2021 - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Jets’ Mekhi Becton

December 8th, 2021 at 3:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

The outlook for one of the Jets’ key offensive pieces is not looking good. Second-year tackle Mekhi Becton is still not practicing weeks after knee surgery, per the New York Post’s Brian Costello (via Twitter).

Becton suffered the knee injury during the Jets’ Week 1 loss to the Panthers and was initially believed to be out four to six weeks. After a cleanup procedure meant to better the chances of Becton returning at some point this season, that timetable was extended by another two weeks.

Almost three months removed from the procedure — and therefore three weeks overdue to be at least working toward a return — the 6-foot-7, 364-pound blocker is not in shape to resume practicing at this point, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. Robert Saleh said Becton will “hopefully” return to practice at some point before the campaign is over.

With the Jets at 3-9 and in the basement of the AFC East again, however, there is likely not much need to rush the 2020 No. 11 overall pick back to action. The third tackle selected last year, Becton only missed two games as a rookie. The gargantuan lineman played well when on the field, but weight-related concerns have dogged the Louisville alum during his Jets tenure.

The Jets have relied on Morgan Moses and George Fant to man the tackle positions throughout the year, but Becton’s return at any point would be welcomed. He is under contract through 2023, and the Jets have a 2024 option season to exercise down the road.

Cowboys’ Randy Gregory Returns To Practice

December 8th, 2021 at 2:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

An important piece to the Cowboys’ defensive front may be on the way back. Randy Gregory returned to practice Wednesday, according to NFL.com’s Jane Slater (Twitter link).

The pass rusher had been placed on IR with a calf injury he suffered in a practice drill one month ago. That was a major blow to an improved Cowboys defense, and an interruption in Gregory’s most successful season to date. In seven games, he has recorded five sacks to go along with 12 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles.

The news is the latest welcome sign for Dallas’ defensive line, as two-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence was activated from IR last week. If Gregory is able to return for Sunday’s game against Washington, it would mark the first time since Week 1 that both of the Cowboys’ starting defensive ends were available.

With second-year nose tackle Neville Gallimore also returning to practice, the potential for a healthy defensive line would have an impact on standout rookie Micah Parsons. An off-ball linebacker by trade, the No. 12 overall pick in this year’s draft has been forced to play on the edge for long stretches this year, recording 10 sacks and two forced fumbles.

49ers Add RB Brian Hill To Practice Squad

December 8th, 2021 at 1:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

San Francisco is adding another piece to its running back room. Four-year veteran Brian Hill will join the team’s practice squad, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco (via Twitter).

A Falcons fifth-round pick in 2017, Hill has spent most of his career in Atlanta. He totaled 982 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 202 carries (an average of 4.7 per carry), adding 38 receptions for 313 yards and one score during his time with the Falcons. Atlanta’s new regime did not re-sign him this offseason.

In between his Atlanta exit and this signing, Hill spent time with the Titans and Browns. The former Wyoming back has yet to see any action this season, however. The Browns released Hill from their practice squad last week.

Injuries in the 49ers’ backfield point to Hill as an option. Elijah Mitchell and Trenton Cannon are dealing with concussions, while Jeff Wilson‘s knee injury also has him in question. Mitchell also went through an MRI on his knee Wednesday, per Maiocco, who adds the scan came back clean (Twitter link). Trey Sermon is on IR and ineligible to return this week. The 49ers’ only sure thing at the position is currently JaMycal Hasty. Although Hasty has seen intermittent work with the 49ers over the past two seasons, he played one offensive snap in San Francisco’s Week 13 game.

Giants Planning To Keep Joe Judge In 2022?

December 8th, 2021 at 12:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Neither Ben McAdoo nor Pat Shurmur received a third season as Giants head coach, but Joe Judge is trending toward returning next season. Despite the Giants tracking toward a fifth straight season with double-digit losses, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes the league word is the team will bring back Judge in 2022.

Even if Judge stays, the Giants’ power structure will look different next year. GM Dave Gettleman is unlikely to return, and Judge recently axed offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. Judge was not the driver to hire Garrett, with ownership preferring the ex-Cowboys HC for the Giants’ play-calling role. Should Judge indeed be kept, his seat will certainly be hot entering next season.

A poor Giants finish could change ownership’s plans. Three games against NFC East competition remain for the Giants, though their injury situation may not cooperate in time. Although the Giants spent big this offseason by bringing in Kenny Golladay and Adoree’ Jackson — after pricey signings of James Bradberry and Blake Martinez in 2020 — they have seen key injuries alter their plans.

