HEADLINES

Browns’ Dawand Jones To Undergo Season-Ending Ankle Surgery

November 17th, 2024 at 3:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Dawand Jones went down midway through the Browns’ Week 11 contest. The second-year offensive tackle had an air cast applied before being carted off the field, and he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Jones suffered a fractured ankle, head coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game (via Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal). Surgery will be required, and the 23-year-old will be out for the remainder of the campaign as a result. This news marks another blow to Cleveland’s offensive line.

The team selected Jones in the fourth round last year, but he saw considerable time as a rookie. Jack Conklin‘s absence vacated the starting right tackle spot, and Jones made 11 total appearances and seven starts. His play resulted in a strong PFF evaluation for pass protection but left plenty of room for improvement in the run-blocking department. With a number of changes being made up front this year, Jones has had plenty of playing time.

The Ohio State product had logged a 77% snap share heading into Sunday’s action, with right tackle once again being his primary position. Jones had also seen time on the blindside, and that could have remained the case moving forward depending on the status of Jedrick Wills. Wills was demoted recently as he continues to recover from the MCL injury which ended his 2023 season. The former first-rounder’s absence for Week 8 was a talking point over the past several days, and remaining a second-string option would have left the door open to Jones handling starting duties.

Now, Jones’ attention will turn to recovery ahead of the 2025 campaign. Two years remain on his rookie contract, so he will still have the opportunity to carve out a full-time starting gig at either tackle spot once healthy. This news will likely force Wills back into the starting lineup to close out the campaign, a crucial stretch given his status as a pending free agent.

Cleveland’s loss to New Orleans on Sunday leaves the team with a 2-8 record. With the postseason not in reach, individual performances will be key down the stretch. Wills in particular will be worth watching as the Browns contemplate their tackle setup for next year.

Dolphins T Kendall Lamm May Continue Playing After 2024 Season

November 17th, 2024 at 3:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

Kendall Lamm contemplated retirement after the 2023 season, but he elected to remain with the Dolphins. Team and player agreed to a deal in April which allowed him to reprise his role as a swing tackle for one more year.

Lamm is a veteran of 113 games across his time with the Texans, Bears, Titans and Dolphins. He entered Week 11 with one start this year, giving him 38 for his career and 10 during his Miami tenure. The 32-year-old has been a valuable contributor up front for his current team, meaning an extended stay could be in the cards. That is a reversal of where things stood prior to the start of the campaign.

“When I said that [2024] would be my last year my grandfather had just passed,” Lamm told Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. “I wanted to spend more time with my family. But if we get towards the end of the year and I feel good we’ll keep it going.”

The Dolphins’ play up front has been consistent this season, one which has been defined by missed time on the part of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Remaining strong along the O-line will be central to Miami’s efforts to make a second half playoff push. Lamm could easily play his way into another deal as a top backup up front or, if needed, a spot-starter.

The former UDFA has not fully committed to playing in 2025, so his health and level of play over the coming weeks will be key. Lamm is attached to $2.5MM in compensation for the season, and another one-year, low-cost pact would not doubt be in Miami’s interest if it were to be possible. Family will once again be a central factor in Lamm’s decision this offseason with respect to whether or not he suits up next year.

“The mental state I was in, the level of importance, [family] outweighed football,” Lamm added. “If I get to the end of the year and they still outweigh football you’ll never see me again. But at the end of the year if I talk to my grandmother, and talk to my family and they are OK, especially my grandmother cause she’s the oldest one, you might see me again.”

Bears Place S Jaquan Brisker On IR

November 17th, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 17: Poles does not sound optimistic that Brisker will return this year. In a statement that Cronin passes along, Poles said that Brisker “just wasn’t making the progress that we wanted. We also know from a performance standpoint, when you’re out of football for a while, there has to be a ramp up period to get your body in shape, to play the game and avoid other injuries such as soft tissue injuries. … So we’re going to slow this down and take time and allow him to take his time to come back. Would love to see him back this year, but we’re just going to take it one week at a time.”

NOVEMBER 14: Although staff turmoil has engulfed the Bears once again, the team has seen a concerning situation develop in its secondary. Jaquan Brisker is heading to IR because of a concussion.

