2021 - Pro Football Rumors

WFT Places Eight Players On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 15th, 2021 at 10:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Washington Football Team added another eight players to the reserve/COVID-19 list today, writes ESPN’s John Keim. The leaves WFT with a staggering 18 organization players on the list, 14 of which have been placed on the list this week alone.

WFT currently holds the last playoff spot in the NFC, and they’re set for a crucial showdown with the Eagles on Sunday. While the organization will surely activate a handful of players from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to this weekend, there should still be plenty of absences. As Keim notes, nine of the 18 players who are currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list are usual starters, including five of their top six defensive linemen. The team also has only two healthy tight ends on the roster, and their receivers corps could also be depleted.

“We’ve dealt with adversity all year,” said WFT quarterback Taylor Heinicke. “We’ve had guys go down and step up and play; it’s just more for this week. We have confidence in all our guys. It should be an interesting one Sunday, but I feel good about it.”

Head coach Ron Rivera said he hasn’t heard any discussions of canceling the game against the Eagles. Earlier tonight, commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that the NFL wasn’t planning on postponing or cancelling any games.

The current WFT players are listed on the reserve/COVID-19 list (h/t to Keim on Twitter):

DT Jon Allen
QB Kyle Allen
CB Troy Apke
DE William Bradley-King (practice squad)
LB Milo Eifler
S Darrick Forrest
CB Kendall Fuller
TE Temarrick Hemingway (practice squad)
LB Khaleke Hudson (also on IR)
DT Matt Ioannidis
T Cornelius Lucas
LB David Mayo
TE Sammis Reyes
DT Tim Settle
WR Cam Sims
DE James Smith-Williams
DE Montez Sweat (also on IR)
DE Casey Toohill

Broncos Add S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, WR Travis Fulgham To Practice Squad

December 15th, 2021 at 8:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos have added two notable names to their practice squad. The team announced that they’ve signed safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and wideout Travis Fulgham to the taxi squad.

Clinton-Dix spent much of the offseason and preseason with the 49ers, but he was let go before the start of the regular season. He ended up spending much of the 2021 campaign on the Raiders practice squad, but he managed to get into 13 special teams snaps in two games with the organization. The 28-year-old was cut by the Raiders last week.

The Cowboys signed the former Pro Bowler in 2020 but released him before the start of the regular season. Prior to these struggles landing a steady gig, Clinton-Dix did not miss a game from 2014-19. He worked as a starter throughout that stretch, making the Pro Bowl with the Packers in 2016 and ranking as an upper-echelon safety (per Pro Football Focus) with the Bears in ’19. Clinton-Dix could end up being forced into Denver’s lineup if any of Kareem Jackson, Caden Sterns, and/or P.J. Locke are forced to miss Sunday’s game.

For an Eagles receiving corps decimated by injury last season, Travis Fulgham played a big role. He caught a game-winning touchdown pass to help the depleted Eagles past the 49ers and ended his season with 38 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to last season, however, Fulgham had never caught a pass as a pro. He was waived by the Eagles back in August, and he’s had brief stints on Philly and the Dolphins practice squad this year.

Latest On Broncos QB Teddy Bridgewater

December 15th, 2021 at 6:13pm CST by Ben Levine

This past weekend, there were some rumbling that Broncos quarterback (and impending free agent) Teddy Bridgewater was eyeing a multiyear deal worth $25MM per season. However, the QB dismissed those rumors when speaking with reporters earlier today.

“Until it comes from me, it’s not true,” Bridgewater said (h/t to Andrew Mason on Twitter). “That’s what happens during this time of year. You see numbers come out. You try to put a value on a guy so that if things don’t work out with the team that he’s playing on, it’s, ‘Oh, he wanted too much money.’ I’ll tell you right now, I haven’t mentioned anything about a deal. My primary focus is trying to help this team win football games and trying to get into the playoffs. The rest will take care of itself. My job is to play football. All that other stuff, that’s for my agent and my advisors. I’m here to help this team be a better football team every day.”

Bridgewater’s agent was also quick to shoot down the reports.

“Teddy is focused on the season and winning football games,” the QB’s agent, Kennard McGuire, told Mike Klis of 9News on Twitter. “Anything outside of that is completely false.”

While it isn’t a surprise that Bridgewater and his camp denied the rumors, it’s also not outrageous to suggest that the quarterback could earn that kind of money in free agency. The 29-year-old is having one of his best NFL seasons, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 2954 yards, 18 touchdowns, and seven interceptions (he’s also added 96 yards and two touchdowns on the ground). He’s also gone 7-6 as a starter and kept the Broncos in playoff contention. A $25MM salary would be middle-of-the-road among starting QBs, and with a rising cap, that could very well be the going rate for a player of Bridgewater’s caliber.

