HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Titans Place LB Bud Dupree On IR

November 20th, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Injuries are stacking up in Tennessee. Bud Dupree will head to IR for a second straight November. This year, the veteran pass rusher is battling an abdominal injury. He must miss three games because of this transaction.

This is not expected to be a long-term injury, with Ian Rapoport noting (via Twitter) Dupree should be back after the three-game minimum.

While this is obviously a better outlook for Dupree than last November, when he suffered a torn ACL, this extends a run of injury misfortune for the team atop the AFC. The Titans now have Dupree, Derrick Henry, Julio Jones and first-round pick Caleb Farley on IR.

Dupree has already missed three games this season, with those absences coming earlier in the year. The former Steelers first-round pick has just one sack and seven tackles in his seven-game Titans tenure thus far.

Despite the knee injury and offseason rehab, the Titans gave Dupree a five-year, $82.5MM contract in March. Tennessee has missed on a few edge rushers in recent years, with Cameron Wake, Jadeveon Clowney and Vic Beasley not contributing much to the cause. However, homegrown standouts Harold Landry and Jeffery Simmons have done well to prop up an improved Titans defense this season.

This Date In Transactions History: Broncos Cut Adam “Pacman” Jones

November 20th, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2018, the Broncos released cornerback Adam Jones. As the veteran broke the news himself on social media, he vowed to continue his career elsewhere.

“Well, Denver, it was good,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “Thanks for the opportunity!!!! On to the next.”

Jones didn’t realize it at the time, but this pretty much marked the end of his NFL career. Jones, 35 at the time, hooked on with the Broncos that summer to serve as their punt returner and No. 4 CB. Once a dynamic threat in the return game, he did not live up to expectations. Jones had just 25 total yards off of seven attempts.

Jones was showing obvious signs of decline before his Denver deal — few teams considered him before the Bengals rejected his option for 2018. The veteran was limited to just nine games with the Bengals in 2017 and didn’t fare particularly well on his 299 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus assigned Jones the worst mark (47.1) of his entire career that year, indicating that he was more of a return man than a reliable corner.

Jones’ legacy may be clouded by his string of off-the-field incidents, but he was a force in his prime. After being selected by the Titans with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Jones offered up a series of head-turning highlights, including three punt return touchdowns in his second pro year.

Years after being ID’d as a suspect in the now-infamous Atlanta incident, Jones found his second wind with the Bengals. Jones spent eight years in the Bengals’ secondary and put together three straight seasons with three interceptions in each. In 2014, Jones earned his first ever First-Team All-Pro nod and received a Pro Bowl selection in 2015. He achieved a great deal throughout his tumultuous career, but his 2018 release proved that he could no longer outrun Father Time.

Ravens Cut G James Carpenter

November 20th, 2021 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

A week after promoting James Carpenter to their active roster, the Ravens parted ways with the veteran guard. Carpenter is no longer on Baltimore’s practice squad.

While the 11th-year blocker could return at some point, as teams commonly bring back players they jettison from their respective taxi squads, the longtime starter has not seen any action this season.

The former Seahawks, Jets and Falcons offensive lineman has started 121 career games, being a multiyear starter for each of his previous teams. A starter in both Super Bowl XLVIII and Super Bowl XLIX, Carpenter landed a nice Jets contract in 2015 and caught on with the Falcons in ’19. The Falcons cut the 32-year-old veteran in March, and the Ravens added him in October.

Baltimore moved guard Ben Cleveland off its IR list Saturday and has seen Tyre Phillips return from IR recently as well. Adam Redmond also resides as a Ravens practice squad guard.

Chargers Move Joey Bosa Off COVID-19 List

November 20th, 2021 at 3:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

SATURDAY: This short Bosa saga does not look like it will result in him missing any time. The Chargers activated him off the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday. However, Tillery will miss Week 11’s Steelers tilt, as he remains on the Bolts’ COVID list. Los Angeles also moved linebacker Drue Tranquill from the virus list to the active roster.

