HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw Out For Season

December 26th, 2024 at 9:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Dre Greenlaw‘s outlook for 2024 took a massive hit when he suffered an Achilles tear during Super Bowl LVIII. The 49ers linebacker managed to work his way back this year, but his season has already come to an end.

Greenlaw will be shut down for the remainder of the campaign, as noted by Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. He was activated earlier this month, paving the way for a late-season run of action at a time when the 49ers still had a chance at the postseason. Greenlaw exited his first game back in the lineup after logging 30 snaps, however, and he managed only four defensive plays on Sunday.

San Francisco is officially out of the hunt for the playoffs, so finishing out the final two weeks of the season on the mend is sensible in Greenlaw’s case. His absence will, of course, leave the team thin at linebacker given De’Vondre Campbell‘s team-induced suspension for refusing to enter the game in Week 15. Greenlaw’s return resulted him reprising his first-team role, something which relegated Campbell to backup duties. Now, neither will see the field the rest of the way.

Greenlaw has spent his entire six-year career with the 49ers, and when healthy he has been a mainstay on defense. The 27-year-old was limited to only three games in 2021, but in each of his other campaigns prior to this one he amassed at least 86 tackles (topping out at 127 in 2022). Greenlaw landed a two-year, $16.4MM extension after that season, but he is now on track for free agency.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan recently confirmed the 49ers hope to re-sign Greenlaw, with the same also being true of safety Talanoa Hufanga. Both defenders have dealt with major injuries leading to signficant missed time in 2024, though, a factor which could hurt their respective markets. As San Francisco prepares for a Brock Purdy extension, it remains to be seen how much of a commitment the team will be able to make to retain Greenlaw, Hufanga or the other names on its list of pending free agents.

Sitting at 6-9 on the year and managing several notable injuries at other positions, very little has gone right for the 49ers this year and attention will increasingly shift to 2025. With Greenlaw out of the picture for the final two games of the campaign, his health status and his future with San Francisco will become a notable storyline.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/26/24

December 26th, 2024 at 8:32pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s minor moves around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Reverted to season-ending IR (practice window expired): CB Elijah Jones

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Harris’ second season with the Browns saw him play a key role with 13 starts and a 59% snap share on defense. The 33-year-old remained consistent against the run (37 tackles) while chipping in as a pass rusher (1.5 sacks), but his campaign is now over as he deals with an elbow injury. One year remains on Harris’ contract, although none of his scheduled $1.26MM base salary is guaranteed.

Alexander joined the Lions late last month as part of the team’s bid to add healthy options at the linebacker spot. He made a pair of appearances with Detroit prior to today’s move, one which may not mark the end of his time with the team. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Lions hope to be able to sign Alexander, 30, to their practice squad provided he clears waivers. Teams will be able to put in a claim until tomorrow afternoon, by which point he will become a free agent if no interested parties emerge.

Zuerlein has been on injured reserve since the end of October, spurring the Jets to turn to other kicking options. If the veteran is activated in the near future, he will be able to make a late-season return in 2024, his third campaign with the Jets. Failing that, New York will still have Anders Carlson and recent practice squad addition Greg Joseph in place at the position.

LB David Long Fails Titans Physical

December 26th, 2024 at 7:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

David Long was placed on waivers by the Lions Tuesday. The veteran linebacker was claimed by the Titans yesterday, setting him up to close out the campaign via a reunion with Tennessee.

However, the team announced on Thursday that Long has failed his physical. As a result, he will not be joining the Titans’ active roster and he will return to the waiver wire with an injury designation. Teams will once again be able to add him through that route, although given today’s development it would come as no surprise if Long were to reach free agency.

The 28-year-old began the season with Miami, but partway through the year he lost his starting role. Shortly thereafter, Long was waived; the Lions moved quickly in adding him on a practice squad deal to provide needed linebacker depth. The West Virginia product wound up making a total of five appearances with Detroit, including one start. Long only logged a snap share of 23% (albeit with a regular special teams role), though, and his time in the Motor City came to an end with other several roster changes taking place as certain defenders return to the lineup.

Long was drafted by the Titans in 2019, and during his first two seasons in the league he was a mainstay on special teams while handling rotational defensive duties. The former sixth-rounder emerged as a full-time starter for the final year of his rookie contract, and he landed a two-year, $10MM free agent deal with Miami as a result. Long set a career high with 113 tackles last season, but his Dolphins tenure came to an abrupt end once he was relegated to backup duties.

