Year: 2024

Lions’ Jerry Jacobs Done For Year

It’s officially official. Lions rookie cornerback Jerry Jacobs has been formally diagnosed with a torn ACL, ending his season after 13 games. The Lions will place Jacobs on the injured reserve list this week as he gets set for knee surgery. 

You feel awful,” head coach Dan Campbell said (via James Hawkins of The Detroit News). “He’s improved so much, particularly from spring just to where he’s been playing lately. Before he got hurt, he had already been doing some good things.”

You don’t want any of your guys to get hurt, particularly one of these long-term injuries. The other thing is I hate that it happened now in December. That’s probably a nine-month injury, somewhere in there. The good news is it’s reparable. He’ll work at it, he’ll come back, and he’ll be better than he was. But you hate it for him and for our team.

Jacobs, an undrafted free agent, managed to start in nine games this season, a touching story in an otherwise trying season for the Lions. He began his unusual path to the pros at Hutchinson Community College before transferring to Arkansas State. Unfortunately, a torn ACL wiped out his 2019 season. He then switched to Arkansas, but mental health issues prompted him to opt out after four games.

This marks yet another challenge for Jacobs, but he has a track record of overcoming whatever life throws at him. For now, he’ll be watching the Lions from home, starting with Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

  • Signed: DT Hercules Mata’afa

Torn ACL For WFT’s Logan Thomas

Despite some early optimism, additional testing confirmed that Washington Football Team tight end Logan Thomas has in fact torn his ACL (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Thomas, already ruled out for the year after his second trip to the injured reserve list, will undergo surgery this week and begin his march back to the field for 2022.

Thomas suffered the injury back on December 5th against the Raiders. The early word was a torn ACL, but, the following day, head coach Ron Rivera told reporters that the damage might not have been as extensive. Unfortunately, Washington had no choice but to shelve Thomas for the rest of the year.

The WFT came up short against the Cowboys on Sunday, dropping them to 6-7 on the year. On the plus side, they still have a path to the playoffs in the NFC. Two of their next three games are against the Eagles (with a Cowboys rematch in between), giving them a prime opportunity to gain ground in the Wild Card chase.

Thomas, meanwhile, will focus on rehab and a return to his old form. Last year, he broke out in a big way with 72 catches for 670 yards and six touchdowns. This year, thanks to multiple injuries, he was held to just 18 grabs, 196 yards, and three touchdowns.

Latest On Urban Meyer, Jaguars Coaching Staff

Following a damning report from this past weekend that detailed tensions between Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and both his players and staff, Shad Khan has apparently stepped in. According to Josina Anderson (on Twitter), the Jaguars owner “addressed the coaching staff in person” following Saturday’s report.

[REPORT: Jaguars Players, Coaches Frustrated With HC Urban Meyer]

During the meeting, Khan still expressed confidence in his coaching staff, but he encouraged his staff to improve the players’ cohesiveness. The owner also specifically addressed the weekend report, noting his dismay that news like that would leak out of the organization. Finally, Khan didn’t provide any “definitive assurances nor any discouragement” about the coaching staff’s status for the rest of the season or next year.

Meanwhile, Anderson also hears that staff confirmed that Meyer reportedly belittled coaches in a meeting, declaring that he himself was a “winner” and insinuating that his fellow coaches were “losers.” These coaches also lamented the feeling of “not being on the same page” as their HC, with some coaches feeling “unappreciated [and] undermined.”

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, tensions surrounding Meyer have “boiled over with multiple run-ins with players and other coaches in recent weeks.” Pelissero’s report included a number of anecdotes, including telling notes about veteran wideout Marvin Jones‘ apparent dissatisfaction with his HC, Meyer’s (mis)handling of his coaching staff, and Meyer’s handling of running back James Robinson.

Latest On Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

Ravens fans can breathe a sigh of relief…Lamar Jackson is going to be okay, and he could even be on the field this Sunday against the Packers. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh provided some clarity (and optimism) when discussing his quarterback’s sprained ankle earlier today.

[RELATED: QB Lamar Jackson Has Sprained Ankle]

“Lamar has an ankle sprain. It’s not a high ankle sprain, which is good news,” Harbaugh said (via Ryan Mink of the team’s website). “We’ll just have to see what it is from there and how he feels this week going forward and what it looks like.

“The plans are right now, in my mind, for Lamar to be out there. So we’ll see where it goes this week. If he can go, he’ll go. If not, Tyler [Huntley will be the quarterback. That’s where we’re at.”

The diagnosis is good news, and Jackson can now focus on pain tolerance vs. a definitive absence. Jackson exited Sunday’s loss to the Browns after only 10 offensive snaps, completing all four of his passes. Huntley took over once Jackson exited the game with the 23-year-old completing 27 of his 38 pass attempts for 270 yards and one touchdown. He also added 45 yards on six carries, although he also had two costly fumbles.

