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Texans Designate DE Jerry Hughes, CB Jeff Okudah For Return

November 4th, 2024 at 2:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

Defensive reinforcements could be on the way soon for the Texans. Defensive end Jerry Hughes and cornerback Jeff Okudah returned to practice on Monday, per a team announcement.

As a result, both players have had their 21-day activation windows opened. They must be moved to the active roster within that span or else they will revert to season-ending injured reserve. Provided both are indeed activated in the near future, Houston will have three such moves available for the rest of the campaign.

Hughes was moved to IR one month ago. That guaranteed at least a four-game absence, one which has in fact stretched to five. The team has extra time at the moment by virtue of playing on Thursday night in Week 9, though, so it would come as no surprise if Hughes were to be activated in time for Week 10. If that were to take place, the 36-year-old would reprise his rotational role behind Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter along the edge.

Okudah played in Houston’s season opener but found himself on injured reserve shortly thereafter. Injuries have been a major problem for the 2020 draft’s third overall pick, and he has made double-digit appearances only twice to date in his career. The Texans represent another opportunity for the former Lion and Falcon to establish his value, although a starting gig on defense should be expected upon return. Instead, Okudah will offer depth at the perimeter corner spot in addition to chipping in on special teams.

Sitting at 6-3 on the year, the Texans are atop the AFC South. Given the Colts’ loss last night, Houston resides as the only team in the division with a winning record. A home playoff game remains a strong possibility as a result, although the team’s offense has significant room for improvement and its defense ranks only 14th in points allowed per game (22.2). The latter unit could see a pair of contributors back in action as early as Week 10.

49ers Designate Christian McCaffrey For Return; Week 10 Debut Still Expected

November 4th, 2024 at 1:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

The next step in Christian McCaffrey‘s return has been taken. The 49ers announced on Monday he has returned to practice, opening his 21-day activation window.

The news comes as little surprise with San Francisco opting to keep McCaffrey on injured reserve through the team’s bye week. A season debut during Week 10 has long been a target, and that remains the case. Indeed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms last season’s Offensive Player of the Year is still on track to suit up for the 49ers’ next game.

McCaffrey missed time in the summer with an Achilles issue which did not immediately seem to threaten his availability for the regular season. The 28-year-old was ultimately placed on injured reserve, however, before taking a trip to Germany to see a specialist. A period of recovery was in place upon return before McCaffrey began a ramp-up phase in his rehab.

Roughly one month ago, the three-time Pro Bowler resumed on-field work, and he has not encountered any setbacks since. Today’s move opens McCaffrey’s activation window, and he must be moved to the active roster within three weeks to avoid reverting to season-ending IR. Provided that takes place, San Francisco’s offense will receive a major boost.

McCaffrey led the NFL in rushing last season, and he topped the league in total scrimmage yards (2,023) and touchdowns (21). A repeat of that production will not be possible given his missed time in 2024, but having a full strength backfield will be key for the 49ers. The team sits at 4-4 on the year despite ranking near the top of the league in several offensive categories, including rushing production (159 yards per game). Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo have filled in during McCaffrey’s absence, but with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year, a full stable of running backs will be key moving forward.

San Francisco also opened the practice window of offensive lineman Jon Feliciano. The 32-year-old was moved to injured reserve one day after roster cutdowns, so his activation will count toward the team’s limit of eight for the regular season. The same is true of McCaffrey as well, of course. When both are brought back into the fold, the 49ers will have four activations remaining.

Raiders Fire OC Luke Getsy

November 3rd, 2024 at 10:43pm CST by Ely Allen

The Raiders suffered their fifth straight loss today after starting the season 2-2, and the offense continues to struggle to get the job done. As a result, changes are being made. The latest changes come in the form of a staffing updates as offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has reportedly been let go, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The team soon announced quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello and offensive line coach James Cregg have also been dismissed.

Getsy’s second tenure as an offensive coordinator in the NFL has turned out about the same as his first stint, though Chicago afforded him a tad more leash. A former undrafted quarterback in the league back in 2007, it didn’t take long for Getsy to move on to coaching. After seven seasons in the collegiate ranks, Getsy earned his first NFL coaching gig as an offensive quality control coach with the Packers.

