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Saints To Sign RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire

December 18th, 2024 at 3:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Cut by the Chiefs late in his fifth season with the team, Clyde Edwards-Helaire has a new home. The former first-round pick cleared waivers but is on his way to New Orleans as a free agent.

Edwards-Helaire is signing with the Saints, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill reports. This comes after the Saints saw Alvin Kamara leave their Week 15 game with a groin injury. With the Saints clinging to “In the Hunt” status, Kamara is not certain to be available in Week 16. The team has some insurance, albeit in a player who has not suited up this season.

Edwards-Helaire is a Baton Rouge, La., native and played at LSU. He will follow ex-teammate Tyrann Mathieu as a Louisiana native-turned-LSUer on the Saints’ roster. Foster Moreau followed that path last year as well. Edwards-Helaire, however, should not be expected to play a comparable role. He will begin on the practice squad, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz adds.

The Chiefs activated Edwards-Helaire from the reserve/non-football illness list in October but did not use him in any games this season. Kareem Hunt returned and became the team’s primary Isiah Pacheco replacement, with Samaje Perine and Carson Steele filling in behind the veteran. Edwards-Helaire now joins a Saints team that has some depth behind Kamara already, though it has taken two Kendre Miller IR activations to secure it.

New Orleans took advantage of the NFL’s new summer IR-return designation with Miller, who missed most of their training camp and preseason with a hamstring injury. The 2023 third-round pick then went back on IR in November, before returning earlier this month. Miller played ahead of Jamaal Williams, replacing Kamara once he went down. Williams remains on New Orleans’ 53-man roster, as does Jordan Mims.

Kansas City drafted Edwards-Helaire 32nd overall in 2020, and Damien Williams‘ subsequent COVID-19 opt-out cleared the runway for the rookie. The 5-foot-7 LSU alum was not able to live up to the billing, struggling with injuries and eventually being replaced by Pacheco, a 2022 seventh-rounder. Edwards-Helaire posted 803 rushing yards as a rookie but never approached that number again. In 15 games last season, he totaled 223 rushing yards. He resided behind Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon on Kansas City’s depth chart in Super Bowl LVIII.

The Saints will nonetheless take a flier on a once-highly regarded prospect who is still just 25. Edwards-Helaire will attempt to make his season debut soon, as the Saints (and a number of fantasy GMs) will hope Kamara can return. Kamara, 29, did well to land nearly $20MM guaranteed at signing on an extension earlier this season. That gives him some security should this be an injury that requires missed games.

Falcons To Sign Riley Patterson Off Browns’ Practice Squad, Place Younghoe Koo On IR

December 18th, 2024 at 11:54am CST by Sam Robinson

Riley Patterson‘s travels continue. Having already been with six teams since December 2023, the young kicker continues to be asked back to previous destinations. That will occur once again Wednesday.

The Falcons are placing longtime kicker Younghoe Koo on IR, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the team is bringing back Patterson, who will be signed off the Browns’ practice squad. Kevin Stefanski said Patterson, who kicked for Cleveland in Week 15, was departing due to being poached. He now has a chance to kick for a third team this season.

Patterson’s path since last December has gone through Detroit, Cleveland, Jacksonville, Washington, New York, Atlanta, back to Cleveland and now back to Atlanta. The Falcons had brought him in as Koo insurance, as the Pro Bowler had struggled at points this season. Patterson was elevated to join Koo on Atlanta’s active roster for a game earlier this month. Barely two weeks later, he is back in Atlanta.

The Lions dropped Patterson after giving Michael Badgley the job following a prolonged practice competition last December. That led the 25-year-old specialist to Cleveland to fill in for an injured Dustin Hopkins. The Jaguars, who employed Patterson in 2022 before trading him to the Lions, signed him to a reserve/futures contract but waived him this summer. The Commanders then waived Patterson upon trading for Cade York. Patterson kicked in one game for the Jets and one for the Browns this season.

For hardcore NFL transaction buffs keeping track at home, Patterson has now secured a second stint on a fourth NFL team. Prior to the two Browns stays, he had yo-yoed back to Detroit and Jacksonville. The Memphis alum has not attempted a field goal this season, going 4-for-4 on PATs. With the Lions last year, he went 15-for-17 but still lost his job to Badgley.

