HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/24

September 28th, 2024 at 7:27pm CST by Ely Allen

Minor transactions and practice squad callups for the Week 4 weekend:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Elevated: G Kyle Hergel

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Chargers’ Justin Herbert Expected To Play In Week 4

September 28th, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Chargers will be shorthanded along the offensive line during their Week 4 game against the Chiefs. They are on track to have Justin Herbert available, however.

Los Angeles’ franchise passer is expected to play tomorrow, Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. As long as a last-minute setback does not occur regarding Herbert’s high ankle sprain, he will be in the lineup against Kansas City. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds Herbert made it through the practice week without issue and that he is feeling better now than he was ahead of last week’s contest.

That game saw the 26-year-old exit after taking a sack which aggravated his ankle sprain. Herbert’s availability was in doubt for the following contest, but he quickly expressed optimism he would be able to suit up for Week 4. Signs pointed in that direction midweek, so today’s update comes as little surprise. Herbert will likely have two backup offensive tackles protecting him as he aims to play a full game, though.

Left tackle Rashawn Slater has been ruled out due to the pectoral injury he suffered last week. Rookie right tackle Joe Alt, meanwhile, has been downgraded to doubtful as a result of his MCL sprain. This year’s No. 5 pick is expected to miss time, so he is likely to join the likes of Slater and edge rusher Joey Bosa on the inactive list tomorrow.

The Chargers started 2-0 to kick off Jim Harbaugh‘s tenure as head coach, but Week 3 resulted in a 20-10 loss to the Steelers. The team’s offense was entirely ineffective during the second half, a discouraging sign for backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke if he finds himself back on the field at some point on Sunday. If all goes well, though, it will be Herbert in place throughout the contest.

Packers Get QB Jordan Love Back In Week 4

September 28th, 2024 at 5:57pm CST by Ely Allen

Many feared the Packers’ season was over before it even got a chance to take off when highly-paid quarterback Jordan Love went down with an apparent leg injury during the final drive of the team’s season opener in Brazil. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, though, in Week 4, Love will attempt to make a return to the field much earlier than expected in an effort to keep his team in the NFC North race.

That goal is made much easier by the fact that backup quarterback Malik Willis has led Green Bay to two straight wins following the season-opening loss. Willis hasn’t been a world-beater as a stand-in passer for the past two weeks, but he’s been an effective enough replacement to secure two wins for his squad.

Willis has been so effective, in fact, that there has been speculation that both Love and Willis could get playing time this week with Love active. This could be an idea that results from slow-playing Love in his return to the field. If they aren’t 100 percent confident that their new franchise passer is ready to return in a safe and healthy way, they likely won’t hesitate to put Willis back in under center.

When Love suffered his injury, there were predictions that he would miss anywhere from three to six weeks, and should he make his return this week, he would beat even the most liberal estimates after only a two-game absence. Two weeks ago, it was reported that Love was aiming for a Week 5 return, and there was even some hope that he might appear last week, but it looks like this weekend will be the time for his comeback.

Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker Back For Week 4

September 28th, 2024 at 5:15pm CST by Ely Allen

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker was off to a hot start in Week 1 with 103 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries before leaving the game with an oblique injury. He’s been out ever since, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the third-year rusher will make his return to the field in Week 4.

Since Walker’s departure, Zach Charbonnet has stepped in as the lead back in Seattle. He struggled in his first start of the season, amassing only 38 rushing yards on 14 carries but saved the performance with a touchdown, as well as five catches for 31 yards through the air. Last week, he showed RB1 potential with a 91-yard, two-touchdown performance.

While Walker is returning to the field, it might be in the Seahawks’ best interest to slow-play his comeback. The team will obviously want to get Walker involved in the offense, but if they feel confident with the body of work Charbonnet has put forth thus far, they may continue to give Charbonnet a good number of carries until they’re certain Walker is 100 percent.

Walker’s return is obviously good news, but unfortunately, it comes alongside the announcement that four defensive players will be unavailable this coming Monday. Per Brady Henderson of ESPN, defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy and outside linebackers Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe have all been ruled out for Week 4. Williams, Nwosu, and Mafe have been starters so far this year, while Murphy has played a strong rotational role on the line.