The Giants are bracing for a lengthy Daniel Jones absence, which could mean the third-year quarterback is done for the year. Mike Glennon suffered a concussion Sunday, and though Judge said Wednesday (via The Athletic’s Dan Duggan, on Twitter) the offseason pickup is expected to return to make another start in Week 14, recent Bills practice squad arm Jake Fromm is close to seeing action. The team has also seen Saquon Barkley miss another sizable chunk of a season and has not had the opportunity to deploy its full receiving corps too often due to various injuries.

Judge, 40 later this month, does not call plays and is 10-18 as Giants HC. New York ranks 26th offensively and has slipped to 24th on defense. The Giants were in a strange position of being close to winning a division at 6-10 last season, but they are not exactly on the playoff radar this year. The Giants gave Judge a five-year contract, which is a year longer than McAdoo’s 2016 deal. However, the team bolted from Shurmur after two seasons of a five-year deal.

Ravens’ Ja’Wuan James Returns To Practice

December 8th, 2021 at 12:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite tearing an Achilles’ tendon in May, Ja’Wuan James has a path to move onto the Ravens’ active roster. The veteran tackle will practice Wednesday.

The Ravens stashed James on their reserve/non-football injury list ahead of Week 1 but hoped he could return to work at some point late in the season. Although it is not certain the former first-round pick will play for his new team this season, the Ravens will check on that prospect in the coming days and weeks.

James signed a two-year, $9MM deal with the Ravens in June. Regardless of his participation this season, the Ravens will aim to redevelop James for the 2022 season. Best known for his five-year stay as the Dolphins’ starting right tackle, James has not seen much action since his Miami days ended.

Previously in position to reclaim his role as the Broncos’ right tackle, after opting out in 2020, James suffered the major injury while training on his own this offseason. That led to a quick Denver exit. The Broncos gave James a big-ticket deal to close their revolving door at right tackle in 2019, but the ex-Dolphins starter missed most of the ’19 season and ended up logging fewer than 100 snaps in total in Denver.

Baltimore’s tackle situation radically changed this year as well. The Ravens traded right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to the Chiefs and signed Alejandro Villanueva. Another Ronnie Stanley injury, however, kicked Villanueva back to left tackle and has left the Ravens weaker than usual up front.

Jaire Alexander Returns To Practice

December 8th, 2021 at 12:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the Packers’ injured standouts is moving close to a return. Jaire Alexander will practice for the Packers on Wednesday, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter).

This will start the Pro Bowl cornerback’s 21-day IR-activation clock. The Packers must move Alexander back onto their active roster by Dec. 29 or place him on season-ending IR. Alexander has not played since Week 4. Alexander is likely to be eased back into action, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets, so a Week 14 return may not be in the cards.

A shoulder injury has sidelined Alexander for most of this season, and although the Packers have maintained on defense despite Za’Darius Smith missing almost all of the year as well, having their top cover man back would certainly be a big bonus. Green Bay is a game back of Arizona for the NFC’s lone bye, with Tampa Bay joining the Packers at 9-3.

Alexander, who broke through for his first Pro Bowl in 2020, could have opted for a surgery that would have ended his season. But the fourth-year defender did not take that route, keeping the door open for a late-season return. The Packers have expected both he and Smith to be back late this year, but the latter’s return timetable has yet to take shape.

Regardless of Alexander’s return status, the former first-round pick will be in position to score a lucrative extension. The Packers picked up the Louisville alum’s fifth-year option, and with 2021 first-round corner Eric Stokes early in his rookie contract, a clear window will open for Alexander to land a top-tier deal.

Washington Places Montez Sweat On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 8th, 2021 at 10:10am CST by Sam Robinson

Montez Sweat was on track to return to practice Wednesday, but he will see his absence extend into Week 14 and beyond. The young pass rusher tested positive for COVID-19, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The 2019 first-round pick is unvaccinated, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter). This means he must isolate for a 10-day period. While this would give Sweat a chance of returning for Washington’s Week 15 game against the Eagles, the odds of that happening are slimmer because of his unvaccinated status. Sweat remains on IR.

Washington has been without Sweat since Week 8. The first-string defensive end had been recovering from a fractured jaw. The team has won four straight games, doing so despite Sweat’s injury and Chase Young being done for the season. Sweat obviously would stand to help the 6-6 squad down the stretch, but his return will have to wait a bit.

