HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/23

November 27th, 2023 at 6:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived from reserve/retired list: WR John Ross

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Ross signed a reserve/futures deal with the Chiefs in January but retired before training camp. The Combine 40-yard dash record holder now intends to resume his career, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. Ross, who turned 28 today, has not played in a regular-season game since 2021 with the Giants.

A Raiders spring signee, Shelley did not make Las Vegas’ 53-man roster. The Rams picked him up before the season and have used him mostly on special teams. Shelley, who Bears and Vikings prior to this two-team 2023, has logged 76 defensive snaps this season. But the veteran cornerback has been on the field for 65% of Los Angeles’ special teams plays.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/23

November 27th, 2023 at 4:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

Monday’s taxi squad moves:

Denver Broncos:

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Patriots Could Make QB, K Additions

November 27th, 2023 at 4:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

Week 12 marked another low point for the Patriots with a quarterback change being made at halftime and a missed field goal sealing a 10-7 loss to the Giants. To no surprise, roster moves could be coming as a result.

Mac Jones got the start after a week of uncertainty under center for New England. The former first-rounder’s struggles continued, however, and he a threw a pair of interceptions in the first half. That led to the decision to bring in Bailey Zappe, a swap which did not pay the desired dividends. The team’s offense moved the ball better with the latter in place, but a missed 35-yard field goal in the final minute ended the Patriots’ chances of tying the game.

When asked if additions at the quarterback and kicker positions could be coming soon, head coach Bill Belichick left the door open to moves in the coming days. In the latter case in particular, it would come as no surprise if competition for rookie Chad Ryland were to brought in. The fourth-rounder has missed a 35-yarder in two straight games, bringing his overall success rate on the season to 66.7% (12 for 18), though he has been perfect on extra points.

“Yeah, I don’t really see that right now,” Belichick said on the matter of seeking out another quarterback option, via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald. “But I mean, I wouldn’t rule anything out. Anything that would help our team… I don’t know. Nobody that comes to mind but we’ll see.”

The Patriots have made numerous changes at the QB spot in 2023, at one point having Jones as the only signal-caller on the active roster. Zappe cleared waivers during final roster cutdowns, but he has remained in the organization and received brief looks under center recently. Both he and Jones have not shown enough progress this season to instill confidence in either for 2024 and beyond, though, leading to questions about the team’s long-term future at the position. New England waived Will Grier over the weekend, and he will be eligible to re-sign via the practice squad if he goes unclaimed on Monday.

Plenty of options are available with respect to unsigned kickers. The position was one of stability in New England for four years with veteran Nick Folk, but the decision to draft Ryland signaled the end of his Patriots tenure. Folk, 39, has connected on 22 of 23 field goal tries with the Titans, along with each of his 17 extra point tries. A reunion with the veteran cannot take place now, of course, but a different experienced option could be brought in to compete with Ryland.

As Belichick noted, though, nothing is imminent regarding roster shake-ups at any position on the 2-9 Patriots. The team has just over $2MM in cap space to use on any potential new faces brought in to help in the closing stages of a lost season.

Texans Claim DE Derek Barnett

November 27th, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Derek Barnett recently saw his Eagles tenure come to an end, but he has not had to wait long to find out his next NFL home. The veteran edge rusher has been claimed off waivers by the Texans, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. In a corresponding move, kicker Matt Ammendola has been waived.

Barnett was waived last Friday, leaving him subject to the wire on Monday. If he had cleared, he would have become a free agent and been able to choose his next destination. Instead, the Texans have elected to claim him and add a veteran presence to their edge contingent. Schefter notes Houston had interest in trading for Barnett in advance of the 2023 trade deadline.

The former first-rounder came up in trade talks in advance of last month’s deadline, but Barnett’s lack of playing time and production limited his value. As a pending free agent, though, his contract represented one which would have been easy to move from the Eagles’ perspective and to absorb with respect to an acquiring team. Schefter’s colleague Field Yates notes Philadelphia restructured Barnett’s deal prior to waiving him, a move which has left him with a base salary of $420K. That figure, along with some per-game roster bonuses, represents the cost the Texans will take on.