Nwosu has missed Seattle’s first three games with an MCL sprain and is not yet ready to come back. The other three all suffered injuries in last week’s matchup with the Dolphins. Murphy suffered a hamstring injury, Williams hurt his ribs, and Mafe aggravated a previous knee issue. The Seahawks will attempt to use Mike Morris and Myles Adams to fill the holes on the line, while Derick Hall and Dre’Mont Jones should fill in at outside linebacker.

Steelers G Isaac Seumalo Not Ready To Return

September 28th, 2024 at 3:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The Steelers are off to a hot, 3-0 start this year, but that hasn’t come without its speedbumps. The team has missed the play of guard Isaac Seumalo as he works his way back from an August pectoral injury. Unfortunately, they’ll have to wait at least another week to see him back on the field as the Steelers announced today that Seamalo has officially been designated as out for the team’s trip to Indianapolis.

In his first year with the Steelers last season, Seumalo graded out as the team’s top offensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), shifting back to left guard after a year in Philadelphia at right guard. Seumalo may have been facing a position change upon his second year with the team, but as their best returning lineman, his absence was going to be crucial, regardless.

The other returning guard on the line this year was James Daniels, who started all but two games in his second year with the team last year. While Daniels was a consistent starter, he did little to impress in 2023. This thought, and an early offseason depth chart, led to speculation that South Dakota State fourth-round rookie Mason McCormick may be pushing for a starting job, assuming Seumalo was back. With McCormick only playing left guard in college, there was speculation that Seumalo could swing back over to right guard and push Daniels to the bench.

With Seumalo absent through Pittsburgh’s first three contests, though, Daniels has remained a starter and has, so far, thrived. Daniels is not only the team’s top offensive lineman through three weeks, according to PFF, he’s the team’s top-graded offensive player, period. In fact, he grades out as the top guard in the NFL and the second-best offensive lineman in the league.

McCormick, on the other hand, has not secured the starting position it was predicted he would. Instead, Spencer Anderson has been starting across from Daniels at left guard. Unfortunately, Anderson hasn’t seen the same success as Daniels, ranking as the second-worst offensive player on the team and the 61st-ranked guard in the NFL. It seems that Seumalo will retake his starting gig whenever he can return, but if he’s out for much longer, it might be worth it to take a look at the rookie, McCormick, in a starting role.

Bengals RT Trent Brown Out For Season

September 28th, 2024 at 1:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 28: As the Bengals prepare to move on with their season, they have officially made the transaction to move Brown to injured reserve. This officially sets the table for Mims to line up across from Orlando Brown for the remainder of the season. Trent Brown, on the other hand, will likely have his eyes towards next season, when, if things go well with Mims, the veteran could be on his way to a new city.

SEPTEMBER 24: A cart transported Trent Brown off the field during the Bengals’ loss to the Commanders on Monday night, and the veteran tackle will not return this season.

Brown sustained a patellar tendon tear, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who reports season-ending surgery is on tap. While Brown is expected to make a full recovery, he is on a one-year contract and has an extensive history of unavailability. This development will begin the Amarius Mims era in Cincinnati.

The Bengals gave Brown a one-year, $4.75MM deal in March. After the team selected Mims in Round 1, Brown was moving toward a role as high-end insurance behind Cincinnati’s starters — as part of the largest tackle trio in NFL history. The 6-foot-8 blocker, however, became needed after Mims sustained a pectoral injury during training camp. Brown started the Bengals’ first three games, shifting back to right tackle after finishing his second Patriots stint on the left side.

Fortunately for an 0-3 Bengals team, Mims recovered in time to make his NFL debut Monday night. He replaced Brown at right tackle and played 39 offensive snaps in the team’s shootout loss. Mims had been on track to open the season as Cincy’s RT starter, but his chest injury reopened the door for Brown. Now, it will be Mims and Orlando Brown Jr. — a tackle tandem that figures to be in place for years in western Ohio.

Now 31, Trent Brown has run into many health issues during an otherwise successful career. Since moving into the 49ers’ starting lineup late in his rookie season, Brown has missed 36 games. This has not included injuries in every season, as Brown delivered 16-game slates in 2016 and ’18 and then a 17-game showing in 2022. But they have cropped up consistently for a player who has dealt with weight issues during his pro career as well.

