gives Jacksonville the best chance to win, which may or may not be a good thing for the club’s long-term future.

It’s unclear if Cooke’s illness is in any way related to COVID-19.

Josh Gordon To Rejoin Seahawks

December 20th, 2020 at 9:32am CST by Rory Parks

Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon was conditionally reinstated by the league earlier this month, and according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Gordon has thus far adhered to the terms of that reinstatement (Twitter link). He will join the team on the practice field tomorrow.

Though the 29-year-old wideout re-signed with Seattle in early September, he has not been eligible to practice. Instead, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, Gordon has been limited to working with the strength and conditioning staff. Apparently, that work has paid off, as Pelissero reports that Gordon is in excellent shape.

The saga of the 2013 receiving yards leader is quite familiar to NFL fans. Gordon has been suspended nine times since his pro career began in 2012, and most of those bans stemmed from violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy. The new CBA created a more lenient reality for non-PED drug violations, and Gordon, to his credit, has not given up in his quest to continue his playing career.

In 11 games with the Pats and Seahawks last season, Gordon caught 27 passes for 426 yards and a touchdown. His yards-per-catch average was a stellar 19.9 in his five Seahawks games, and things were seemingly going well with him in Seattle before he was hit with his latest suspension.

Seattle is jostling for an NFC West title, and Gordon could be a quality option for Russell Wilson in a receiving corps that also includes D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and David Moore.

Carson Wentz Not Interested In QB2 Role

December 20th, 2020 at 9:04am CST by Rory Parks

As expected, the future of Carson Wentz in Philadelphia is fast becoming a hot topic in the NFL news cycle. This morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com published a report saying that Wentz is not interested in being a backup quarterback and will ask to be traded if Jalen Hurts continues as the team’s starter.

Obviously, no player wants to be a backup, especially a player like Wentz who is not too far removed from being a legitimate MVP candidate and whose massive contract has quickly turned into an albatross. But if his goal is to get a fresh start somewhere else, then leaking his unhappiness might not be the best way to go about it, as it could hurt the Eagles’ leverage with other clubs and add another layer of complexity to trade talks.

According to Schefter, Wentz is unhappy with how his benching has unfolded. It seems his primary point of contention is that head coach Doug Pederson has not said whether the switch to Hurts is permanent, though sources tell ESPN and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) that the rookie passer will remain the starter for the rest of the regular season (and presumably into the playoffs if Philadelphia should qualify). Schefter’s report also lends credence to prior rumblings that Wentz’s confidence was shaken when Hurts was selected in the second round of this year’s draft.

Just last week, we heard that the Eagles are committed to Wentz as their long-term solution under center, though many believe that was simply to help themselves in their seemingly inevitable trade negotiations. As we detailed in that story, the club will need to make a decision on Wentz’s future by the second day of the 2021 league year, which will be sometime in the middle of March. On the third day of the league year, Wentz’s 2022 base salary of $22MM becomes fully-guaranteed, and he will receive a $10MM roster bonus for 2021.

In addition to the Colts, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP sees the Patriots, Broncos, and 49ers as potential trade partners.

Robert Saleh Atop Lions’ HC List?

December 19th, 2020 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions have begun their GM search, interviewing Louis Riddick, Thomas Dimitroff, Scott Pioli and multiple internal candidates. One name has also surfaced in connection with the Detroit HC job.

49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh resides atop the Lions’ list of HC candidates, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Tony Pauline. They will likely have competition for the fourth-year 49ers defensive play-caller.

Saleh grew up in Michigan and went to college in the state, and these connections prompted dozens of Michigan lawmakers to pen a letter to Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp urging her to hire the 49ers assistant to replace Patricia. The team appears to have already been monitoring Saleh, who emerged on the HC radar after the 2019 49ers’ rise to Super Bowl LIV.

While a healthier 49ers defense finished second in DVOA last season, Saleh has managed to keep this year’s injury-ravaged unit in the top five in total defense. The 49ers rank fifth in yards allowed going into their Week 15 game, despite missing Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman and several others for significant parts of the season.

