HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Cowboys, La’el Collins Agree To Deal

January 3rd, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 3, 6:50pm: The Cowboys and Collins have officially come to an agreement, according to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report.

JANUARY 3, 11:00am: The Cowboys have not officially brought back Collins, with NFL.com’s Jane Slater indicating an agreement is not complete. Slater adds both sides want this to come to pass, but Mike McCarthy confirmed Wednesday the contract is not done.

Being a practice squad agreement, this deal does not bring much in terms of complications. McCarthy added (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the sides are “working through some things.” A Collins return appears likely, but it appears the particulars will take some time.

JANUARY 2: La’el Collins‘ lengthy free agency stay will end Tuesday. The visit Collins made to his original NFL home earlier today will result in a reunion. The Cowboys are bringing the veteran offensive lineman back, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report.

This will be a practice squad deal, but it will be Collins’ first agreement since the Bengals cut him from their reserve/PUP list in September. Collins had met with the Jets, Giants and Bills (last week) since that separation but did not find a new gig. The Cowboys, who employed him from 2015-21, will step in and greenlight a return.

Initially signing Collins — a first-round-caliber talent who fell out of the 2015 draft due to an off-field concern at the time — as a UDFA, the Cowboys moved him from guard to right tackle early in his career and gave him two extensions to reward him for work at his second NFL position. Collins has been a right tackle regular for many years, though speedbumps have emerged during his career. This year qualifies, after the Bengals reconfigured their O-line without him in their first-string plans.

Collins operated as Dallas’ full-time right tackle from 2017-19 and again in 2021, though a PED suspension marred the final season of his first Cowboys stint. The team will sign off on a second stay, and Collins will represent insurance for a Cowboys team that has dealt with some injuries up front. Left guard Tyler Smith came out of Dallas’ Week 17 game with a full plantar fascia tear, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes. Tyron Smith and Zack Martin have dealt with maladies this year as well, though the former has logged 12 starts and has made a bigger contribution to this year’s Cowboys effort than last season’s.

Given a big-ticket extension this summer, Terence Steele — who suffered a torn ACL late last season — has not recaptured his pre-injury form just yet. Pro Football Focus ranks Steele in the bottom 10 among tackle regulars this season (75th), well off his quality 2022 performance that garnered the five-year, $82.5MM extension. The Cowboys plugged in Steele, a former UDFA, to succeed Collins last year — after the team designated the latter as a post-June 1 cut. Collins, 30, is set to return as insurance to close out what may still end up a lost year for the veteran blocker.

Tyler Smith has not been ruled out for Week 18, though Collins has not played guard in many years. The Cowboys slid the LSU alum to right tackle in 2017, and the Bengals did not consider kicking him back inside to accommodate the Orlando Brown Jr.. addition. Jonah Williams replaced Collins at RT this season. Collins has 86 starts on his resume but has not yet bounced back from the ACL and MCL tears he suffered in Week 16 of the 2022 season. The Cowboys made decent use of P-squad addition Jason Peters last season; Collins now resides in the veteran insurance role.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/3/24

January 3rd, 2024 at 6:49pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Activated from IR: DL Viliami Fehoko
  • Placed on IR: RB Deuce Vaughn

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Troy Andersen is eyeing a return for the regular season finale after having been sidelined since late September with a pectoral injury. The 2022 second-round pick started five of his 17 appearances as a rookie, finishing with 69 tackles. Andersen had 19 tackles in a pair of appearances this season, with the linebacker missing Week 2 while sitting in concussion protocol.

An ankle injury will end Deuce Vaughn‘s rookie season early, with the sixth-round pick finishing with 80 yards from scrimmage on 30 touches. Regular backup RB Rico Dowdle missed last week while dealing with a lingering ankle injury, but Vaughn’s removal from the active roster probably bodes well for Dowdle’s availability. Of course, this move will also lead to even more speculation surrounding a potential Dalvin Cook pursuit.

After starting five of his 23 appearances through his first four seasons in the NFL, Phil Haynes entered the 2023 campaign as Seattle’s starting right guard. He started each of Seattle’s first eight games this season before landing on injured reserve with a toe injury. Anthony Bradford has been starting at the position in Haynes’ place, and he could keep his starting gig with Jason Peters sidelined with a foot injury.

Lions DL Alim McNeill Returns To Practice

January 3rd, 2024 at 5:47pm CST by Ben Levine

The Lions will be getting some defensive reinforcement in time for the playoffs. Per Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, defensive tackle Alim McNeill returned to practice today.