NFL Considering Changes To COVID-19 Protocols

December 15th, 2021 at 5:45pm CST by Ben Levine

With COVID-19 cases surging across the NFL, commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the league and the union are considering revisions to the league’s protocols.

“The thing that made us successful is keeping safety first,” Goodell said (via Alber Breer of TheMMQB on Twitter). “And second, being willing to adapt at all times.”

Earlier today, we learned that the NFL was considering tweaking a rule that would allow vaccinated, asymptomatic players who have tested positive to return to the field sooner (via Mark Maske of The Washington Post on Twitter). This followed a tweet from the NFL Players Associations earlier today that pushed for changes to protocol, including a request for daily testing.

“The NFL decided to take away a critical weapon in our fight against the transmission of COVID-19 despite our union’s call for daily testing months ago,” the NFLPA said in a statement. “We’re talking to our player leadership & to the NFL about potential changes to the protocols so that we can complete the season.”

Meanwhile, Goodell also said the spike in COVID cases won’t lead to any postponements or cancellations.

“There has not been any discussion about [postponements] and we will confident in our protocols,” the commissioner said (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones on Twitter).

Will Matt Nagy Coach The Bears in 2022?

December 15th, 2021 at 3:34pm CST by Adam La Rose

Out of all the tenuous coaching situations throughout the NFL, the one in Chicago may be the most interesting. Matt Nagy has displayed enough during his tenure as head coach of the Bears that a case can be made either way for the team to keep him or move on at the end of the season.

After being hired in 2018, Nagy helped the team to an impressive 12-4 record, earning himself Coach of the Year honors. Back-to-back 8-8 seasons followed, however, including a six game losing streak in 2020. While the Bears made it to the playoffs that year — the second trip to the postseason in three campaigns under Nagy — things have not gone nearly as well in 2021. Another five-game skid has contributed to a 4-9 overall record, and uncertainty about his job security came to a head as recently as Thanksgiving.

Cause for optimism came in April in the form of Justin Fields being drafted 11th overall as the latest attempt to solidify the quarterback position. The former Buckeye represented not only a potential upgrade over Mitch Trubisky, but a lifeline for Nagy and GM Ryan Pace. With enough signs of franchise potential – if not results in the win-loss column along the way – there would be an argument to be made in favor of keeping the coach-quarterback relationship together at least one more year.

Things haven’t been stellar for Fields or the Bears in 2021, though. In and out of the lineup with injuries, and splitting the starting job with free agent signing Andy Dalton, Fields currently has a record of 2-7. While he has shown flashes with his legs in particular, posting 385 rushing yards and two touchdowns averaging just under six yards per attempt, he has struggled in the passing game. His completion percentage (57.6%), touchdown-to-interception ratio (six to 10) and 33 sacks taken are some of statistics that are evidence of a struggling offense, much of the blame for which has been laid at Nagy’s feet.

Have your say below regarding Nagy’s coaching future in Chicago (link for app users):

Dolphins Add Damon Arnette To Practice Squad

December 15th, 2021 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have signed Damon Arnette to a practice squad deal (Twitter link via David Furones of the Sun Sentinel). This marks the cornerback’s first deal since he was cut by the Raiders earlier this year.

Shortly after the tragedy involving Henry Ruggs, a video surfaced showing Arnette issuing threats and brandishing a handgun. The Raiders moved quickly to release the 2020 first-rounder, who was also in the midst of multiple lawsuits, including one for a car crash of his own.

Arnette made his name at Ohio State, flashing potential opposite of Jeff Okudah. With the ability to play on the inside or the outside, the Raiders were high on his upside. Unfortunately, his potential has been torpedoed by his off-the-field problems.

Arnette started in seven of his nine games as a rookie, collecting 25 tackles along the way. This year, he appeared in the Raiders’ first four games, but didn’t top 30% of the snaps in any of those contests.

While Arnette joins the 16-man practice squad, the rest of the team will prepare to face the Jets on Sunday. A win would give them six straight, a 7-7 record on the year, and at least a glimmer of hope in the Wild Card race.

Cardinals’ DeAndre Hopkins Out Through Week 18?

December 15th, 2021 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals wide DeAndre Hopkins is expected to miss the rest of the regular season (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). On the plus side, doctors are hopeful that his knee sprain will heal up at some point during the playoffs.

