2021 - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars Sign Jaydon Mickens Off Buccaneers P-Squad

November 23rd, 2021 at 10:13pm CST by Ben Levine

We learned yesterday that wide receiver and special teams ace Jamal Agnew was likely going to miss the rest of the season, and it sounds like the Jaguars have already found a replacement. Jacksonville is signing wideout and returnman Jaydon Mickens off the Buccaneers practice squad, reports Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter).

This will be a bit of a homecoming for Mickens, who made his NFL debut (and ultimately spent two years) with the Jaguars. The wideout has been with the Buccaneers since the 2019 campaign, and he got into 10 games for the Super Bowl champs last season. He served as one of Tampa Bay’s top returners, collecting 16 punt returns and 14 kick returns. He also had 15 combined returns in the playoffs. Mickens also got some run on offense, hauling in seven catches for 58 yards.

The 27-year-old has bounced on and off the Buccaneers’ active roster in 2021. He ultimately saw time in five games, returning five kicks and eight punts. Mickens last played during Tampa Bay’s Week 6 win over the Eagles.

Agnew suffered a hip injury during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Niners, and he landed on injured reserve yesterday. Agnew has registered seven return touchdowns since 2017, more than any other player in the NFL. Two of those have come this year — he housed a 102-yard kickoff in Week 2 and returned a botched field goal try for a record 109-yard TD in Week 3. Mickens will be hard pressed to match those numbers, but he’ll still provide the Jaguars with an experienced option on special teams.

Falcons Sign P Thomas Morstead

November 23rd, 2021 at 8:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Thomas Morstead has found his next gig. The Falcons announced that they’ve signed the veteran punter. Morstead also confirmed the signing on Twitter.

There’s a chance Falcons punter Dustin Colquitt is forced to miss Sunday’s game due to COVID-19 protocols. Morstead would be a temporary fill-in, and there’s a good chance he’ll earn his walking papers once Colquitt is back in the lineup.

Morstead, 35, first entered the league as a fifth-round draft pick of the Saints in 2009. After earning a ring as a rookie, he signed multiple extensions to stay in New Orleans through 2020. This year, the Saints were more than $100MM over the cap, so he was released in the middle of their numbers crunch. Morstead landed with the Jets in mid-September, replacing the injured Braden Mann. But, with Mann designated for return, Morstead’s services were no longer needed and he was cut.

The veteran missed only two games in his 12 Saints seasons and punted in all seven of his Jets contests, bringing his career total to 197 appearances. Morstead was averaging 48.2 yards per punt with the Jets, his best average since 2016.

Titans WR Marcus Johnson Done For Season

November 23rd, 2021 at 7:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Marcus Johnson is done for the season. The Titans veteran wideout has been placed on injured reserve, reports Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus (via Twitter). Since this is Johnson’s second IR stint of the season, he’ll have to sit out the rest of the 2021 campaign.

Johnson suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday that knocked him out for the majority of the contest. The receiver was a standout during training camp and preseason, but he landed on IR prior to the start of the season. He ended up returning in Week 5 and has played in each of the Titans last seven games (with three starts). In total, the 27-year-old has collected 158 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches.

In total, Johnson has seen time in 41 career games, hauling in 51 receptions for 839 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to his stint in Tennessee, he spent three seasons with the Colts.

With Julio Jones on IR, Johnson was expected to see a larger role in the offense, and he had a breakout game with an 100-yard outing in Week 10. A.J. Brown is also banged up, meaning the Titans passing attack could be led by the likes of Chester Rogers, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and Dez Fitzpatrick during this weekend’s showdown with the Patriots.

Johnson wasn’t the only Titans player to land on IR today. The team also cornerback Chris Jackson on injured reserve.

49ers Sign Devin Funchess To P-Squad

November 23rd, 2021 at 4:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have agreed to sign wide receiver Devin Funchess to a practice squad deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Funchess, once a rising star with the Panthers, has yet to see the field in 2021.

