HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Ravens Sign Tony Jefferson To Practice Squad

December 13th, 2021 at 2:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the midst of injury troubles throughout their secondary, the Ravens are bringing back a familiar face. The Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zrebiec reports (via Twitter) that veteran safety Tony Jefferson has been signed to the practice squad. 

Originally undrafted out of Oklahoma, Jefferson signed with the Ravens in 2017 after starting his career with Arizona. That initial season in Charm City was his best, as he recorded 79 tackles, 2.5 sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery. After missing most of the 2019 season due to a torn ACL, however, he was released.

Upon rehabbing throughout 2020, the soon-to-be 30-year-old signed with the 49ers in June. Groin and hamstring issues quickly saw him land on IR once again, however. After appearing in just two games and registering one tackle in San Francisco, Jefferson was released from the 49ers’ practice squad on Dec. 8th.

The Ravens’ season has been dominated by injury, especially in the secondary. All-Pro corners Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters are each out for the season, as is starting safety DeShon Elliott. Despite the presence of highly-trusted veteran Chuck Clark, miscommunication and big plays allowed have been a weekly occurrence.

Even with Jefferson in the fold, look for the Ravens to continue primarily using a rotation of sophomore Geno Stone and third-round rookie Brandon Stephens at safety for the remainder of the season. Baltimore hosts Green Bay in Week 15.

Rams Place Jalen Ramsey, Tyler Higbee On COVID-19 List

December 13th, 2021 at 2:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have placed cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Dont’e Deayon , along with tight end Tyler Higbee on the COVID-19 reserve list, per a club announcement. As well, Robert Rochell has been placed on Injured Reserve. With that, all four players will be ineligible for tonight’s marquee matchup against the Cardinals. 

The Cardinals can effectively lock up the NFC West crown with a win tonight, leaving the Rams to jockey for Wild Card placement. If Arizona was to complete the season sweep of L.A., they would remain atop the NFC at 11-2, while the loss would drop the Rams to 8-5.

Ramsey’s absence is a huge loss for a secondary that will be facing a Cardinals attack which has recently gotten back to full strength with a healthy Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins. Ramsey has 59 tackles and three interception in 2021. Without him, Darious Williams will be forced into an even heavier workload, as will David Long Jr., as the Rams’ cornerback room is suddenly dangerously thin.

Offensively, the loss of Higbee will be felt in the Rams’ passing attack. He had produced 44 receptions for 395 yards and three touchdowns so far this year. Already without wide receiver Robert Woods for the remainder of 2021, even more snaps and targets will likely be coming the way of recently-acquired Odell Beckham Jr. along with sophomore Van Jefferson.

The Cardinals won the first matchup of the season, 37-20, in Week 4. Even more than initially thought, Beckham along with Von Miller – both of whom were acquired after that game – will be counted on for the Rams.

Latest On Bucs’ Antonio Brown

December 13th, 2021 at 2:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers are getting closer to the point where they will need to make a decision regarding wide receiver Antonio Brown. According to head coach Bruce Arians, however, it’s all still up in the air. 

As reported by ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Arians said, “I haven’t made that determination yet, but we’ll see how it goes” when asked about the seven-time Pro Bowler. Brown’s three-game suspension for producing a fake COVID-19 vaccination card will end after this week, but it remains to be seen if the Buccaneers will allow him to carry on with the team.

The ban — also given to safety Mike Edwards — is the latest in off-field issues surrounding Brown. His latest suspension was for eight games in 2020 for violating the league’ personal conduct policy. Laine adds that Arians informed Brown “there will be no second chances” when he joined the team last season.

In his absence, Tampa Bay has had no issues scoring, as they lead the league with 31.5 points per game. Still, the NFC South leaders would welcome back Brown’s production: 42 catches for 418 yards and four touchdowns in just five games.

The Bucs host the Saints on Sunday night in Week 15.

Falcons’ Erik Harris Done For Year

December 13th, 2021 at 2:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons safety Erik Harris will miss the rest of the year with a torn pectoral muscle (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Falcons will place Harris on the injured reserve list today or tomorrow in order to open up a spot on their 53-man roster. 

The chest injury forced Harris out in the first quarter of Sunday’s game against the Panthers. That left the Falcons extra thin at safety, since they were already without rookie Richie Grant. Despite that, the Falcons managed to beat the Panthers 29-21, thanks in part to the offensive contributions of Cordarrelle Patterson and Mike Davis.

Harris hasn’t been stellar this year, but he has posted 64 tackles and eight passes defended through 12 games. And, of course, the timing is terrible with the Falcons’ playoff hopes largely hinging on this week’s game against the Niners.

Harris, 32 in April, is scheduled for free agency in March after the expiration of his one-year, $1.35MM deal.

Bucs’ Giovani Bernard Suffers MCL Injury

December 13th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Giovani Bernard will be out for at least a little while. The Buccaneers running back has been diagnosed with an MCL injury, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). Between that and his hip strain, Bernard will need some time to heal up. 

Bernard joined the Bucs this offseason after being released by the Bengals. Since then, he’s been used as the team’s RB3 behind Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette. To date, Bernard’s got just eight carries for 58 yards, though he’s put his soft hands to work as a pass-catching receiver with 23 grabs for 123 yards and three scores.

The Buccaneers also have Ke’Shawn Vaughn on the roster, so they don’t necessarily have to add another RB. But, if they need a fourth rusher, Darwin Thompson could be promoted from the practice squad.

The Buccaneers advanced to 10-3 yesterday by topping the Bills 33-27. Next up, a Sunday night showdown with the Saints. A win would formally seal the NFC South title and bring them one step closer to clinching a first round bye.

