2021 December - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs’ Travis Kelce Ruled Out

December 26th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been ruled out for today’s game against the Steelers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). There was hope yesterday that he could be cleared in time, but Kelce ultimately did not test out the league’s COVID-19 protocol.

Tyreek Hill was given the green light on Saturday, but Kelce, linebacker Nick Bolton, and offensive tackle Lucas Niang will have to sit this game out. Fortunately for the Chiefs, they more or less have their playoff spot clinched and the AFC West title in hand. Still, a loss today coupled with a Patriots victory over the Bills would hurt their chances of a first-round bye.

Kelce, 32, has 83 catches for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns so far this year. Just last week, he earned yet another Pro Bowl nod, giving him seven for his career.

The Chiefs, sans Kelce, will look to backup TEs Blake Bell and Noah Gray for blocking as they look for their eleventh win of the year.

Giants’ Joe Judge Likely To Return

December 26th, 2021 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants figure to have a new GM in 2022, but they’re likely to keep their head coach. Co-owner John Mara still plans to retain Joe Judge for next year, according to sources who spoke with SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano.

“A few weeks ago I would’ve told you no chance he gets fired,” said one source. “Now? Even after (the Giants’ 37-21 loss to the Chargers on Sunday), I’d probably still say ‘No chance.’ (Mara) loves Judge. He thinks he’s found his (Bill) Belichick or (Bill) Parcells. And there’s just no way he gives up on another coach this soon.”

As Vacchiano notes, co-owner Steve Tisch will also have final word on the matter, but this jibes with what we’ve been hearing in recent weeks. Despite his 10-20 record since taking over as head coach, the Giants plan to stay patient with Judge — something they didn’t do with predecessors Ben McAdoo and Pat Shurmur. Judge, for his part, says he’s on board with that plan.

“I’ve said this from the beginning: I’m not interested in having some kind of quick flash,” Judge said. “I’m not interested in shortcuts. I’m not interested in quick fixes. I want to do this the right way. When I took this job I made it very, very clear that I was only going to do this if we’re all committed to doing this the right way. And that’s something that’s been very clear from ownership on down.”

The Giants, down to 4-10 on the year, will wrap their season with games against the Eagles, Bears, and the Washington Football Team.

Rams Activate Cam Akers

December 26th, 2021 at 9:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have officially activated running back Cam Akers, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Akers, who tore his Achilles tendon just five months ago, might not be able to play over the next few weeks, but the move will allow him to accumulate pension credit for the season (Twitter link).

Even if Akers doesn’t get into the Rams’ upcoming games against the Vikings, Ravens, and 49ers, it’s an encouraging sign for his postseason availability. Once thought to be done for the season, Akers will be able to slot somewhere behind Darrell Henderson in January.

“If you watched him do stuff with the performance staff (Thursday), you would think he could carry the ball 40 times on Sunday,” GM Les Snead said (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). “The plan is to implement him back into practice settings and make sure he can make football moves, rather than just observing. And from there, it’s how that Achilles recovers. We’ll be smart about it.”

Akers served as the Rams’ primary back down the stretch of last season and he started in both their postseason games. His first late-season start, against the Patriots, saw 171 rushing yards and nearly 200 all-purpose yards. Then, in the Wild Card win against the Seahawks, he managed 131 yards on the ground.

The Rams have little reason to rush Akers on to the field today, but he’ll be cheering his teammates on as they look to hold the top spot in the NFC West.

Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill Cleared To Play

December 25th, 2021 at 5:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs will have Tyreek Hill in uniform for tomorrow’s game against the Steelers (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, they’re still awaiting word on tight end Travis Kelce, who has yet to be given the green light.

The Chiefs have, for all intents and purposes, punched their ticket to the playoffs as well as the AFC West title. Still, they’re pushing to lock up a first-round bye over the next few weeks. A loss to the Steelers, coupled with a Pats win, would knock them out of the lead.

