HEADLINES

Year: 2024

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/22/21

December 22nd, 2021 at 6:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

  • Activated from COVID-19 list: WR JoJo Natson

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

  • Placed on COVID-19 list: CB Chris Williamson

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Washington Football Team

  • Released: DE Hercules Mata’afa

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/22/21

December 22nd, 2021 at 6:22pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances (including Christian McCaffrey and Travis Etienne), players activated from the list remain on IR:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Placed on list: T Le’Raven Clark

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Raiders S Johnathan Abram Done For Season

December 22nd, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Johnathan Abram‘s season has come to an end. The Raiders safety is set to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery tomorrow, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).

Up until Week 15, the 2019 first-round pick hadn’t missed a defensive snap for the Raiders in 2021. He was limited to “only” 80 percent of his team’s defensive snaps during Monday’s win over the Browns. Pelissero notes that Abram wanted to play through the injury, “but doctors advised him to shut it down” before the end of the season. The defensive back is expected to be fully healthy in time for the 2022 campaign.

A torn rotator cuff and labrum limited Abram to only one game as a rookie, but he ended up starting each of his 13 games in 2020. Abram has had a productive campaign in 2021, collecting 116 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception. The Raiders will have to make a decision on the player’s fifth-year option this offseason.

The Raiders are going to have to dig deep into their roster to fill the hole in their secondary opposite Trevon Moehrig. Special teamer Dallin Leavitt could be an option at safety, as could former undrafted free agent Roderic Teamer.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/22/21

December 22nd, 2021 at 3:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Texans Place Brandin Cooks On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 22nd, 2021 at 2:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

On the cusp of his sixth 1,000-yard receiving season, Brandin Cooks may not be able to push for that again until next week. He landed on the Texans’ reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.

The Texans also placed kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn and linebacker Eric Wilson on their coronavirus list. This trio joins several others at present. Although the NFL relaxed protocols to allow for quicker returns for vaccinated players, this will still be a hurdle for Cooks and Co.

The thrice-traded wide receiver eclipsed 100 yards and scored two touchdowns in Houston’s win over Jacksonville last week. Cooks is now up to 947 yards this season. The eighth-year veteran would have two more chances to surpass 1,000 yards, in the event he is cleared before Week 17.

Cooks and Fairbairn are believed to be vaccinated, but David Culley said last week Wilson was not. The veteran defender will miss the team’s Week 16 game against the Chargers. Missing Sunday’s game would be another setback for Fairbairn, who began the season in Week 4 after an IR placement in September.

Nick Sirianni Tests Positive For COVID-19

December 22nd, 2021 at 1:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Sirianni became the second NFL head coach to test positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday. Following Jets HC Robert Saleh, Sirianni is now in the league’s COVID protocol.

The Eagles announced their first-year coach experienced symptoms. Although Sirianni remains hopeful to be cleared in time to coach Sunday against the Giants, the Eagles could well be without their play-caller in Week 16.

If Sirianni is unable to recover in time, passing-game coordinator Kevin Patullo will be Philadelphia’s acting HC. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen will call plays in this scenario, Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com tweets.

Under Sirianni’s guidance, the Eagles have reeled off one of the most successful rushing stretches in modern NFL history. They are riding a streak of seven straight games with 175 rushing yards, a run not matched since the 1985 Bears accomplished this. The Eagles’ win over Washington on Tuesday moved them to .500; FiveThirtyEight.com gives Philly a 36% chance to make the playoffs. The Eagles lost to the Giants in the teams’ New Jersey meeting, but Big Blue will not have Daniel Jones this time around.

Two head coaches — the Saints’ Sean Payton and the Browns’ Kevin Stefanski — missed last week’s games due to positive coronavirus tests. Stefanski has been cleared to return. Payton has not.

Broncos To Start Drew Lock In Week 16

December 22nd, 2021 at 1:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

The concussion that hospitalized Teddy Bridgewater will sideline him for the Broncos’ Week 16 game. Vic Fangio confirmed Drew Lock will start against the Raiders.

While the third-year coach said Bridgewater remains Denver’s starter when healthy, via 9News’ Mike Klis (on Twitter), Lock will make his first start since facing the Raiders in Week 17 of last season. The third-year passer has made multiple relief appearances this year but will be asked to start in what amounts to an elimination game for the Broncos.

Demoted after being Denver’s starter for a season and change, Lock has been erratic in his relief outings. He lost a crucial fumble in the red zone in Sunday’s 15-10 loss to the Bengals and threw an interception late in the first half against the Chargers last month. Lock also did not play earlier this season against the Browns, when the Broncos deployed a hobbled Bridgewater. The Mizzou product has ties to this coaching staff but not GM George Paton, who took over this year.

Fangio left the door open to Bridgewater returning for the Broncos’ final two games, but the resilient passer has suffered two concussions this season. The Broncos’ Week 15 loss to the Bengals reduced their playoff odds to 5%, per FiveThirtyEight.com. The team falling out of the race could open the door to more Lock starts, but beyond that, its quarterback situation will be murky going into another offseason.

