HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Chargers Sign Dustin Hopkins, Waive Tristan Vizcaino

October 26th, 2021 at 5:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following their Tuesday kicker workout, the Chargers are making a change at kicker. They signed Dustin Hopkins. To make room for the veteran on their roster, the Bolts cut incumbent Tristan Vizcaino.

Vizcaino beat out Michael Badgley for the Chargers’ kicker gig during the preseason but has struggled mightily with extra points this season. A second-year kicker, Vizcaino will land on the waiver wire.

Washington ended Hopkins’ six-plus-season tenure as their kicker last week, cutting him and going with the untested Chris Blewitt. A 2013 Bills draftee, Hopkins caught on with Washington in 2015 and signed new deals in both 2018 and 2021 to stay on in that role. He will now head to Los Angeles to kick for one of the AFC’s top teams.

After one game with the 49ers last season, Vizcaino made 6 of 7 field goals in his six-game Chargers run. But he accompanied that by connecting on just 10 of 15 PATs. Coming out of their Week 7 bye, the Bolts will have a more seasoned kicker in the 31-year-old Hopkins, who has been in the NFL since 2013.

Hopkins joined Elliott Fry at the Tuesday kicker workout but brings far more experience. This season, Hopkins has made 12 of 14 field goal tries and was 10 of 12 on PATs with Washington. The former sixth-round pick has made at least 81% of his field goal attempts in all but one season — 2020, when he came in at 79% — and has kicked in 93 career regular-season games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/21

October 26th, 2021 at 5:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Keeping track of today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/26/21

October 26th, 2021 at 5:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Chargers Audition Dustin Hopkins, Elliott Fry

October 26th, 2021 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming out of their bye week, the Chargers are looking into their suspect kicker spot. They worked out both Dustin Hopkins and Elliott Fry on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Washington released Hopkins last week, opting to go with Chris Blewitt. Hopkins had been Washington’s kicker since 2015. The 31-year-old specialist profiles as an intriguing free agent, and the Chargers have seen newcomer Tristan Vizcaino struggle immensely in his first season with the gig.

Although Vizcaino is 6-for-7 on field goals, he has missed five extra points in six games. Beating out Michael Badgley for Los Angeles’ kicker post, Vizcaino is 10-for-15 on PATs, inviting obvious speculation about his status coming out of the Bolts’ bye. With the Chargers looking like one of the AFC’s top teams, they may try and acquire more stability at the kicker spot entering Week 8.

Fry fared well at this workout, Yates adds, noting the young specialist made 9 of 10 field goals, with his only miss coming from 64 yards (Twitter link). South Carolina’s kicker from 2013-16, Fry has logged many workouts and spent time on practice squads since his Gamecocks eligibility ceased. But he has played in just one game, with the 2020 Falcons, as a pro.

Hopkins made 86% of his field goal tries this season and has hovered around this success rate throughout his career, leading Washington to give him new deals in 2018 and this past offseason. Washington retained Hopkins on a one-year deal worth $2.5MM in March.

Giants Place S Jabrill Peppers On IR

October 26th, 2021 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jabrill Peppers is now on the Giants’ IR list, ensuring he will finish the season in New York. The team placed the fifth-year safety on IR due to knee and ankle injuries.

These maladies are set to sideline Peppers for the rest of this season, with the Giants announcing the veteran defender has both a ruptured ACL and a high ankle sprain. Peppers suffered the injuries on a third-quarter punt return. This is a brutal blow for the free agent-to-be.

The Giants acquired Peppers via 2019’s Odell Beckham Jr. trade and picked up his fifth-year option. His rookie contract expires at season’s end, which invited speculation about his availability ahead of next week’s trade deadline. These injuries stonewall the prospect of a Peppers trade out of New York.

[RELATED: Joe Judge Discusses Trade Deadline]

Big Blue has safeties Logan Ryan and Xavier McKinney signed long-term, giving the team one of the NFL’s top back-line groups. Peppers has played 58% of the Giants’ snaps this season, the lowest participation rate out of this group. He has served as the Giants’ primary punt returner this season, however, and did register a sack during New York’s dominant win over Carolina in Week 7.

Pro Football Focus slots Peppers 56th among safeties this season, just behind McKinney. Peppers has made 30 tackles (two for loss) this season. A former first-round pick, Peppers was a full-time player for the 2019 and ’20 Giants squads. While the Michigan product should still have a market come March, his value dropped a bit since being included in the blockbuster trade two years ago and now takes a bigger hit thanks to these injuries.

Broncos Release WR John Brown

October 26th, 2021 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Broncos on track to have Jerry Jeudy back in Week 8, they are sending John Brown back to free agency. The Broncos released Brown from their practice squad Tuesday.

Denver added Brown earlier this month. The team had lost both Jeudy and K.J. Hamler in September and has played without both over the past four games. While Hamler is done for the year, Jeudy is on track to return from his high ankle sprain Sunday against Washington.

Days after signing the accomplished wideout, the Broncos bumped Brown up from their practice squad to their active roster. Brown, 31, reverted to the Broncos’ taxi squad after each of their past two games. The two-time 1,000-yard receiver did not make a catch as a Bronco. His one target resulted in a Teddy Bridgewater underthrown pass and an interception during Thursday’s loss in Cleveland.

