HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Saints Rework Ryan Ramczyk’s Deal

December 3rd, 2021 at 10:08am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have restructured Ryan Ramczyk‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Now, the right tackle will have a portion of his base salary converted into a fully guaranteed roster bonus for 2022. The move will provide the Saints with an extra $242K in cap room for this year.

[RELATED: Saints Place Kpassagnon On IR]

Ramczyk inked a five-year, $96MM extension with the Saints over the Summer, a mega-deal with $60MM in guarantees. The original agreement also gave the Saints some sorely needed breathing room — his fifth-year option would have carried a hit of $11MM for 2021; the extension tamped it down to $5.5MM. The restructure lowers the hit even further, allowing the Saints to bring in outside help if even more injuries arise.

Ramczyk’s $19.2MM AAV positions him as the NFL’s highest-paid right tackle. It was something of a no-brainer for the Saints — Ramczyk won’t turn 28 until April and he’s performed as one of the best blockers in the league throughout his career.

Unfortunately, Ramczyk has been sidetracked by injuries this year — both he and Alvin Kamara were held out of last night’s game to the Cowboys, a 27-17 loss that dropped the Saints to 5-7 on the year.

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, WR DeAndre Hopkins Expected To Play Sunday

December 2nd, 2021 at 10:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals should be getting some major offensive reinforcement this weekend when they take on the Bears. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that both quarterback Kyler Murray and wideout DeAndre Hopkins are expected to play on Sunday. The duo practiced for the second-straight day today.

Murray hasn’t played since Week 8 while he’s recovered from a high ankle sprain. The former first-overall pick had guided Arizona to a 7-1 record before hitting the sideline, and while his rushing numbers were down, he was having a career year as a passer. Fortunately for the team, Colt McCoy has managed to keep the team afloat with Murray out of the lineup; the backup has gone 2-1 as a starter, tossing three touchdowns vs. only one interception.

Week 8 was also the last time we saw Hopkins on the field, as the veteran receiver has been dealing with a hamstring injury. While Hopkins’ yards-per-game mark was down significantly (at 60.8, his lowest total since 2016), he still hauled in seven touchdowns through eight games. The 29-year-old will now rejoin a deep receivers room that includes Christian Kirk, Rondale Moore, and A.J. Green.

While the Cardinals will obviously welcome back the duo with open arms, head coach Kliff Kingsbury made it clear that the team would still be cautious.

“We’ve just got to be smart with how we use him if he’s able to go,” the coach said of Hopkins (via Darren Urban of the team’s website). “Maximize him the best we can and make sure we don’t wear him out.”

“We wanted to make sure they feel good and ease them back into the week. [Thursday] we’ll have pads on and hopefully they can do a little bit more.”

WFT Adds FB Alex Armah To Practice Squad

December 2nd, 2021 at 8:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Alex Armah has found a new gig. The fullback is signing with Washington Football Team, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). The veteran will first join the practice squad before inevitably earning a promotion to the active roster.

The move reunites Armah with head coach Ron Rivera, who was responsible for the Panthers drafting the fullback in the sixth round of the 2017 draft. Armah spent the first four seasons of his career in Carolina, seeing time in 57 games (four starts).

He joined the Saints this past offseason and ended up getting into nine games (two starts), collecting 22 yards and one touchdown on six touches. New Orleans ultimately decided to move on from the 27-year-old earlier this week.

WFT doesn’t technically have a fullback on their roster or practice squad. The team is likely adding Armah due to his blocking ability and familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense. Antonio Gibson should still get the bulk of the snaps at RB, but J.D. McKissic has been sidelined all week while he’s recovering from a concussion. Jaret Patterson and Wendell Smallwood could see backup snaps, but Armah could find himself on the field in passing situations.

Raiders CB Trayvon Mullen Returns To Practice

December 2nd, 2021 at 5:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Trayvon Mullen‘s return is coming sooner than later. The Raiders designated the defensive back to return from injured reserve today, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).

