HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Chargers Place WR DJ Chark On IR

September 7th, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers’ new-look receiving corps will not have DJ Chark available at the start of the season. The veteran was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

A hip injury kept Chark out of practice during the week, and he will now be sidelined for at least the first four games of the season. The 27-year-old took a one-year deal in free agency to come to Los Angeles, continuing his journey around the NFL after the end of his Jaguars rookie contract. Chark had one-year stints with the Lions and Panthers prior to joining the Bolts this spring.

Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were staples of the Chargers’ passing attack for years, including all four seasons in which quarterback Justin Herbert has been in place. Allen was traded to the Bears and Williams was released, however. Both veterans had one year remaining on their respective contracts, but many cap-related moves were made by new general manager Joe Hortiz in the offseason. An offer to keep Allen in the fold at a reduced rate was rejected, while Williams was let go after an ACL tear caused him to miss most of last year.

Los Angeles has Josh Palmer in place as a receiver holdover, and the 24-year-old Canadian is in line for a notable role as he approaches free agency. The Chargers’ top pick in last year’s draft – Quentin Johnston – will be expected to take a step forward after an underwhelming rookie campaign. Hortiz and new head coach Jim Harbaugh added three wideouts in the draft, including second-rounder Ladd McConkey. Chark was set to play at least a rotational role amidst that trio on his latest team, but his Chargers debut will be delayed.

A Pro Bowler in 2019, the LSU alum saw a downturn in production the following year and was limited to just four games in his final Jacksonville campaign. Chark also missed multiple games in Detroit and Carolina, but his production remained consistent with 1,027 yards and eight touchdowns across that span. With a career yards per catch average of 14.5, he will remain a vertical threat once healthy. For now, though, the Chargers’ pass-catching corps will be shorthanded.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/24

September 7th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are all the NFL’s minor transactions for Saturday, including the gameday callups leading into the first Sunday of the 2024 season:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

With regular kicker Matt Gay listed as questionable for the season opener after hernia surgery, the Colts will call up Shrader from the practice squad as an emergency option. The 25-year-old has not made a regular season appearance in his career, but that could very well change tomorrow.

Raiders Place DE Malcolm Koonce On IR

September 7th, 2024 at 6:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

Expectations are high for the Raiders’ front seven in 2024, but the unit will be shorthanded to begin the year and potentially well into the season. Defensive end Malcolm Koonce was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

[Offseason In Review: Las Vegas Raiders]

As a result, he will miss at least the first four weeks of the season. Koonce suffered a knee injury in practice this week, but his absence could stretch far beyond September. ESPN’s Paul Guiterrez reports the ailment could be season-ending.

Losing Koonce for any extended stretch would mark a notable blow to Vegas’ pass rush. Maxx Crosby remains atop the depth chart, and the three-time Pro Bowler will be counted on to deliver another impactful campaign this year. Koonce was set to operate as the other starter at the defensive end spot, however, after he set a number of career highs in 2023. The 26-year-old saw a major uptick in usage last season, logging a 44% snap share and making 11 starts (after exclusively playing in a rotational capacity during his first two campaigns).

Koonce produced eight sacks, 17 quarterback hits and 23 pressures in 2023, setting the stage for another strong year to conclude his rookie contract. The former third-rounder was reported in July to be on the Raiders’ extension radar, and a second straight year with strong production would have helped his value considerably. Now, though, attention will turn to recovery with team and player hoping he will able to return at some point in the season.

Vegas selected Tyree Wilson seventh overall last year with the hopes of using him in a first-team role opposite Crosby. Things did not go according to plan, though, as Wilson recorded just 3.5 sacks and logged a rotational workload. With Koonce out of the fold for the time being, the Texas Tech alum could be in line for a larger role than anticipated to start the 2024 season.

In a corresponding move, the Raiders promoted Charles Snowden from the practice squad to the active roster. The 26-year-old has only made two regular season appearances in his career; they came with the Bears in 2021. Snowden will be a candidate for a depth role, as will 2023 fourth-rounder Janarius Robinson. Vegas’ campaign begins tomorrow against the Chargers, but Koonce’s recovery timeline will prove to be a key big-picture storyline for the team.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/24

September 7th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s lone practice squad transactions in the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Bell was waived earlier this week, creating the possibility he would have been claimed by another team. That did not happen, though, leaving the 23-year-old free to remain with Cleveland via a practice squad deal. Bell will be a candidate for gameday elevations or to be re-signed to the Browns’ active roster in the event of injuries in the receiving corps.

Commanders Place QB Marcus Mariota On IR

September 7th, 2024 at 5:18pm CST by Ely Allen

The Commanders will be starting rookie No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels at quarterback to open the season in Tampa Bay tomorrow. Behind Daniels, though, Washington had to make a couple of roster moves at quarterback. Prior to tomorrow’s game, the Commanders announced that they would place Marcus Mariota on injured reserve while signing practice squad passer Sam Hartman to the active roster.