Miami was named as a team to watch with respect to adding Barnett, in large part due to the season-ending Achilles tear suffered by Jaelan Phillips. The Dolphins indeed put in a claim for Barnett, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates. With a superior record, the AFC East leaders were positioned behind Houston in the waiver priority. Now, Barnett will head to a new team for the first time in his career after an underwhelming end to his Eagles tenure.

The 27-year-old showed promise with at least five sacks in three of his first four seasons. He recorded only a pair of sacks in 2021, however, and an ACL tear suffered in Week 1 of last season left him sidelined for the first year of his extension. Barnett has been healthy this season, but he has been buried on the depth chart of a stacked Eagles defensive front. As a result, he has played just 99 defensive snaps, recording three tackles and sacks or QB pressures.

The Tennessee alum will look to carve out a more notable role in Houston, a team which has recorded only 22 sacks on the year. Starting defensive ends Jonathan Greenard and Will Anderson have combined for 10, and expectations are sky-high for the latter in particular after he was selected third overall in the 2023 draft. Still, the Texans could use experienced depth in the pass-rush department as they aim to secure an unexpected postseason berth. Playing a part in that effort could help Barnett’s free agent stock along the way.

Vic Fangio‘s consulting gig in Philly last season overlapped with Barnett’s final full tenure, though the veteran pass rusher’s Week 1 ACL tear minimizes that connection to a large degree. But the Dolphins losing Phillips wounds their pass rush. Fangio losing key edge-rushing personnel partially defined his Broncos tenure, which saw Von Miller and Bradley Chubb miss extended stretches to the point the two barely played together following the latter’s 2019 ACL tear. The Dolphins still have Chubb leading the way, and the team may well give the demoted Emmanuel Ogbah — who is attached to a four-year, $65.4MM extension that runs through 2025 — more time in the wake of Phillips’ injury.

Jaguars Place T Cam Robinson On IR

November 27th, 2023 at 2:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:53pm: The Jaguars have indeed placed Robinson on injured reserve per the transactions wire, meaning he will be sidelined for at least four weeks. With five IR activations remaining on the season, Jacksonville will comfortably be able to return him to the lineup when he has recovered.

2:06pm: The Jaguars managed to secure a pivotal win in Week 12, but they lost a key member of their offensive front in the process. Left tackle Cam Robinson suffered a knee injury, and it appears poised to keep him sidelined for an intermediate stretch.

Robinson is dealing with a knee injury which has a recovery timeline of three-to-six weeks, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. That makes the veteran a candidate to be placed on injured reserve, a move which would guarantee at least a four-week absence. Any missed time will be signficant for Jacksonville’s offense as the team looks to maintain its lead in the AFC South down the stretch.

The 28-year-old missed the beginning of the campaign while serving a four-game PED suspension. He managed to play every game from Week 5 on, though, until the knee injury sidelined him in Sunday’s win over the Texans. Robinson has been charged with three sacks allowed this season, leading to an overall PFF grade of 63.5.

That figure falls in line with many of his other evaluations over the course of his career. Robinson has never earned Pro Bowl acclaim but the Jaguars have remained committed to him on the blindside for seven years and counting. That includes the latest contract he agreed to with Jacksonville, a three-year, $52.75MM deal signed in 2022. The pact calls for a cap hit of $21.6MM next year, so having Robinson healthy by that point will be a signficant priority for the team.

Before then, it will be interesting to see how quickly the former second-rounder can return to the lineup. Robinson was shut down for the season last year due to a meniscus tear, and the Jags’ O-line was shorthanded through their playoff run as a result. Recovering in time for the 2023 postseason is feasible with the latest injury occurring in November, but Robinson’s status will nevertheless be worth monitoring.

In his absence, Jacksonville shifted Walker Little from left guard to left tackle on Sunday. The latter started on the blindside during Robinson’s suspension to begin the campaign, so a repeat of that setup would come as no surprise. Jacksonville lost interior depth last week with Ben Bartch departing from the practice squad to join the 49ers. Little moving outside could open up a starting spot at guard for Ezra Cleveland, whom the Jaguars acquired at the trade deadline.

