2021 October - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers Expected To Activate CB Stephon Gilmore

October 30th, 2021 at 9:58am CST by Ben Levine

Stephon Gilmore is set to make his Panthers debut. The team is planning to activate the All-Pro cornerback off the PUP for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).

Per Fowler (on Twitter), Gilmore had been “trending” towards playing this weekend. The team practiced today, and the cornerback apparently showed enough to justify his activation. The Panthers opened Gilmore’s practice window earlier this month, so the player’s season debut was always going to come sooner than later.

At the beginning of the month, the Panthers sent the Pats a sixth-round pick and took on the contract-year corner’s remaining $5.8MM in base salary. While the organization will still have to figure out a long-term pact for the former Defensive Player of the Year, the move was a worthy risk. At his best, Gilmore was one of the best defenders in the NFL during his first few seasons in New England. 2020 was a down year for the veteran, although a quad injury likely played a role in his reduced production.

The 31-year-old will now help replace first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot. Gilmore now headlines a Panthers CB group with Donte Jackson, former top-10 pick C.J. Henderson, A.J. Bouye, and Rashaan Melvin.

Latest On Cardinals’ J.J. Watt

October 29th, 2021 at 10:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals pass rusher J.J. Watt may need season-ending shoulder surgery, but nothing has been decided just yet, according to Cardinals GM Steve Keim (via the team website).

“I know surgery is an option, but at the same time I think there are some things that are possibly put in place where we want to play this thing out with a little bit more time and see how he responds,” Keim said. “To me, if there is anybody who can bounce back and can do it, it’s J.J. Watt.”

It’s safe to say that Watt won’t be ready for the Cardinals’ Nov. 7 game against the 49ers, but there’s a chance that he could return for the playoff stretch. Keim also raises a fair point about Watt and his resilience — the veteran managed to finish out the Cards’ Week 7 win over the Texans and beat his recovery timetable in 2019 after suffering a torn pec.

Through seven games this year, Watt has tallied 16 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits. The Cardinals — sans the future Hall of Famer — remain tied with the Packers the NFC lead.

Titans Place Darrynton Evans On IR

October 29th, 2021 at 5:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Titans running back Darrynton Evans is headed to the injured reserve list again, per a club announcement. This time, he won’t be able to return.

Evans spent the first six weeks of the season on the IR list before returning to face the Chiefs on Sunday. Unfortunately, he re-aggravated his knee injury after just two carries and two catches. Injuries have plagued the 23-year-old throughout his pro career.

The Titans had high hopes for the third-rounder in 2020, but he was limited to just five games as a rookie. Now, he’ll head into 2022 with little pro experience and an uphill battle to make the final cut.

Derrick Henry and Jeremy McNichols stand as the Titans’ only healthy running backs. They’ll almost certainly add a third before Sunday’s matchup against the Colts. One of their two practice squad RBs — Dontrell Hilliard or Mekhi Sargent — could get promoted to the practice squad. Or, the Titans could circle back to D’Onta Foreman, who auditioned for Mike Vrabel & Co. on Wednesday.

49ers’ Javon Kinlaw Done For Year

October 29th, 2021 at 5:24pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw will undergo season-ending knee surgery, per a club announcement. Kinlaw will be placed on the injured reserve list and likely replaced with another interior lineman.

Kinlaw, who has battled intermittent knee trouble for years, met with a specialist in Los Angeles last week. He was told that surgery was likely, and an additional check confirmed the bad news for the former first-round pick.

“There’s lot things went into it and what they found. Good news is they think they solved the problem,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan (Twitter link via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).

Kinlaw has yet to fill DeForest Buckner‘s shoes in SF. So far, the second-year pro has taken a backseat to Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead and the rest of the Niners’ standout linemen. His season will end with just eight tackles in four games.

On the plus side, quarterback Trey Lance may be able to face the Bears this weekend. Left tackle Trent Williams is also expected to play as the 49ers look to snap their four-game losing streak.

Rams Shopping DeSean Jackson

October 29th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams and DeSean Jackson have mutually agreed to seek a trade, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). The wide receiver should hold appeal to other teams, but they’ll only have a few days to complete a deal.

Any team trading for Jackson will be responsible for the balance of his one-year, $4.5MM deal. The Rams could cover part of the tab, however, and potentially increase their haul.

Jackson, 34, has averaged 27.6 yards per catch through seven games this year. Of course, that also comes in a limited sample size — 8 catches for 221 yards. Much of that production came in Week 3 against the Buccaneers when he notched three receptions for 120 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has confirmed the report, saying that the team will try and find “opportunities he’s deserving of” elsewhere (Twitter link via Garafolo). In the meantime, Jackson will not suit up for Sunday’s game against the Texans.

Barring a return to one of his old employers, Jackson will move on to the fifth team of his pro career. The three-time Pro Bowler led the league in 2018 with 18.9 yards per reception and could still be a serious deep threat, despite his age.

Packers’ Robert Tonyan Tears ACL

October 29th, 2021 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Robert Tonyan‘s season is over. The Packers tight end has been officially diagnosed with an ACL tear, according to his agent (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

Tonyan was forced out in the third quarter of last night’s game against the Cardinals and did not return. His limp indicated that he was dealing with a serious injury and doctors confirmed his worst fears on Friday afternoon.