Mariota was set to enter the season as the veteran backup option behind the team’s rookie starter. Today’s transaction, though, means that the former No. 2 overall pick in 2015 will be out for at least the next four games. With Mariota out, the new veteran backup with starting experience is Jeff Driskel.

A former sixth-round pick for the 49ers back in 2016, Driskel has never entered the season as a starter, but he has notched 12 starts in 24 game appearances over his eight years in the NFL coming off the bench. Over that time, Driskel has a record as a starter of 1-10, but he has shown some efficiency with a 16-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his career.

Behind Driskel, the newly promoted Hartman will serve as the emergency QB3. A six-year college quarterback who transferred from Wake Forest to Notre Dame for his final year of collegiate ball, Hartman overcame a nagging injury history to become a successful starter for both the Demon Deacons and the Fighting Irish. He signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent and failed to make the initial 53-man roster but was signed to the practice squad shortly after being waived.

Joining Hartman off the practice squad, linebacker Nick Bellore and defensive tackle Sheldon Day will be promoted as standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow. Unlike Hartman, Bellore and Day will revert back to the practice squad after the team’s matchup with the Buccaneers.

Cowboys Activate WR CeeDee Lamb

September 7th, 2024 at 3:38pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cowboys recently extended wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to a four-year, $136MM deal that gave him the second-highest annual average at the position in the NFL behind only Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson. It wasn’t smooth sailing to get there, though, as the negotiating process saw Lamb miss nearly all of the preseason as he held out to influence his new contract.

As a result of Lamb’s holdout, the Cowboys placed him on the commissioner’s exempt list upon signing his extension. This exempt list is usually reserved for players in unique situations, allowing a team to retain that player without needed to utilize a roster spot on them.

For Lamb, his placement was the result of his holdout. Dallas was granted a two-game roster exemption with his placement on the list, meaning the Cowboys could keep him there through Week 3, if necessary, without him counting towards their 53-man roster. This would allow Lamb to get back up to speed after not participating with the team throughout training camp and the preseason. Instead, the Cowboys will waste no time, activating him from the exempt list in time for Week 1.

In addition to this roster addition, Dallas has also opted to promote linebacker Nick Vigil as a standard gameday practice squad elevation. A former full-time starter for the Bengals, Vigil’s role in the NFL has diminished over the years. If he sees game action tomorrow, it will be a regular season appearance with the fifth team of his career.

Panthers Place TE Ian Thomas On IR

September 7th, 2024 at 12:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Ian Thomas is set to miss at least the first four weeks of the 2024 campaign. The Panthers announced that they’ve placed the tight end on injured reserve with a calf injury. To take Thomas’s place, Feleipe Franks has been signed to the active roster.

Thomas has been dealing with a nagging calf injury since the early part of training camp. He was already ruled out for Week 1, but it sounds like he’ll need at least an additional three weeks to recover.

The 2018 fourth-round pick has spent his entire career in Carolina. Despite getting into more snaps following the departure of Greg Olsen, Thomas hasn’t translated the extra playing time into offensive production. While starting 38 of his 50 appearances between 2020 and 2022, Thomas hauled in a total of 59 catches for 530 yards and one touchdown. He finished with a career-low five catches in 2023, with the veteran finding himself behind Tommy Tremble and Hayden Hurst on the depth chart.

Thomas could have been in line for more snaps in 2024, at least in the interim. Tremble is uncertain for tomorrow’s season opener, so the Panthers may have to rely on fourth-round rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders. The team is also rostering former WR Jordan Matthews and recent addition Messiah Swinson. Franks will now be joining that group. The former QB moved to the TE position with the Falcons in 2022, and after spending the 2023 season on IR, he stuck around Carolina’s practice squad as a tight end heading into the 2024 campaign.

The Panthers announced a handful of additional moves today. The team signed defensive tackle Jayden Peevy to the active roster, elevated running back Mike Boone and cornerback Lonnie Johnson from the practice squad, and waived cornerback Keenan Isaac.

Jets To Place OL Wes Schweitzer On IR

September 7th, 2024 at 11:56am CST by Ben Levine

After missing a significant chunk of his first season in New York, Wes Schweitzer will once again visit injured reserve. The Jets offensive lineman is heading to IR, according to coach Robert Saleh (via Brian Costello of the New York Post).

Schweitzer popped up on Thursday’s injury report with a hand injury. While the severity of the injury is unknown, there’s a good chance the veteran will only have a minimum stay on IR.

After inking a two-year contract with the Jets last offseason, Schweitzer twice landed on IR in 2023 with a calf injury. He was ultimately limited to six games (two starts) during his first season with the squad. In the meantime, Joe Tippmann officially solidified himself as the team’s starting center. Schweitzer is expected to play a backup role in 2024, but that gig will temporarily be held by 2023 UDFA Xavier Newman.

Injuries have been a theme for Schweitzer over the past three years, as he was limited to 18 games during his final two seasons in Washington between 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, the lineman started 54 of his 73 appearances in stints with Washington and Atlanta.