After leaving for a year to be offensive coordinator at Mississippi State, Getsy returned to Green Bay under then-offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett and head coach Matt LaFleur. This time, Getsy worked as quarterbacks coach over veteran Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers, already a two-time MVP at the time, made the entire offensive staff look good, winning his third and fourth MVPs in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021. The performances earned Hackett a head coaching gig in Denver and Getsy his first offensive coordinator job in the NFL with the Bears.

In his first season calling plays, the Bears fielded the league’s top rushing offense, though a 32nd-ranked passing offense put the team at just 28th for total offense. Chicago remained one of the top rushing teams in his second year, and even improved in passing and scoring, but head coach Matt Eberflus cut ties in an attempt to keep his own job with a new offensive coordinator and a new rookie quarterback in 2024.

Getsy rebounded, hopping on staff with new head coach Antonio Pierce after the Raiders fumbled the hiring of Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator. The team seemingly had an agreement in place to hire Kingsbury before the Texas Tech alum backtracked and joined the Commanders. Getsy was the consolation prize, and given tonight’s news, he apparently was hired on a “prove it” basis.

Scangarello joined the Raiders this season two years after being fired midseason from his offensive coordinator job with the University of Kentucky. Cregg was in his first role as an NFL offensive line coach after two years as assistant offensive line coach in San Francisco.

Through nine weeks of the season, the Raiders are 26th in total offense and 25th in points scored. Unlike his time in Chicago, Getsy has not been able to field a top rushing offense. In fact, the team’s 692 rushing yards on the season are only better than the Cowboys (who have 656 in one fewer game). This has forced Getsy and the Raiders to rely on a passing game quarterbacked by Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell.

The results have been middling so far this year in terms of passing yardage, and the two passers have combined for eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Nine lost fumbles for the offense combine with those picks to help the Raiders rank dead-last in turnovers. The team also ranks 32nd in yards per carry, 29th in yards per play, 27th in passer rating, and 26th in offensive points per game this season.

The lackluster offense could partially be blamed on injuries that have limited expected contributors like running back Zamir White and tight end Michael Mayer. The offense was also not helped by the “injury” and eventual trade of star wide receiver Davante Adams, who only appeared in three games for Las Vegas.

Still, it is the play-caller’s job to put the players available to him in positions to succeed, and that job was not getting done in Las Vegas. Just four days ago, Pierce challenged Getsy, telling the media that Getsy’s play-calling “has to get better.” Today’s performance, which saw Minshew benched for recently signed quarterback Desmond Ridder, clearly lacked the improvement that Pierce sought.

Today’s firing marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Raiders have changed either a coach or a coordinator in the middle of a season. The seemingly never-ending search for stability in the organization continues with Getsy’s dismissal. Pass game coordinator Scott Turner, formerly an offensive coordinator for the Commanders, has been tabbed as a likely replacement to take over the role of offensive coordinator, though nothing has been reported. In his three years calling plays in Washington, the team’s offense never ranked in the top half of the league.

Following the announcement of Getsy’s firing, EPSN’s Paul Gutierrez and Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal both seemed to indicate that more heads would likely roll. This could have been in reference to the dismissals of Scangarello and Cregg, reported soon after, but with the iron still hot, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a few more names added to the fire.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott Not Traveling With Team For Disciplinary Reasons

November 3rd, 2024 at 7:51am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 3, 07:51am: Adding further context to the situation, Jane Slater of the NFL Network reports that Elliott has been “distracted” this season, which has led to “habitual tardiness.” Elliott has also missed three team meetings this year, and after he failed to attend such a meeting on Friday, both he and the Cowboys determined that it would be better if he did not attend the club’s Week 9 matchup with the Falcons.

NOVEMBER 2, 9:47pm: No single incident is believed to be at the heart of today’s move, per Hill, who adds Elliott attended practice today. Rather, tension between team and player has been building over a period of weeks before the decision was reached to keep him absent from the organization for Week 9. It will certainly be interesting to see how this situation develops moving forward.