WEDNESDAY: Bosa still has a chance to play Sunday. The standout pass rusher did not test positive for the virus but qualifies as a high-risk close contact, Brandon Staley said (via NFL.com’s Taylor Bisciotti, on Twitter). This means Bosa is unvaccinated. He must be away from the team for a five-day period. But since Bosa did not test positive, he would be eligible to return Sunday night and play without practicing this week.

TUESDAY: The Chargers may well be without their best pass rusher Sunday night. Joey Bosa is now on the Bolts’ reserve/COVID-19 list, with Field Yates of ESPN.com adding (via Twitter) defensive tackle Jerry Tillery joins Bosa in that regard.

Unless Bosa is unvaccinated and qualifies as a high-risk close contact, which would allow for a return after five days, he faces an uphill battle to play against the Steelers in Week 11. Although vaccinated players who test positive can return with negative tests two days apart, returning to play in the same week of a positive test has not been a common occurrence this season. If unvaccinated, Bosa testing positive would sideline him for at least 10 days.

Having battled injury issues in the past, Bosa has not missed any time this season. The highly paid edge defender leads the Chargers with 5.5 sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Tillery’s 2.5 sacks from his defensive line spot is second among Chargers this season. The former first-round pick has been a starter for the past two seasons.

Bosa and Tillery join Minkah Fitzpatrick in having landed on the COVID list this week. Ben Roethlisberger is also uncertain to play in Week 11, having experienced symptoms after testing positive for the coronavirus Saturday. Mike Tomlin has said Big Ben would play if cleared, regardless of his practice time this week, but it is not certain the 18th-year quarterback will be cleared in time. As such, Sunday night’s game could be missing a few star players due to the virus.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/21

November 20th, 2021 at 3:49pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ll keep track of today’s stream of minor moves right here:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Promoted: CB Gavin Heslop

Tennessee Titans

49ers S Jaquiski Tartt To Return From IR

November 20th, 2021 at 3:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Accustomed to lengthier IR stints, Jaquiski Tartt made a quick return from his latest injury bout. The veteran safety is back on the 49ers’ active roster, missing the minimum three games.

San Francisco activated the first-string DB on Saturday, doing so after Tartt returned to practice earlier this week. However, the 49ers did not make the same move with Dre Greenlaw. The starting linebacker remains on IR, though he also returned to practice this week. The 49ers also promoted cornerback Davontae Harris from their practice squad.

Tartt suffered a knee contusion in Week 6. The seventh-year vet has battled more troublesome injuries — including a broken arm in 2017 and a turf toe issue last year, one that sidelined him into training camp — and has missed 31 games since the arm injury began this run of setbacks. He has missed at least three games in five straight seasons.

Nevertheless, the 49ers have continued to turn to Tartt as a starter. They did so for the first six games this season. Pro Football Focus slots Tartt 47th among safeties this season, a middle-of-the-pack position for a player who has made 56 career starts. Tartt has 32 tackles (three for loss) this year.

Vikings Activate Patrick Peterson From IR

November 20th, 2021 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minnesota’s two highest-profile secondary cogs will be back for the team’s latest Aaron Rodgers matchup. After the Vikings moved Harrison Smith off the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, they activated Patrick Peterson.

Both Smith and Peterson had missed the past two games, with Peterson being down for the past three due to the current IR rule. But the All-Decade cornerback healed from his hamstring malady in short time and will return in time for his first Vikings-Packers matchup.

After multiple down years to close his Arizona tenure, Peterson has fared better in Minnesota. The eight-time Pro Bowler has allowed a 59% completion rate in coverage, way down from the 67% figure of 2020. His return stands to aid a Vikings pass defense against the reigning MVP.

The Vikings gave Peterson a one-year, $8MM deal in March, ending his 10-season stay with the Cardinals. With the Vikes releasing 2020 first-round pick Jeff Gladney, after his offseason arrest, Peterson joined Mackensie Alexander as key veteran support. After ranking 25th in pass defense last season, the Vikings sit 14th through nine games.

Steelers Activate QB Ben Roethlisberger

November 20th, 2021 at 2:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Some good news for the Steelers’ offense as the team prepares for tomorrow night’s game against the Chargers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and is “is on track to play Sunday night.” The news was first reported by Steelers PR man Burt Lauten (on Twitter).