The Patriots received tremendous value from their Brown pick-swap trade with the 49ers during the 2018 draft, soon turning to the former seventh-round pick as their LT starter. Brown played a key role in the Pats gliding to their sixth Super Bowl title that season, and he parlayed that into a then-tackle-record four-year, $66MM Raiders deal. After a Pro Bowl showing at right tackle for the 2019 Raiders, Brown was hospitalized due to COVID-19 — during a 2020 season featuring 11 missed games — and then traded back to New England in 2021. The Pats used Brown at both right and left tackle from 2021-23, and while he played well, he became difficult to rely on in Bill Belichick‘s final years in Foxborough.

Some among the Patriots believed Brown was prioritizing his free agency rather than returning from injury as soon as he could last season, a 4-13 Pats campaign. After Brown missed six games in 2023 and nine in 2021, a tepid market awaited him. Still, the Bengals took a flier and cut three-year swingman/spot starter Jackson Carman in August. This came after backup D’Ante Smith landed on IR. The team still has guard/tackle Cody Ford, while 2022 UDFA Devin Cochran resides on its practice squad. Cochran has yet to play a regular-season NFL game.

Considering Mims’ recent injury and a health-interrupted Georgia career that featured just eight starts, it would make sense if the Bengals considered outside options to back up their current first-string duo. This represents a brutal blow for Brown, who will rehab on an expiring contract.

Jaguars Place LB Foye Oluokun On IR

September 28th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

TODAY, 12:50pm: Oluokun has officially landed on injured reserve. The team announced that they’ve placed the injured linebacker on IR, keeping him off the field for at least the next four weeks. Oluokun will be eligible for reinstatement in Week 8.

TUESDAY, 6:30pm: The Jaguars fell to 0-3 on Monday night, and the team’s defense suffered a blow in the process. Linebacker Foye Oluokun is dealing with plantar fasciitis, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

As a result, Oluokun is expected to miss multiple weeks. Pelissero notes the worst-case scenario has been avoided in this instance, adding that no surgery will be needed. Nonetheless, this news means Jacksonville will be shorthanded at the second level on defense for a stretch. It will be interesting to see if injured reserve comes into play.

An IR stint would guarantee at least a four-week absence and deal a blow to the Jaguars’ ability to recover from a poor start to the year. In any case, being without Oluokun will create a notable linebacker vacancy. The 29-year-old is consistently among the league’s top tacklers, and he led the NFL with 184 stops during his debut Jags campaign (2022). He had matched that feat the year prior, and 2023 saw the former Falcon amass 173 stops. Prior to the injury, Oluokun racked up a team-leading 22 tackles while logging a heavy defensive workload.

The former sixth-rounder was one of several incumbent players who landed a Jaguars extension this offseason. Oluokun inked a three-year, $30MM deal in March; as a result, he is on the books through 2027. Missing him for any period will be acutely felt by Jacksonville, a team which ranks 11th against the run this year but sits near the bottom in a number of other defensive categories.

2022 first-rounder Devin Lloyd is still in the fold as a linebacker starter for the Jags. He comfortably reached triple-digit tackles in each of his first two seasons, and the 25-year-old will be counted on to remain productive with Oluokun temporarily unavailable. The likes of Chad Muma, Caleb Johnson, Ventrell Miller and Yasir Abdullah represent the team’s options on the active roster to take on a first-team role. No member of that group is attached to a big-ticket deal, a sign of Jacksonville’s reliance on Oluokun to serve as an anchor at the second level.

The Jaguars designated Keilan Robinson and Andrew Wingard for return ahead of the roster cutdown deadline. That will use up two of the team’s eight IR activations, something which will be taken into account regarding an IR move in Oluokun’s case. His prognosis will be worth watching closely as the team braces for multiple games without him in the fold.

Jaguars TE Evan Engram Not A Candidate For IR

September 28th, 2024 at 9:08am CST by Ben Levine

Evan Engram is set to miss his third consecutive game while he continues to nurse a hamstring injury, as the Jaguars have already ruled out their tight end for tomorrow’s game against the Texans. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the player will be sidelined for much longer. Speaking to reporters yesterday, coach Doug Pederson said “next week looks promising” regarding Engram’s potential return (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco).

Considering the optimistic outlook, Engram also isn’t a candidate for injured reserve, according to Pederson (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones). That move would keep Engram off the field until at least Week 8.