Giants’ Leonard Williams To Miss Time

December 13th, 2021 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Giants defensive end Leonard Williams suffered an elbow injury on Sunday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Williams is still having tests done, but he’ll miss multiple games at the very least. 

The Giants are 4-9 on the year, so they have little reason to rush their high-priced edge rusher back to the field. Williams remains under contract through 2023 on the three-year, $63MM pact he signed back in March. That contract will see his cap number jump from its current $9.4MM to $27.3MM next year.

In one of the more interesting moves of the offseason, the Giants gave Williams a second franchise tag prior to reaching that big-money extension. He had certainly earned himself the longer-term investment and raise: in 16 games in 2020, he broke out with 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery.

The 27-year old was enjoying another productive season with the Giants, registering 62 tackles and 5.5 sacks along with one forced fumble. He had started all 13 games this year, but according to Rapoport, “there is a chance he doesn’t return [in 2021]”.

In Williams’ absence, the Giants will have some shuffling to do along the defensive line. Alongside Dexter Lawrence and Austin Johnson, options to see an uptick in snaps include free agent signing Danny Shelton and undrafted rookie Raymond Johnson.

The Giants will host the Cowboys in Week 15 in an attempt to get out of the basement in the NFC East.

 

 

 

Lions’ Jerry Jacobs Suffers ACL Injury

December 13th, 2021 at 12:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

After suffering their 11th loss of the season on Sunday, the Lions have more bad news to deal with. Rookie cornerback Jerry Jacobs announced on Twitter that he has an ACL injury. This appears to be a torn ACL, which would rule Jacobs out for the rest of the year.

Undrafted out of Arkansas, Jacobs was in the midst of an encouraging rookie campaign. In 13 games this year, including nine starts, he had 34 tackles along with seven passes defensed and a forced fumble. In coverage, he had surrendered only one touchdown and a completion percentage of 59% to go along with a passer rating of 90.5.

In his message to the Lions’ fanbase, the 24-year-old said, “Thank you for always showing me love and support even during the hard times. Your spirt and encouragement is what motivated me to go 110% every play… This [injury] is a minor setback to a major comeback. I can’t wait to get back on the field and play for the best fans in the NFL”.

The Lions, who rank 26th in the league against the pass, allowing just under 222 yards per game, will need to rely even more heavily on third-year veteran Amani Oruwariye and use a rotation of other mostly inexperienced defensive backs in their secondary. Detroit hosts Arizona in Week 15.

Dolphins’ Phillip Lindsay Tests Positive For COVID-19

December 13th, 2021 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins running back Phillip Lindsay has tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That completes an unfortunate hat trick for Miami as all three of their running backs — Lindsay, Myles Gaskin, and Salvon Ahmed — have tested positive in advance of Sunday’s game against the Jets. 

All three players are vaccinated, according to Pelissero, giving them a chance to suit up on Sunday pending additional tests. If they’re unable to play, the Dolphins will likely turn to practice squad RBs Duke Johnson and Gerrid Doaks.

The Dolphins are still fighting for a playoff berth, albeit with slim odds. Stationed at 6-7, the Dolphins currently have a 10% chance at sneaking into a Wild Card spot, according to the stats at Five Thirty Eight. A win over the Jets would keep the ‘Fins afloat — a loss would effectively rule them out of the postseason.

Lindsay, 27, hooked on with the Dolphins earlier this month after being released by the Texans. In his Week 12 debut against the Panthers, the veteran ran for 42 yards off of 12 carries. Gaskin finished with more yards in a less efficient performance — 49 yards off of 16 totes.

This Date In Transactions History: Eagles Place Carson Wentz On IR

December 13th, 2021 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles couldn’t have asked for much more out of the No. 2 overall pick in 2016 draft. Carson Wentz started all 16 games during his rookie season, played the second-most snaps in the NFL that year, and carried that momentum into the following year. Through 13 weeks, the Eagles were 11-2 as Wentz threw for an eye-popping 33 touchdowns.

Then, in their Week 14 win over the Rams, Wentz tore his ACL. So, on this date in 2017, the Eagles officially placed their young QB on the injured reserve list. We all know what happened next — backup Nick Foles took over under center and helped guide the Eagles to a Super Bowl LII victory over the Patriots. Things would never be the same again for the Birds or their one-time prodigy.

Wentz missed the first two games of 2018 as he recovered from knee surgery, only to suffer a back injury that would sideline him for the rest of the year. He managed to appear in all 16 games during the 2019 campaign, but a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jadeveon Clowney forced an early exit from his postseason debut. In 2020, he looked nothing like his old self. Wentz connected on a career-low 57.4% of his passes while leading the NFL in sacks taken (50) and interceptions (15 vs. just 16 touchdowns). Head coach Doug Pederson benched Wentz for rookie Jalen Hurts, setting the stage for their offseason divorce.

Following their Week 13 romp over the Texans, Wentz’s Colts are 7-6 with a clear path to the playoffs. His snap count also effectively solidified the Eagles’ haul from the blockbuster trade. With Wentz taking 75% of the snaps this year, Indy’s conditional second-rounder turns into a 2022 first-rounder for Philly. If the season ended today, the 6-7 Eagles would own the No. 10 (from the Dolphins), their original No. 11, and No. 21 from the Colts.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/13/21

December 13th, 2021 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Placed on COVID-19 list: WR Binjimen Victor

Denver Broncos

  • Placed on COVID-19 list: WR Seth Williams

Green Bay Packers

  • Released: QB Danny Etling

Minnesota Vikings

  • Placed on COVID-19 list: G Kyle Hinton

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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