The starting Chicago safety has been in the protocol since suffering a head injury in Week 5, ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin notes. This IR placement will lead to four more missed games. A 2022 second-round pick, Brisker has been a starter throughout his NFL career. He has also suffered three concussions in three seasons.

While this will give Brisker more time to recover, concussions rarely result in IR trips. This placement coming five weeks after the injury occurred introduces more cause for concern. Brisker started 15 games in each of his first two seasons and was in the Bears’ lineup for the team’s first five contests this year. This concussion has since defined his third NFL season, and the Penn State product will be shut down until mid-December.

Drafted in Ryan Poles‘ first offseason, Brisker joined a rebuilding team. He has since been one of the building blocks acquired on defense, joining Tyrique Stevenson and Kyler Gordon as second-round picks installed as starting DBs. As the Bears have not seen Caleb Williams show too much just yet, their defense has helped hold down the fort. Chicago’s defense ranks seventh in scoring and 13th in yards yielded.

The Bears had ruled out Brisker early in the week before their Week 10 and Week 11 games, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs pointing to more optimism about this injury existing prior to that. It is too early to speculate about Brisker’s career, but this concussion will cost him at least eight games. That is certainly on the high end. Brisker came into this season after undergoing thumb surgery as well.

Chicago, which cut Eddie Jackson and signed Kevin Byard this offseason, have turned to 2022 seventh-round pick Elijah Hicks in Brisker’s stead. Pro Football Focus has viewed Hicks as a solid replacement, ranking him ninth among all safeties — albeit on just 157 snaps — this season.

Isiah Pacheco, Charles Omenihu To Return To Chiefs Practice

November 17th, 2024 at 11:24am CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 17: In keeping with earlier reports on the matter, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says that Pacheco is expected to return to the lineup for the Chiefs’ Week 12 matchup with the Panthers.

NOVEMBER 12: The Chiefs continue to craft escape routes to keep their unbeaten season — and win streak dating back to last year — alive, but their point differential (plus-58, ninth in the NFL) illuminates the tightrope the two-time reigning champions are walking. As Kansas City prepares for a stretch run that features games against the other three AFC division leaders, some help is on the way.

While Rashee Rice is out for the season and Marquise Brown is not in play to return during the regular season, the other Chiefs skill-position player who suffered a major injury early this year is on the road back. Isiah Pacheco is set to practice this week, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher reports.

Down with a broken fibula that required surgery, Pacheco has been making progress to the point a late-November return is believed to be in play. That would help a Chiefs run game that has turned to retread Kareem Hunt and Broncos castoff Samaje Perine. Additionally, Teicher notes Charles Omenihu is set to join Pacheco at practice this week.

Omenihu is on Kansas City’s reserve/PUP list and would not count toward the team’s in-season activation total. Pacheco would, but the Chiefs are in good shape in terms of activations. They still have seven of their eight remaining. Both players have three weeks to be activated.

Usurping Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the Chiefs’ top running back during his 2022 rookie season, Pacheco has become a key performer during the franchise’s Super Bowl run. Pacheco has started in both the Chiefs’ previous two Super Bowls, generating strong returns on his seventh-round draft slot. Pacheco cranked out 935 rushing yards in his lone season as a full-time starter, adding 313 more in last season’s playoffs. The Chiefs have Pacheco signed on a rookie deal through the 2025 season.

Like Pacheco, Omenihu has three weeks to return to the 53-man roster. The Chiefs have given the veteran defensive end considerable time to recover from the ACL tear sustained in the 2023 AFC championship game. Signed to a three-year, $24MM deal as a free agent in 2023, Omenihu made an impact, tallying seven regular-season sacks and one more in the playoffs last year. This season has marked the second straight delayed start for Omenihu, who served a six-game suspension for a domestic violence arrest to begin his Chiefs tenure.

Kansas City made two trades to help its EDGE situation this year. Weeks after acquiring Cam Thomas from the Cardinals, the Chiefs added Josh Uche from the Patriots. The team has integrated 2023 first-round D-end Felix Anudike-Uzomah into its rotation more this season, but the Kansas City-area native is still playing just 36% of the team’s defensive snaps. Uche working his way into the mix alongside George Karlaftis and the re-signed Michael Danna will not leave as much room for the second-year player, with Omenihu’s reemergence set to factor into this mix again soon.

