HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/21

December 18th, 2021 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/18/21

December 18th, 2021 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: CB Bryan Mills

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

Washington Football Team

Titans Activate LB Bud Dupree From IR

December 18th, 2021 at 12:59pm CST by Ben Levine

The Titans defense will be getting some reinforcement. The team activated linebacker Bud Dupree from injured reserve today. The team also placed fullback Tory Carter on injured reserve.

Dupree has missed the last three games with an abdominal injury. Although it was a less serious malady that the ACL tear that capped his 2020 season, it was frustrating nonetheless. Dupree, who tallied 19.5 sacks between 2019 and 2020, has collected just seven stops and one sack through seven games for the Titans this year. Still, he should provide a significant boost to a defense that’s currently fighting for playoff positioning, especially when he gets an opportunity to play against his former team, the Steelers, tomorrow.

Carter is an undrafted rookie out of LSU, but he’s managed to see time in eight games (two starts) this season. The majority of his snaps have come on special teams, although he did see time in a season-high 20 offensive snaps during the Titans’ Week 12 loss to the Patriots.

As Tennessee gets ready for their showdown with the Steelers tomorrow, the team made some additional moves to their roster. The team promoted wideout Cody Hollister, offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, and defensive lineman Kevin Strong from their practice squad.

Bengals Activate CB Trae Waynes From IR

December 18th, 2021 at 12:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Trae Waynes is back. The Bengals activated their starting cornerback from injured reserve today, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (via Twitter). Offensive lineman D’Ante Smith has also been activated from IR (per ESPN’s Ben Baby on Twitter).

The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal in March 2020, but the organization has only gotten two games out of their investment. Waynes missed all of 2020 because of a torn pec, and a hamstring injury forced him to miss the start of this season. The 29-year-old managed to get into Week 4 and Week 5, starting both games while collecting five tackles. However, he aggravated his hamstring injury in that latter game, and he hasn’t seen the field since.

Waynes is attached to an $8.4MM base salary this season; that number climbs to $10.4MM in 2022. The Bengals are on the hook for Waynes’ prorated signing bonus ($5MM) next year but could save $11MM by making the seven-year vet a cap casualty. The veteran’s performance down the stretch will likely determine his future with the organization.

Smith is a fourth-round rookie out of East Carolina. He didn’t see the field during the first month of the season, and he was stashed on IR with a knee injury in mid-October.

The Bengals made a handful of additional moves in anticipation of their game against the Broncos tomorrow, promoting linebacker Austin Calitro, wide receiver Trent Taylor, and linebacker Keandre Jones from the practice squad.

More On Jaguars, Urban Meyer Fallout

December 18th, 2021 at 11:15am CST by Ben Levine

The fallout from Urban Meyer‘s firing in Jacksonville continues. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington write that the Jaguars fired their now-former head coach for cause and don’t intend on paying him the remaining money on his contract.

Jacksonville is withholding the guaranteed money from the remaining four years of Meyer’s contract. As the writers note, we’ve seen organizations and former coaches negotiate a settlement to avoid a legal situation, and there’s a chance that lawyers for Meyer and the Jaguars could end up resolving the situation. If not, there’s a good chance the former HC will push back against the Jaguars’ decision to fire him for cause.

Meyer dealt with plenty of controversy during his stint with the organization. It started with that whole flight fiasco earlier this season, which was followed by a notorious viral video that showed Meyer at a bar dancing with a woman. Last weekend, we got a damning report that detailed turmoil surrounding the then-HC. Meyer reportedly belittled his fellow coaches, caused respected veteran wideout Marvin Jones to leave practice, and buried James Robinson on the depth chart. This week, kicker Josh Lambo spoke about a preseason incident in which the Jaguars’ coach kicked Lambo while he was stretching. Hours later, Meyer was canned.

However, according to ESPN, there wasn’t a specific incident that caused the Jaguars to withhold the guaranteed money. Rather, the organization believes that “culmination of instances” justified the decision to fire for cause. Meanwhile, while the decision to fire Meyer immediately followed Lambo’s story, owner Shad Khan had reportedly made up his mind following Sunday’s shutout loss to the Titans. According to ESPN, Meyer didn’t have an explanation for the team’s struggles when pressed on it by the owner.

WFT Designates DE Montez Sweat To Return

December 18th, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Ben Levine

WFT will have most of their defensive line when they take on the Eagles on Tuesday night. Washington Football Team announced that they’ve activated the following four players from the reserve/COVID-19 list:

Sweat, who is currently on injured reserve, was also designated for return, meaning his return to the field is imminent. Washington has been without Sweat since Week 8. The first-string defensive end had been recovering from a fractured jaw, and he intended to return to practice on Wednesday. A first-round Washington draftee, Sweat has registered four sacks this season and has 20 for his career. The Mississippi State product has forced two fumbles in each of his three seasons.

When fully healthy, Allen and Sweat should sit atop the depth chart. Smith-Williams and Toohill, who have both been forced into significant roles on the defensive line following injuries to Sweat and Chase Young, will be able to settle back into their backup/special teams roles.

We learned yesterday that the NFL was pushing Sunday’s WFT/Eagles game to Tuesday.

