2021 October - Pro Football Rumors

Saints’ Andrus Peat To Undergo Surgery

October 28th, 2021 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY: Peat did suffer a torn pec, according to NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill, who notes the veteran guard will undergo surgery Friday. While Peat has missed his share of games as a pro, this season stands to be his longest absence.

TUESDAY: The Saints fear that left guard Andrus Peat is dealing with a torn pectoral muscle (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The injury forced Peat out of Monday night’s win over Seattle and could be a season-ender.

Peat, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has been a Saints regular for the past seven years with appearances at left tackle, left guard, right tackle, and even some snaps as an extra blocker/tight end. For much of that span, the Saints ranked No. 1 in the league in points per game while surrendering only 124 sacks.

Peat started in all six of his games this year, giving him a grand total of 79 starts at every O-Line spot, save for center. It’s a frustrating setback for the 27-year-old (28 in November), but he’s bounced back from injuries before. In 2019, a Pro Bowl year, he missed the final six games of the year with a broken arm. He returned in 2020 to capture another Pro Bowl nod, his third consecutive honor.

While the Saints await confirmation on Peat’s injury, they’ll deploy Calvin Throckmorton at left guard against the Buccaneers.

Cardinals DE J.J. Watt Likely To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

October 28th, 2021 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

THURSDAY: Hopes Watt could somehow return late in a potential Cardinals playoff run now sound unrealistic. Watt suffered the following injuries in the second half of the Cardinals’ win over the Texans: a torn labrum, torn bicep, torn rotator cuff and a dislocated shoulder, Rapoport tweets. While still not ruling Watt out for a possible Cardinals playoff run, Rapoport adds the 11th-year vet will undergo surgery next week (video link).

Watt somehow finished the Cards’ Week 7 win but will likely be out of the picture for the unbeaten team the rest of the way. Although Watt beat his timetable to recover from a torn pec in 2019, returning for the Texans’ two playoff games that season, this latest run of injury misfortune figures to sideline the future Hall of Famer well into the offseason.

WEDNESDAY: It sounds like J.J. Watt‘s shoulder injury will likely cost him the rest of the season. The Cardinals pass rusher is likely to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

Watt injured his shoulder during Sunday’s win over the Texans, but there was hope that the veteran would only miss weeks, not months. Instead, Watt’s upcoming surgery will likely sideline him for the rest of the 2021 campaign. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the recovery time is expected to take at least three months, which would bring us to late in the postseason. That slightly leaves the door open for a Watt return (especially considering his past ability to recover quickly), but no one should be hanging their hat on that scenario. Per Schefter, the surgery has yet to be scheduled.

Watt’s stint with the Texans ended this offseason, and he proceeded to ink a two-year, $28MM deal with the Cardinals. So far, that investment has been worth it for the team, as Watt has played a major role in guiding Arizona to a 7-0 record and a top-five defense. Through seven games, the 32-year-old has collected 16 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits. Despite his injury, he managed to finish Sunday’s win, but he was limited to a season-low 30 snaps on defense.

Injuries have consistently been an issue for the all-time great. Injuries in 2016 and ’17 interrupted Watt’s stratospheric pace, and although the three-time Defensive Player of the Year returned to an All-Pro level in 2018, the former Texans superstar missed a chunk of the 2019 season as well. Since 2016, Watt has missed a total of 32 regular season games, and we’ll be able to pencil in another 10 missed games for 2021.

While there really isn’t a silver lining, at least the Cardinals can rest a bit easier knowing they’ll be getting some reinforcement on their defensive line this week. Arizona will have Chandler Jones on the field after he spent the past two weeks on their reserve/COVID-19 list.

Packers Not Expected To Activate Marquez Valdes-Scantling For Week 8

October 28th, 2021 at 12:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers extended their win streak from three to six games without Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has missed the mandatory three weeks while on IR. But Green Bay’s wide receiver situation suddenly looks dire ahead of its Week 8 matchup with Arizona.

Davante Adams and Allen Lazard are out for Thursday night’s game, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets Valdes-Scantling is looking unlikely to be activated by this afternoon’s deadline. MVS made the trip and became eligible to come off IR this week. But the contract-year wide receiver may have 10 more days to recover from the hamstring injury that sent him to IR.

Green Bay placed Adams and Lazard on its reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Adams tested positive for the coronavirus, while Lazard landed on the virus list as a high-risk close contact — a distinction only pertaining to unvaccinated players in 2021. Adams is vaccinated but did not complete the two negative tests required to return to action.

Adams has served as Green Bay’s No. 1 wide receiver for years, and his 744 receiving yards lead the 2021 Packers by a staggering total. Aaron Jones and Lazard have 186 and 184, respectively. MVS serves as the Packers’ top deep threat, having led the NFL in yards per reception (20.9) last season.

This trio being sidelined leaves Randall Cobb and rookie Amari Rodgers as Aaron Rodgers‘ top wideout options, though Jones certainly factors into this equation alongside tight end Robert Tonyan. The Packers are also elevating wideout Juwann Winfree for tonight’s game, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. A 2019 Broncos sixth-round pick, Winfree has played in three Packers games over the past two seasons but has yet to record a regular-season reception.