“I’m sick for Bobby,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game (via NFL.com). “He means so much to this team. It’s so cool, and I just told him to watch a guy when you first hit your… see the amount of progress that he’s made as a player and just the work that he puts in on a daily basis. It’s really cool when you see that progress, when you see a guy reach their potential and I still think there’s more out there for him…I am sick for him, I’m sick for us. My heart goes out to him.”

Tonyan reeled in three catches before his early exit, giving him 18 grabs for 204 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The Packers went on to defeat the league’s last undefeated team, but they’ll have to go the rest of the way without Tonyan and running back Kylin Hill.

Saints Acquired Mark Ingram For 7th-Round Pick

October 29th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints only gave up a 2024 seventh-round draft pick in their trade for Mark Ingram (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The Texans — in the midst of a major reboot — effectively moved the running back in a salary dump.

Ingram has also inked a brand new deal with his old pals (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Ingram is now signed through 2022 thanks to a one-year extension that could pay up to $2.8M next year. He’ll also take a haircut for this year — his salary has gone from $1.5MM to $1.075MM while his per-game bonuses have been wiped out. Ultimately, he’ll carry a cap charge of just ~$657K for the Saints this year. Next season, he’ll collect $1.5MM in salary, plus a $300K roster bonus, $500K total in per-game perks, and another $500K in potential incentives.

The 2011 first-rounder spent the first eight seasons of his career in New Orleans, tallying 55 total touchdowns. In those last two Saints years, he formed one of the league’s best RB duos with Alvin Kamara. He’ll look to recapture that magic again as the Saints try and lessen Kamara’s workload. So far this year, Kamara is averaging 19 rushing attempts per game, up from the 11.2 totes per contest he averaged previously.

Ingram is expected to make his New Orleans re-debut on Halloween when the Saints host the Buccaneers.

Dolphins HC: Tua Tagovailoa To Remain Starter

October 29th, 2021 at 11:15am CST by Zachary Links

Barring injury, head coach Brian Flores says that Tua Tagovailoa will remain the team’s starting quarterback (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). However, Flores also declined to come out and say that the Dolphins will not be trading for Texans QB Deshaun Watson.

Things seem to be heating up between the Dolphins and Texans, with the two sides reportedly agreeing on the trade essentials. Watson has also told the Texans that he would approve a trade to the Dolphins. Flores has shied away from Watson talk in the past, but owner Stephen Ross seems ready to overrule any objectors. Flores is also on the hot seat, so his pro-Tua position doesn’t necessarily mean much.

“I don’t not feel wanted,” said Tagovailoa this week when asked about the constant speculation (via ESPN.com). “I really don’t think about it. The only time I’m really hearing about it, like I’ve said before, is if [the communications staff] is kind of telling me what’s going on within the rumors or if my agent calls me. That’s really when I hear it. Other than that, I don’t really hear it.”

We should be hearing plenty about Tagovailoa, Watson, and all the moving parts between now and Tuesday’s deadline. If both QBs remain in place come Wednesday, Tagovailoa can expect the chatter to resume in the offseason.

Eagles Place Miles Sanders On IR

October 29th, 2021 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are placing Miles Sanders on injured reserve with an ankle injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Sanders will miss the Birds’ next three games, at minimum, but the hope is that he’ll return soon after he’s eligible to do so.

Sanders was forced out of Sunday’s 33-22 loss to the Raiders and his ankle hasn’t responded to treatment much over the past week. Now, he’ll be shelved for the next few games against the Lions, Chargers, and Broncos, with a chance to return on Nov. 21 when the Eagles host the Saints.

So far this year, Sanders has amassed 300 rushing yards off of 63 totes, good for a 4.8 yards per carry average. He also has 19 grabs for 118 yards, though he’s yet to find paydirt via the air or the ground.

Sanders, 24, has amassed 1,985 rushing yards since making his debut in 2019. In 2020, he finished out with a career-high 5.3 ypc and a total of 867 rushing yards despite missing four regular season games.

The Eagles are now left with Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott as the only running backs on the 53-man roster. That could open the door for veteran Jordan Howard, who currently resides on the Eagles’ taxi squad.

Packers’ Kylin Hill Done For Year

October 29th, 2021 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

Packers rookie running back Kylin Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury on Thursday night (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Hill will be placed on injured reserve, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster.

Hill suffered the injury on a third quarter kick return, when he was tackled by Cardinals running back Jonathan Ward. Both players had to be carted off of the field following the violent collision, with Ward being evaluated for a concussion.

Hill, a seventh-round rookie, has served as the Packers’ No. 3 RB behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. The bulk of his work has come on special teams, with 26 snaps on offense vs. 76 ST plays. He’ll finish his season with 10 carries for 24 yards, one reception for five yards, and ten kickoff returns for 199 yards.

The Packers could use Malik Taylor as their KR going forward, but they’ll need to add a new RB. Practice squader Patrick Taylor would be next in line, but they could also audition free agents between now and their Nov. 7 game against the Chiefs.

The Packers advanced to 7-1 after beating the league’s last undefeated team. Now the owners of the NFL’s longest active winning streak, they hold a comfortable divisional lead over the 3-3 Vikings.