Since a rocky start to his career, Koo has enjoyed more stability. He has been the Falcons’ kicker since 2019. Although he is one of the NFL’s highest-paid specialists, Koo has made just 73.5% of his kicks this season. That brought rumblings of a Falcons switch. Atlanta stuck with its All-Pro option but will now sideline him for the rest of the regular season and a wild-card game, should the 7-7 team advance to the playoffs.

Commanders DT Jonathan Allen To Return To Practice

December 18th, 2024 at 11:21am CST by Sam Robinson

Jonathan Allen had suffered a pectoral injury that was slated to end his season, but last week brought a positive development on this front. An Allen return became possible; a few days later, the Commanders will see their longest-tenured defender back at work.

Washington will have Allen at practice today, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, marking the start of his 21-day activation window. The eighth-year defensive tackle has been out since suffering the pectoral injury in Week 6. Allen only suffering a partially torn pec, as opposed to the initially feared full tear, will allow for this return.

This season marks a rarity for Allen, whose only playoff berth came as part of a 7-9 2020 team. Washington potentially going through another rebuild brought hesitation from Allen, who then landed in trade rumors. The Commanders held onto the former first-round pick this offseason and appear close to again pairing him with longtime teammate (in Washington and at Alabama) Daron Payne.

The Commanders, who sit 9-5 after holding off the Saints, have Allen on what now looks like a team-friendly contract. The team paid the quality D-tackle in 2021, authorizing a four-year, $72MM deal. That contract runs through next season. Unlike Payne, Washington made Allen a priority before his contract year. Payne, however, benefited from playing out his by then being franchise-tagged and signed to a then-top-market pact (four years, $90MM). He and Allen are poised to reform one of the NFL’s top DT duos.

Allen, 29, has produced at least six sacks in four seasons. He was productive before and during the Montez Sweat–Chase Young era, doing well to help Washington compensate for the latter’s long-running injury hiatus. Allen reached a career-high nine sacks and 30 QB hits in 2021, making the Pro Bowl that season and again in 2022. Payne, 27, joined him that year but has only totaled seven QB hits (to go with four sacks) this season. Allen had already reached six hits (two sacks) before his injury.

Retooling around several new arrivals, the Commanders have seen Dante Fowler (8.5 sacks) and Frankie Luvu (eight) spearhead their pass rush. Allen and Payne arrived during Bruce Allen‘s time running the team, with the Dan Quinn-Adam Peters duo the third regime to stop by during the DTs’ tenure. It will certainly stand to help the Commanders’ chances to make the playoffs once Allen returns; barring a setback, that figures to come soon.

Cards Open Matt Prater’s Practice Window

December 18th, 2024 at 11:04am CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Prater‘s age-40 season stalled months ago. The Cardinals placed the veteran kicker on IR, and it later became known he underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear.

The team had not given up on Prater coming back before season’s end, and he will have a shot to help a playoff push. Prater is back at Cardinals practice, being designated to return from IR. Prater has been out since Week 4.

Chad Ryland has served as the Cards’ kicker since, having made 22 of 26 field goals and all 18 of his extra point tries. Prater is, however, one of this era’s best kickers. He has been a full-time kicker since the 2007 season. The former Broncos and Lions specialist has been with the Cardinals since 2021.

On his second Cardinals contract, Prater is moving toward free agency. He resides as the NFL’s oldest kicker presently, being a few months older than fellow 40-year-old Nick Folk, and sits among the few 40-somethings still in the league. This season, Prater was 6 of 6 on field goals and 10-for-10 on PATs. This included a 57-yard make prior to the IR stint.

Prater tore the meniscus in his plant leg. Formerly holding the NFL record for the longest field goal (64 yards as a Bronco in 2013), Prater has set and matched the Cardinals’ mark — via 62-yarders in 2021 and ’23. It would surprise if the Cards stayed with Ryland for much longer, but Prater will need to prove he is healthy while in his IR-return window.

Eagles Designate Bryce Huff For Return

December 18th, 2024 at 10:02am CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles generated interesting defensive end news Tuesday, with a Brandon Graham return in a Super Bowl appearance now on the radar. Through a shorter-term lens, the 12-2 team is close to having another key piece back.