With a Long reunion now off, the Titans will finish out the year with their current LB corps. Kenneth Murray suffered a wrist injury on Sunday, and Tennessee placed him on injured reserve yesterday. His debut Titans campaign is over as a result, and losing the team’s leading tackler made the waiver claim on Long an understandable move. The latter will not return to the Titans, though, and it will be interesting to see if he manages to catch on with a different team before the end of the season.

Trent Williams Will Not Return This Season

December 26th, 2024 at 7:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 26: Williams has visited multiple specialists about the injury, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle notes. Shanahan confirmed the issue has not been resolved as quickly as hoped, but he added there has been no indication the injury is career-threatening. Needless to say, Williams’ ability to recover in full in time for next season will be imperative for the 49ers.

DECEMBER 23: Trent Williams did well to secure strong terms via a reworking completed just days before the season. The perennial All-Pro tackle will not be back to close out Year 1 of this revised agreement.

Kyle Shanahan announced Monday (via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner) that his future Hall of Fame blindside blocker will not return from injury this season. Considering the 49ers have been eliminated, this is not especially surprising. Williams, who has been rehabbing an ankle injury, has not played since Week 11. Shanahan had said last week (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport) Williams would need to be close to healthy to come back this year, and he is not yet at that point. Two years remain on Williams’ contract.

This marks the second straight year in which Williams has missed multiple games due to injury. The 49ers went 0-2 in those contests last season; they are 1-4 without Williams this year. Though, San Francisco has seen other valuable cogs miss time during this disastrous stretch as well. The team sits 6-9 as another woeful NFC title defense winds down.

Williams, 36, has not made reference to a 2025 retirement yet. After securing a wave of guarantees midway through his six-year contract, it would represent a modest surprise if the former top-five pick walked away after this season.

Ending a lengthy holdout via the summer adjustment, the 49ers have moved all but $1.26MM of Williams’ 2025 base salary into void years and option bonuses. He received a $25.69MM signing bonus upon inking his updated deal in September and will not be moved in 2025, as such a move would be punitive for the 49ers, who would take on $55MM-plus in dead money by doing so. Although Williams is wrapping his age-36 season, he has remained one of the best linemen in football. San Francisco would benefit by having him back for what would be a 16th NFL season come 2025.

Williams came back this season in a partial effort to set the tackle record for Pro Bowl nods. He is sitting on 11 going into this year’s unveiling; Hall of Famers Anthony Munoz, Jonathan Ogden and Willie Roaf join him at that number. Pro Football Focus slotted Williams seventh overall among tackles this season, a slight drop-off from his usual place, but ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranks him first. It would not surprise to see Williams, despite missing five games, to be selected to his 12th Pro Bowl soon.

The lucrative contract the 49ers gave to Williams has influenced their decision-making up front. The team has a midlevel deal at center (Jake Brendel) and a lower-end contract at right tackle (Colton McKivitz) and rookie pacts at guard (Aaron Banks, Dominick Puni). San Francisco is unlikely to re-sign Banks, and Williams’ contract should be expected to shape the team’s contractual blueprint — especially with Brock Purdy still on track to be paid in 2025 — with regards to its O-line. Williams announcing he is coming back would all but confirm this approach.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/24

December 26th, 2024 at 6:16pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: OL Matthew Jones

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: QB Emory Jones

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: LB DaRon Gilbert

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: LB Michael Tutsie

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

DeSean Jackson To Become HC At Delaware State

December 26th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

DeSean Jackson ended his playing career roughly one year ago, and his retirement brought to a close one of the NFL’s most decorated careers in terms of deep threats at the receiver position. It has not taken Jackson long to find a new opportunity in football.

The 38-year-old is finalizing an agreement to become head coach at Delaware State, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports. An in-person interview recently occurred, and the sides are expected to have a formal deal in place shortly. This will mark Jackson’s first foray into coaching.

The Cal product played a total of 15 seasons in the NFL, with his most memorable moments coming during his tenure as an Eagle. Jackson wound up suiting up for six teams overall, and he totaled three Pro Bowl nods while recording five 1,000-yard seasons and leading the league in yards per reception on four occasions. Once he elected to hang up his cleats, it was unclear if he intended to pursue a career on the sidelines. Now, though, that will be the case.

