HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Bears Considering Trace Armstrong For Top Exec Post?

December 12th, 2021 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

9:53am: Armstrong has taken to Twitter to deny having contact with the Bears about this position: “I have the utmost respect for the Chicago Bears organization, the McCaskey family and Ted Phillips,” he said. “However, any assertion that I have engaged in conversations with them about joining the club in any capacity is simply not true.”

9:12am: Major changes could be afoot in the Windy City. Bears head coach Matt Nagy is almost certainly going to be axed at season’s end, GM Ryan Pace‘s hold on his position seems tenuous as well, and as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Chicago is mulling an overhaul of its entire power structure.

La Canfora says that team ownership has discussed a top management position with Trace Armstrong, a longtime NFL player and a prolific coaching agent who also represents broadcasting talent and current NFL execs. Such a position would see Armstrong at the top of the football operations department, with the head coach and GM reporting directly to him.

One of Armstrong’s top clients is Ohio State head coach Ryan Day, who has led the Buckeyes to a 33-4 record since taking charge of the program in 2019. Day, 42, has served as the QB coach for the Eagles and 49ers and has also been connected to the Titans’ OC job and the Jaguars’ head coaching post in recent years. Armstrong believes that Day can be a winning head coach in the NFL, and it would be sorely tempting to reunite him with Justin Fields, his former OSU pupil.

While it would of course be difficult to leave his agent practice, Armstrong is serious about this position, and he is held in high esteem by the McCaskey family and team president Ted Phillips. The Bears selected Armstrong in the first round of the 1989 draft, and he spent the first six years of his pro career in Chicago. He racked up 42 sacks in that time, and he ended his career with 106 sacks, including a 2000 Pro Bowl campaign with the Dolphins that saw him pile up 16.5 QB takedowns. From 1996 through the end of his playing career in 2003, Armstrong worked as the NFLPA president.

Another prominent client of Armstrong’s is Raiders director of pro scouting Dwayne Joseph, who may join the Bears’ front office if this scenario materializes. Joseph, who served as a Chicago staffer from 1998-03 and again from 2012-15, was recently named as a top minority candidate for a GM job.

This is all still in the preliminary stages, of course, but a shake-up like this one might not be the worst idea for a franchise that has qualified for the playoffs just three times since its Super Bowl XLI loss to the Colts at the end of the 2006 season and that has been stuck in neutral for awhile.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/21

December 12th, 2021 at 8:29am CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves:

Houston Texans

Washington Football Team

WFT has played its way back into the NFC playoff picture, but the team has now placed three DEs on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, including Montez Sweat. The club’s front seven depth will be seriously tested in its key matchup with the Cowboys this afternoon.

Jalen Hurts To Start For Eagles In Week 15; Panthers Were Interested In Gardner Minshew

December 12th, 2021 at 7:58am CST by Rory Parks

Despite QB Gardner Minshew‘s strong performance in last week’s victory over the Jets, the Eagles — who are on a bye this week — will turn the reins back over to Jalen Hurts when they return to the field for their Week 15 contest against WFT, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. Hurts was unable to suit up for the Jets game due to an ankle injury but is expected to be healthy enough to resume his starting role next week.

The Jets’ defense is hardly the most difficult test for a quarterback, but Minshew did exactly what he needed to do to put himself back on the radar for QB-needy clubs by completing 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards and throwing two TD passes. There may not be a quarterback controversy in Philadelphia at the moment, and Hurts’ play down the stretch will obviously factor into the Eagles’ long-term thinking, but even if the Eagles’ front office is content to move forward with Hurts, Minshew may have at least bolstered his trade value.

Per Rapoport, the Panthers called the Eagles about a possible Minshew trade during the season, not long before Carolina signed Matt Barkley and Cam Newton. The two clubs never got particularly deep into talks, but Minshew is expected to generate outside interest again this offseason.

RapSheet says that Minshew is generally viewed as no worse than a bridge starter, with the upside to be more. A team that misses out on one of 2022’s top trade targets or collegiate passers, or a team that is looking to groom a young QB, would probably be happy to give up a mid-round pick for Minshew.

The former Jaguars draftee still has a year to go on his rookie contract and will make a modest $965K in 2022, further enhancing his trade value.

Panthers Misdiagnosed K Gano In 2018

December 11th, 2021 at 11:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Graham Gano has been one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL over the course of his twelve-year career, a career that could’ve been cut short due to a misdiagnosed injury by Panthers’ team doctors in 2018, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported in October.

Gano spent eight years in Carolina with his final year being spent on injured reserve. In seven seasons of play, Gano converted 165 of 193 attempted field goals (85.5%) en route to becoming second on the list of the franchise’s all-time leading scorers with 742 points. The former-Panther’s last active season with the team was cut short when team doctors diagnosed him with a left leg injury. According to Gano, the medical staffers misdiagnosed the injury as tendinitis and a bone bruise when he had actually sustained a fractured left femur. Gano’s second opinion from New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery led to a 2019 knee surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2019 season, but potentially prevented a more dangerous injury from ending his career had he returned without fixing the actual damage to his leg.

Upon returning to health in the 2020 offseason, Gano was cut by the new staff led by current Panthers’ head coach Matt Rhule before he even got a chance to kick for them. Carolina’s loss was New York’s gain, as the Giants quickly picked up the veteran kicker and have seen him return to form converting 91.8% of his attempted field goals. Gano’s success in New York quickly earned him a new contract that extended him through 2023 with the second highest average salary in the league for kickers.