A foot injury forced Mullen out of the lineup in early October. Up to that point, the former second-round pick had been one of the Raiders’ better defenders, collecting 16 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception in four starts. Pro Football Focus had graded Mullen as a top-25 corner through those four games. After appearing in at least 75 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through the first three weeks, Mullen was limited to only six snaps before suffering a foot injury in Week 4.

“I think he 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,” interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said yesterday (via Jairo Alvarado of SI.com). “And I think we’d like that from him as well to come back where he knows he can get out there and compete.”

The Raiders also waived wideout Dillon Stoner today, per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The rookie signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent back in May, and he’s spent most of the season on the team’s practice squad. He saw time in four games for the Raiders, collecting one special teams tackle while appearing in only seven offensive snaps.

Saints Place DE Tanoh Kpassagnon On IR

December 2nd, 2021 at 4:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Tanoh Kpassagnon will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Saints have placed the defensive end on injured reserve.

Kpassagnon had already been ruled out for Week 13 thanks to a nagging ankle injury. The ailment had forced the defensive lineman to miss the previous two games, as well, and now he won’t see the field until Week 16 at the earliest.

The former second-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with Kansas City, and he started 23 games for the Chiefs between the 2019 and 2020 seasons (along with six playoff starts and three playoff sacks). He joined the Saints this past offseason on a two-year deal, and he started five of his first eight games with the organization, collecting 18 tackles, four sacks, eight QB hits, and one forced fumble.

New Orleans made a handful of additional moves in anticipation of tonight’s matchup against the Cowboys (per Yates). The team signed offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch, defensive tackle Albert Huggins, and running back Adam Prentice from the practice squad to the active roster, and they also promoted linebacker Chase Hansen and guard Forrest Lamp to the 53-man roster.

NFL Suspends Antonio Brown, Mike Edwards

December 2nd, 2021 at 3:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not long after a report surfaced indicating Antonio Brown acquired a fake COVID-19 vaccination card, the NFL is suspending the All-Pro talent. The league handed Brown a three-game suspension, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The NFL also suspended Bucs safety Mike Edwards for COVID-19 protocol violations, per Rapoport. Brown denied using a fake vaccination card, but the NFL determined he did, in fact, do so. Neither player is appealing; both will be out until at least Week 16. The league did not fine the Buccaneers.

This further mars Brown’s first full Bucs season. Tampa Bay gave the All-Decade wideout an opportunity after a turbulent 2019 and an eight-game 2020 suspension, with Tom Brady leading the charge to bring the mercurial superstar into the fold. While Brown has been productive on the field, he has run into myriad issues that have kept him out of games this season. He missed a game while on the COVID-19 list, has missed several due to a troublesome ankle injury and will now be down until late December because of his second NFL ban in just more than a year.

When Brown landed on the COVID list in September, he was treated as a vaccinated player, returning after eight days. Unvaccinated players who test positive must quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. The wideout’s lawyer nevertheless released a statement Thursday indicating his client is vaccinated (via Rapoport, on Twitter). Making a fake vaccination card or using one is a felony. Brown’s 2020 suspension stemmed partially from felony burglary conveyance and misdemeanor battery charges.

Brown’s ban also surfaced after Bucs HC Bruce Arians said the team did its due diligence regarding Brown’s vaccination status, via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine. Arians called the matter a non-story last month, and a Bucs statement read a team investigation did not reveal any irregularities (Twitter link). Arians said in early September the Bucs were a fully vaccinated team, but the November report contradicted that status. Given Arians’ initial hesitancy regarding a reunion with Brown last year, this is obviously not a good look for the 12th-year wide receiver or the team.

Brown, 33, was set to miss at least two more games because of the ankle injury he has battled for much of the season. The timing of this suspension does not stand to hurt the Bucs much, though it may affect Brown’s post-2021 future with the franchise. Brown re-signed with the Bucs on a one-year deal in May. The former Steelers dynamo was on pace for another 1,000-yard season, having caught 29 passes for 418 yards and two touchdowns in five games. But he will finish shy of that mark for a third straight year.