Hill, 27, has 102 catches for 1,178 yards and nine touchdowns through 14 games. Kelce’s also in the midst of a strong year with 83 catches for 1,066 yards and seven touchdowns. If he’s not cleared in time, this will mark his first missed game of the year and just his third missed game since 2014. If Kelce can’t go, the Chiefs will lean on backup tight ends Blake Bell and Noah Gray for blocking support.

Colts Place Darius Leonard On IR

December 25th, 2021 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have placed linebacker Darius Leonard, wide receiver Zach Pascal, and safety Khari Willis on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. As a result, all three players will be held out of tonight’s game against the Cardinals.

The Colts will also be playing without all three of their starting interior linemen, leaving them at half-strength for Week 16. On top of that, they’ll be without Leonard through at least Week 17. As noted by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link), Leonard is unvaccinated, which means that he’ll have to remain on the list for a minimum of ten days.

The Colts also have right guard Mark Glowinski, cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, and defensive end Kemoko Turay on the COVID-19 list. Between Leonard, Nelson, and center Ryan Kelly (out due to a personal matter), that leaves the Colts without three newly-named Pro Bowlers.

The Colts have won five of their last six, putting them in position to take one of the AFC’s Wild Card spots. But, at 8-6, they’ve yet to clinch. The Cardinals, meanwhile, can inch closer to the NFC West crown with a win tonight.

Ravens Place Tyler Huntley On COVID-19 List

December 25th, 2021 at 1:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Aditi Kinkhabwala). Huntley was expected to start in place of Lamar Jackson as he deals with a lingering ankle issue. Now, unless Jackson can play, the Ravens will be forced to start journeyman Josh Johnson on Sunday.

Huntley, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent, has fared well in Jackson’s stead. The Utah product had the Packers on the ropes in Week 15, throwing for 215 yards and rushing for 73 more. Unfortunately, they fell 31-30, giving them their third-straight loss of season. Now down to 8-6, the Ravens badly need a win against the Bengals tomorrow.

Johnson, 35, has signed deals with nearly half of the NFL, but he’s never played in such a pivotal game. His recent resume includes four games for Washington (2018), a cup of coffee with the San Diego Fleet in the Alliance of American Football (2019), a few gams with the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats (2020), and three appearances for the Jets earlier this year.

Thanks to the league’s revised COVID-19 protocols, Huntley could be cleared in time for Week 17 against the Rams. However, given the tight timeline, he has no path to playing in Cincinnati.

Saints Asked Drew Brees To Come Out Of Retirement

December 25th, 2021 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

With Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian on the COVID-19 list, the Saints asked Drew Brees if he’d be interested in returning to the field (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football). The legendary quarterback, who seems quite happy in retirement, replied with a picture of himself golfing.

Brees’ response was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, Underhill hears (Twitter link), a polite “no thanks” to his employer of 15 years. For what it’s worth, Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune hears that Brees gave it some serious thought. But, even after talking things over with head coach Sean Payton, Brees declined.

There was similar chatter earlier this year, after Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury. Brees, live on NBC with broadcast partner Mike Tirico, said he’d stick to his new day job.

“Let me check [my phone],” Brees said jokingly when asked about his availability to play later that week. “I’ll be there Saturday to call the Notre Dame-Navy game, and I’ll be [in the broadcast booth on] Sunday.”

Brees, 43 in January, will be somewhere else when the Saints host the Dolphins on Monday night. Unless Hill or Siemian are cleared, the Saints will start fourth-round rookie Ian Book with newcomer Blake Bortles as the QB2.

This Date In Transactions History: Giants Sign Logan Ryan To Extension

December 25th, 2021 at 11:10am CST by Zachary Links

Christmas Day tends to be pretty quiet in the NFL. But, on December 25th of last year, the Giants gave Logan Ryan the biggest gift he could have possibly asked for. That morning, the veteran safety inked a three-year, $30MM extension with $11.5MM fully guaranteed at signing.

It was a solid step up for Ryan, who encountered an oddly quiet market just a few months prior. Despite several seasons as a high-level starter, Ryan was forced to settle for a one-year, $7.5MM contract with the Giants. It’s not like he had declined either — Ryan graded as one of the league’s top slot defenders in 2019, per Pro Football Focus, and led all NFL corners with 113 tackles. Finally, Ryan had the $10MM/year deal he was seeking all along.