The Broncos’ actions this year do not present much confidence in Lock, though the strong-armed QB has shown flashes. He also led the NFL with 15 interceptions last season, despite missing three games. One year remains on the ex-second-rounder’s contract. With the team expected to chase another quarterback upgrade in 2022, Lock stands to be in limbo going into a contract year.

J.J. Watt Addresses Recovery Timetable

December 22nd, 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Off to a strong start in his first season with the Cardinals, J.J. Watt went down with a barrage of injuries in late October. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year delved into his timetable Wednesday.

Watt has undergone shoulder surgery, but the Cardinals have pushed back on the notion he is done for the year. Watt is now doing the same, though the timetable he did reveal will make a postseason return a long-odds prospect.

“They tell me I’m done, I have to get surgery and it’s going to take four to six months,” Watt said during a YouTube interview with Houston teenager Maanav Gupta (via AZCardinals.com). “I’m sitting there and I can easily pout and easily say, ‘Woe is me, four to six months, I’ll do what I have to do.’ But instead I said, ‘Nah, I’m not going to accept that.'”

The 11th-year defensive lineman said his rehab is going “much better than we could’ve hoped or expected,” but he stopped short of revealing when he could potentially come back. Watt went down during the Cards’ Week 7 game, on Oct. 24. He suffered a torn labrum, bicep, rotator cuff and a separated shoulder. Even beating his timetable by a month would mean a late-January return. Given the way the Cardinals’ past two games have gone, it is obviously no given they are still playing by the divisional or championship rounds.

A quicker-than-expected comeback would not be out of the ordinary for Watt, who returned from a pectoral tear to play in the Texans’ two playoff games in 2019. Although Watt has only played 341 defensive snaps, Pro Football Focus slotted him as a top-10 interior D-lineman this season. Watt is signed through the 2022 season.

AFC Notes: Henry, Mayfield, Jets, Steelers

December 22nd, 2021 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Initially floated last month, the prospect of Derrick Henry coming back for the playoffs is moving closer to reality. Henry returning for the Titans‘ first postseason game is the plan, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes. Once thought to be out for the season, Henry has recovered well enough, per Rapoport, that the Titans would consider bringing him back for Week 18 — should the team need a win to reach the playoffs. Henry has been out since Week 8, when he suffered a Jones fracture in his foot. This would obviously be a tremendous development for the Titans, who have not been the same without the two-time reigning rushing champion. Henry’s 937 rushing yards still rank fifth in the NFL, despite the dominant back having missed the past six games. Henry underwent surgery Nov. 2.

Here is the latest from the AFC:

  • Although Baker Mayfield missed Monday’s game due to a positive COVID-19 test, the Browns quarterback has played through multiple injuries in the previous several weeks. The former No. 1 overall pick will, however, need offseason surgery and will be forced to wear a harness on his injured left shoulder the rest of this season, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes. Mayfield suffered a fractured shoulder bone in October. While some of Mayfield’s other injuries — of the knee and heel variety — have improved, the shoulder problem is unlikely to be in the rear-view mirror until after his 2022 surgery.
  • The Jets may be without their head coach in Week 16. Robert Saleh tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Tight ends coach Ron Middleton would step in as acting head coach if Saleh remains sidelined on Sunday, when the Jets face the Jaguars.
  • Mekhi Becton has yet to resume practicing, with Saleh indicating earlier this week he had “no update” on his left tackle. Out with a dislocated kneecap he sustained in Week 1, Becton has yet to resume practicing. The Jets shutting down their left tackle would be wise here, Cimini writes. Two years remain on the 370-pound blocker’s contract, with a 2024 option included, but availability has become a concern for the 2020 first-rounder. Becton missed some time last season, and the Jets have previously levied discipline over his weight.
  • First-year Steelers offensive line coach Adrian Klemm has attracted interest from a high-profile college program. Oregon is pursuing the NFL assistant, ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg tweets. Promoted after two years as the Steelers’ assistant O-line coach, Klemm has only been an NFL assistant for three seasons. He worked as a college staffer previously, ending that run as a UCLA associate head coach. Oregon is assembling a new staff under recently hired HC Dan Lanning.

Nevada QB Carson Strong To Enter Draft

December 22nd, 2021 at 10:49am CST by Sam Robinson

One of the top quarterback prospects eligible for the 2022 draft, Carson Strong will be available in April. The Nevada quarterback will skip the Wolfpack’s bowl game and bypass his senior season to enter the draft (Twitter link).

Nevada’s starter for the past three seasons, Strong put up big numbers over his final two at the Mountain West program. The 6-foot-4 passer finished with 70.1 and 70.2% completion rates as a sophomore and junior, working with wideout Romeo Doubs to form one of college football’s top aerial connections.

Strong posted a 27-to-4 TD-INT ratio in 2020 and established career-high marks in touchdown passes (36) and yards (4,186) this season. Strong earned Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year acclaim in each of his final two seasons.

ESPN.com ranks Strong as its No. 6 quarterback in this upcoming class, slotting him behind Kenny Pickett (Pitt), Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati), Matt Corral (Ole Miss), Malik Willis (Liberty) and Sam Howell (North Carolina). This QB class has long lacked the reputation of those in recent years, but positional value dictates a few will go in Round 1. Strong could be in the mix for such a rise, or a Day 2 landing spot, depending on how he fares during the pre-draft process.

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