[RELATED: Lions Waive DL Isaiah Buggs]

By designating the 23-year-old for return, the Lions opened his 21-day window for activation. After landing on injured reserve in early December, it sounds like McNeill will be back on the field for Detroit’s season finale, with Rogers noting that the defensive lineman will play with a custom brace on Sunday.

McNeill suffered an MCL injury in Week 13 that required a minimum stay on the IR. Per Rogers, the injury didn’t require surgery and was simply a sprain. That could explain why the third-year pro was able to return to practice so quickly.

“Yeah, it’ll be good. It’s going to be good to get him back,” head coach Dan Campbell said today (via the team’s website). “And I know he’s looking forward to it just like we are, so he’s excited and he’ll get some work again here for us. You always, this time of year, for him, it’s going to kind of feel like Game 1 again. He’ll be fresh, have fresh legs and a fresh energy about him, so it’s good.”

The 2021 third-round pick was playing some of the best football of his career prior to the injury. McNeill started all 12 of his appearances this season, and he collected three sacks, three tackles for loss, and four QB hits in the five games prior to being sidelined. Pro Football Focus has been especially fond of his performance in 2023, ranking him fifth among 131 interior defenders.

Defensive tackle Benito Jones has continued playing about 55 percent of his team’s defensive snaps, even with McNeill out of the lineup. Isaiah Buggs and Levi Onwuzurike both saw an uptick in snaps while their teammate was out of the lineup, and the team has already cleared up some of their depth by cutting Buggs from the active roster.

Cowboys To Sign LB Damien Wilson

January 3rd, 2024 at 4:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

JANUARY 3: As is the case with Collins, Wilson’s visit has produced an agreement. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports the latter has signed to the Cowboys’ practice squad, while David Moore of the Dallas Morning News adds Wilson and Collins will likely have their respective deals finalized tomorrow. Wilson will therefore be available for the team’s regular season finale as well as the playoffs.

JANUARY 2: In preparation for the postseason, the Cowboys are bringing in a pair of familiar faces. Offensive tackle La’el Collins is visiting Dallas today, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report. The same is true of linebacker Damien Wilson, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.

Both players began their careers with the Cowboys. Collins logged 71 starts across six seasons in Dallas, most of which came at right tackle. In his debut season, however, he played at left guard, something which could be of signficant importance given the injury status of Tyler Smith. The latter has been dealing with a plantar fascia tear, so Collins could serve as veteran insurance along the interior.

The former UDFA could also step in at right tackle if called upon. His replacement, Terence Steele, has struggled in his second season as a starter at that position. A strong showing in 2022 earned Steele a five-year, $82.5MM deal this fall, but the Texas Tech product has seen his PFF evaluation regress to a mark of 50.6 this year. Collins (who visited the Bills last week) would provide experience along the edge if he were to return to Dallas.

Wilson, like Collins, has not played in 2023. The 30-year-old played for the Cowboys from 2015-18, and the expiration of his rookie contract led to a number of short-team deals with the Chiefs, Jaguars and Panthers. Halfway into a two-year contract with Carolina, Wilson was released. That cost-cutting move followed the second arrest of his career, and he has not been connected to an NFL gig until today.

That is due in part to the four-game suspension he served earlier in the campaign, but he is free to join any interested team in advance of the playoffs. In need of depth at the second level due to injuries at the linebacker position, the Cowboys would represent a logical landing spot for Wilson as he aims to see game time this year and help his free agent stock along the way.

Both players will undergo workouts in the near future. Should they be successful, the Cowboys would likely add them to the practice squad while returning to game shape. One or both could find themselves in position to make a contribution to Dallas in the playoffs should today’s audition produce an agreement.

Vikings To Start Nick Mullens In Week 18

January 3rd, 2024 at 2:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

Still alive for a postseason berth, the Vikings have once again made a change to their quarterback depth chart. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Wednesday that Nick Mullens will start in the season finale.

Rookie Jaren Hall got the nod for last week’s primetime game against the Packers, one with major playoff implications for both teams. Minnesota’s offense struggled with Hall at the helm, however, and Mullens finished the 33-10 loss. With the Vikings still in contention for a wild-card berth, the latter will once again return to first-team duties.

Minnesota has cycled through three signal-callers since Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear. An injury to Hall opened the door to Josh Dobbs taking over immediately upon arrival, but his impressive run was short-lived. Mullens offered a spark in terms of offensive yardage when in place for starts against the Bengals and Lions. However, his combined six interceptions in those contests led O’Connell to entrust Hall with the all-important start in Week 17. In spite of the loss in that game, the Vikings have a narrow path to a playoff spot.