After playing with the Cardinals, Ravens and Bills from 2014-20, Brown caught on with the Raiders this offseason. However, that stay ended after Brown requested his release late this summer. After spending several weeks in free agency, Brown landed an opportunity in Denver. The former third-round pick has 4,748 career receiving yards and 31 touchdown grabs.

The Broncos also designated tight end Albert Okwuegbunam to return from IR. The second-year pro serves as Denver’s No. 2 tight end and an auxiliary pass catcher. He caught nine passes for 57 yards in the Broncos’ first four games this season but missed time with a hamstring injury. The Mizzou product is eligible to come off IR ahead of Week 8. He and Jeudy would give Denver some much-needed receiving help in a key game for the team’s fading playoff hopes.

Packers Place Allen Lazard On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 26th, 2021 at 3:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ahead of their biggest game of the season to date, the Packers are likely to be severely shorthanded at wide receiver. Allen Lazard is now on Green Bay’s reserve/COVID-19 list.

This news comes a day after Davante Adams landed on the team’s coronavirus list. Lazard is unvaccinated and qualifies as a high-risk close contact of Adams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This means Lazard will be away from the Packers for at least five days, knocking him out of their Week 8 game against the Cardinals. Adams still has an outside shot to play, being vaccinated, but he faces an uphill battle.

Lazard has been a key role player in Green Bay over the past three seasons. He has scored two touchdowns in the past two games. With Marquez Valdes-Scantling still on IR, this leaves a deep Green Bay receiving corps decimated ahead of the team’s Arizona trip. While Valdes-Scantling is eligible to come off IR ahead of Thursday’s game, the Packers are not certain to activate him. Slot players Randall Cobb and Amari Rodgers serve as the Packers’ top available receivers going into Week 8.

Retained via ERFA tender this offseason, Lazard has caught 15 passes for 184 yards this year. Although his production has dipped a bit this season, the 6-foot-5 target has seen his usage increase in recent weeks. Lazard is coming off his top game this season, when he caught five passes for 60 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s win over Washington.

Raiders To Release WR Willie Snead

October 26th, 2021 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are moving on from Willie Snead. The veteran wide receiver requested his release, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, and the team will grant it (Twitter link).

Snead has played a lesser role in Las Vegas compared to his jobs in New Orleans and Baltimore, and the Raiders — like they did with John Brown just before the season started — agreed to release a veteran wideout. The seventh-year slot receiver had only caught three passes for 32 yards as a Raider.

Because Snead is being cut ahead of the trade deadline, he will go straight to free agency. Had the Raiders cut him after next week’s deadline, the veteran would have been subject to waivers.

A late-March signing, Snead profiled as a depth player for the Raiders. He logged only 8% of their offensive snaps through seven games. This marked a sharp decline from his Ravens role last season, when he played 63% of their offensive snaps.

Snead, 29, played three seasons with the Saints and Ravens. His most productive years came in New Orleans, when he topped 890 receiving yards in his first two seasons, and the former UDFA has been a serviceable auxiliary wideout in the years since. Snead caught 33 passes for 432 yards in Baltimore’s run-heavy offense last season. The Raiders added Snead and Brown earlier this year but have used homegrown targets Henry Ruggs, Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards as their primary receivers this season.

Dolphins Add Duke Johnson To Practice Squad

October 26th, 2021 at 2:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are signing running back Duke Johnson to the practice squad (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Johnson has yet to play in 2021 and this marks his first deal since the start of the season.

Johnson, 28, auditioned for the 49ers, Panthers, and Saints this fall but did not sign with any of those clubs. The Saints workout went down about three weeks ago when he showed his stuff alongside Lamar Miller, Duke Johnson, Brian Hill, Ito Smith, and Ryquell Armstead.

Johnson has excelled as a passing-down back, eclipsing 400 receiving yards in each of his first five NFL seasons. He was once a focal point of the Browns offense and even signed an extension in 2018, but the addition of Kareem Hunt pushed him down the pecking order. He went on to enjoy a productive 2019 with the Texans, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and totaling 820 scrimmage yards. Last year, however, he was limited to just eleven games, 235 rushing yards, and 28 catches for 249 yards.

After losing Malcolm Brown to a quad injury, the Dolphins’ RB group currently consists of Myles Gaskin, Malcolm Brown, and Salvon Ahmed. Johnson will serve as extra insurance until Brown is able to return.

Ravens Designate Derek Wolfe To Return

October 26th, 2021 at 1:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Derek Wolfe has been designated for return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. The defensive end has yet to play this season but could make his 2021 debut inside of the next three weeks. 

Wolfe, an eight-year Broncos starter, signed with the Ravens in 2020 and played in 14 games. Unfortunately, back and hip injuries hindered him throughout the summer. Last year, Wolfe finished out with one sack, one fumble recovery, six tackles for loss, and two pass breakups.

The veteran has dealt with injuries throughout his career, including a scary neck injury that kept him out of Super Bowl XLVIII and related neck trouble in 2017. His 2019 season also ended prematurely due to an elbow injury. Still, he was productive in Denver and even managed a career-high seven sacks in ’19, despite playing in just 12 games.

On the other side of the ball, the Ravens are awaiting the return of tight end Nick Boyle. He was designated for return on Oct. 20, so the Ravens have a little over two weeks to return him to the active roster.

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