It wasn’t a banner year for the Giants on the whole, but Ryan was playing well on an individual level. At the time of signing, the Rutgers product had 83 stops, one interception, one sack, three forced fumbles, and nine passes defensed through 14 games.

The Giants were happy to reward his performance, but he’ll have to prove himself all over again for a new regime after Dave Gettleman steps down as GM. Ryan, 31 in February, has slumped along with the rest of the G-Men this year. He currently ranks just 71st out of 91 qualified safeties, per PFF, with zero interceptions or sacks on the year. But, thanks to his extension, his spot is more or less secure for 2022. Slated to carry a $12.225MM cap hit, the Giants would save just $775K by releasing him.

Browns’ Baker Mayfield, Myles Garrett Expected To Be Active Today

December 25th, 2021 at 9:51am CST by Ben Levine

The Browns will have their top QBs available for this afternoon’s showdown with the Packers. The team reported that QB Case Keenum has cleared protocols and accompanied starter Baker Mayfield to Green Bay. Mayfield posted an IG story this morning showing him arriving in Green Bay for the afternoon game (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com on Twitter).

Per Stacey Dales of NFL Network (on Twitter), Mayfield is “ready to roll,” and his “body feels the healthiest it’s been in a while.” The QB was asymptomatic during his stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list, but he stayed “very involved virtually” for his eventual return. Mayfield tested positive for the coronavirus December 15 but could not navigate the return protocol until yesterday. Now, he’ll have a chance to guide Cleveland to a crucial win against the top team in the league.

Keenum landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on December 17, forcing him to miss a potential start against the Raiders (a start that ultimately went to Nick Mullens). The veteran got one start filling in for Mayfield earlier this season, completing 21 of his 33 pass attempts for 199 yards and one touchdown in a win over the Broncos.

Myles Garrett is also planning on playing this afternoon. The star pass rusher is listed as questionable with a groin injury, but Garrett told Cabot that he has no intention of missing the Christmas game.

“I feel like I’ll play regardless of how I feel,” Garrett said. “I haven’t practiced, so we’ll see. But I’m going to go out there and give my all. We’ve got to win out to make the playoffs and I’m going to play in every second of the game that I can.”

Townsend Family Spending Christmas In Kansas City

December 24th, 2021 at 10:58pm CST by Ely Allen

This is not necessarily a known fact, but more of a fun headline. With starting punter Tommy Townsend on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Chiefs signed two punters to their practice squad, Joseph Charlton and Tommy’s brother, Johnny Townsend.

Tommy went undrafted last year and took over as Kansas City’s primary punter by the end of training camp. Johnny was drafted in the fifth-round of the 2018 NFL draft by the then-Oakland Raiders. Johnny spent time on practice squads for the Giants, Ravens, and Chiefs before returning to Baltimore to spend some time on the active roster filling in for Sam Koch while he was on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Upon Koch’s return, Johnny was waived and returned to the Ravens’ practice squad. After being released again this September, Johnny spent time on the practice squads for Tennessee and Houston, getting released after less than a month by both teams. Then, as mentioned above, the Chiefs picked him up on their practice squad yesterday.

The Townsends will most likely not be spending Christmas together if Tommy has tested positive for COVID-19 and/or is showing symptoms, based on the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol, especially if he is unvaccinated. If Tommy is unvaccinated, the required 10-day isolation period would see him missing not only this week’s game versus the Steelers but next Sunday’s game in Cincinnati, as well. If Tommy is vaccinated and asymptomatic, the new protocols, put in place in the wake of the omicron variant’s rampant spread, could see Tommy out of isolation any early as tomorrow, a true Christmas miracle!

Either way, I have to imagine the Townsends are feeling the Christmas cheer just knowing that the two are in the same city this holiday season. I hope everyone who celebrated enjoyed their Hanukkah. I wish a happy Boxing Day and Kwanzaa to our readers who celebrate those in the next few days and a Merry Christmas for the lovers of that holiday tomorrow. And a Happy Festivus for the rest of us!