Pro Football Focus generally graded the former sixth-round pick as a middle-of-the-road lineman during his early seasons in the NFL, and the recent injuries haven’t helped his performance. The impending free agent will have to show he’s healthy in 2024 if he hopes to get a gig in 2025.

Latest On Haason Reddick’s Ongoing Holdout

September 7th, 2024 at 9:59am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets will open their season in Santa Clara on Monday night, but don’t expect Haason Reddick to be on the field. The pass rusher’s holdout continues, and while Dianna Russini notes that there has been recent progress in negotiations, The Athletic reporter cautions that Reddick is also willing to “die on this sword.”

While we heard earlier this week that “nothing has changed” in the ongoing saga, Russini writes that there has been recent communication between the Jets and Reddick’s camp. While a resolution isn’t imminent, this is at least a promising step forward for the two sides.

In his pursuit of a new deal, Reddick has been a no-show at team facilities since his introductory press conference in April. Meanwhile, the Jets have refused to discuss a new contract without the veteran in the building. These two stubborn approaches have led to a natural stalemate, but it sounds like both sides are starting to at least mend the relationship.

Russini notes that it’s a “long shot” for Reddick to take the field in Week 1. Robert Saleh confirmed as much this morning, telling reporters that it’s “fair” to say Reddick won’t be in the lineup on Monday. Still, the head coach is hoping his new pass rusher will eventually take the field.

“I’ll stand firm that when he gets here, we’re going to welcome him with open arms,” Saleh said (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini). “We’re going to love him up and he’s going to be a part of this football team and he’s going to help us win a lot of football games. He’s gotta sort through the financial stuff, which is none of my business.”

Even if Reddick does report, a Week 1 appearance would be unlikely considering the short time the Jets would have to acclimate the player into their defense. Russini notes that it’s still uncertain “if he’ll show up after [Week 1] either.” The pass rusher had a chance to swing by Florham Park this past week while attending a charity event in Jersey City. In lockstep with his offseason approach, Reddick decided to skip the impromptu visit, per Russini.

The offseason trade acquisition has already cost himself more than $2MM in non-waivable fines thanks to his holdout, and he’ll start losing $838K game checks assuming he doesn’t take the field anytime soon. The Jets have reportedly been receptive to sweetening Reddick’s Eagles-constructed deal rather than adding term to the contract. If neither side is willing to concede, the recent communications won’t do much to remedy this situation.

Dolphins Extend CB Jalen Ramsey

September 6th, 2024 at 10:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

In advance of his second Dolphins season, Jalen Ramsey has agreed to another big-ticket deal. The All-Pro corner has worked out a three-year, $72.3MM extension, as first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe. Head coach Mike McDaniel has since confirmed the news.

This pact will include $55.3MM guaranteed, Rapoport adds. Ramsey and the Dolphins worked out the agreement a few days ago, but the news has now broken in preparation for his return to the practice field. Ramsey is a candidate to suit up for Week 1 on Sunday with the title of the league’s highest-paid corner.

Patrick Surtain moved the top of the position’s market forward earlier this week when he agreed to a Broncos extension averaging $24MM per season. Ramsey’s deal checks in at $24.1MM annually. The 31-year-old had two years remaining on his existing pact (the five-year, $100MM extension he inked in 2020), one which was restructured this spring to clear 2024 cap space. No guaranteed salary was in place for 2025, but that will no doubt change in the wake of today’s news.

Acquired via trade with the Rams last offseason, Ramsey was limited to 10 games in his debut Miami campaign due to a knee injury. He recorded three interceptions and five pass deflections during that span, though, and returned in time for the team’s wild-card game. The former No. 6 pick earned his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl nod in 2023, setting himself up another notable payday. Ramsey rose to the top of the pecking order on his 2020 deal, and he has now managed to replicate that feat four years later.

The Dolphins moved on from Xavien Howard this offseason, one in which Kendall Fuller was added in free agency. The Ramsey-Fuller tandem will be counted on to anchor the team’s secondary as Miami has a number of inexperienced options on the depth chart, although it remains to be seen if they will both be on the field for Week 1. McDaniel- who himself recently landed a multi-year extension – noted during his Thursday press availability that he is unsure if Ramsey will get enough practice time in between now and the season opener to be able to play (h/t Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).

Miami has qualified for the postseason in each of the past two years, bowing out in the wild-card round both times. The team will be expected to improve in that regard in 2024, with many key players on offense (quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle in particular) landing sizable new contracts to remain in place for the foreseeable future. The Dolphins ranked 15th against the pass last year, so taking a step forward in that regard will be a goal for the coming campaign. Ramsey is positioned to handle a central role in that effort through the 2028 campaign.

Just like the Surtain deal, this pact will represent a target for extension-eligible corners next offseason. The likes of Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley and Jaycee Horn will be in line for new deals in the spring. The previous high point for the position in terms of AAV was $21MM, but a new benchmark has been established. It will be interesting to see how the market takes shape once the next wave of monster extensions comes about in 2025.

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