Bears Will Not Bench QB Caleb Williams

November 17th, 2024 at 11:14am CST by Rory Parks

The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron partway through his first season in Chicago, but the team is not benching quarterback Caleb Williams. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft will remain the club’s QB1 moving forward.

Speculation to the contrary arose when it became clear that the possibility of a Williams demotion was discussed by Bears brass in advance of the Waldron dismissal. Rapoport says that while a benching was floated as a theoretical option as the team charted its best course of action moving forward, it was never truly considered. 

The idea would have been to give Williams a “reset” like the one that the Panthers gave to 2023’s No. 1 overall draft choice, Bryce Young, earlier this year. Of course, Young started a full slate of games in his rookie season and two more to open the 2024 campaign before his “reset,” while Williams has just nine professional games under his belt. Between that and Williams’ off-the-charts prospect pedigree, even a temporary benching in favor of Tyson Bagent would have qualified as a major surprise.

Instead, interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown – who, coincidentally, was Young’s OC in Carolina last year – will make some changes to allow Williams a chance to thrive as he continues to adjust to the professional game by learning how to (for instance) check into the proper play at the line of scrimmage and identify protections. He did not have to do those things while he was starring as a collegiate passer, and growing pains in that regard were always expected.

Brown’s changes will not include adding new plays or schemes; as he learned from his time with Young, that might complicate an already steep learning curve. He will, however, ask Williams to focus on getting the ball out of his hand more quickly – the rookie signal-caller has been sacked a league-high 38 times this year – and he will utilize motion and shifts to create more open looks. 

Williams has certainly flashed this year; in the Bears’ three-game winning streak from Weeks 4 to 6, he threw for seven touchdowns against just one interception and posted quarterback ratings of at least 106.6 in each contest. But the last three games (all losses) have been a struggle, as Chicago is averaging just nine points per game during that stretch, and Williams has failed to record a QB rating above 68.9 or a completion percentage above 53.7%.

By all accounts, Williams has done everything in his power to hone his craft, and as such, he has the support of his teammates.

As wideout D.J. Moore said, “you got to have support for him, no matter what. He’s going out there, busting his butt, trying to learn everything at once, and the defenses are throwing a lot at him. So, you can’t really be mad at him. You just got to still back him.” 

As FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer details, Williams also impressed teammates by apologizing to them after Waldron’s dismissal, accepting the blame for an offense that had regressed to the point that a firing became necessary.

Dolphins’ Jevon Holland Expected To Land Contract Near Top Of Safety Market

November 17th, 2024 at 10:42am CST by Rory Parks

Dolphins safety Jevon Holland may have priced himself out of Miami. As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes in a subscribers-only piece, Holland is considered a top-five safety in the league, and the contract-year defender will be in high demand should he hit free agency in March. Miami is currently projected to be near the bottom of the pack in terms of cap space in 2025, so it is unclear if the club will have the wherewithal to keep him off the market.

Holland, 24, was selected by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2021 draft, and he has been an impact defender from the jump. In keeping with the league’s perception of his performance, Pro Football Focus graded Holland as a top-five safety in 2021 and 2023, and the Oregon product’s value is further bolstered by his versatility; he is capable of lining up as a free safety, in the box, or even in the slot.

He also boasts strong playmaking ability, as evidenced by the 23 passes defensed, five interceptions, five sacks, and five forced fumbles he has compiled in his career. He is still looking for his first interception in 2024 – he has missed one game due to a broken hand and another due to a knee injury – but the track record of splash plays he has established is a strong one.

The Dolphins were said to be interested in talking extension with Holland this offseason, though those discussions never gained much traction. The team prioritized new deals for some of the most notable names on its roster, including quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and Holland acknowledged back in May that his contract situation was not a top agenda item for the ‘Fins.

“I’m on the back burner,” Holland said at the time. “I don’t know much. I just work here. I just work here.”