NOVEMBER 2, 3:10pm: The Cowboys will be short one of their two main rushers in Atlanta tomorrow as DLLS’ Clarence Hill Jr. reports that veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott will not be traveling with the team for this week’s game. ESPN’s Todd Archer adds that Elliott’s new game status is the result of “disciplinary reasons.”

While the loss may not seem critical, as Elliott has only accumulated 149 rushing yards in seven games this season, Elliott is the only running back on the team to score a rushing touchdown this year. He is responsible for two of the team’s three rushing scores all season. Stats like this underline how the Cowboys have ended up being the league’s 32nd-best running offense through eight weeks of football. With only 519 rushing yards on the season, the Cowboys are 113 yards behind the 31st-place Raiders and 1,081 yards behind the league-leading Ravens.

At 29 years old, Elliott is far-removed from his days of leading the league in rushing back in 2016 and 2018. He hasn’t rushed for 1,000 yards since 2021. Elliott has missed games with injury before and he’s been a healthy scratch in games before, but this is the first time Elliott will miss a game as a healthy scratch in a game that isn’t in the last week of the season.

With Elliott out, the league’s worst rushing offense will depend more heavily on starter Rico Dowdle, who has 246 rushing yards this season but adds an element through the air, as well, with 131 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The only other active roster running back is the diminutive Deuce Vaughn, though the team has announced that it will elevate veteran rusher Dalvin Cook for the game tomorrow. Cornerback Josh Butler will join Cook for the week off of the practice squad.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/24

November 2nd, 2024 at 7:30pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor NFL moves including standard gameday practice squad elevations for Sunday’s slate of games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Bears Activate OL Larry Borom From IR

November 2nd, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

In need of a new starting option at the left tackle spot, the Bears will have Larry Borom available for Week 9. The veteran lineman was activated from injured reserve Saturday, per a team announcement.

[RELATED: Bears Open To Trading Nate Davis]

Braxton Jones is dealing with a knee injury, and will be out of the lineup tomorrow as a result. The same is also true of third-round rookie Kiran Amegadjie, who absence is due to a calf issue. With both of those left tackle candidates out of the picture, Borom’s activation has him in place to handle first-team duties during his season debut.

The former fifth-rounder suffered an ankle injury during Chicago’s preseason finale, which led to an IR-designated for return designation during roster cutdowns. That move left Borom eligible to return at some point during the campaign, and his 21-day practice window was opened last week, indicating he would be available soon. As the Bears look to compensate for Jones’ absence, Borom’s presence will be welcomed if he can fill in along the blindside on a short-term basis.

During his first two Bears campaigns, the 25-year-old saw considerable time at right tackle along with usage at both guard spots. Last year, though, he made 16 appearances (including six starts) at left tackle. During that time, Borom was charged by PFF with three sacks and 25 pressures allowed, resulting in his worst overall grade (48) to date. Improvement compared to 2023 would be welcomed by team and player, especially with a lack of healthy alternatives up front.

As a pending free agent, Borom’s showing over the coming months will of course have financial implications. The Missouri product has 39 games and 23 starts to his name, and adding to those totals could boost his stock ahead of his first trip to the open market (or increase his chances of landing a second Bears contract). If Jones and/or Amegadjie miss considerable time, Borom could have a path to a notable workload during the second half of the campaign.

Seahawks Activate George Fant From IR

November 2nd, 2024 at 5:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Seahawks have activated George Fant from injured reserve, making the veteran offensive tackle eligible to play on Sunday for the first time since injuring his knee in Week 1.

Fant signed a two-year, $9.1MM deal with the Seahawks this offseason to start at right tackle with Abraham Lucas beginning the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list after offseason knee surgery. Fant started in Week 1, but played just 13 snaps before exiting the game with a knee injury. Seattle held him out for Week 2 before ultimately deciding that an IR stint was necessary.