Panthers Fire HC Frank Reich

November 27th, 2023 at 1:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

1:15pm: In addition to Reich, a pair of other Panthers staffers have been let go. Running backs coach Duce Staley – who also held the title of assistant head coach – is out, as is quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, Pelissero reports. Both coaches were hired to Reich’s staff in February, adding to the number of highly-regarded voiced playing a role in shaping the Panthers’ offense. With the unit as a whole and Young in particular struggling, though, it comes as little surprise that they have been dismissed. It will be Brown and Caldwell at the controls on offense moving forward for Carolina.

8:44am: Frank Reich‘s initial season with the Panthers has come to a premature end. The veteran head coach has been let go, as first reported by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team has since confirmed the move, noting that special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as interim HC.

After another low-scoring output by the team’s offense, the Panthers sit at 1-10. Carolina has struggled with respect to offensive output and developing rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Issues in that regard led to Reich’s decision to cede play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, but that setup was quickly abandoned. Little progress was shown in Reich’s second go-round at the controls on offense, leading to increasing speculation he could find himself going one-and-done in Carolina.

A recent report indicated both Reich and general manager Scott Fitterer were on the hot seat heading into the second half of the season. While Panthers owner David Tepper has established a reputation for having a quick trigger finger on the topic of moving on from coaches, many believed Reich would at least have the remainder of the campaign to show signs of improvement. Instead, the latter is now out just 11 games into a tenure which began with signficant long-term promise.

Reich, 61, was let go midseason last year by the Colts as part of their unconventional decision to turn to Jeff Saturday to close out the campaign. That left him free to pursue other openings, and the Panthers job carried signficant appeal given the understanding a rookie quarterback would be added in the draft. Reich was praised for adding the likes of Brown and senior assistant Jim Caldwell to his staff, but things have not gone according to plan. The former will, to no surprise, reclaim play-calling duties for the remainder of the season, the team announced.

In the end, Reich’s 11-game tenure in Carolina represents the second-shortest head coaching tenure in NFL history. Today’s move marks an end to his sentimental return to Charlotte, as he served as the Panthers’ first quarterback during his playing career. Reich enjoyed success as an OC with the Chargers and Eagles before his Colts appointment, winning a Super Bowl in Philadelphia. Now, his head coaching record sits at 41-42-1.

Tabor does not have full-time head coaching experience (having previously worked with the Bears on an interim basis), but his performance so far has been something of a bright spot in an otherwise disastrous season. The Panthers rank second in the league in special teams DVOA, and they will aim to take a step forward on offense and defense to close out the campaign as they move through a switch on the sidelines for the second consecutive season. Steve Wilks went 6-6 in 2022 after Matt Rhule was fired early in his third season in Carolina. Now, another search will commence in the offseason.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was frequently connected to the Panthers’ opening in 2022 before electing to remain in Detroit for at least one more season. It will be interesting to see how aggressively Carolina pursues Johnson in the near future, although the quick Reich dismissal will invite understandable questions about how attractive the Panthers gig is. That is especially true given the team’s lack of a first-round pick in 2023 owing to the blockbuster trade made to acquire the No. 1 selection last spring. In any event, Reich now joins Josh McDaniels as a head coach let go midway through the campaign.

“I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers,” Tepper said in a statement. “I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well.”

Raiders To Waive CB Marcus Peters

November 27th, 2023 at 12:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

After a long-awaited move which sent him to Vegas ahead of the 2023 season, Marcus Peters is on his way out. The veteran corner has been let go by the Raiders, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Peters was benched for yesterday’s game against the Chiefs, a move which represented a stark contrast to his usage earlier in the season. The two-time All-Pro logged a snap share of 91% this season while serving as a full-time starter on a Raiders secondary which faced plenty of questions during the summer. It was long expected Peters would eventually sign a deal in advance of the season, and multiple visits culminated in an agreement in July.

The parties worked out a one-year deal with a base value of $3MM. An additional $1.5MM in incentives were present in the contract, though, and Tafur notes Peters was on pace to reach them. As a result, the 30-year-old will now head to waivers; if he clears, he will be free to sign with any interested team. The decision marks an underwhelming end to Peters’ time with the Raiders.