Presumably, he will not be on the back burner for much longer. Although the safety market has stagnated at times in recent history, the lucrative deals that players like Antoine Winfield Jr.  and Xavier McKinney signed this offseason prove that there is still an appetite to pay top dollar for true difference makers in the back end of the secondary. Indeed, Fowler expects Holland’s next contract to check in between McKinney’s four-year, $68MM deal and Winfield’s four-year, $84MM accord.

That assumes that the Dolphins will not place the franchise tag on Holland. The tag number for safeties is projected to be over $19MM in 2025, and Fowler’s sources have suggested that, like former Miami defensive tackle Christian Wilkins this offseason, Holland may be allowed to test the free agent waters, where he might find a market too robust for the Dolphins’ liking.

Patriots Activate DL Christian Barmore

November 16th, 2024 at 10:02pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots will welcome back one of their defensive leaders for Week 11. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the team is activating defensive lineman Christian Barmore off the non-football illness list. Barmore is expected to play tomorrow.

[RELATED: Pats’ Christian Barmore Returns To Practice]

The 25-year-old was sidelined indefinitely after being diagnosed with blood clots in late July. He was subsequently placed on NFI, and the seriousness of Barmore’s diagnosis led to speculation that he could be out for the entire 2024 season.

Fortunately, things seemed to be trending in the right direction for the former second-round pick, as the organization expressed continued optimism surrounding his recovery. The organization all but confirmed Barmore’s impending return when they welcomed him back to practice earlier this week. There was some initial skepticism surrounding the DL’s Week 11 availability after he missed yesterday’s practice, but it sounds like he’ll be ready to make his season debut tomorrow.

After showing flashes through his first two seasons in the NFL, Barmore seemed to put it all together in 2023. The defensive lineman established new career-highs in sacks (8.5), tackles (64), pressures (19), and tackles for loss (13). With Barmore eyeing the final season of his rookie pact in 2024, the Patriots eagerly handed him a a four-year, $84MM extension this past spring.

The Patriots’ pass rush and run defense haven’t been completely helpless in 2024, but Barmore should still help to improve those middle-of-the-road units. While New England doesn’t have a whole lot to play for down the stretch, the organization would gladly take continued development from Barmore as they head towards the offseason.

Falcons Activate C Drew Dalman, OLB Lorenzo Carter From IR

November 16th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The Falcons made a slew of roster moves today in anticipation for their Week 11 matchup in Denver, per Falcons digital team reporter Terrin Waack, including several updates to their injured reserve. Atlanta activated center Drew Dalman and outside linebacker Lorenzo Carter from IR and placed defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham and defensive end James Smith-Williams on IR.

Dalman has missed seven games since leaving the team’s Week 3 matchup against the Chiefs early with a high ankle sprain. Dalman, 25, had been a key contributor up front since taking on a first-team role; he graded out as Pro Football Focus’s third-best center last season. He sat in the top five for his performance during the early portion of the 2024 campaign, as well. Even more disappointing, Dalman is in a contract year, and missing half of the season after getting recognized as one of the league’s top centers could be detrimental to the money he might make.

With his activation today, he’ll retake his starting center gig from Ryan Neuzil. His return also eliminated the necessity to roster backup center Matt Hennessy. Hennessy was waived from the active roster on Thursday. He will be returning to Atlanta via the practice squad after going unclaimed on the waiver wire. In order to make room for Hennessy on the practice squad, the Falcons released veteran return specialist Jakeem Grant, who was signed to the practice squad earlier this week.

Carter will finally be making a comeback from IR this week, as well. Carter’s IR-stint was a bit of a surprise after the 28-year-old was placed on the NFL’s concussion protocol. He had originally been placed on the team’s injury report under the designation of “illness” after not practicing, but Atlanta updated the designation to “concussion” by the end of that same day.

It’s still unclear why Carter’s concussion required a four-game absence when we’ve seen several players pass through the protocol within a week, but regardless, the Falcons will be happy to return a pass rushing weapon to what has been a virtually nonexistent pass rushing attack. Atlanta ranks dead-last in the league in sacks (9), despite sitting at 15th in the NFL in quarterback hurries and 14th in quarterback knockdowns. Currently, defensive tackle Grady Jarrett leads the team with 2.5 sacks, edge rusher Matt Judon is second with 1.5, and five other players add a sack each to the team’s total.