NFL Expands Rooney Rule Requirements

October 28th, 2021 at 12:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming out of the owners meetings this week, the NFL made another change to the Rooney Rule. Teams must now interview at least two external minority candidates for general manager positions and coordinator jobs, the league announced.

In 2009, the rule designed to increase minority hiring expanded to GMs, stipulating clubs must interview at least one minority candidate for those high-profile roles. Last year, the league implemented a firm policy expanding the Rooney Rule to coordinator positions. This week’s change will double those previous meeting mandates.

Last year, the NFL made major changes to the Rooney Rule for head coaches and GMs, incentivizing such hiring decisions by included draft pick compensation. Teams with head coaching vacancies were also required to interview two minority candidates for HC roles. Expansion on the coordinator front will allow for more diverse hiring pools going forward.

The NFL moved from two minority offensive coordinators in 2020 to five this year, with the Lions (Anthony Lynn), Colts (Marcus Brady) and Dolphins (Eric Studesville) making such hires. Three teams with GM vacancies — the Falcons, Lions and Washington — also hired minority candidates for those posts (Terry Fontenot, Brad Holmes, Martin Mayhew), moving the NFL from two to five in these positions as well.

“We have to do more because we clearly haven’t gotten to a place where we have to have more opportunity for a lot of these great [coaches]. The pipeline is great. The pipeline of coaching talent is great. The pipeline of minority coaching talent is great,” Jonathan Beane, NFL Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer said, via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. “But still the opportunity to interview for these roles is still not where we want it to be and certainly not for hires.”

Additionally, the NFL informed teams virtual interviews with head coaching candidates may be conducted during the final two weeks of the regular season. While the league introduced this option last season, it only notified teams this was permitted a day before that window opened. This year’s virtual interview window will open Dec. 27 and only applies to teams with in-season HC vacancies.

Chiefs Send Steelers Melvin Ingram Offer

October 28th, 2021 at 10:51am CST by Sam Robinson

Melvin Ingram visited the Chiefs in March, but the defending AFC champions passed. This led Ingram to Pittsburgh. Months later, the veteran edge rusher is back on Kansas City’s radar.

Mentioned as a team monitoring Ingram, the Chiefs have now made an offer for the 10th-year pass rusher, NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala reports (on Twitter). Ingram wants to be traded, after seeing the Steelers reduce his playing time.

As is generally the case involving trades of notable performers, the Steelers do not want to send Ingram to a team in the conference, Kinkhabwala adds. The former Pro Bowl sack artist being on the block is certainly notable, as NFC teams assess their pass-rushing stables ahead of the Nov. 2 trade deadline, but the Chiefs certainly could use whatever defensive help they can find.

Kansas City’s defense has taken a significant step back this season. The Chiefs rank 28th in total defense and last in sacks, having registered just eight. Despite Chris Jones and Frank Clark playing together for the first time since Week 2, the Chiefs could not stop the Titans in a blowout Week 7 loss. Clark, who was arrested twice on gun charges this offseason, has yet to register a sack in his third year with the Chiefs. Kansas City, which has won five straight AFC West titles, is 3-4 and looking up at the Raiders and Chargers in a suddenly competitive division.

Ingram has one sack and six quarterback hits on his 2021 resume. While the former first-round pick is a bit removed from his peak, he could conceivably help a team as a complementary rusher. The Steelers have moved toward Alex Highsmith as T.J. Watt‘s primary sidekick and played Ingram on only 26% of their defensive snaps in Week 6. This was down from 60% in Week 5. Money is not a major issue here, as Ingram is attached to just a $1.075MM base salary. But the Steelers (3-3) are not exactly out of contention. Would they deal away cheap pass-rushing depth?

This Chiefs regime obviously knows Ingram well from his Chargers days. Working alongside Joey Bosa, Ingram made three straight Pro Bowls from 2017-19 and recorded 43 sacks from 2015-19. That led the Bolts to give him a big-ticket extension in 2017. After giving Bosa a record-setting re-up last year, the Chargers led Ingram walk in free agency.

AFC East Notes: Maye, Bills, Dolphins, Pats

October 28th, 2021 at 10:26am CST by Sam Robinson

Playing on the franchise tag, Marcus Maye continues to be viewed as on the way out for the Jets. Whether his exit will come via deadline trade or in free agency next year remains to be seen, but Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes there is interest in the fifth-year safety ahead of the Nov. 2 deadline. While Maye’s $10.6MM franchise tag salary is prohibitive, he is a fifth-year starter who could be an impact rental player. A team acquiring Maye also would allow for exclusive negotiating rights between season’s end and free agency, though Maye giving the 2022 market a try after being tagged would make sense. Maye said last week he has not requested a trade, but contentious negotiations with the Jets did not produce a summer deal. And Maye’s DUI arrest may only further distance him from the Jets, whom he did not inform about the arrest for months after the fact.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