The Steelers have made the move to activate their 18th-year passer, indeed putting Big Ben in line to play Sunday night in Los Angeles. The Steelers also promoted safety Karl Joseph, who stands to help a team missing Minkah Fitzpatrick, who remains on the COVID list. Kevin Dotson is now on IR as well. Dotson, who moved into Pittsburgh’s starting lineup after mixing in as a rookie, is dealing with a high ankle sprain.

Big Ben landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list last weekend, forcing him to miss Sunday’s game against the Lions. The 39-year-old passer had self-reported COVID symptoms to the team and subsequently tested positive for the virus. Roethlisberger has reportedly passed the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols, and while he’s not traveling with the team to California, he is on a separate flight and intending to play on Sunday.

The Steelers offense predictably struggled last weekend against the lowly Lions. While backup QB Mason Rudolph did pass for 242 yards, he only completed 30 of his 50 passing attempts, and that came with an extra period of play before the eventual tie. Rudolph also tossed a touchdown and an interception.

Prior to last weekend, the Steelers had won four in a row to bring themselves squarely into the AFC playoff picture. During that streak, Roethlisberger — whose early-season struggles prompted speculation about his job security — was over 200 passing yards per game, had thrown six TDs, zero interceptions, and posted a 104.6 QB rating (h/t Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network on Twitter).

Eagles To Activate RB Miles Sanders From IR

November 20th, 2021 at 2:16pm CST by Ben Levine

SATURDAY: Philadelphia will have its starting running back available Sunday, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting the veteran running back is off IR and back on the active roster. The Eagles have seen Howard and Scott fare well in Sanders’ absence, forming a three-pronged rushing attack with Jalen Hurts, Nick Sirianni said Sanders will return to his role as Philly’s starter (via ESPN.com’s Tim McManus, on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY: Miles Sanders is back at practice. The Eagles running back was designated to return from IR today, according to the team (on Twitter). Sanders’ 21-day practice clock now starts, meaning the RB should be back by Week 15 (following Philly’s bye) at the latest.

Sanders landed on injured reserve in late October with a knee injury. The team initially thought their starting RB might be able to avoid IR, and it sounds like they’re optimistic that he’ll return when first eligible. That would be this weekend against the Saints.

So far this year, Sanders has amassed 300 rushing yards off of 63 totes, good for a 4.8 yards per carry average. He also has 19 grabs for 118 yards, though he’s yet to find paydirt via the air or the ground. The 24-year-old has amassed 1,985 rushing yards since making his debut in 2019. In 2020, he finished out with a career-high 5.3 ypc and a total of 867 rushing yards despite missing four regular season games.

With Sanders out of the lineup, Jordan Howard and Boston Scott have garnered the majority of the carries, with Kenneth Gainwell also seeing a minor role.

Chiefs To Activate Clyde Edwards-Helaire

November 20th, 2021 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs will have Clyde Edwards-Helaire back in uniform Sunday. After not activating him when first eligible last weekend, Kansas City is moving its starting running back onto its active roster Saturday, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

A sprained MCL has sidelined Edwards-Helaire since Week 5, marking the second year the first-round pick has missed a chunk of a season due to injury. While the LSU product has been inconsistent as a pro, he would stand to further equip a Chiefs team that has re-emerged atop the AFC West.

It is uncertain how the Chiefs plan to use last year’s No. 32 overall pick, with backup Darrel Williams having played well in his absence. Andy Reid expressed caution about CEH returning against the Cowboys, so it is possible he will not resume his full pre-injury workload. Williams is coming off a strong performance, when he totaled 141 scrimmage yards and a long touchdown reception in the Chiefs’ blowout win over the Raiders.

Edwards-Helaire does have two 100-yard rushing games this season but also has lost two fumbles, including one that ended a potential Chiefs game-winning drive against the Ravens. He finished with 1,100 scrimmage yards in 13 games last season, before a hip and ankle injuries put him on ice until the playoffs.

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