Luckily, Graham’s placement on IR has nothing to do with his MCL tear from the 2022 season. Far-removed from the knee injury, Graham is now dealing with an injured pectoral muscle suffered in last Sunday’s loss to the Saints. Smith-Williams also went down in last week’s game with an injury but returned later in the game. The following day, though, head coach Raheem Morris said the injury was “not great,” revealing that Smith-Williams was dealing with a tibia injury.

In addition to the IR transactions above, cornerback Natrone Brooks will fill an empty spot on the 53-man active roster, getting signed from the practice squad. Brooks had reached his three-game elevation limit from the practice squad, so in order to play in any more games, he needed to be signed to the active roster. Joining Brooks on the active roster from the practice squad will be safety Dane Cruikshank and outside linebacker Khalid Kareem, who will serve as the team’s standard gameday elevations for Week 11.

Patriots Cut WR Tyquan Thornton

November 16th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Ben Levine

As one of only three squads to carry seven wide receivers for much of the campaign, the Patriots are finally clearing some of their depth. The team has cut wideout Tyquan Thornton, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

A 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor, Thornton struggled to carve out a role in New England. The wideout showed some flashes as a rookie, hauling in 22 catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns while starting nine of his 13 appearances. Thanks in part to inconsistent QB play, Thornton struggled as a sophomore, finishing with only 13 catches while missing a chunk of the season with a shoulder injury.

While the Patriots underwent significant changes during the offseason (including to their offense), Thornton hasn’t been able to revive his career. The wideout saw a fair share of snaps to start the season with Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte sidelined. However, as the receivers room got back to full strength, Thornton found himself on the outside looking in.

Over the past six weeks, the third-year WR has seen the field for only 13 offensive snaps (with 12 of those snaps coming in Week 8). In addition to Bourne and Boutte, Thornton also found himself behind the likes of Demario Douglas, Ja’Lynn Polk, and K.J. Osborn in the pecking order.

While Osborn is an impending free agent, the Patriots decided to move on from Thornton despite one year remaining on his rookie contract. Another squad could inherit that contract by making a waiver claim, and NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe notes that the receiver is healthy and “ready for his next opportunity.”

Steelers Place CB C.J Henderson On IR

November 16th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

C.J Henderson has yet to make his Steelers debut, and that will remain the case for an extended period. The former first-rounder corner was placed on injured reserve, the team announced Saturday.

Henderson joined the Steelers in September, initially inking a practice squad deal. He was promoted to the active roster last month amidst interest from other teams, but he has still yet to make an appearance. A neck injury will now keep Henderson sidelined for at least the next four games as Pittsburgh looks to remain atop the AFC North.

Pittsburgh enters Week 11 with a 7-2 record ahead of a critical matchup with the Ravens. The team’s defense has remained among the league’s best units with both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at the helm; the Steelers have allowed 16.2 points per games this year, the second-best mark in the NFL. The team’s secondary has not been as strong, as Pittsburgh sits just 19th against the pass.

Henderson’s absence will require the Steelers to continue leaning heavily on Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson as starters at the cornerback spot. The likes of undrafted rookie Beanie Bishop along with Cameron Sutton – recently reinstated from suspension – are in place to handle rotational roles in the secondary. Missed time will further hinder Henderson’s ability to carve out a role with the Steelers.

The 26-year-old entered the league with high expectations but he played only 10 games with the Jaguars before being traded during his second season to the Panthers. Henderson made 22 starts with Carolina, but his struggles in coverage continued during his time with the team. The Florida product took a one-year deal with the Texans in free agency, but he did not survive roster cutdowns. Having yet to make an impact in Pittsburgh, Henderson is no doubt looking at another tepid market this spring.

In a corresponding move, the Steelers signed running back Jonathan Ward to the active roster. Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren have handled the bulk of the rushing load in 2024, as expected. Ward, 27, has received only five carries so far this season but he has contributed on special teams. He will feature in that capacity tomorrow provided he is part of the gameday lineup.

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