2021 - Pro Football Rumors

Vikings Activate DT Michael Pierce

December 4th, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Zachary Links

SATURDAY: Pierce is now back on Minnesota’s active roster. The Vikings moved Pierce to their game-day 55-man squad Saturday, putting the mammoth D-tackle in position to play for the first time since Week 4.

WEDNESDAY: The Vikings have designated nose tackle Michael Pierce for return from the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. After missing his last seven games, Pierce is finally on the verge of retaking the field.

Pierce enjoyed a great Week 1, collecting two sacks, two tackles for loss, two QB hits, and seven tackles against the Bengals. After that, he was clearly less than 100% and limited to just two tackles over the next three games. Then, when his elbow injury flared up against the Browns, the Vikings were forced to put him on IR.

Pierce, 29, spent his first four seasons with the Ravens. He joined the Vikings on a three-year, $27MM deal in 2020, but missed the year after opting out. His contract tolled, so he remains under club control through 2023.

The 5-6 Vikings could activate Pierce as soon as this week, allowing him to play against the winless Lions. They may also get some additional bulk up front if Dalvin Tomlinson is able to come off of the COVID-19 list.

Colts Place C Ryan Kelly On COVID-19 List

December 4th, 2021 at 2:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the Colts’ cornerstone players will be sidelined for their Week 13 game against the Texans. Ryan Kelly is now on Indianapolis’ reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Colts had previously seen every other offensive line starter miss time this season, with injuries intervening at various points for the acclaimed group. Kelly, however, had been Indy’s rock here. The former first-round pick had started each of the Colts’ 12 contests this season.

The rest of the Colts’ offensive front is currently healthy, and the Colts’ Week 14 bye points to Kelly missing just one game because of this development. While Kelly missed time in 2017 and ’18, he has only missed one game over the past three seasons. During that time, the Colts’ O-line has become one of the NFL’s best. Kelly made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and last season. This year, Jonathan Taylor has amassed a significant lead in rushing yards behind that group. Taylor’s 1,205 yards lead the league; Derrick Henry still sits second at 937.

Additionally, the Colts activated Khari Willis off IR and waived safety Josh Jones. A second-year safety starter, Willis has missed the past four games. The Colts had played without both safety starters in November, with Julian Blackmon having torn his Achilles early this season.

NFL Mulled 6-8 Game Ban For Antonio Brown

December 4th, 2021 at 11:54am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, the NFL hit Antonio Brown, Mike Edwards, and free agent defensive back John Franklin III with three-game bans for violating COVID-19 protocols. Initially, however, the league was considering six-to-eight game suspensions for those players (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

An eight-game ban would have trickled into the playoffs for Brown and Edwards. Thanks to NFLPA negotiations, both players will have a chance to return in a few weeks. According to Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, it’s not a given that Brown will be activated straight away, and Pelissero hears that’s legitimate. The team first wants to ensure that Brown is focused on football and adhering to the league’s rules. Beyond that, there’s also a non-trivial chance that the players could be facing legal entanglements, since falsifying vaccination cards is a federal crime.

Brown, 33, has been productive on the field, but he’s missed time thanks to a lingering ankle injury and time on the COVID list. Before the suspension, Brown was on pace for another 1,000-yard season with 29 grabs for 418 yards and two touchdowns in five games. Now, he’ll finish shy of that mark for a third straight year.

If the Bucs welcome Brown back immediately after the suspension, he’ll retake the field on Dec. 26th against the Panthers.

Texans To Extend Tremon Smith

December 4th, 2021 at 10:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have agreed to a one-year extension with cornerback/return man Tremon Smith, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790. The deal, which keeps Smith under club control through 2022, includes a $1.1MM base salary. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that Smith also gets a $150K signing bonus, a $50K workout bonus, and a $100K roster bonus, thereby raising the value to $1.4MM. If he hits certain incentives, Smith could max out at $1.6MM (Twitter link).