Bryce Huff is returning to practice; the Eagles have started his 21-day activation clock. Philadelphia lost Huff in November, as a wrist surgery shut him down. The free agency addition has not yet clicked with his new team, but with Graham out for an extended period, any help will be appreciated from a surging team.

[RELATED: Injured Reserve Return Tracker]

Although recent information has pegged the Jets as more interested in keeping Huff than initial reports suggested, the Eagles came in with a strong offer (three years, $51.1MM) early during the legal tampering period. Philly effectively swapped out Haason Reddick for Huff, trading the former to the Jets weeks later. Thus far, neither team has seen much in the way of production from the edge rushers. Reddick has a half-sack in seven games; Huff has 2.5 in 10.

Used as a pass rush specialist in New York, Huff had seen the Eagles reduce his workload before he hit IR. While Huff has yet to eclipse a 54% snap rate in an Eagles game, he logged only 32 defensive snaps over his most recent three games. The fifth-year pass rusher will need to do far more to justify the payday, but with Graham out, a door will be open to more work following this wrist procedure.

Huff finished with a Jets-high 10 sacks last season, helping Robert Saleh‘s third Gang Green defense to a third-place finish in yardage. The Eagles have shown tremendous improvement under Vic Fangio, having recovered from a disastrous 2023 finish on defense. After cratering during last season’s second half, Philly’s defense leads the NFL in points and yardage allowed. Huff will rejoin Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith on the edge for the Eagles, who have managed this remarkable rebound without rivaling the kind of sack production they generated in 2022. Smith’s 3.5 sacks sit second on the team — behind Sweat’s eight.

Philly will need to make it work with Huff, who has $16.75MM in guaranteed base salary on tap in 2025. If Huff’s slow start can be largely traced to this injury, the former Joe Douglas UDFA find could be an interesting wild card as the Eagles make a push to claim the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the second time in three years.

Texans Activate G Kenyon Green From IR

December 18th, 2024 at 9:38am CST by Sam Robinson

The Texans recently made some changes on their offensive front, moving Tytus Howard back to left guard and inserting rookie Blake Fisher into the lineup at right tackle. Kenyon Green‘s injury was among the drivers for that reconfiguration.

Green, however, is now back on the 53-man roster. The Texans activated the former No. 15 overall pick Wednesday, ending his 21-day ramp-up period. Houston now only has one injury activation remaining until the regular season ends. The team would pick up two more in the playoffs, however, offering more flexibility than last year, when the Texans burned through their eight activations during the regular season.

More significantly through a long-term lens, Green has not justified the team’s 2022 investment. The Texans used the first of their Deshaun Watson-obtained picks to trade down for Green, the top guard chosen in 2022. But the Texas A&M alum has struggled with injuries and performance as a pro. Although Green reclaimed the Texans’ LG job out of training camp, it will be interesting to see how the team uses him moving forward.

Pro Football Focus slots Green as the NFL’s worst guard regular this season, placing him 76th by a notable margin. This is in line with how the advanced metrics website viewed Green’s rookie season, as it also ranking him last that year. The former SEC standout then missed all of 2023 due to a shoulder injury. He sustained another shoulder setback in November, leading to the most recent IR placement.

While Green rehabbed and slimmed down a bit in time for an offseason push to win his job back, he has encountered tough sledding upon return. The Texans presumably want Howard to settle at a position, and they did draft Fisher in this year’s second round. This could point to strong consideration being given to moving Howard inside. The configuration the team used in Week 15 also included backup center Jarrett Patterson, as Juice Scruggs is out. The 2023 second-round pick is not on IR, however, as Houston keeps its options open down the stretch.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/17/24

December 17th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest practice squad updates from around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/24

December 17th, 2024 at 9:21pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from the around the NFL:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Rams

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

After another round of injuries in Week 15, the Lions signed Pittman off the Jaguars’ practice squad to bolster their linebacker room. The five-year veteran appeared in just one game for Jacksonville this season, which coincidentally came against the Lions in Week 11. Pittman has primarily played special teams in his NFL career and will continue that role in Detroit.