The Packers released Funchess in August with an injury settlement. Between that and his 2020 opt-out, Funchess’ Packers run came and went without having ever played a down for Green Bay. His last action came in 2019 with the Colts, a stint that was really more like a cup of coffee. That season ended midway through Week 1, thanks to a broken collarbone. On the plus side, Funchess secured $10MM in salary that year, plus some additional bucks from his terminated Packers contract.

The Panthers selected Funchess in the second round of the 2015 draft and watched him enjoy the best year of his career in 2017, compiling 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. Even though it took him 111 targets to get those 63 grabs, it was a glimpse of his future potential.

No one knows what Funchess has to offer at this point, but the Niners are eager to find out. There won’t be a whole lot of targets to go around behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle, but with Mohamed Sanu on injured reserve, Funchess could see some snaps ahead of Jauan Jennings, Trent Sherfield, and/or Travis Benjamin.

Titans Add Golden Tate To Practice Squad

November 23rd, 2021 at 4:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have signed wide receiver Golden Tate to the practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The veteran wide receiver has yet to play this year, but he could be a quick promotion away from making his 2021 debut.

“I would love to go back home to Tennessee,” Tate told SiriusXM NFL Radio back in June (Twitter link). “[I’d also like to go to] Indy, over with Carson Wentz. Obviously, the LA Rams would be fantastic with Stafford too.”

Tate, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has gotten his wish. The 33-year-old saw time in 23 games for the Giants over the past two seasons, collecting 84 receptions for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns. Before that (and the PED suspension), he captured a Super Bowl championship with the Seahawks and made the Pro Bowl with the Lions in 2014. From 2014-17 he had at least 1,000 yards in three of four seasons, but the expectations a bit lower at this stage of his career.

Meanwhile, the Titans have released fellow one-time star Adrian Peterson from the 53-man roster. So, if all goes well for Tate, he could earn a quick promotion to the varsity squad.

Titans Waive Adrian Peterson

November 23rd, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans have released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. Peterson, who signed with the Titans just three weeks ago, will be available to the rest of the NFL on the waiver wire.

Following the injury to Derrick Henry, the Titans signed the future Hall of Famer to their practice squad. Peterson ended up getting into three games (two starts) with Tennessee, collecting 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches. The 36-year-old was held to a season-low 15 offensive snaps on Sunday, with Dontrell Hilliard getting the bulk of the looks at RB. Hilliard’s performance (82 total yards) probably spelled the end of AP’s stint with the Titans. For the time being, the team will move forward with Hilliard, D’Onta Foreman, and Jeremy McNichols as their running back group.

Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He compiled more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2019, and he rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores with Washington in 2018. There’s a chance he still finds another gig during the 2021 campaign; we previously heard that the Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Titans.

Peterson, 36, is still less than 200 rushing yards away from the 15,000 mark. Depending on where he lands, he could be just a few weeks away from joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders in the elusive club. He’s also about 500 yards away from leapfrogging Sanders for fourth all time in rushing yards and six rushing TDs away from besting Marcus Allen for third place.

Steelers’ Eric Ebron To Miss Time

November 23rd, 2021 at 3:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Eric Ebron will be out for at least a little while. The Steelers tight end is “expected to miss extended time” with a knee injury that may require surgery (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). For now, he’s awaiting a second opinion to determine the best course of action.

Ebron was forced out midway through Sunday’s game against the Chargers and didn’t make it back to the field. His day ended with three grabs for 24 yards and his first touchdown of the year; now, it’s possible that his season will be capped at 12 catches, 84 yards, and one TD.

In 2020, Ebron went off for 56 catches, 558 yards, and five touchdowns. Needless to say, this isn’t the encore he had in mind. And, since he’s in his walk year, a season-ending surgery could mark the end of his Steelers tenure.

Ebron joined the Steelers last year on a two-year deal worth $12MM. The relatively low-risk pickup paid off in Year One, but Ebron’s inconsistency seems to have followed him to Pittsburgh. In 2018, the UNC product got the drops under control and managed a 13-touchdown season with 66 catches for 750 yards. But, without quarterback Andrew Luck, he was far less productive in 2019. Now, after a strong 2020 debut with the Steelers, his 2021 may end without much of an impact.