Smith has averaged 26.0 on kickoff returns this year while appearing on ~80% of the Texans’ special teams plays. He’s also seen a little bit of time on defense, appearing on 14% of the team’s snaps. He might not be a star, but he’s a key cog in the third facet of the game. The Texans clearly value his work – Smith is the first Texans player to score an extension since the start of the 2021 season.

After stops with the Chiefs, Colts, Packers, and Eagles, Smith seems to have found a home in Houston. It also helps that he’s playing under the tutelage of Frank Ross, who was also his special teams coordinator in Indianapolis.

Ross and Smith will see their former team tomorrow as the Texans look to improve on their 2-9 record.

This Date In Transactions History: Giants Fire Ben McAdoo, Jerry Reese

December 4th, 2021 at 10:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants cleaned house on this date in 2017. Not willing to wait until the offseason, the Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese in one fell swoop.

It’s not uncommon to see head coaches and GMs canned on the same day, but it’s somewhat rare to see it happen during the season. Still, the Giants were 2-10, and owner John Mara‘s mind was made up.

“This season has been incredibly disappointing for the organization and our fans, and while it would be ideal to make these kinds of decisions at the conclusion of the season, we simply felt now is the time to prepare for a fresh start,”Mara said in a statement. “I have great respect for both Jerry and Ben. Jerry has worked tirelessly for this franchise for 23 years. He has always communicated in a straight forward and honest manner.”

The Giants enjoyed great success during Reese’s tenure – including two Super Bowl championships – but became more and more reluctant to move up draft day towards the end of his run. In ’17, his final draft in New York, he failed to strengthen the Giants’ Swiss cheese offensive line even though it was one of the team’s most glaring and longstanding needs. So, after a total of 23 years with the Giants organization, he was out.

Ditto for McAdoo, once an NFL darling for his work as Aaron Rodgers‘ position coach. He joined the Giants in 2014 as Tom Coughlin‘s offensive coordinator. Two years later, he was installed as the head coach. At the time, the Giants felt that they were choosing the coach best suited to guide Manning. They also felt compelled to promote him since other clubs were ready to poach him. Year One went well enough – his Giants finished 11-5 before Rodgers & Co. sent them packing in the playoffs. Less than a year later, he was out with a combined 13-15 record.

McAdoo is now with the Cowboys as a consultant while Reese is out of the NFL. Meanwhile, history may repeat itself in New Jersey. The Giants are reportedly set to part ways with Reese’s replacement, Dave Gettleman — his aggressiveness has not yielded a better offensive line. The team also fired OC Jason Garrett recently and it’s not a certainty that second-year head coach Joe Judge will return in 2022.

Seahawks To Promote Adrian Peterson

December 4th, 2021 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are promoting Adrian Peterson from the practice squad (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). With that, Peterson is set to play against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon.

Peterson signed with the Seahawks’ taxi squad on Wednesday, providing insurance for Seattle’s badly battered backfield. Already without starting running back Chris Carson, the Seahawks will also be without backup Rashaad Penny for a while. Travis Homer, who has performed well in a very limited sample size, remains questionable with a calf injury. That’s left Alex Collins in the lead role — he’s registered 395 yards and two touchdowns this year off of 101 totes.

Peterson, 36, has just 27 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown so far this year, from his time with the Titans. His last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions, when he recorded 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns with a so-so 3.9 yards per carry average.

He might not be the player he once was, but Peterson could help the Seahawks’ struggling offense move the chains in small doses. He’ll also have a chance at history — another 367 rushing yards will put him in the 15,000-yard club for RBs.

Steelers Activate T.J. Watt

December 4th, 2021 at 9:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have activated T.J. Watt from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. This means the star linebacker will be eligible to play in tomorrow’s game against the Ravens.