Stone Forsythe finished Week 1 at right tackle and took over the starting job through Week 6, when a hand injury forced him onto injured reserve as well. Rookie Michael Jerrell struggled in two subsequent starts at right tackle, allowing four pressures in both games, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Fant will likely retake his starting role after his activation, but another week or two of practice could yield a return for Lucas, as well. Fant’s performance this week could be crucial for his chances to retain his spot at right tackle for the rest of the season.

To make room for Fant on the roster, the Seahawks placed nose tackle Cameron Young on injured reserve with a knee injury. Young appeared in just one game for Seattle this season with just three total snaps. He appeared in 16 of the Seahawks’ games last year and will now be sidelined until at least Week 13.

The Seahawks also used standard practice squad elevations on cornerback Josh Jobe and wide receiver Cody White. Seattle elevated Jobe from the practice squad for their last two game, playing him for 116 snaps on defense. With his third elevation this week, Jobe will have to be added to the 53-man roster to play again in Seattle this year. White, meanwhile, is set to see his first NFL action since 2022 when he was with the Steelers.

Giants Place K Greg Joseph On IR, Elevate Irish Gaelic Footballer

November 2nd, 2024 at 5:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants were forced to scramble early in the season when kicker Graham Gano went down with a groin injury in Week 2. Now, as Gano’s replacement Greg Joseph deals with an abdominal injury, New York will get creative once again. Per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Joseph’s injury will land him on injured reserve, and the team will utilize a standard gameday practice squad elevation on kicker Jude McAtamney to replace him this weekend.

In the aftermath of the Gano injury, Joseph was signed off of the Lions’ practice squad. The Giants had auditioned a number of free agent kickers but opted instead for Joseph, who was waiting in the wings behind UFL star Jake Bates. Joseph has been admirable in replacement duty, converting 13 of his 16 field goal attempts, with all three misses coming from beyond 40 yards. He also assisted an uninspiring offense, converting all six of the extra points he was asked to kick.

New York had ruled out Joseph for tomorrow’s game with the injury to his abdomen already, but placing him on IR means that he’ll miss at least three additional contests. The Giants are not going external once again to fill their newly vacant kicker position, instead choosing to elevate the practice squad kicker McAtamney. He seemingly was not prepared to step up in Week 3, but the Giants will trust him to debut in the NFL tomorrow.

McAtamney is a former Gaelic football player from North Ireland. After gaining an interest in American football, McAtamney trained with ProKick Australia and moved to America to play at Chowan University and Rutgers. He made 12 of 18 field goal attempts for the Scarlet Knights with a long of 49 yards and converted 23 of 24 extra points. As a native Irishman, McAtamney qualified for the NFL’s international roster exemption, allowing him to be on the Giants’ practice squad without counting towards the 16-man limit.

Joining McAtamney from the practice squad tomorrow will be outside linebacker Tomon Fox, who is not being elevated but signed to the active roster to fill the roster spot vacated by Joseph. Filling Fox’s spot on the practice squad is versatile fullback/tight end Jakob Johnson, who rejoins the team after being released on Wednesday.

Chargers Activate DJ Chark From IR

November 2nd, 2024 at 4:53pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Chargers have activated DJ Chark from injured reserve, setting up the veteran wide receiver to make his season debut against the Browns on Sunday.

The Chargers signed Chark to a one-year, $3MM contract in the offseason as they rebuilt their offense after new head coach Jim Harbaugh hired ex-Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman for the same job in Los Angeles.

Chark injured his hip before the start of the regular season, forcing him on IR on September 7. The Chargers turned to rookie Ladd McConkey and Josh Palmer as their starting receivers in their first seven games, but their passing offense still ranks close to the bottom of the league.

Chark may not provide a major boost to the Chargers offense, but he is still coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 500 receiving yards and has a stronger veteran pedigree than any other wideout on the roster. Rather than stepping into a starting role right away, Chark is more likely to be used in a rotational capacity behind McConkey, Palmer, and 2023 first-rounder Quentin Johnston.

The Chargers also used standard practice squad elevations on cornerback Eli Apple and wide receiver Jalen Reagor ahead of Sunday’s game. Both players are former first-round picks who joined Los Angeles’ practice squad earlier this season.

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