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.

Texans To Waive LB Zach Cunningham

December 8th, 2021 at 9:54am CST by Sam Robinson

Made a healthy scratch in Week 13, Zach Cunningham is no longer with the Texans. The rebuilding team cut ties with the veteran linebacker Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Cunningham was scratched for disciplinary reasons Sunday, Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson tweets, and he may soon have a new home. The former second-round pick will head to waivers. He would pass through to free agency if unclaimed by Thursday afternoon.

David Culley had disciplined Cunningham at multiple points this season, including recently due to showing up late for a COVID-19 test, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Cunningham, 27, will follow Phillip Lindsay as a post-trade deadline Texans cut.

The Texans had previously reduced Cunningham’s playing time, but he had been back to an every-down player in recent weeks. Houston used Cunningham on every defensive snap during his final three games with the team. After the Texans’ new regime shopped Cunningham ahead of the deadline, no trade materialized. The team will cut its losses and do so with a big dead-money hit.

Because of the four-year, $58MM extension the parties agreed to in 2020, the Texans will be hit with $12.8MM in dead money. As for Cunningham’s prospects of being claimed, he is due less than $300K in base salary for the rest of this season. No guarantees remain on the off-ball linebacker’s deal beyond 2021, increasing the likelihood he will not make it to free agency this year. Cunningham’s contract does contain eight-figure base salaries from 2022-24, which would make him a potential 2022 cut candidate — should another team claim him by Thursday.

This marks a swift change for the Vanderbilt product. Cunningham led the NFL with 164 tackles last season. Houston had he and Benardrick McKinney signed to big-ticket inside-‘backer deals exiting last season. Now, both are gone.

Washington To Place Logan Thomas On IR

December 8th, 2021 at 9:40am CST by Sam Robinson

Although Logan Thomas‘ knee MRI produced some more encouraging results, Washington will still end its starting tight end’s season. Thomas is heading to IR, The Athletic’s Ben Standig tweets.

Washington initially feared Thomas suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, but Ron Rivera said earlier this week the converted quarterback had a chance to play again this season. That is no longer the case. Because Washington placed Thomas on IR earlier this season, this second such designation means he cannot play again until the 2022 campaign.

A hamstring injury sidelined Thomas earlier this season. He ended up playing in just six games for the resurgent WFT. Fortunately for Thomas, he locked in some guaranteed money through his July extension. Washington has the 30-year-old pass catcher under contract through 2024, via the three-year, $24MM deal.

Thomas provided a key auxiliary target for Alex Smith and Co. last season, when he caught 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. He could not be the same kind of threat this year, with injuries limiting the eighth-year player to 18 catches and 196 yards. Thomas did score a touchdown — his third this season — in Washington’s 17-15 win over the Raiders on Sunday.

Thomas’ primary backup, Ricky Seals-Jones, has not played since Week 10. Seals-Jones leads the WFT’s tight ends with 23 catches for 230 yards this season.

Seahawks’ Jamal Adams Done For Season

December 8th, 2021 at 9:17am CST by Sam Robinson

Less than a year after undergoing surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum, Jamal Adams is set for a similar rehab odyssey in 2022. The Seahawks safety is out for the season after his second major left shoulder injury in 11 months, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

In addition to another labrum tear, Adams sustained significant damage in that left shoulder during Seattle’s Week 13 win over San Francisco. He will undergo surgery Thursday, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets, noting that the fifth-year veteran considered a non-surgical route this week before opting to go under the knife. While the high-priced defender is expected to recover fully by the start of next season, this certainly marks another blow for a Seahawks slate that has skidded off track.

Adams went down during the second quarter of the Seahawks’ 30-23 win. Fourth-year UDFA Ryan Neal replaced him and will be in line to do so again when the Seahawks face the Texans this week. Adams had not missed a game this season.

The Seahawks gave the former Jets top-10 pick a four-year, $70MM extension this summer. He has not been used to rush the passer in the same capacity he was in the recent past. After setting a safety record with 9.5 sacks in 2020, Adams will finish his second Seahawks season with zero. He did record multiple interceptions for the first time in his career, grabbing two, and made 87 tackles in 12 games this year.

Adams’ absence stands to weaken a Seahawks defense and potentially impact the Jets’ 2022 draft. The teams’ summer 2020 trade sent Seattle’s first-round picks in 2021 and ’22 to New York. While the Seahawks are not yet out of the running for a wild-card spot, their pick could end up in the top 10 for the first time since 2010.