The Raiders will be without Robinson for the rest of the season after he received a three-game suspension for violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.

The 49ers placed Thomas on injured reserve after initial roster cuts, but never designated him to return. He is “now healthy and, as a former third-round pick out of Michigan, is expected to garner interest,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Thomas appeared in 42 games, including 11 starts, in San Francisco, but never developed into a consistent starting corner as the team hoped.

Chargers Designate Hayden Hurst To Return From IR

December 17th, 2024 at 6:11pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Chargers designated Hayden Hurst to return from injured reserve on Monday, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, giving the veteran tight end 21 days to practice with the team before he must be activated to the 53-man roster.

Hurst was placed on injured reserve on November 25 with a hip injury, but returned to practice as soon as his minimum four-week IR period ended. The Chargers have a short week ahead of a Thursday night matchup with the Broncos, but Hurst could play if he practices fully this week.

Even if Hurst returns right away, he won’t see a major role in the offense. He only saw 10 targets in the Chargers’ first four games with just two since. Will Dissly has taken over as the team’s top tight end in the meantime, and Stone Smartt has emerged as a more effective secondary option with 104 yards on eight receptions in his last two games.

Hurst’s reunion with offensive coordinator Greg Roman has not gone as planned. The Chargers hoped to revitalize the career of the former first-rounder in Roman’s tight end-heavy scheme, but Hurst is heading towards career-low numbers in several receiving categories.

Barring a major turnaround over the next three games, Hurst will likely be looking for his sixth different NFL team since 2019. Dissly is signed through 2026 and Smartt will be easy to retain this offseason as a restricted free agent, making Hurst surplus to requirements in Los Angele. Even finding a new home might be difficult, as he will turn 32 before the 2025 season begins and lacks a proven track record as a pass-catcher.

Rams Activate TE Tyler Higbee

December 17th, 2024 at 3:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams needed to activate Tyler Higbee from the reserve/PUP list this week, and rather than ensure the veteran tight end missed the whole season, the team is moving him back to the 53-man roster.

Down with an ACL tear sustained in a 2023 wild-card game, Higbee has spent the season on the PUP list. The Rams designated the ninth-year player for return on November 27, giving them until Wednesday to activate him before a move to season-ending IR would have commenced. Higbee, however, is back and would be moving toward debuting.

Los Angeles also placed linebacker Nick Hampton on IR and added veteran edge rusher Rashad Weaver to its practice squad. Higbee, of course, is the lead news item here. With Aaron Donald retired, Higbee is the team’s second-longest-tenured player — behind only right tackle Rob Havenstein.

Sean McVay said in late November that Higbee was still several weeks away from coming back. The Rams designating him for return when they did, however, gave him three weeks of practice in advance of this point. Higbee, 31, would end up with four weeks of practice ahead of L.A.’s Week 16 game. That provides a lengthy onramp, and it will be interesting to see if the Rams have him in uniform Sunday.

Drafted in the 2016 fourth round, Higbee joins Havenstein as the only Rams to predate McVay’s arrival. Higbee, however, has signed two Rams extensions. The most recent — a two-year, $17MM deal — runs through the 2025 season. Higbee secured $2MM of his $4.5MM 2025 base salary guaranteed, which will make him a bit harder to jettison next year. He could be a nice bonus for this year’s Rams, who have rallied from 1-4 to the NFC West lead.

The 8-6 team has used free agency addition Colby Parkinson as its top pass-catching tight end. The former Seahawk has 288 yards on 29 receptions. Hunter Long, acquired in the 2023 Jalen Ramsey trade, has just seven grabs for 60 yards. Higbee has been an integral part of McVay’s passing attack, averaging at least 51 yards per game in each of the past six seasons. Chosen as the team’s long-term tight end over Gerald Everett years ago, Higbee has a 734-yard season on his resume and three more 500-plus-yard years. Missing two games last season, Higbee still totaled 47 catches for 495 yards. This came after he amassed 621 yards on a career-high 72 receptions.

Los Angeles played an extended stretch without both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, with each impact receiver joining Higbee in picking up injuries. The trio could be back together soon, as the Rams attempt to secure their first division title since 2021.

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