Dr. Pat Connor and trainer Ryan Vermillion, the head team physician and head athletic trainer respectively for Carolina in that 2018 NFL season, are no longer with the organization. Vermillion ended up in Washington, following head coach Ron Rivera from Carolina, where he is now under investigation for alleged distribution of prescription drugs by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Bears’ OL Coach Leaving For Nebraska

December 11th, 2021 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

Bears’ assistant offensive line coach Donovan Raiola is leaving Chicago to become the offensive line coach at the University of Nebraska, reports Michael David Smith of NBC Sports. Raiola’s midseason departure comes as no surprise as Matt Nagy sees his grasp on the head coaching position in Chicago becoming more and more tenuous. Nagy stands as the longest-tenured head coach currently in the NFL without a win in the postseason.

Although Raiola played college football for the rival Wisconsin Badgers, he does have ties to Nebraska as his older brother, Dominic, won the Rimington Trophy for the best center in college football in 2000 as a Cornhusker.

Raiola is filling a vacancy on Scott Frost’s staff left by Greg Austin who followed Frost from the University of Central Florida to Nebraska in 2017 and was let go in November as Frost decided to make major changes in an attempt to right the ship of a struggling Cornhuskers team. The Bears offensive line won’t be abandoned as Juan Castillo remains as the offensive line coach in Chicago.

Raiders Activate CB Mullen From IR

December 11th, 2021 at 6:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Trayvon Mullen is primed for a return to action as the Raiders have announced that he’s been activated from injured reserve today. Las Vegas had designated the former second-round pick to return from injured reserve a little over a week ago.

Interim head coach Rich Bisaccia had made a statement saying, “[Mullen] wants to be in a position where he feels like he’s ready to go and he’s not at 70 percent or 80 percent,” so Mullen’s activation should indicate a return to full health for the Raiders’ starting cornerback.

While the Raiders will certainly be happy to have a bit more depth to a cornerback room that was looking fairly slim with Mullen injured and Damon Arnette‘s release, Mullen’s absence has allowed Las Vegas to test out some of the corners they had available. Even after losing Mullen and Arnette after only four games, the Raiders knew they had experience in ten-year veteran Casey Hayward and liked what they saw in rookie fifth-round pick Nate Hobbs. They did take action, reaching out to sign Hayward’s former teammate, Brandon Facyson, off the Chargers’ practice squad to help fill out the room. The signing has paid off as they’ve seen Facyson start their last six games as Hobbs continues to develop as a pro.

Adding Mullen to the mix strengthens an already impressive position group for the Raiders’ defense. Mullen’s activation was joined by defensive tackle Darius Philon‘s activation off injured reserve. Las Vegas also announced the signing of linebacker Will Compton to the active roster and the release of defensive tackle Damion Square. From the practice squad wide receiver Tyron Johnson, linebacker Javin White, and running back Trey Ragas have been called up for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/21

December 11th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s practice squad moves:

Detroit Lions

  • Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Tavante Beckett
  • Released: T Darrin Paulo

Houston Texans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/21

December 11th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is how teams finalized their Week 14 rosters:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Broncos Activate Bryce Callahan From IR

December 11th, 2021 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos will have their slot cornerback in uniform Sunday. After battling another injury, Bryce Callahan is back on Denver’s active roster.

This marks an ahead-of-schedule return for Callahan, per 9News’ Mike Klis (on Twitter). The veteran slot defender has missed extensive time since coming to Denver but will attempt to make a final impression ahead of another free agency bid.

Given a three-year, $21MM deal in 2019, Callahan missed all of that season with a lingering foot injury from his Bears days. He then missed six games last season, ending the year on IR. While Callahan’s October knee hyperextension loomed as a potential season-ender, he will be back to help the Broncos, who have seen a few players return from injury recently.

This gives the Broncos a fully healthy cornerback contingent, which has been a rare occurrence this season. Both Callahan and Ronald Darby have missed chunks of the season. Bradley Chubb, Garett Bolles, Bobby Massie and Shelby Harris have recently come back from injury for the 6-6 team.

However, the team’s defense — plagued by unavailability for most of the season — will be without outside linebacker starter Malik Reed. The Broncos placed Reed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Reed leads the Broncos with five sacks this season.

Bolts Activate Chris Harris, Mike Williams

December 11th, 2021 at 3:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

SATURDAY: Harris and Williams continued to test negative and are back on Los Angeles’ active roster. The Chargers, as they did with Bosa last month, will see both players land on the COVID list as close contacts but avoid missing a game. Allen, however, will not play Sunday. The perennial Pro Bowler tested positive Monday and has been ruled out.

WEDNESDAY: Two days after placing Keenan Allen on their reserve/COVID-19 list, the Chargers learned more standout performers face the prospect of being unavailable Sunday.

The Bolts placed Chris Harris and Mike Williams on their coronavirus list Wednesday. It turns out this is a similar situation to the one the Bolts dealt with regarding Joey Bosa last month. Harris and Williams are unvaccinated close contacts of Allen, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

While this development will prevent both from practicing this week, each starter would be eligible to return Sunday after their five-day quarantine periods cease. The five-day isolation stays begin after the duo’s most recent contact with Allen, giving each a chance to return since neither tested positive. Of course, a subsequent positive test would sideline the unvaccinated players for 10 more days.

Williams was set to play a bigger role for the Bolts on Sunday, with Allen testing positive earlier this week. The former top-10 pick is on pace for a career-best season. Los Angeles’ No. 2 wideout has amassed 854 yards and seven touchdown receptions this season; he is coming off a 110-yard day in Cincinnati.

A 2010s All-Decade performer who has been the Bolts’ primary slot cornerback, Harris has battled some availability issues during his two-year Chargers stay. The former Broncos All-Pro defender has missed five games due to injury this season and was sidelined for seven in 2020. The 32-year-old cover man intercepted a Joe Burrow pass to seal a Chargers road win in Week 13.

Load More Posts