Hopkins, 29, suffered the injury towards the tail end of Monday night’s loss to the Rams. This will mark Hopkins’ second extended absence of the year, after he previously missed three games with a hamstring injury. To date, he’s got 42 catches for 572 yards and eight touchdowns on the season.

In his initial season with the Cardinals, Hopkins played the entire year, posting the kind of numbers (115 catches for 1407 yards and six touchdowns) that the five-time Pro Bowler has become known for throughout his career. With another year of chemistry with quarterback Kyler Murray, along with the offseason additions made to the offense, expectations were high for him to continue at his impressive pace.

While the team will certainly miss him for the stretch run of the regular season, the Cardinals can clinch a postseason berth as early as this week against the Lions. Their other main weapons in the passing game – Christian Kirk, midseason acquisition Zach Ertz, along with resurgent veteran A.J. Green and rookie Rondale Moore should be able to maintain Arizona’s potent attack, especially with a healthy Murray.

Hopkins signed a two year extension to his existing contract with Arizona upon being traded by the Texans. His cap number is set to jump from $7MM this year to $12.5MM next season, climbing further still to a maximum of $27.2MM in 2023. The deal ends after the 2024 season, when he will be 32.

Latest On 49ers, Dee Ford

December 15th, 2021 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

12:15pm: False alarm. On Wednesday morning, Ford explained that he sent a goodbye text to his teammates since he was en route to off-campus injury rehab. That text was misinterpreted by at least one of his teammates as a farewell, hence the earlier report.

“The articles saying I told my teammates I expected to be released are false,” Ford told Mike Silver of NFL.com (Twitter link). “I’m going to be getting rehab and taking the time needed to get back and I was saying goodbye to the boys because I wouldn’t be in the building. We are still rolling. We’re just taking the time needed.”

9:04am: Earlier this week, we learned that Dee Ford is unlikely to return from the injured reserve list this year. With that, the veteran edge rusher is expecting to be released by the 49ers, perhaps as soon as today (via PFT).

“That’s something I never can predict,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said when asked about Ford’s outlook. “But I’ll be surprised if he’s back. I think we’ll just have to continue playing without him.”

The 49ers traded for Ford during the 2019 offseason and saw him play a key role in their Super Bowl LIV run as a part-timer. Unfortunately, he’s been limited to just 18 regular season games in SF over the last two seasons and change.

Ford’s original deal was a five-year, $85MM deal. In March, he agreed to scale it down to a two-year pact worth $24MM. If the Niners cut him, they’ll save $2.09MM on the 2022 books with $9.8MM left in dead money.

The former first-round pick has played in just six games this year and hasn’t taken the field since Oct. 24th. He was productive while healthy, however, tallying three sacks to bring his career total to 40.

Texans’ Jordan Jenkins To Return From IR

December 15th, 2021 at 11:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have designated Jordan Jenkins for return from IR, per a club announcement. Jenkins has missed the last few weeks with a torn PCL, but it appears that it was just a partial tear, one that didn’t require significant surgery.

Jenkins, a 2016 third-round pick of the Jets, joined up with the Texans on a two-year, $6MM deal in March. The Texans aren’t playing for much at this point, but Jenkins may be motivated to keep his job (and contract) for 2022. In theory, the Texans could release him this spring to save $3MM against just $500K in dead money.

Jenkins notched 22.5 sacks in his previous five seasons with the Jets, including 15 sacks between the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Then, he took a step back in 2020 with career-lows in tackles (32) and sacks (2). So far this year, he’s got 17 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss in Houston.

The Texans are now 2-11 following Sunday’s loss the Seahawks. They’ll try to snap their three-game losing streak this week when they face the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Titans Designate Bud Dupree For Return

December 15th, 2021 at 11:47am CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have designated outside linebacker Bud Dupree to return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. This will trigger a 21-day window for Dupree to return to the active roster.

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. Combined with Caleb Farley‘s season-ending ACL tear and injuries to Derrick Henry and Julio Jones, the Titans have been playing at half-strength.

Still, they’ve effectively sewn up the AFC South with a 9-4 record and they’re still in the mix for the conference crown. Dupree, who tallied 19.5 sacks between 2019 and 2020, should go a long way towards helping that effort. To date, he’s got just seven stops and one sack through seven games for the Titans. They’re expected better results from here on out as he plays on his five-year, $82.5MM deal.

It remains to be seen whether Dupree will be cleared this week. But, if he’s able to go, he’ll return against his former team on Sunday.