HEADLINES

Year: 2024

49ers Designate Dee Ford For Return

November 25th, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Dee Ford has been designated for return, per an announcement from the 49ers. This will open a 21-day practice window for the defensive end — he’ll either be moved to the active roster in the next three weeks or lose his eligibility to play in 2021.

[RELATED: Kyle Shanahan Says Garoppolo Could Start In 2022]

Ford hasn’t played since Oct. 24, a 30-18 loss to the Colts. It’s all tied to ongoing back trouble, the same issue that wiped out all but one of his games in 2020.

The eighth-year defender has struggled with injuries throughout his career. And, in addition to his bad back, Ford has also dealt with neck trouble and concussion-like symptoms this season.

“[My back issues have] never fully gone away. That’s something he’ll deal with most likely forever,” Kyle Shanahan said earlier this month. “So, something that’s on again, off again.”

The 49ers traded for Ford during the 2019 offseason and saw him play a key role in their Super Bowl LIV run as a part-timer. Unfortunately, he’s been limited to just 18 regular season games in SF over the last two seasons and change.

So far this year, Ford has three sacks and four quarterback hits to his credit.

Texans Designate Justin Britt For Return

November 25th, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are designating Justin Britt for return from injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of SportsTalk 790. This will jumpstart a 21-day practice window for the center, allowing him to return after several weeks on the sidelines.

Britt has been out since Week 7 thanks to a handful of maladies, including a hyperextended knee. Between that and last year’s ACL tear, he’s played in just six regular season games since the end of the 2019 campaign.

The Texans signed Britt to a one-year, $5MM deal earlier this year, installing him as their first-string center. Through six games, he’s earned a so-so overall grade of 61.4 from Pro Football Focus, positioning him as the No. 22 ranked middle man in the NFL. The hope is that he’ll come back stronger after a month of rest and replicate some of his early work with the Seahawks.

To date, Britt’s rookie season in 2014 (71.7 overall score) and 2016 (81.6) stand as his best, per PFF. That ’16 campaign slotted him as the seventh-best center in the league and propelled him to a three-year, ~$27MM extension in 2017.

Without Britt, the Texans have used ex-Raiders practice squader Jimmy Morrissey as their starting center. If goes well for Britt this week, he could resume his starting role on Sunday against the Jets.

Steelers Activate Minkah Fitzpatrick

November 25th, 2021 at 3:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have activated Minkah Fitzpatrick, per a club announcement. After a short stint on the COVID-19 list, the star defensive back will be eligible to play against the Bengals on Sunday. 

Fitzpatrick tested positive on Nov. 15, forcing him to the reserve list, per the league’s protocols. The Steelers clearly missed him last week against the Chargers, allowing 41 points in a losing effort. They were also without edge rusher T.J. Watt and cornerback Joe Haden, but both players are trending towards returning as well. Watt, who suffered a hip and knee injuries against the Lions, returned to practice on Wednesday. Haden, meanwhile, is expected to practice tomorrow.

Through nine games, Fitzpatrick has 64 tackles, one pass defensed, one tackle for a loss, and one forced fumble. Besides linebacker Joe Schobert, he has more total stops than anyone on the Steelers.

Fitzpatrick has been a cornerstone of the Steelers’ D, ever since the mid-2019 trade that brought him to Pittsburgh. The Steelers sent first-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks to Miami in the trade, but they’d do it again in a heartbeat. In 2020, the 25-year-old tackled on yet another First-Team All-Pro nod with four interceptions, 79 total stops, and eleven passes defensed on the year. He also took one of those interceptions back for a pick six, giving him four defensive TDs for his career.

49ers: Jimmy Garoppolo Could Start In 2022

November 25th, 2021 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

There’s at least a “chance” that Jimmy Garoppolo could wind up as the 49ers’ starting quarterback next year. At least, that’s what head coach Kyle Shanahan told Niners beat writers on Wednesday afternoon (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). 

“I think there’s a chance for anything, but I think we made it pretty clear that Trey [Lance] is our guy of the future, whenever that’ll happen,” Shanahan said. “But it was also nothing against Jimmy that we [drafted] him. But we do believe Trey will be our guy of the future. And like I said, I think it’ll be really hard if Jimmy’s [playing well] for [Lance] to beat [him] out right away. So it is kind of going like that right now and I’m not thinking much past that.”

The Niners sacrificed two future first-round draft picks to move up nine spots and select Lance. After that, many expected GM John Lynch to send Garoppolo elsewhere and recoup some of that ammo. Instead, they kept the veteran and installed him as the Week 1 starter. Lance, meanwhile, has started just once, filling in while Garoppolo nursed a calf strain. The rookie looked awful green against the Cardinals, allowing Jimmy GQ to immediately reclaim his job.