Saleh, 41, has been connected to bringing 49ers VP of player personnel Adam Peters with him — should he land a coaching job in 2021. The Lions are open to using a 49ers-style setup where they hire the head coach before signing off on a GM as well, and Pauline adds the team is prepared to pair Saleh with a GM with whom he is comfortable.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/20

December 19th, 2020 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s practice squad decisions:

Chicago Bears

  • Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Manti Te’o

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

Tennessee Titans

Ravens Activate Marquise Brown From Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 19th, 2020 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Half the Ravens’ receiving corps missed practice this week, but the team will have its full crew of wideouts available against the Jaguars on Sunday.

The Ravens activated Marquise Brown, Miles Boykin and James Proche from their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. None of the three tested positive for the coronavirus, but each were high-risk close contacts and were forced to isolate for five days.

This marks more good news for a Ravens team set to play on Sunday for the first time in three weeks. Virus issues led to the Ravens playing Wednesday and Tuesday games in Weeks 12 and 13, respectively, prior to their action-packed triumph in Cleveland on Monday.

Brown has set a new career high in receiving yards (605) this season, but the second-year wideout and Lamar Jackson have struggled to stay on the same page. Drops have also been an issue for Baltimore’s top receiver. Still, Brown has managed to score touchdowns in each of the Ravens’ past three games. He will be a key part of the team’s final push for a playoff spot.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/20

December 19th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Cardinals Move Gonzalez, Phillips To IR

December 19th, 2020 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike Nugent looks set to continue as Arizona’s kicker for the foreseeable future. The Cardinals placed Zane Gonzalez on IR on Saturday and promoted Nugent from their practice squad.

The Cardinals gave Nugent a chance to kick in a 16th NFL season last week, calling on him to replace an injured Gonzalez. With Saturday’s transaction sidelining Gonzalez for the rest of the regular season, the 38-year-old Nugent will receive more opportunities to help the Cards into the playoffs for the first time in five years.

Gonzalez has struggled this season, having seen a game-tying field goal from inside 50 yards fall short against the Dolphins and having missed five other field goals (16-for-22) in his third Cardinals campaign. The former Browns kicker, down because of a back injury, will be eligible to return for Arizona’s playoff game — should the Cards qualify. Nugent made 4 of 4 field goals in the Cards’ win over the Giants last week.

Joining Gonzalez on IR for the next three weeks: Jordan Phillips. The pricey free agent acquisition will head to IR for the second time this season. Because this is Phillips’ second time on IR, his season is over.

Phillips has dealt with a balky hamstring this season. He returned from IR last week to play against the Giants, but a setback will sideline a key Cards defender for the team’s most critical stretch of games in years. The Cardinals now have D-linemen Phillips, Corey Peters and Josh Mauro on IR.

Arizona also activated tight end Darrell Daniels off IR and promoted running back D.J. Foster and linebacker Terrance Smith.

Dolphins Promote WR Isaiah Ford

December 19th, 2020 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

With multiple wide receivers’ statuses uncertain heading into a pivotal Week 15 game against the Patriots, the Dolphins promoted Isaiah Ford from their practice squad.

This will complete an interesting journey for the former seventh-round pick. The Dolphins traded Ford to the Patriots for a seventh-round pick ahead of the deadline, but the Pats waived him a month later without having deployed him in a game. The Dolphins signed the fourth-year wideout to their practice squad shortly after but have not used him in a game since the trade.

DeVante Parker and Jakeem Grant‘s questionable designations going into Sunday’s Dolphins-Pats rematch, however, point to Sunday’s hosts needing insurance at this position. With Preston Williams on IR and Mike Gesicki suffering an injury, the Dolphins were down to a Lynn Bowden-led skeleton crew at the end of their Week 14 loss to the Chiefs.

Gesicki, Parker and Grant getting in multiple limited practice each, however, points to Tua Tagovailoa having more help when he makes his Patriots debut. Ford, who has 18 catches this season, will be available in case. The Dolphins also promoted tight end Chris Myarick on Saturday.

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