Bears’ Matt Nagy: Rumors Of Firing Are “Not Accurate”

November 23rd, 2021 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, former Chicago Sun-Times journalist Mark Konkol reported that Thanksgiving will mark Matt Nagy‘s final game as head coach (via Patch.com). For his part, Nagy says “that is not accurate,” (Twitter link via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic).

“My focus is on these players and Detroit, and that’s it,” Nagy said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert). “That’s my job as a head coach and a leader, is to do that. These players have been amazing. They’ve been great. You have this quick turnaround after a loss like [Sunday’s to the Ravens], and now here you go. The only thing we can do is focus on the now and do everything we can. Thursday is going to be here quickly.”

Still, Nagy says that he has not received any assurances from owner George McCaskey or GM Ryan Pace this week. Left to fend off the rumors by himself, Nagy claims that he won’t be distracted by the speculation.

“We all have our own decisions as to how we do things, and I think this whole entire time, for me and for ownership, we’ve had great communication..[We’re] focused on Detroit. That’s what it is,” said the head coach.

After dropping five straight, the Bears are 3-7 and en route to a lost season. It’s a sharp drop from Nagy’s first 12-4 season at the helm, or even his back-to-back 8-8 campaigns. Assuming no decision has been made yet, a win on Thursday could help cool down the hot seat. On that note, Nagy also confirmed that the Bears will start Andy Dalton while Justin Fields recovers from his rib injury.

Saints’ Landon Young Done For Year?

November 23rd, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints tackle Landon Young is set for season-ending foot surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). This marks yet another frustrating injury for the Saints, who are already short-staffed on the offensive line.

Young made his first ever pro start on Sunday, filling in for injured left tackle Terron Armstead while playing on 98% of the snaps. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, they were without Ryan Ramczyk. The Saints hope to have at least one of those tackles back for Thursday’s game against the Bills, but they’re unlikely to have both in action at 100% health.

Between the injuries to the three tackles and guard Andrus Peat‘s season-ending pec tear, the Saints’ front five is full of holes. They’ll likely keep swing lineman Caleb Benenoch on the active roster, but they’ll need at least one more body for depth. For now, they have just two healthy tackles in James Hurst and Jordan Mills.

After the 40-29 loss to the Eagles, the Saints are at the .500 mark. Now, down yet another key player, they’ll aim 6-5 when they host the Bills on Thursday night.

Giants To Fire Jason Garrett

November 23rd, 2021 at 12:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are firing offensive coordinator Jason Garrett (Twitter link via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). For now, Browns head coach and current offensive assistant Freddie Kitchens will assume play-calling duties.

Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Giants this year. Now at 3-7, their Garrett-lead offense has managed just 42 touchdowns — the lowest total of any team in the NFL. Still, just seven short weeks ago, head coach Joe Judge dismissed the speculation over Garrett’s job security.

“We’re going to stay consistent with what we’re doing and keep improving as a team,” Judge said in early October. “There’s a lot of things we’ve got to clean up coaching-wise, execution-wise. We’re going to stay on track with it and make sure we get those things right before we make any radical changes.”

Those comments came after the Giants’ 0-3 start to the season. Since then, they’ve managed wins over the Saints, Panthers, and Raiders, but that wasn’t enough to save Garrett’s job. As demonstrated by the dismissal of offensive line coach Marc Colombo last year, Judge isn’t afraid to make a midseason shakeup.

Many called for Garrett’s job last year, when the Giants posted the second-lowest point total in the NFL. Still, the G-Men retained the Princeton grad, largely because they didn’t want Daniel Jones to have to adapt to a third OC in his third pro season. And, though Garrett has been heavily criticized for his scheme and play-calling, Jones has performed well at times this year.

Of course, that wasn’t the case on Monday night. Jones lobbed two interceptions and completed just 60% of his throws as the Bucs cruised to a 30-10 victory. It was a new low for the Giants, who posted just 215 yards and 15 first downs while going 1-for-9 on third downs — that last part may have been the final nail in Garrett’s coffin as coordinator.

For now, Kitchens will inherit an offense averaging just 18.9 points and 322.8 yards per game. His first assignment comes this Sunday when the Giants host the Eagles in New Jersey.