The three-time Pro Bowler earned a reputation as one of the league’s top ballhawks during his time with the Chiefs, Rams and Ravens. Over the course of his tenure with those franchises, Peters totaled 32 interceptions and 92 pass breakups. His brief stint in Vegas, however, resulted in one interception (returned for a touchdown) in Week 8 along with five PBUs.

Peters missed the 2021 season due to a torn ACL, and his return to action in his final year with the Ravens featured a downturn in ball production and issues in coverage. Those seem to have followed him to Vegas, as he has posted a 66.1% completion percentage allowed (the worst mark of his career) along with a 103.2 opposing passer rating as the nearest defender (third-worst). Those figures have contributed to the Raiders’ middling performance in terms of pass defense this season, and the team will elect to cut ties in the second half of the campaign.

Peters had a relatively quiet free agent market in 2023 after the Ravens decided against retaining him. That move allowed his previous three-year, $42MM deal to expire without being extended or renewed at a different rate. A contract at a much lower figure awaited him this summer, and the same will no doubt be true on his next pact. It will be interesting to see if any teams get aggressive in making a claim on Peters given his status as a rental for the stretch run, or if he will go unclaimed and have a free choice of new employers.

Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Out For Week 12

November 27th, 2023 at 11:25am CST by Adam La Rose

NOVEMBER 27: Jefferson will not play tonight, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Minnesota will elect to play it safe in this case with the bye week looming after the team’s upcoming contest against the Bears. Pelissero adds that Jefferson is expected to be 100% healthy by the time the Vikings next take the field.

NOVEMBER 25: Jefferson was limited in practice on Saturday, leading to a questionable designation. Head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed the team will continue to evaluate his status all the way up to their primetime matchup, meaning a firm decision has still not been made (video link). Minnesota has until Monday afternoon to activate Jefferson, otherwise his return will be delayed at least one more game.

NOVEMBER 24: A hamstring injury has forced Justin Jefferson to miss game action for the first time in his career. The Vikings All-Pro continues to make progress in his recovery, however, and he could see the field as early as Week 12.

Jefferson was placed on IR in October to avoid the risk of a rushed return to the lineup. That move guaranteed at least four-week absence, though, and that timeline has since been extended. Despite having his practice window opened more than two weeks ago, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year has not yet been activated, something which needs to take place before Minnesota’s upcoming Monday night game against the Bears for him to be eligible to play.

That move could be coming in the very near future, however. Jefferson noted (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) that he has reached full speed during practice, meaning he could be in line to suit up for Week 12. A firm decision has yet to be made on that front, but his return would obviously give the Vikings’ offense a major boost. Minnesota reeled off five straight wins in his absence before losing in Week 11, but Jefferson would give new starting quarterback Josh Dobbs the team’s top pass-catcher as an option offense to help their postseason push.

“I’m not sure,” Jefferson said when producing an update on his current status. “We’ll see. We still have more days to practice and really evaluate everything. We’re going to weigh the options correctly, making sure that I’m feeling well and prepared to play a game, and if I’m feeling good I will play.”

Of course, Jefferson’s contract status as loomed over his recovery period. The 24-year-old – who began his career with the most productive three-year receiving stretch in NFL history – is on the books through 2024, when he will play on his fifth-year option. Talks on what will no doubt be a massive extension took place this summer, but they did not produce an agreement. Negotiations will not resume until the offseason, leading to speculation Jefferson would avoid a return to action without a new contract in hand. He offered a stark rebuttal on that point when asked about it.

“I know my position. I know what I’m doing,” he said (via Seifert). “And I know it’s not for the contract. It’s not for the contract at all.”

In any case, Jefferson’s status will be worth watching closely over the weekend as he continues to work toward a return. Bringing him back into the lineup will use up one of the five IR activations the Vikings still have at this point in the season.

