HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/21

September 28th, 2021 at 6:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/21

September 28th, 2021 at 5:24pm CST by Zachary Links

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

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Lions OC Anthony Lynn On USC Radar?

September 28th, 2021 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Anthony Lynn relocated to Detroit this offseason, doing so after a four-year Los Angeles stay. The longtime NFL coach would be interested in moving back to L.A., should a rather notable opportunity emerge.

USC boosters have reached out to Lynn about the school’s head coaching vacancy, Jim Trotter of NFL.com tweets. While no official contact between the parties has taken place, Trotter adds Lynn would be interested in the high-profile college position.

Lynn, 52, has been an NFL lifer, playing eight seasons as a running back before breaking into coaching the year he retired (2000). He has not skipped an NFL season since, though he planned to this year after the Chargers fired him in January. The Lions hired Lynn as their OC soon after his Bolts ouster, and he has returned to a play-calling role.

Eric Bieniemy joined Lynn on the USC radar, while speculation has linked Urban Meyer to the job — to the point the Jaguars HC has needed to deny rumors about him returning to the college ranks. Bieniemy would join Lynn in being interested, though he obviously did not indicate this publicly. It is also unclear if either would take the job if it meant leaving their current post before season’s end. That would almost certainly be necessary.

Giants Work Out T Isaiah Wilson

September 28th, 2021 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite a turbulent Titans tenure, Isaiah Wilson has managed to draw interest from multiple teams in recent days. The Giants worked out the 2020 first-round pick Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

This audition followed Wilson’s Colts meeting. While Wilson’s stock has fallen off a cliff since the Titans made him the No. 29 overall pick last year, the young tackle has resurfaced and could have another chance soon.

The Titans traded Wilson to the Dolphins after a four-snap rookie season. The Georgia product ran into extensive off-field trouble as a rookie and encountered more this year, with a January arrest involving a high-speed chase leading the Dolphins to cut bait as well. After several months off the radar, Wilson is aiming to catch on with a third team.

The Giants have gone through considerable issues on their offensive front, an area that has been a problem for several years. Both Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux are out for the season, with the former’s career possibly in jeopardy. At tackle, the Giants are starting ex-Wilson Georgia teammate Andrew Thomas — chosen 25 spots before Wilson last year — and veteran Nate Solder. They are trying 2020 third-round pick Matt Peart at guard, with the injuries causing some early-season promotions.

At Georgia, Wilson lined up opposite Thomas at right tackle and earned second-team All-SEC acclaim in 2019. After letting Jack Conklin walk in free agency, the Titans had Wilson penciled in as their heir apparent on the right side. His myriad issues interfered with that vision, however, and resulted in a quick trip to the workout circuit. Even at 22, Wilson is already running out of chances.

49ers Plan To Sign CB Buster Skrine

September 28th, 2021 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

With longtime slot cornerback K’Waun Williams going down Sunday night, the 49ers plan to sign veteran Buster Skrine, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.

Skrine has enjoyed a 10-year career, playing with the Browns, Jets and Bears, working mostly as a slot corner. The 49ers are reeling at corner, having seen several key players suffer injuries in recent weeks.

The Ravens auditioned Skrine earlier this month. Otherwise, it has been a quiet 2021 for the veteran inside cover man. Skrine, 32, succeeded Bryce Callahan in the slot for the Bears and has been a regular on defenses since his 2011 rookie season. He is set to join a 49ers coverage corps that lost Jason Verrett for the season and lost Williams to a calf strain in Week 3. The 49ers also played part of Sunday’s game without recently acquired boundary defender Josh Norman. An injury also delayed Emmanuel Moseley‘s season debut by two weeks.

San Francisco has added Norman and Dre Kirkpatrick in recent weeks. The team made the latter a healthy scratch for Week 3, but its latest batch of injuries will likely bump Kirkpatrick back to active duty. Williams, who played with Skrine in 2014 in Cleveland, has been San Francisco’s slot corner since 2017. Rookie Deommodore Lenoir replaced Williams on Sunday.

A former fifth-round pick, Skrine has logged 151 games since arriving in the NFL during the lockout-marred offseason. Skrine’s Browns run ended in 2014, when Kyle Shanahan was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator. Although Skrine was an in-demand free agent in both the 2015 and ’19 offseasons, the Bears cut him shortly before releasing Kyle Fuller amid this year’s salary cap crunch. Skrine graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 92 overall corner last season.

Cardinals, CB Quinton Dunbar Agree To Deal

September 28th, 2021 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quinton Dunbar will land in Arizona. The veteran cornerback reached an agreement Tuesday to sign with the Cardinals, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Cardinals, who were interested in Dunbar this offseason, brought him in for a workout today. He will join the team’s Byron Murphy-headed cornerback corps. This is a practice squad agreement, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets.

Dunbar scheduled a visit with the Cards this offseason but ended up signing with the Lions. The rebuilding squad ended up releasing Dunbar ahead of the season, leading the veteran starter to the in-season workout circuit. Dunbar, 29, auditioned for the Bills last week but will circle back to the Cardinals, who have experienced some cornerback turnover this year.