FSU Pass Rusher Jermaine Johnson II Declares For NFL Draft

December 18th, 2021 at 8:17am CST by Ely Allen

Jermaine Johnson II took a risk to play one year in Tallahassee, and he achieved the desired result as he announced his intention to enter the 2022 NFL Draft class last Thursday (Twitter). The red-shirt senior transferred from Georgia, where he enrolled as a JUCO prospect out of Independence Community College.

In two seasons as a Bulldog, Johnson II produced admirably, tallying 8.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. But he felt the best move for his career was just south of the Florida-Georgia line.

In his lone season at Florida State, Johnson II led the ACC in tackles for loss (17.5) and sacks (11.5), surpassing both of his career Georgia totals in half the time. He spent a lot of time harassing ACC quarterbacks as he racked up 12 quarterback hurries and forced 2 fumbles.

He currently figures as a late first-round pick, but as someone who’s seen their stock rise significantly over the past year, Johnson II doesn’t come off as someone who will be comfortable settling for day one. Johnson II will have the opportunity to try to put his name in the conversation with top draft prospects Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aidan Hutchinson, and George Karlaftis as the calendar turns to March at the 2022 NFL Combine.

USC WR Drake London Declares for NFL Draft

December 17th, 2021 at 9:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Drake London is one of the more intriguing prospects in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft. The junior out of USC officially announced his intentions via Twitter earlier this month.

The young wide receiver is undoubtedly talented. Despite only playing 8 games this year, London led his team in every receiving statistic, reeling in 88 receptions for 1,084 yards and 7 touchdowns. The next closest receiver on the team had 54 catches for 602 yards through 12 games.

The intrigue doesn’t necessarily stem from London’s abilities but from London’s draft stock. London’s season came to an early end when he suffered a fractured ankle in late October. He underwent surgery but, according to ESPN’s Matt Miller, there was no ligament damage in the ankle, leaving the door open for a potential return in time for pre-draft testing.

At the time of his injury, London was widely considered a top wide receiver in college football. Before he missed any time, he led the NCAA in receiving yards, contested catches (19), and missed tackles (22) and was the highest-graded receiver according to Pro Football Focus.

While London is still widely considered to be a first-round pick based on the abilities he’s already displayed, it is yet to be seen how his injury and recovery will affect his draft stock after testing.

NFL COVID Protocols List

December 17th, 2021 at 8:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Until the Omicron variant of COVID-19 made its name known, the NFL seemed to have secure control over the potential exposure of the virus throughout the league. Now outbreaks have been spreading through clubs like wildfire, forcing the NFL to postpone games and update their COVID-19 protocols in an attempt to get players under the protocol back to the field quicker.

It seems impossible to be able to keep up with the constantly growing list, but in an attempt to make sure every player and coach is reported, here is a list of NFL players and coaches in the league’s COVID protocols (updated as of 5:30 ET, 12/17/21):

Arizona Cardinals (one player)

Atlanta Falcons (three players)

Baltimore Ravens (five players)

Buffalo Bills (two players)

Carolina Panthers (two players)

Chicago Bears (thirteen players)

Cincinnati Bengals (two players)

Cleveland Browns (twenty-three players, one coach)

Dallas Cowboys (one player)

Denver Broncos (four players)

Detroit Lions (two players)

Green Bay Packers (one player)

Houston Texans (nine players)

Indianapolis Colts (one player)

Kansas City Chiefs (two players)

Los Angeles Chargers (two players)

Los Angeles Rams (twenty-nine players)

Miami Dolphins (four players)

Minnesota Vikings (seven players)

New Orleans Saints (one coach)

  • HC Sean Payton

New York Giants (nine players)

New York Jets (five players)

Philadelphia Eagles (two players)

Pittsburgh Steelers (two players)

Seattle Seahawks (two players)

Tennessee Titans (two players)

Washington Football Team (twenty-four players)

Packers’ David Bakhtiari Out Vs. Ravens

December 17th, 2021 at 6:24pm CST by Adam La Rose

In advance of what could be a division-clinching win, the Packers learned that they will still not have the services of their best offensive linemen. Left tackle David Bakhtiari is out for Week 15 against the Ravens, reports Tom Silverstein of the Green Bay Post-Gazette. 

Bakhtiari practiced throughout the week, the first time he was able to do so after sitting out three weeks due to his second left knee surgery. The 30-year-old has not played in 2021, after his initial injury last New Year’s Eve. Green Bay has missed the four-time Pro Bowler all year, of course, but especially so since losing Elgton Jenkins in November. Look for the team to continue with Yosuah Nijman, Dennis Kelly and Billy Turner at offensive tackle.

While providing the update on Bakhtiari, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur added that defensive tackle Kenny Clark is unlikely to play. The 26-year-old was added to the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, giving him little time to become available by Sunday. The 2019 Pro Bowler has 42 tackles and four sacks this season. In his absence, fifth-round rookie T.J. Slaton could start at nose guard.

Despite those setbacks, the Packers will still be favored to win in Baltimore, especially if Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is unable to play. A victory on Sunday would seal the NFC North title for Green Bay, as would a loss by the Vikings against the Bears.

Load More Posts