Engram suffered his injury while warming up for Jacksonville’s Week 2 matchup with the Browns. The veteran tight end proceeded to miss both Week 2 and Week 3, marking his first absences since he joined the Jaguars ahead of the 2022 campaign. The former Giants first-round pick was limited to only a five-yard catch during the season opener, but the Jaguars are surely hoping he can eventually provide a spark to the offense. Engram is coming off a career year in 2023 where he hauled in 114 catches for 963 yards and four touchdowns.

With Engram out of the lineup, Brenton Strange has stepped up as the team’s TE1. The 2023 second-round pick has collected five receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown this season. Luke Farrell has climbed the depth chart to the TE2 role, while Josiah Deguara had a brief Week 3 cameo as the team’s third tight end.

Tua Tagovailoa Making Strides In Recovery

September 27th, 2024 at 10:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tua Tagovailoa remains on injured reserve, but signs still point to him being available later in the 2024 season. Miami’s franchise quarterback has been with the team while recovering from his latest concussion, while the Dolphins do not appear to be seeking out further additions under center.

Skylar Thompson served as the starting quarterback in Week 3, a game in which the Dolphins were beaten handily by the Seahawks. Tagovailoa traveled with the team for that cross-country contest, and NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted on a Rich Eisen Show appearance Tagovailoa has received clearance to perform all regular activities short of playing (video link). That is an positive sign of his progress while the 26-year-old attempts to return to action.

Miami quickly made a move in the wake of Tagovailoa’s Week 2 concussion, signing Tyler Huntley off the Ravens’ practice squad. The former UDFA eyed a Dolphins agreement once Tagovailoa went down, and he could get the nod for Week 4 as Thompson deals with a rib injury. Huntley, Thompson and Tim Boyle represent Miami’s options as things stand, and Pelissero confirms no contact has been made with the Broncos or Steelers to gauge the availability of Zach Wilson or Russell Wilson.

With the Dolphins remaining confident in their incumbent signal-callers for the time being, attention will remain focused on Tagovailoa’s recovery timeline. Last year’s passing leader cannot be activated until at least Week 8, and the team’s decision to move him to IR is a sign of the cautious approach being taken with him. If Tagovailoa manages to avoid setbacks with respect to concussion symptoms over the coming weeks, he will be positioned to resume practicing ahead of a return to the playing field.

With Miami sitting at 1-2 on the year, it remains to be seen if the team will be in contention for a postseason berth by the time Tagovailoa is available to be activated. His recovery process seems to be in a good place for the time being, however, which is an encouraging development for team and player.

NFC Injury Updates: Eagles, Davis, Lewis, Carlson

September 27th, 2024 at 9:52pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles are going to be forced to make a long-term switch on special teams after punt returner Britain Covey told reporters yesterday that he suffered a broken scapula. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Covey is likely to miss around six weeks recovering from the injury.

Covey hasn’t had too many return opportunities this season. The team as a whole has only returned two punts this season, with Covey logging only one of those for nine yards. The only other return came from second-round rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean, who gained six yards on a return last week in New Orleans as he stepped in after Covey’s injury. DeJean has played sparsely on defense so far this year, but it looks like his impact on special teams will be taken to the next level over the next several weeks.

Covey’s presence will also be missed on offense, where he’s third in the receivers room in receptions and yards this year. With Covey joining Ainias Smith and Jacob Harris on injured reserve, that leaves four receivers on the active roster. DeVonta Smith is set miss the team’s next contest with a concussion, so Jahan Dotson, Parris Campbell, and rookie Johnny Wilson will be asked to step up alongside A.J. Brown.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFC:

  • Saints linebacker Demario Davis is playing in his 13th NFL season. This weekend, the veteran defender will miss the first game of his career due to injury. Davis had one absence back in 2021 due to COVID-19, but Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports that a hamstring injury will keep Davis from playing for the first time in his long career.
  • On Wednesday, we reported an elbow injury for Panthers starting left guard Damien Lewis. Initial reports predicted at least a one-game absence, but the veteran guard will endeavor to not miss any time. Per Joe Person of The Athletic, Lewis suffered a UCL tear in his left elbow. If he were a left-handed quarterback, Lewis would require surgery, but there’s a chance Carolina doesn’t see any missed time from their lineman, who will try to play through the injury.
  • Tight end Stephen Carlson‘s stint on the Bears‘ active roster was a short one. After being promoted from the practice squad three days ago, Carlson suffered a significant collarbone injury on the last play of practice yesterday, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. Cronin predicts that an IR-stint is in Carlson’s future.
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