HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

This Date In Transactions History: Broncos Extend Brandon Stokley

December 8th, 2020 at 8:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Broncos of the late 2000s were not particularly successful and are better known for a controversial Mike Shanahan-to-Josh McDaniels transition, one player’s extension agreement 13 years ago today helped lead to some higher-profile NFL moments.

The Broncos signed Brandon Stokley to a one-year deal in the spring of 2007, adding the former Colts standout as part of their post-Rod Smith receiving corps. On Dec. 8, 2007, Stokley agreed to terms on a three-year extension to stay in Denver. This ended up paying dividends down the road.

Stokley ruptured an Achilles’ tendon late in the Colts’ Super Bowl-winning 2006 season, leading the team to release its slot receiver in March of ’07. Stokley had been part of the past four explosive Indianapolis offenses. This included a 2004 season that featured Peyton Manning breaking Dan Marino‘s touchdown pass record — on a throw to Stokley — and his veteran slot staple joining Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne in surpassing 1,000 receiving yards.

Stokley recovered from this injury quickly and amassed more than 1,100 yards in Shanahan’s final two Broncos seasons, but he was less productive under McDaniels. That said, the veteran wideout’s first catch in McDaniels’ offense produced one of the unlikeliest endings in NFL history (and set the table for a signature Gus Johnson call). Stokley’s 87-yard, game-winning touchdown off a deflection gave the Broncos a final-seconds victory over the Bengals in Week 1 of the 2009 season. Denver started 6-0 that season.

Although the Broncos ended up releasing Stokley in September 2010, his Colorado relocation played a part in one of the free agency era’s biggest transactions.

After seasons with the Seahawks and Giants in 2010 and ’11, Stokley circled back to Denver in 2012. This came after the Colorado resident helped recruit Manning and worked out with the future Hall of Fame passer during his Denver free agency visit. When the Broncos landed Manning, they brought back Stokley on a one-year agreement soon after. Despite being 36 in 2012, Stokley re-emerged with a 544-yard, five-TD season — which ended with a 13-3 Broncos record and Manning’s QB-record sixth first-team All-Pro honor — and added a touchdown reception in Denver’s divisional-round loss.

The Broncos did not bring back Stokley in 2013, having signed Wes Welker ahead of a record-setting offensive season. The 15-year veteran finished his career back in Baltimore that season. But Stokley played a part in some key developments for the Broncos this century.

Dez Bryant Tests Positive For COVID-19

December 8th, 2020 at 6:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens have another COVID-19 situation on their hands. They pulled Dez Bryant off the field during warmups, and the veteran announced (via Twitter) he was informed he tested positive for the coronavirus.

We are less than a half-hour from the start of what would have been a reunion game for Bryant, but he is now out of tonight’s Ravens-Cowboys matchup. Known for announcing news of his career on his Twitter account, the 32-year-old receiver subsequently said he no longer intends to play this season (Twitter link). That would be an interesting development, considering how long the former Cowboys Pro Bowler spent trying to return to the NFL, but this season has obviously featured numerous unusual announcements.

As of 6:50pm CT, Week 13’s Baltimore-Dallas game remains a go. But considering what the Ravens just went through with the virus, this could be a sticky situation. Contact tracing could lead the Ravens to pulling other players out of tonight’s game. This news transpiring so close to kickoff represents a new hurdle for the NFL in this historically unusual season.

After the season began, the NFL moved to game-day testing. Interestingly, no other Ravens tested positive and no Bryant high-risk close contacts have been identified, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The NFL’s latest Tuesday game will still take place. This confusing situation went down because a Tuesday-morning Bryant PCR test twice came back inconclusive and a subsequent point-of-care test came back positive, according to Pelissero (on Twitter).

The Ravens signed Bryant to their practice squad earlier this season and have used him sparingly in multiple games. Bryant caught four passes for 28 yards in Week 11 against the Titans and played in last week’s Steelers game — one that featured a decimated Ravens squad after their COVID outbreak. The Ravens still have several players on their reserve/COVID list, including pass catchers Mark Andrews and Willie Snead.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/8/20

December 8th, 2020 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves. There are many.

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Thomas Ives, DT LaCale London, LB Manti Te’o; London and Te’o tested positive for the coronavirus

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Buccaneers Sign OL Ted Larsen

December 8th, 2020 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

An 88-game NFL starter, Ted Larsen has not played since last season. But he now has a path back to game action. The Buccaneers signed the 10-year veteran offensive lineman Tuesday.