A former third-round Bucs pick, Edwards has worked as a backup safety for most of his career. The third-year cover man did post a rare two-pick-six game in Tampa Bay’s first meeting with Atlanta. He will miss the Bucs’ rematch with the Falcons, along with games against the Bills and Saints. Edwards has played in all 11 Bucs games this season.

The NFL also suspended free agent defensive back John Franklin III, who was with Tampa Bay this offseason. The Bucs waived him in August. Franklin also received a three-game ban.

Cowboys Activate DE DeMarcus Lawrence

December 2nd, 2021 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

The reinforcements keep coming for the Cowboys. They will have their Pro Bowl defensive end back Thursday night. DeMarcus Lawrence is now on Dallas’ active roster, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

Lawrence has not played since Week 1. Although Randy Gregory remains on IR, Lawrence will team with Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite Micah Parsons for the NFC East-leading squad. Lawrence’s activation comes a day after the Cowboys moved Amari Cooper off their reserve/COVID-19 list and back onto the active roster.

Lawrence suffered a broken foot in practice after the club’s Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers. He will aim to make a difference down the stretch. The eighth-year pass rusher has not topped 6.5 sacks since signing his big-ticket extension in 2019, but his presence will be a welcome one for a Cowboys squad that has kept moving Parsons around the formation due to D-end unavailability.

The two-time Pro Bowler didn’t miss a game for the Cowboys between the 2017 and 2020 seasons, averaging more than nine sacks per season. He started Dallas’s first game of the 2021 campaign, collecting five tackles while appearing in 66 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.

Broncos Activate LT Garett Bolles From Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 2nd, 2021 at 1:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

After three missed games, Garett Bolles looks set to make his return in a big spot. The Broncos activated their starting left tackle off the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Bolles will replace Calvin Anderson on the Broncos’ 53-man roster; Denver placed Anderson on IR. Bolles missed last week because he contracted the coronavirus and was down in Weeks 10 and 11 because of a high ankle sprain. Vic Fangio said earlier this week he expects the fifth-year blocker to return against the Chiefs.

Given an extension barely a year ago, Bolles has not quite played on the level he did last season. He went through last year without allowing a sack. In nine games this season, the former first-round pick has allowed five. Pro Football Focus, which slotted Bolles as as the No. 3 overall tackle in 2020, rates Teddy Bridgewater‘s blindside protector 33rd this season. Still, Bolles was a steady lineup presence throughout his career leading up to this recent absence. The Utah product had missed just one game during his first four seasons.

Bolles’ return will come at a critical time for the Broncos, who finished their Week 12 game with just one starter — center Lloyd Cushenberry — available. Bolles and guard Dalton Risner, however, are expected to be back in Week 13. Right tackle Bobby Massie also worked in a limited practice Wednesday; Massie has missed the past two games.

Texans’ Danny Amendola Undergoes Surgery

December 2nd, 2021 at 12:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Danny Amendola will miss another extended stretch. After a hamstring injury sidelined the veteran wide receiver earlier this year, knee trouble has intervened.

The 13th-year veteran suffered a torn meniscus and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this week, Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 notes. While this surgery is not certain to end Amendola’s season, the timing of it might end up doing so. With Amendola closing out his age-36 season, the prospect of him suiting up for a another NFL game is now in doubt.

Given a one-year deal worth $2.5MM, Amendola played in Houston’s first two games this season but missed the next four due to the hamstring strain. The well-traveled wideout returned in Week 7, playing a complementary role, and caught three passes in the Texans’ Week 12 loss to the Jets.

Since Amendola went on IR earlier this year, the Texans placing him back on their injured list would end his season. Amendola is the NFL’s oldest active wide receiver by more than a year. Only other NFL wideout (DeSean Jackson) has turned 35.

The former Rams, Patriots, Dolphins and Lions pass catcher moved past 6,000 yards for his career this season, having caught 17 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown with the Texans.

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