Delaware State had been coached by Lee Hull since the start of last season, but the program will now move in a different direction. The FCS outfit posted a 2-21 record under Hull, so plenty of room exists for improvement moving forward. Jackson will look to guide the Hornets to a step forward in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference starting in the 2025 campaign.

Once the agreement is in place, Jackson will be in line to become the latest ex-NFL player to quickly transition to a head coaching position at the college level (particularly at HBCUs such as Delaware State) upon hanging up their cleats. It will be interesting to see how he fares on the sidelines and if success in this gig will lead to opportunities elsewhere in the coaching world.

Cowboys To Shut Down CeeDee Lamb

December 26th, 2024 at 3:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Battling a shoulder injury for a few weeks, CeeDee Lamb will not continue to play through the issue. The Cowboys are shutting down their recently extended wide receiver.

Additional testing conducted this week will lead the Cowboys (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) to sit Lamb during the season’s final two games. Lamb, however, is not expected to need surgery. It could be implied from this report that Lamb would have remained active had the Cowboys been vying for a playoff spot. Now that they are eliminated, their top weapon will be shut down.

Lamb signed a monster extension this offseason, with the Cowboys giving in on term length. Preferring five- or six-year deals, the Cowboys granted Lamb a four-year re-up worth $168MM ($67MM at signing). Lamb’s $25MM 2026 base salary will lock in by 2025. This shoulder setback figures to be relatively minor for the fifth-year wideout in the grand scheme, as no surgery being expected should not threaten any training camp availability.

It will be somewhat interesting if this issue impacted Lamb’s availability for voluntary Dallas workouts come April. Those will be of greater importance if the Cowboys do not give Mike McCarthy another contract. Lamb being off the field will hinder Dallas’ ability to add more wins to their season total, something that would play into the team’s thinking on McCarthy. Despite being a lame duck, however, the fifth-year Cowboys HC has seemingly reestablished some momentum as he attempts to cement his case to stay.

Dak Prescott‘s midseason hamstring injury hampered Dallas’ passing attack, but Lamb has remained productive. The 2020 first-round pick posted his fourth straight 1,000-yard season, finishing with 101 catches for 1,194 yards. While this is well south of where Lamb got to in 2023 (135/1,749), he played 17 games and had Prescott targeting him throughout. Making a handful of starts like he did in 2022, Cooper Rush has done a good job finding his All-Pro weapon. Lamb’s 79.6 yards-per-game number barely trails his 2022 rate (79.6). He will be back in place as Dallas’ lead wideout in 2025.

Seahawks Place RB Kenneth Walker On IR

December 26th, 2024 at 3:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Producing in spurts, Kenneth Walker has also dealt with steady injury trouble. The starting running back’s latest setback will move him out of the picture during the Seahawks’ final push for the playoffs.

Seattle is moving Walker to IR, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. This will sideline Walker for at least four games; the third-year RB is dealing with an ankle injury. The team moved George Holani up from its practice squad to fill Walker’s roster spot, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, but Zach Charbonnet will return to a lead role in Seattle’s backfield.

A 2022 second-round pick, Walker has flashed as a pro. He gained 1,050 rushing yards as a rookie, averaging a career-best 4.6 yards per carry, and surpassed 900 rushing yards last season. Both campaigns involved two missed games apiece; this one will stop at 11. Walker has missed time due to ankle, calf and oblique injuries this season.

Groin and abdomen issues also dogged Walker during his first two NFL seasons, with ankle trouble intervening during that span as well. This shutdown — barring a Seattle run to the NFC championship game — could complicate Walker’s status in 2025. While the Seahawks have generally used Walker as their clear lead back when healthy, his inability to stay on the field this season may lead the team to reassess its backfield. Walker has one season remaining on his rookie deal; two more years remain on Charbonnet’s.

Walker’s 3.7-yard average this season represents a career-low mark; in all likelihood, the former Michigan State and Wake Forest back will finish the year with 573 yards on the ground. Charbonnet has played well in relief of Walker, and the 2023 second-round pick will have an interesting opportunity ahead. Next Gen Stats’ rushing yards over expected per attempt metric places Charbonnet as the more effective runner this season, slotting him in the top 15 (0.66). Walker (minus-0.1) sits outside the top 30 here.