Both a win against the Lions and help from other results will be needed for Minnesota to reach the wild-card round. In the event that were to happen, the team would once again face a signficant QB decision, although a Mullens win would certainly help his cause in that regard. The former UDFA has amassed 910 passing yards and five touchdowns this season, but turnover issues have led to hesitancy with respect to giving him a longer run in the No. 1 role.

As ESPN’s Kevin Seifert notes, no decision on a backup has been made as of yet. Hall and Dobbs represent O’Connell’s options, although he will obviously hope to avoid needing to use either of them on Sunday. Attention will turn to Cousins’ impending free agency once the Vikings’ season is over, but for now their fate will rest in Mullens’ hands.

Rams To Start Carson Wentz In Week 18

January 3rd, 2024 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams have clinched a playoff berth, doing so after a lower-key offseason pointed the team toward a retooling year. But Los Angeles is not locked into a seed just yet. Nevertheless, the team will rest its starting quarterback in Week 18.

Matthew Stafford will take a seat for the Rams’ regular-season finale, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo, with Carson Wentz taking the reins for the first time since his November arrival. The Rams added Wentz after Brett Rypien struggled in relief of Stafford in Green Bay.

Los Angeles’ loss in Green Bay is suddenly relevant. If the Packers beat the Bears and the Rams lose to what will likely be a cast of 49ers second-stringers, Green Bay becomes the NFC’s No. 6 seed and Los Angeles drops to the No. 7 spot. The Cowboys and Lions, respectively, are the likely Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in the NFC. This could conceivably derail a Stafford return to Detroit in Round 1, though the 49ers will not be at full strength after having clinched home-field advantage in the NFC bracket.

Wentz signed a one-year deal worth $733K with the Rams on Nov. 7 and immediately became Stafford’s backup. The Rams have seen their starter return to form this season, operating as one of the NFC’s best quarterbacks after multiple injuries nagged him in 2022. Wentz, 31, has now had nearly two months to learn Sean McVay‘s playbook. This represents an audition opportunity for the scrutinized passer, who was not closely linked to a team before the Rams agreement came to pass.

The Eagles, Colts and Commanders have respectively moved on from Wentz over the past three offseasons. After he produced a solid TD-INT ratio in Indianapolis (27 TDs, seven picks), Wentz finished poorly and saw Jim Irsay effectively order him to be dealt. The Commanders traded two third-round picks for the former No. 2 overall choice, but after a season in which Wentz did not get his job back for several weeks after returning from a hand injury, Washington released him to create considerable cap space. Last season, Wentz threw 11 touchdown passes and nine INTs — three of the picks coming in a Week 17 start against the Browns. The Commanders benched him for Sam Howell in Week 18 of last season.

Baker Mayfield‘s signs of life in McVay’s offense helped land him a starting job this season, but Wentz will obviously have a smaller window to showcase his form. But the former Eagles extension recipient will have a chance to play before likely returning to free agency in March.

Dolphins’ Jerome Baker Returns To Practice; Xavien Howard Unlikely For Week 18

January 3rd, 2024 at 12:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins are moving closer to making their final IR-return decision. With one activation remaining, Miami is preparing to use it on Jerome Baker. The veteran linebacker returned to practice Wednesday.

Baker moving from the IR-return window back to the 53-man roster would close the book on the Dolphins’ injury activations this season. Isaiah Wynn and Salvon Ahmed reside on Miami’s IR. While Mike McDaniel did not close the door on Wynn returning when he went down in November, the second-year Dolphins HC classified the left guard starter coming back as an unlikely scenario.

A sixth-year Dolphins linebacker, Baker has been out since suffering an MCL injury in early December. The Dolphins gave Baker a three-year, $37.5MM extension in 2021; the deal runs through the ’24 season. Baker has been a starter since his rookie season, making 82 starts for the team that drafted him in the 2018 third round.

McDaniel did not confirm Jaylen Waddle would miss Sunday’s pivotal Bills rematch, though that is the expectation. But the young HC did say (via NFL.com’s Cameron Wolfe) Xavien Howard is not expected to go in Week 18. Howard sustained a foot injury against the Ravens.

Baker, 27, has excelled as a hybrid performer during his career. Stationed as an off-ball linebacker, the Mike Tannenbaum-era draftee has 22.5 career sacks. Only 1.5 of those have come in Vic Fangio‘s defense this season, but Baker has extensive pass-rushing productivity in his past. That could be relevant for a Dolphins team that has seen Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb suffer season-ending injuries. The Dolphins have until Saturday afternoon to activate Baker from IR.