Watt, 27, has 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries through nine games this year. Even with the time he’s missed due to hip and knee injuries, his 12.5 sacks are good for second in the NFL behind Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The Steelers, stationed at 5-5-1, are getting him back at a critical juncture. A win would keep their slim playoffs alive; a loss would virtually rule them out of a Wild Card berth.

Watt has spent the week away from the team in quarantine, but coaches have been keeping him in the loop. The Steelers have been sending him practice footage (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala), getting him up to speed on their plan to contain Lamar Jackson.

While the Steelers will have Watt, cornerback Joe Haden, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, and inside linebacker Robert Spillane will not be on the field against Baltimore. The Steelers may or may not have Cam Heyward available — the defensive lineman was held out of practice yesterday with an undisclosed illness.

Raiders Extend FB Sutton Smith

December 3rd, 2021 at 10:51pm CST by Ely Allen

The Raiders have signed fullback Sutton Smith to a new two-year deal about two weeks after adding him to the practice squad. The news was announced by Smith’s sports agency on Twitter.

After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Steelers as a pass rusher, Smith failed to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Smith joined the Jaguars practice squad in October of that season, but was released a week later. He had two more short stints on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in November before spending the rest of his rookie season on the Seahawks’ practice squad. Seattle signed Smith to a reserve/future contract at the end of the 2019 season, but waived him in the offseason.

After failing to catch on with any teams in the 2020 season, Smith abandoned the position that earned him second-team All-American honors at Northern Illinois, signing with the Saints in the 2021 offseason as a fullback. Once again, Smith fell victim to roster cuts as the Saints trimmed their active roster down to 53.

The Raiders signed Smith to their practice squad after starting fullback Alec Ingold suffered a torn ACL in a Week 10 loss to the Chiefs. Vegas activated Smith to the active roster to appear in his first NFL game against the Bengals the next week. Through two games, Smith has spent most of his time on the field as a special teamer, but does have 6 snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Vegas’s contract offer shows faith in his abilities to fill in as Ingold embarks on the long-term recovery from his knee injury with the added bonus of a sure-tackling special teamer with defensive experience.

Ravens Waive T Cedric Ogbuehi

December 3rd, 2021 at 8:43pm CST by Ely Allen

After a little over a month in Baltimore, offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi‘s time as a Raven has come to an end. After being ruled out of the Ravens’ upcoming game in Pittsburgh with a thigh injury, the Ravens decided to waive the former first rounder, as reported by Jamison Hensley of ESPN.

The seven-year veteran was signed on October 27, one day after being released by the Seahawks, as a bit of insurance following the Ravens placement of their star blindside blocker, Ronnie Stanley, on the IR. After losing Stanley, Baltimore was relying on long-time Steeler Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle and utility-offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, who has started games at every position on the offensive line in his three years of professional football, at right tackle. The Ravens never needed to resort to Ogbuehi at tackle as the only game time he saw in Baltimore was on special teams.

For any teams looking for depth on the offensive line, Ogbuehi presents an intriguing option, provided he can get healthy, with a good amount of starting experience (30 starts out of 60 games played), with his most recent start coming in Week 4 of this season for Seattle.

Lastest On Saints’ QB Taysom Hill

December 3rd, 2021 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (tweet), Saints’ quarterback Taysom Hill will attempt to play through the injury he suffered after a hit to the middle finger on his throwing hand in Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.

Confirming what many in the Saints’ organization thought, doctors for the Saints determined that Hill had indeed suffered a mallet finger. While this is the same injury that forced Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to have surgery and miss 3 games in October, Hill’s injury is not as extensive. ESPN’s Stephania Bell was quoted saying that given the isolation of the one injury to the one finger, it was viable for Hill to play without surgery.

Bell continued, “My expectation is that we will see them customize a splint…that is open on the undersurface so he can feel and grip the ball. Then when he’s not playing, he’ll probably be in a sturdier splint.”

As long as he’s able to reach close to full strength with a couple extra days between games, there’s a good chance Hill continues to start when the Saints travel to East Rutherford to play the Jets in Week 14.