Larsen will join Tampa Bay’s practice squad, becoming the latest 30-something vet to agree to such an arrangement in this unusual NFL season. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Larsen, who played the first four seasons of his career in Tampa.

The Bucs originally added Larsen in 2010, claiming the sixth-round draft choice after the Patriots waived him, and used him as a near-full-time starter as a rookie. Larsen made 31 starts at guard and center with the Bucs during the Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano regimes but left for a Cardinals free agency deal in 2014. Larsen has since played for the Bears (two stints) and Dolphins.

Last season, Larsen started two games with the Bears and played in 12, doing so after the Dolphins made him a cap casualty as they began their rebuild. A more experienced Dolphins team featured Larsen as a full-time starter in 2018.

Tampa Bay’s offensive line lost a key component recently. A.Q. Shipley suffered what is believed to be a career-ending injury late last month. Larsen, 33, may have a chance to fill his shoes soon.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/8/20

December 8th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

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

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Washington Football Team

  • Signed to active roster off practice squad: TE Marcus Baugh

Titans Place Adam Humphries On IR

December 8th, 2020 at 3:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Adam Humphries is hitting the shelf again. The Titans’ slot receiver will be put back on injured reserve which will sideline him for at least the next three weeks, the team announced Tuesday.

This IR placement is apparently related to ongoing concussion issues he has dealt with, which is never a good sign. Humphries played a big role early in the season, with at least four catches and 41 yards in each of his first four games. Humphries missed around a month with a concussion before returning this past week against the Browns. Considering he was immediately placed back on IR for the same issue, it’s a scary situation.

Obviously, the most important thing is Humphries’ brain health. If everything goes as smoothly as we’d all hope, the earliest he could return would be for Tennessee’s Week 17 game and then potentially the playoffs. The Titans inked the slot receiver to a four-year, $36MM deal in March of 2019.

His first year with the team was a bit of a disappointment, as he finished with only 374 yards in 12 games. That came on the heels of his breakout 2018 season with the Bucs, when he racked up 816 yards and five touchdowns. He looked well on his way to a much better second year in Tennessee before these issues unfortunately derailed it.

Eagles To Start Jalen Hurts, Bench Carson Wentz

December 8th, 2020 at 12:44pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Well it’s official, Carson Wentz is being sent to the bench. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has made his decision and he’ll be starting Jalen Hurts under center for their Week 14 game against the Saints, sources told Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

It’s not a surprising move considering Hurts replaced Wentz during Sunday’s loss to the Packers and moved the ball much better, but it sure is a monumental one. Whether this is the end of Wentz’s run in Philly remains to be seen, as his contract now looms over the franchise. The second overall pick of the 2020 draft is due over $50MM in guaranteed money over the next two seasons after this one.

It’s very hard to envision him not being on the roster in 2021, unless the Eagles are willing to absorb a massive dead cap hit. They could look to trade him, although needless to say it won’t be easy to iron out a deal.It’s fair to say Philadelphia brass brought this quarterback controversy upon themselves by drafting Hurts in the second-round back in April. Whether that pick shattered Wentz’s confidence or whatever else, his play had regressed to atrocious levels. He leads the league in interceptions, and nobody else is even a close second.

It’s anyone’s guess what Hurts will look like in an offense with a shaky offensive line and inconsistent pass-catchers, but he can’t be any worse than Wentz statistically at this point. It’s possible Pederson is making this move now in an attempt to save his own job, as we heard a couple of days ago that the coach who won the Super Bowl just a few years ago is on the hot seat.

It’s a remarkable fall from grace for Wentz, as at this point last year he was being widely praised for helping the Eagles storm back and win the NFC East. It wasn’t too long ago that Wentz was considered an MVP candidate before going down with a torn ACL and LCL. But things change fast in the NFL, and unfortunately injuries robbed Wentz of the chance to have any memorable postseason moments with the team the past few seasons. There’s a lot still left to be written, but it looks like this could be the beginning of the end for Wentz in Philadelphia.

Hurts, the 53rd pick of April’s draft, accomplished a ton in college at both Alabama and Oklahoma. As ridiculous as it sounds, the 3-8-1 Eagles are still alive in the pitiful NFC East. It’ll be interesting to see if Hurts sparks something in this locker room, or if their struggles continue just as much as before.

Latest On 49ers’ Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle

December 8th, 2020 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

We might not see Jimmy Garoppolo or George Kittle back on the field this year. After last night’s loss to the Bills, Kyle Shanahan indicated that both players have a long way to go as they work to bounce back from injury.