Charbonnet totaled 193 scrimmage yards and two scores in Seattle’s Week 14 win over Arizona. The Seahawks will need solid production from their backup over the final two weeks, as they are now 8-7 and trail the Rams in the NFC West. ESPN’s FPI gives the Haws a 19.1% chance to make the playoffs.

Lions Designate Kalif Raymond For Return

December 26th, 2024 at 12:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Higher-profile players potentially returning from injury have become one of the defining storylines for a dominant Lions team, as the Lions will need to give careful consideration as to whom they choose to activate from IR. A role player is the next man up here, however.

The NFC North-leading team is opening Kalif Raymond‘s practice window Thursday. Raymond has been on IR with a foot injury since late November. After missing the necessary four games, Raymond is back in the mix. The wide receiver/return man will not count toward Detroit’s activations until officially moved back onto the 53-man roster.

Four activations remain for the Lions, who also have linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin in the IR-return window. However, an offseason rule change has freed up two more IR activations for teams during the postseason. The Lions may have those two spots earmarked for injured standouts, so they will need to be careful in the near term. But Raymond appears on track to be one of Detroit’s returning players soon.

The team has already used two activations on safety Ifeatu Melifonwu. David Montgomery is not in this equation, having not been placed on IR; the starting running back is viewed as a player who could return in the playoffs. Aidan Hutchinson and Alex Anzalone, however, are in play to be activated. The team will need to save enough activations to accommodate that trio. Linebacker Derrick Barnes also may be in the mix to come back, but he has not been designated for return.

Teams regularly take short-term approaches to their IR-return puzzles, activating players who are ready as opposed to waiting on others’ returns. The Lions are in a more interesting situation, however, with a few defensive starters on the radar to be activated. Hutchinson could return if the Lions reach the NFC championship game, while Davis (broken jaw) has not been deemed out for the season yet. The Lions not placing Davis on IR suggests they expect him to have a chance at returning. Anzalone suffered a broken forearm last month; he may factor into the team’s plans as well. Alim McNeill and Malcolm Rodriguez will not, but the Lions have choices to make.

As for Raymond, he hit IR while leading the NFL in punt-return yards (390). Raymond is in Year 4 with the Lions, having established himself as one of the NFL’s best return men while also contributing as a role player on Detroit’s offense. The Lions have used Tim Patrick as their primary No. 3 wideout, but Raymond would provide another option for the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense. He put together 576- and 616-yard seasons in 2021 and ’22; through 11 games, Raymond caught 16 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

Eagles To Bring Back QB Ian Book

December 26th, 2024 at 10:25am CST by Sam Robinson

Dealing with multiple injuries at quarterback, the Eagles hosted Ian Book on a visit. That meeting will lead to a free agency addition. Book is signing with Philadelphia.

This is a practice squad deal, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo. With Jalen Hurts in concussion protocol and backup Kenny Pickett dealing with a rib injury, the Eagles are suddenly vulnerable at the game’s most important position. Book profiles as insurance.

Book is making a return trip to Philly, having been with the team for just more than a year earlier in his career. The Eagles claimed Book off waivers from the Saints in August 2022 and carried him until moving on in August 2023. He will join Tanner McKee as healthy Philly QBs presently.

As he goes through the protocol, Hurts did not practice Wednesday. His availability for Week 17 is up in the air. Pickett logged a limited session on Christmas Day, but the former Steelers starter-turned-Hurts backup did not make it through his first extended 2024 appearance unscathed. McKee did not see any game action, but he would be the next man up if both Philadelphia’s starter and backup could not go against the Cowboys. The Eagles drafted McKee in the 2023 sixth round.

The Saints made Book a 2021 fourth-round pick, and he made an emergency start that season. A Saints team wrecked by COVID-19 turned to Book in a Monday-night outing against the Dolphins. It did not go well for the hosts that night, as Book threw two interceptions during the short-notice start. The Notre Dame alum has not played in a regular-season game since. The Eagles rostered him during their 2022 Super Bowl LVII season but did not keep him for the 2023 season, having drafted McKee to play behind Hurts and Marcus Mariota.

Book, 26, has bounced from the Saints to the Eagles to the Patriots to the Chiefs. He has not been with a team since being cut by Kansas City in August. To make room on their practice squad, the Eagles released DB Tariq Castro-Fields. The team also signed running back Lew Nichols to its P-squad.

Load More Posts