49ers To Host CB Anthony Averett

November 27th, 2023 at 10:02am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have run into injury troubles in the secondary, and a veteran addition could be coming soon as a result. Anthony Averett is set to visit San Francisco, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Averett was in line to play for the 49ers this season after he agreed to a deal in August which sent him to the Bay Area. Injuries became an issue during training camp, however, and he was let go later that month in a move which left him free to sign elsewhere.

The 28-year-old landed with the Lions in October by joining their practice squad with Detroit banged up on the backend. That agreement led to Averett remaining with the team through mid-November, but he did not make any appearances. His last game action came in 2022 during his one-year stint with the Raiders. The former fourth-rounder dealt with multiple injuries in Vegas, limiting him to seven games and hurting his market value in the offseason.

Prior to that, Averett had spent his first four seasons with the Ravens. He saw his playing time increase incrementally with each passing year during his time in Baltimore, taking on full-time starting duties in 2021. The Alabama product delivered his best season to date at that point with 54 tackles, three interceptions and 11 pass deflections. Now on his second team in 2023, he will look to provide CB depth to the NFC West leaders.

San Francisco’s defense has, as expected, produced elite rankings in a number of categories this season. Their pass defense (213 yards allowed per game) sits mid-pack, however, and the team has run into injury troubles at safety with starter Talanoa Hufanga and special teamer George Odum set to miss the rest of the season. Averett could provide an experienced perimeter option down the stretch as the 49ers aim to patch together part of their secondary.

Commanders Could Part Ways With GM Martin Mayhew

November 26th, 2023 at 10:05pm CST by Rory Parks

It appears to be a foregone conclusion that the Commanders will fire head coach Ron Rivera at season’s end. Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports echoes that sentiment and adds that general manager Martin Mayhew could also be on the chopping block.

That is hardly surprising. While it made sense for new owner Josh Harris, who purchased the club in July, to give the power brokers that he inherited a fair evaluation period and to avoid a major shakeup less than two months before the start of the 2023 regular season, it likewise stands to reason that Harris would want to start afresh with his own choices at the HC and GM positions (especially in the wake of what is shaping up to be a sub-.500 campaign).

Our own Sam Robinson recently suggested as much, and a source told Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.com that Harris wants to “get rid of the Daniel Snyder stench,” which would entail a total purge of both the front office and coaching staff. Harris, who is also the managing partner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, has reportedly expressed an interest in structuring the Commanders like an NBA team and has consulted with Sixers GM Elton Brand on the matter. Such a setup would apparently include, among other things, the possibility of giving the players a say in decision-making.

Mayhew, 58, enjoyed a long stint as the Lions’ general manager from 2008-15 and subsequently held high-level executive positions with the Giants and 49ers before joining Washington in 2021 (one year after Rivera). Despite Mayhew’s GM title, Rivera has always had final say over personnel matters, and Jones suggests that if Mayhew is relieved of his duties after the season, Harris may opt for a hierarchy wherein the head coach reports to the general manager, who in turn reports to ownership.

The good news for Commanders fans is that the presence of Harris, along with a healthy salary cap situation and an ample supply of draft capital, have made the team’s HC and GM posts very desirable. As one executive told Jones, “everyone’s shooting for Washington,” and that should allow Harris to choose from the best available talent in the upcoming hiring cycle. Although Jones does not say so, it could also mean that Washington’s faith in second-year quarterback Sam Howell is shared by top head coach and general manager candidates.

There are several additional notes from the above reports worth passing along. We already knew that Harris drove the recent deadline trades of defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young, and that the club dropped its asking price on Young before sending him to the 49ers. According to Pauline, the team was especially motivated to move Young because it had grown weary of his propensity to improvise and freelance rather than operate within the defensive scheme.

With respect to the Commanders’ possible GM search, Jones says that an analytically-minded candidate could be particularly appealing to Harris. Indeed, as ESPN’s Seth Walder writes in a thread on X, it had been speculated that Harris would want more of a quantitative approach to personnel decisions, and to that end, the team has hired Eugene Shen as its Senior VP of Football Strategy.

Shen, who has previously worked for the Ravens and Dolphins and who served as the Jaguars’ VP of Football Analytics before leaving the team in 2022 to work in finance, will oversee all analytics and software development on the football side of the operation.

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