Ten-year starter Patrick Peterson bolted in free agency, and replacement Malcolm Butler landed on the Cards’ reserve/retired list just before the season. The Cards also placed Darqueze Dennard on IR and then released him with an injury settlement. Although DC Vance Joseph indicated Butler could return at some point, the team has played its first three games without him. Murphy and fourth-round rookie Marco Wilson have operated as Arizona’s starting corners, with Robert Alford — who missed all of the 2019 and ’20 seasons — mixing in heavily.

Two years ago, Dunbar broke out with Washington via a four-interception season that ended with the former UDFA allowing just a 61.2 passer rating while targeted. Washington’s new regime traded Dunbar to Seattle in 2020, and an injury ended a less successful season after six games. The six-year veteran will have a chance to bounce back in Arizona.

Lions Release LB Jamie Collins

September 28th, 2021 at 3:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

No Jamie Collins trade ended up materializing, and the Lions are moving on. They officially released Collins on Tuesday afternoon.

Detroit deactivated the veteran linebacker for its Week 3 game, doing so after Dan Campbell indicated the team was shopping him. Collins will become an interesting in-season free agent, being just two years removed from a standout season in his second Patriots stint — one that led the Lions to sign him to a three-year, $30MM deal in free agency.

The Lions’ previous regime authorized that pact, and Collins quickly fell out of favor with the Campbell-Brad Holmes power structure. The Lions stand to take on more than $11MM in dead money as a result of this transaction. Since the trade deadline has not yet passed, Collins, 32 in October, is free to sign with any team. Although Collins restructuring his contract seemingly made him a more attractive trade piece, as his 2021 base salary dropped to $3.8MM, he will likely end up with a less lucrative deal elsewhere.

This marks the second time a team has cut Collins, with the Browns doing so in 2019. The Lions went down a similar path with the longtime starter, signing him to an eight-figure-per-year contract — though, Collins’ Detroit pact did not quite match his then-linebacker-record Cleveland deal from 2017 (four years, $50MM) — before cutting bait. The Patriots, who drafted Collins in the 2012 second round, signed him to a one-year, incentive-laden deal in 2019.

Used as a hybrid player in New England, Collins made the Pro Bowl in 2015 — when he registered 5.5 sacks and forced an NFL-high five fumbles — and the Southern Miss product delivered a seven-sack season in 2019. He made 101 tackles with the Lions last year. Through two games this season, Pro Football Focus rated Collins as a top-25 off-ball ‘backer.

With Collins a healthy scratch, the Lions used fourth-round rookie Derrick Barnes alongside offseason pickup Alex Anzalone against the Ravens.

Panthers Place Juston Burris On IR

September 28th, 2021 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have placed Juston Burris on IR with a groin injury, per a club announcement. Fortunately, it sounds like this will be a short-term injured reserve stint, so the safety can return after a minimum of three games.

Burris suffered the injury during last Thursday’s win over the Texans. Before that, he tallied two stops, giving him ten for the season. And, in Week 2 against the Saints, he nabbed an interception, giving him six for his career.

The Panthers can turn to Sam Franklin and Sean Chandler in his absence, but it’s yet another blow to their banged up secondary. They’re already without rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn, who will be out for at least a couple of months with a broken foot. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, the Panthers are keeping their fingers crossed for Christian McCaffrey and his ailing hamstring.

In a related move, the Panthers have added Sam Tecklenburg to the 53-man roster. He’ll be eligible to play on Sunday when the 3-0 Panthers face the Cowboys.

Eagles’ Isaac Seumalo Done For Year

September 28th, 2021 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo will undergo season-ending surgery for his Lisfranc injury, per a club announcement. Seumalo will be placed on injured reserve, leaving the Birds with a major gap on their interior line.

A regular starter since October 2018, Seumalo is in his second year of his contract extension. This also marks his second straight year marred by injuries. In 2020, a knee injury limited him to just nine games. This time around, he’s done after just three starts — this was the outcome doctors feared after Seumalo had to be carted off in the fourth quarter.

Of course, this comes after the Eagles also lost Brandon Brooks for the year. They’re also awaiting word on left tackle Jordan Mailata, who was unable to play in last night’s 41-21 loss to the Cowboys. For now, Nate Herbig will likely take over Seumalo’s place in the lineup.

Meanwhile, defensive back K’Von Wallace is expected to miss three-to-six weeks with a partially separated shoulder (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). While he avoided major structural damage, he’s expected to be placed on the short-term IR list.

Colts Shopping Marlon Mack

September 28th, 2021 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts and running back Marlon Mack are going their separate ways (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The two sides have mutually agreed to seek a trade, allowing Mack to find a better opportunity elsewhere. 

Jonathan Taylor is firmly entrenched as the Colts’ workhorse tailback while pass-catching specialist Nyheim Hines has just inked a three-year, $18.6MM deal with $12MM guaranteed. That doesn’t leave much left for Mack, who is finally back to 100% health after last year’s Achilles tear. There’s nothing imminent yet, per Pelissero’s sources, but a deal could come together between now and the early November trade deadline.

Mack, 25, isn’t far removed from his two impressive seasons with the Colts. Between the 2018 and 2019 campaigns, he compiled 2,184 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns. He also added another 200 yards and one touchdown in a pair of playoff games. However, he was limited to only a single game and seven touches after tearing his Achilles in last year’s season opener.

To the surprise of many, the Colts re-upped Mack on a one-year, $2MM deal in the spring. His low-cost contract should hold appeal for contenders in need.

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