Defensive injuries hounded Fangio during his time in Denver, when Chubb and Von Miller rarely saw the field together during the current Dolphins DC’s three-season run as the Broncos’ head coach. The Chubb ACL tear coming a month after Phillips’ Achilles tear reminds of those Broncos health issues, though these maladies have hit a Dolphins team that clinched a playoff berth. Miami, which played half the season without Jalen Ramsey, can lock down the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a win over Buffalo. A loss would drop the Dolphins to a wild-card position.

The Dolphins lost Howard four plays into their blowout defeat against the Ravens. While the team played without Ramsey for a chunk of the season, it was unable to deter Lamar Jackson in a likely MVP-clinching performance. The Ravens superstar threw five touchdown passes against the depleted Dolphins, who lost Chubb late in the game.

Howard, 30, has missed three games this season already. While Pro Football Focus has not viewed Howard’s ninth NFL season as especially strong, ranking him 99th among cornerbacks, the veteran ballhawk is a key part of Miami’s defense. Howard has 29 career interceptions, though only one of those thefts has come this season. It would certainly sting the Dolphins if he and Waddle were unavailable, as Miami has seen a number of starters go down during the season’s second half.

Trent Brown Expected To Reach Free Agency; Michael Onwenu Addresses Extension Talks

January 3rd, 2024 at 12:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Among the list of shortcomings in New England this season, the team’s tackle position — a concern during the offseason — has seen its expected starters run into health shortcomings. Riley Reiff played in just one game during the most injury-plagued season of his career, and Trent Brown has seen injuries intervene once again.

In Year 3 of his second Patriots stint, Brown has missed five games. Ankle and knee injuries have hampered the Pats’ starting left tackle, but some internal frustration with the big-bodied blocker has developed within the building, according to the Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi.

Brown, 30, has not started a game since Dec. 3, though he has played in two since that contest while missing two more during this span. The Patriots removed Brown from their injury report last week but made him a healthy scratch. Indicating some believe he has prioritized — as this season has gone south — making it to free agency healthy, Giardi adds (via NESN.com) Brown has also caused issues with tardiness. It does not look like Brown will be re-signed before free agency, and the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed points to a likely separation taking place soon.

“We already had that opportunity. We have had plenty of opportunities to get that done,” Brown said of a Patriots extension, via Sophie Weller of A to Z Sports. “I mean, I’m not opposed to it, but we are at the end of the season. … It’d be kind of like, I feel like I’d be kind of doing myself a disservice to not see what other opportunities are out there, just at this point.”

After working as the Pats’ left tackle on their Super Bowl LIII-winning team, Brown did remarkably well as a free agent back in 2019. The Raiders gave him a then-tackle-record four-year, $66MM accord. Brown made the 2019 Pro Bowl, but a COVID-19-marred 2020 season — a campaign in which he played five games — led to the Raiders trading him back to the Patriots. Playing both left and right tackle since returning to Foxborough, Brown has started 33 games in his second Pats stint.

The Patriots have Brown on a two-year, $13MM deal that features weight bonuses and playing-time incentives. The team added the usage-based bumps this year, but Brown’s health issues have impeded him on that front. The former 49ers draftee also expected the Patriots to give him another contract after last season, when he played 17 games. Nothing transpired, and the ninth-year tackle is two months from free agency.

“It would have been done when they said it was going to get done. When I signed the last one,” Brown said, via Weller, of his contract. “The one I signed two years ago, I was told that I would, if I had a good year then I would; we should get it fixed. It never happened.”

Pro Football Focus grades Brown as this season’s No. 10 overall tackle. Even considering his unreliability with regards to health, the 370-pound lineman will be poised to generate interest once again on the market. As of now, Brown is positioned to join Jonah Williams, Tyron Smith, Mekhi Becton and Patriots teammate Michael Onwenu as notable tackles in free agency. Brown and Onwenu departing would give the Pats work to do up front, as both have been regulars for years.

Onwenu may generate interest at two positions, considering he has spent extensive time at both tackle and guard as a pro. The former sixth-round pick has been a regular Pats starter for most of his career, but he said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) extension discussions have not picked up. Onwenu said discussions have taken place, but it does not sound like they have been substantive. While mentioned in trade rumors before the deadline, Onwenu joined contract-year cogs Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche in being retained. All are weeks away from free agency.