Going into the 2021 free agency period, the Dolphins‘ regret from their 2020 spending spree influenced a quieter tour through this year’s market, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. The pandemic-reduced salary cap impacted Miami, like it did all teams, but the Dolphins spent just $25.4MM in guarantees this year. They allocated $147.2MM in total contracts in 2020, and the results helped lead the team to its 1-6 place. Byron Jones has not lived up to his then-record deal, and the Dolphins moved on from Shaq Lawson, Kyle Van Noy and Ereck Flowers after one season.
Bills defensive ends Mario Addison and Jerry Hughes have been discussed as trade targets around the league, per Graziano. Buffalo has done well to bolster its defensive line, and Addison and Hughes are 30-somethings in contract years. That said, it is difficult to see the Bills parting with either given their status as Super Bowl contenders. Hughes, 33, has started every game for Buffalo this year — his eighth as a Bills first-stringer — while first-rounder Gregory Rousseau has displaced Addison as a starter. Addison, 34, and Hughes have combined for just 1.5 sacks, but each certainly helps Buffalo with D-line depth.
The contract the Patriots gave ex-Lions second-rounder Jahlani Tavai runs through the 2022 season, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss, who writes the ex-Day 2 pick is likely being evaluated for a bigger role next season. The Patriots have Dont’a Hightower, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Jamie Collins on expiring contracts, giving Tavai a chance to grow from a seldom-used defender to a more prominent player in 2022. Tavai is set to make just $965K next year.
The extension the Patriots gave ex-Dolphins starter Raekwon McMillan calls for a $1MM base salary in 2022, per Reiss, who adds the Pats included $300K in playing-time incentives for the rehabbing linebacker. McMillan tore an ACL early in Pats camp but will have a shot to make next year’s team. The Pats included a $50K roster bonus for McMillan, if he remains with the team March 22.

HC Robert Saleh: Jets Aren’t Planning “Fire Sale”

October 27th, 2021 at 10:26pm CST by Ben Levine

When the Jets were struggling last year, general manager Joe Douglas was quick to sell off veterans for future picks. While the 2021 version of the team sits at only 1-5, it doesn’t sound like the Jets are planning on selling again this year. While head coach Robert Saleh wasn’t around last season, he told reporters today that he isn’t anticipating a fire sale, per Connor Hughes of The Athletic (via Twitter).

“If it’s something that will help us, great,” Saleh said (via Al Iannazzone of Newsday.com). “If it’s not, great. We’ll stay pat. Forcing things is not Joe’s forte. He’s very deliberate. He communicates with us all the time. I love the way he goes about his business. I love his process. I’m with Joe.”

The Jets have the youngest roster in the NFL, so it’s not like the team has a surplus of veterans that they could sell off for future pieces. Last year, the team traded the likes of Steve McLendon, Avery Williamson, and Jordan Willis, but we’re unlikely to see a repeat in 2021.

“If it’s something that’s going to help us awesome,” Saleh said. “But I also know we’re not looking for a fire sale either.”

While Marcus Maye previously made sense as a trade candidate (considering the contentious negotiations this summer), the safety said that he hasn’t requested a trade out of New York. Following Zach Wilson‘s injury, the Jets actually made a move to add to their roster earlier this week when they acquired Joe Flacco from the Eagles.

Panthers Add WRs Willie Snead, Devin Smith To Practice Squad

October 27th, 2021 at 8:32pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers added a pair of wideouts to their practice squad today. Carolina signed Devin Smith (per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter) and Willie Snead (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).

Smith, a second-round pick by the Jets in 2015, proved to be a disappointment during his time in New York, as he collected only 10 receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (three starts) through two years with the team. To be fair, a torn ACL derailed his rookie campaign, and another ACL tear in 2017 forced him to miss the entire season. The receiver was ultimately waived by the team in 2018 and ended up sitting out that entire season, as well.

He got another chance in 2019 with the Cowboys, finishing with five receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown in four games (two starts). He was released by Dallas prior to last season, and he spent most of the 2020 campaign on the Texans and Patriots practice squad. New England held on to him for much of the 2021 offseason, and he later caught on with the Jaguars before getting released earlier this month.

Snead logged only 8% of the Raiders offensive snaps through seven games, and he asked for and was granted his release yesterday. The 29-year-old was still a usable player as recently as 2020, when he finished with 432 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in 13 games (eight starts) with the Ravens. Prior to this three-year stint in Baltimore, Snead spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints, including 2015 and 2016 campaigns where he averaged 939.5 receiving yards per season.

There’s a good chance we see at least one of these players in uniform on Sunday, as Panthers wideouts Alex Erickson (concussion), Terrace Marshall Jr. (concussion), and Brandon Zylstra (hamstring) are all dealing with their own ailments.

Per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), the Panthers also added defensive end Austin Larkin to their practice squad. The former undrafted free agent spent much of the 2020 season and 2021 preseason with Carolina.