“Those guys are working their tails off right now,” Shanahan said (via Chris Biderman of The Sacramento Bee). “But they’re still part of the rehab, just trying to get back and be a part of this, but it’s not anytime soon right now.”

GM John Lynch was a little more optimistic, saying he’s “hopeful” that Garoppolo and Kittle will be back by season’s end (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area).

The Niners are still technically in the playoff mix, but their odds have dwindled significantly. At 5-7, the reigning NFC champs will need wins against the Washington Football Team, Cowboys, Cardinals, and Seahawks. The double dose of NFC East opponents should help, but if San Francisco should fall completely out of contention, it wouldn’t make sense for the club to rush key players back from injury.

Injuries have ravaged the Niners on both sides of the ball this year. On the plus side, they have returned star cornerback Richard Sherman, though he’s not so sure about his future beyond 2020.

Tony Dungy, Jimmy Johnson To Guide Texans’ Search

December 8th, 2020 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans’ GM and head coaching search is underway. In addition to big-time firm Korn Ferry, owner Cal McNair has also enlisted the help of several notable names (via Mark Berman of FOX26). That list includes Hall of Fame coaches Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson, plus Texans legend Andre Johnson, and Spurs architect RC Buford.

“I’m very excited,” McNair said. “These guys are all so experienced and had a lot of success in the various areas they’ve been working and they all want to help and make the Texans the best we can be and it’s really quite a testament that they want to do that. I’ll be talking to them. [Team president Jamey Rootes] and I will have conversations with them, get their ideas on how they see the landscape and try to put together the best group that we can.”

For now, the head coaching position belongs to Romeo Crennel, though there are conflicting reports on whether he’ll be a real candidate for the gig in 2021. The GM role is also vacant and the Texans swear that they will not be filling it with fast-rising exec Jack Easterby.

“It’s a relentless search for greatness is what we’re after, and these guys have gotten there and we’ll use some of their intuition and intelligence to help us get there as well,” said McNair. “This search is going to be really, really exciting.”

The Texans could certainly use some excitement — their latest loss to the Colts has dropped them to 4-8 on the year. They’ll look to get back in the win column this weekend when they face the Bears in Chicago.

AFC East Notes: Edelman, Jets, Dolphins

December 7th, 2020 at 7:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Matthew Slater is in the midst of his 13th NFL season. With the Patriots currently spending a week on the West Coast, the California (and UCLA) product is appreciating what could be the final homecoming of his career.

“I don’t know how many more chances I’m going to have to play football in California, where my dreams started as a kid. It certainly means a lot,” Slater told ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “For our team, it’s another game, and they’ll be the two biggest games of the season. It certainly carries a little extra significance for me, especially the second one, needless to say.”

Yesterday’s game against the Chargers marked Slater’s first game in Los Angeles since his final season at UCLA in 2007. As Reiss notes, Slater’s father, Jackie, spent 19 of his 20 NFL seasons playing in Los Angeles for the Rams.

The 35-year-old special teams ace has spent his entire career on the opposite coast in New England. Slater has earned three Super Bowl rings, eight Pro Bowl appearances, and five first-team All-Pro nods. He also earned a spot on New England’s 2010s All-Decade Team.

Some more notes out of the AFC East…

  • One of Slater’s teammates won’t be returning to the field very soon. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that wideout Julian Edelman is “still a couple of weeks” away from rejoining the Patriots. The 34-year-old landed on IR back in October after undergoing knee surgery, and he was recently placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Edelman, who has 21 receptions for 315 yards this season, is still planning to play again in 2020, according to Schefter.
  • A surprising name has popped up as a potential suitor for the inevitable head coaching vacancy with the Jets. WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason suggested that former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher could be an option for New York. “He was saying to me yesterday, he’s the one that told me the Jets job is going to be really attractive, and they could hire whomever they want, and he told me he loves [G.M.] Joe Douglas,” Esiason said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). Cowher hasn’t coached since the 2006 season. He currently holds a 149-90 record, and he won a Super Bowl championship with Pittsburgh in 2005.
  • The Dolphins auditioned running back Elijah McGuire recently, according to Schefter (on Twitter). The former Jets sixth-round pick has bounced around the NFL a bit, including a stint on the Cowboys practice squad that ended back in October. The 26-year-old has appeared in 24 career games (five starts), rushing for 591 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also added 36 receptions for 370 yards and two scores.
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