With Reiff unavailable, the Patriots kicked Onwenu back outside midway through this season. PFF rates the Michigan product in the top 30 among tackles. Although the Pats have paid for their offensive deficiencies in the form of a 4-12 season, they have seen productive tackle play — when Brown is available, that is. The team has until the March legal tampering period to keep Brown and/or Onwenu off the market. Not doing so will obviously create major needs up front. It remains to be seen if Bill Belichick will be making those decisions.

Cardinals LT D.J. Humphries Suffers ACL Tear

January 3rd, 2024 at 11:12am CST by Sam Robinson

D.J. Humphries had bounced back from an injury-limited 2022 season, lining up at left tackle in 15 games this year. But his 2024 offseason will include extensive rehab after another injury.

Jonathan Gannon confirmed Wednesday (via ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss) the ninth-year blocker suffered a torn left ACL. Humphries will head to IR and need surgery. The timing of this injury, as Kyler Murray‘s 2022 ACL tear did, creates questions about Humphries’ availability to start next season.

A back injury limited Humphries to eight games last season, one that saw an aging Cardinals O-line decimated by injuries. Humphries, 30, returned to practice this summer and has protected Murray’s blind side since the Pro Bowl quarterback returned at the midseason point. Humphries is under contract for the 2024 season, but a stay on the reserve/PUP list could come to pass by September.

Drafted in the 2015 first round, Humphries is one of the longest-tenured O-linemen in Cardinals history and one of the longest-tenured players in the franchise’s Arizona years. Since debuting in 2016, Humphries has started 98 games. That puts him 12 away from moving into the top 10 among O-line starts for the 100-plus-year old organization. Before he can move past 100 career Cards starts, Humphries will be on the shelf for a while.

The Cardinals have given Humphries three contracts. The most recent, agreed to during the summer of 2022, runs through the 2025 season. Humphries’ three-year, $51MM deal checked in a bit below expectations, given where the LT market was at the time, but it provided $32MM in total guarantees. All of Humphries’ fully guaranteed money has been paid out, however. While he would be entitled to a small amount by way of injury protection, the Cardinals could consider a 2024 cut and pick up more than $15MM in cap space (via a post-June 1 designation). Though, it is too early to make assumptions there.

Humphries signed all three of his Cardinals contracts during Steve Keim‘s GM run. Monti Ossenfort‘s first draft choice as a GM went to a tackle, Paris Johnson, whom the team placed on the right side opposite Humphries. Johnson closed his college career at left tackle. The team traded Humphries’ 2022 injury fill-in, Josh Jones, to the Texans in August. The team still has Kelvin Beachum as potential insurance, having re-signed the veteran to a two-year, $5.2MM deal in March.

The Florida alum had struggled with injuries during his early years but stabilized his career in 2019, beginning a three-season stretch of 16-game seasons. The 2021 campaign, which snapped a Cardinals playoff drought, produced a Pro Bowl berth. But injuries have again stalled Humphries. With ACL recoveries generally requiring at least nine months of rehab, Humphries’ availability for the ’24 campaign will need to be monitored over the offseason.

Lions To Cut OLB Bruce Irvin

January 3rd, 2024 at 10:12am CST by Sam Robinson

Used as a rotational pass rusher in two Lions games, Bruce Irvin no longer looks to be in the NFC North champions’ plans. Thanking the Lions for his opportunity Wednesday morning, Irvin pointed to heading elsewhere.

The Lions have set in motion plans to use nearly all of their remaining IR activations soon. In addition to C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Alim McNeill moving close to coming off Detroit’s injured list, defensive end James Houston has been practicing since being designated for return last week.

The Lions initially added Irvin in mid-November; he has now been with six NFL teams. Although the 12th-year edge rusher has played in two games with Detroit, the Lions would be cutting him from their practice squad.

Irvin, 36, played in two games as a gameday elevation and was elevated on Dec. 16 — for a game he did not ultimately play in — as well. With teams limited to three elevations before they are forced to use the waiver system to move players on and off the roster, the Lions are cutting Irvin rather than signing him to their 53-man roster. This move will send Irvin directly to free agency, as P-squad players do not pass through waivers when cut.

Irvin played 42 defensive snaps during his two-game run in Detroit. One of those produced a sack against the Saints. The former first-round pick now has 56.5 career QB drops. The Lions designated Houston for return on Dec. 28. He suffered a broken ankle in Week 2. Like Gardner-Johnson, Houston has made it all the way back from an injury that often ends players’ seasons.

The Lions have four IR activations remaining. It certainly appears that number will be at one by the time the team’s playoff game comes around. The returns of Houston, McNeill and CJGJ will strengthen the Lions’ defense ahead of their postseason opener, assuming each defender is given the go-ahead to rejoin the 53-man roster.

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