Garoppolo may be the better option for 2021, but it’s still hard to imagine him staying on board next year. Keeping the veteran for 2022 would saddle the 49ers with a ~$27MM cap charge. Meanwhile, trading or cutting him would only leave them with $1.4MM in dead money. Lance — this year’s No. 3 overall pick — will carry a much lower $7.75MM cap figure.

Dolphins, Xavien Howard Restructure Deal

November 25th, 2021 at 11:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have restructured the contract of star cornerback Xavien Howard (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). By converting a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus, the Dolphins now carved out an additional $3.8MM in cap room for 2021. 

[RELATED: Dolphins Sign Parks Off 49ers’ P-Squad]

This marks Howard‘s second contract revision of the year. In August, the Dolphins ended Howard’s holdout by guaranteeing his entire 2021 salary while adding $3.5MM in incentives to his deal. Of course, that hasn’t done much to quell the speculation over his long-term future in Miami.

On the flipside, the Dolphins did rebuff a pre-deadline trade offer from the Ravens, back when they were a one-win team. It’s possible that Baltimore GM Eric DeCosta would have even coughed up a first-rounder to land the two-time Pro Bowler if the Dolphins were willing to eat a portion of his $13.8MM salary. Chris Grier‘s refusal — in the midst of a down year for Howard — indicates that he could still be in their plans for 2022 and beyond.

Since then, the Dolphins have rattled off three straight wins, bringing them to 4-7 on the year. Howard & Co. will look to extend the streak on Sunday when they host the Cam Newton-led Panthers.

Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Ruled Out

November 25th, 2021 at 10:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys won’t have their two best wide receivers for today’s game against the Raiders. CeeDee Lamb has been ruled out due to his concussion, according to Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater of NFL.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, as previously reported, Amari Cooper will be held out per the league’s COVID-19 protocols.

[RELATED: Cowboys Designate Lawrence For Return]

Lamb hit the ground head-first last week when Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward drove him to the ground. After being checked out by team doctors, he was ruled out for the rest of the game. Now, he’ll miss at least one more contest, leaving Dak Prescott with Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson, Malik Turner and Noah Brown at WR in the interim.

Lamb, 22, has notched 50 catches for 740 yards and six touchdowns this year. Hopefully, he’ll be cleared in time for Week 13, when the Cowboys face the Saints in a Thursday night matchup.

In other Cowboys news, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has been designated for return. Lawrence, 29, has yet to replicate the gaudy stats that he posted in 2017 and 2018, but he should provide a boost for Dallas’ run defense. It’s also worth noting that Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics have positioned him as a top-tier edge defender, despite the dropoff in sacks.

This Date In Transactions History: Panthers Shut Down Michael Oher

November 25th, 2021 at 10:40am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2016, the Panthers placed Michael Oher on injured reserve. The move, in essence, capped Oher’s NFL career. 

The left tackle had suffered a serious concussion, just months after inking a brand new three-year, $21.6MM extension. The new portion of that deal was set to start in 2017, but he never played a snap on that pact. Oher, of “Blind Side” fame, later ran into personal trouble. In the spring of ’17, he was alleged to have fought an Uber driver. Later on, he posted a picture to social media with what appeared to be prescribed medication for brain injuries.

In July of that year, the Panthers released Oher with a failed physical designation, which allowed him to collect injury compensation. Oher’s contract was over before it even began, and his NFL career was finished after just eight seasons in the NFL. Oher overcame adversity throughout his life to become a first-round pick and found his second wind with the Panthers after some rocky years with the Ravens and Titans.

The Panthers reached Super Bowl 50 with Oher as Cam Newton‘s protector and they hoped to keep him in that spot through at least 2019. Instead, Oher would see his last NFL down at the age of 30 and leave the game after starting in all 110 of his games.

Dolphins Sign Will Parks Off 49ers’ P-Squad

November 24th, 2021 at 6:37pm CST by Ely Allen

The Dolphins added a veteran safety Wednesday, signing sixth-year man Will Parks off of the 49ers’ practice squad. This will be Parks’ fifth team since the start of the 2020 season.

A four-year Broncos contributor, Parks spent the offseason with the Chiefs before being released in August and signing on with the 49ers’ practice squad in early November. He did not play in a game with San Francisco and has not seen game action since last season.

The former sixth-round pick out of Arizona has seen considerable playing time as a pro, starting 10 games for the Broncos and playing in all but two in his first four years. After signing a one-year deal with the Eagles as a free agent, the Philadelphia native ended up being waived due to injuries. He did, however, land back in Denver via waiver claim. Parks played in four more games with the Broncos last season but was again not retained in free agency.

Parks will add a veteran presence alongside Eric Rowe in a safety room that includes young players in Sheldrick Redwine, Brandon Jones, and Jevon Holland. Because the Dolphins plucked Parks off another team’s practice squad, he must remain on their active roster for at least three weeks.

Parks, 27, will reunite with ex-Broncos teammate Phillip Lindsay in Miami, with the Dolphins having claimed the running back off waivers from the Texans on Wednesday.

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