Baltimore is currently battling for playoff positioning, and a multi-week absence for Jackson would have likely spelled doom for the team’s postseason chances. Fortunately, if the QB is forced to miss any time, it sounds like it’ll only be one week.

49ers DE Dee Ford Not Expected To Play Again This Season

It’s sounding like Dee Ford won’t see the field again this season. Earlier today, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t sound particularly optimistic when discussing the veteran defensive end’s chances of being activated from IR.

“That’s something I never can predict,” Shanahan said (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). “But I’ll be surprised if he’s back. I think we’ll just have to continue playing without him.”

A back issue limited Ford to only one game in 2020, and it was that same ailment that sidelined him in late October. The 30-year-old was designated to return from injured reserve back in late November, meaning he’d have to be activated to the active roster by December 16 or he’d lose his eligibility to play in 2021. While Ford seemed to be progressing well when he first returned to practice, it sounds like the veteran won’t be returning this season after all.

In six games this year, Ford collected three sacks, boosting his career total to 40. The eighth-year defender has struggled with injuries throughout his career, including neck trouble and concussion-like symptoms just this season.

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.

Dolphins Worked Out RB Lamar Miller

The Dolphins considered a reunion with one of their former players today. Per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), the team worked out running back Lamar Miller today. The team also took a look at RBs Benny LeMay, Jordan Scarlett, and Dexter Williams, who ultimately signed with the Dolphins practice squad. Miami also promoted RB Duke Johnson to the active roster and released wideout Travis Fulgham from the practice squad.

Miller was a second-round pick by the Dolphins back in 2012, and he ended up spending the first four seasons of his career in Miami. Miller ultimately saw time in 61 games (48 starts) during his time with the Dolphins, including a career year in 2014 when he collected 1,374 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. The 30-year-old has bounced around the NFL recently, including a stint on the Saints practice squad earlier this season.

Instead of adding Miller to their depth chart, the Dolphins decided to pivot to Williams. Williams was a sixth-round pick by the Packers back in 2019, and he ended up spending two seasons in Green Bay, collecting 19 yards from scrimmage in seven games. The 24-year-old has spent much of the 2021 campaign on the Giants and Browns practice squads.

Miami’s running backs depth chart is shaky heading into Week 15. Myles Gaskin, Phillip Lindsay, and Salvon Ahmed are all on the reserve/COVID-19 list, leading to Johnson’s promotion. Williams will join a taxi squad that already includes RB Gerrid Doaks. The team also has Patrick Laird and Malcolm Brown on the IR, and there’s a chance Brown could return before the end of the season.

Vikings Place RB Alexander Mattison On Reserve/COVID-19 List

The Vikings made a handful of roster moves today, and it sounds like they’re preparing to be without Alexander Mattison for next Monday’s game against the Bears. The team announced that they’ve placed their backup running back on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team has claimed veteran Wayne Gallman off waivers to fill the roster spot.

Mattison has had a career season for the Vikings, thanks mostly to three productive starts where he filled in for starter Dalvin Cook. In 13 games this season, Mattison has collected 615 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 140 touches. He had more than 100 yards from scrimmage after starting Minnesota’s Week 13 loss, but he returned to a backup role last Thursday with Cook back in the lineup.

Gallman is an experienced option to turn to if Mattison misses time. The veteran finished 2020 with a career-high 682 rushing yards, and after getting signed (and cut) by the 49ers, he caught on with the Falcons in September. He proceeded to see time in six games for Atlanta this season, collecting 125 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches.The 27-year-old was cut by the Falcons on Saturday.

The Vikings made some additional moves, including placing wideout Dan Chisena on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The team also placed linebacker Ryan Connelly on injured reserve. The 26-year-old has seen time in 12 games this season, collecting three tackles. The Vikings also made a procedural move, activating Olabisi Johnson from the reserve/COVID-19 list. The wideout still remains on injured reserve.

Chargers’ Rashawn Slater Placed On COVID-19 List

The Chargers will be without a key piece of their offense for their upcoming Thursday night game against the Chiefs. Left tackle Rashawn Slater has been placed on the Reserve/Covid-19 list, per the Athletic’s Daniel Popper

The 13th overall pick in the 2021 Draft, Slater has helped stabilize the Chargers’ offensive line – something that was sorely needed, given its performance last year. He has appeared in every game so far this season and has graded out well according to PFF, earning a 79.9 overall grade.

Coming off their 37-21 win over the Giants on Sunday, the Chargers will hope to have Keenan Allen back in time on a short week. At 8-5, they only sit one game behind the division-leading Chiefs, and need a win to further cement their hold on at least a Wild Card position.

Minor NFL Transactions:  12/13/21

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Football Team