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Trevor Lawrence To Return To Jaguars’ Lineup In Week 13

December 1st, 2024 at 10:49am CST by Adam La Rose

DECEMBER 1: Lawrence is indeed active for today’s matchup against the Texans.

NOVEMBER 29: The first game after Jacksonville’s bye week was floated as a possible return date for quarterback Trevor Lawrence. As things stand, it appears that will indeed be the point at which he next takes the field.

Lawrence resumed practicing this week while continuing to deal with an AC joint sprain in his non-throwing shoulder. Surgery is under consideration, but the former No. 1 pick’s preference is to return to action over the closing weeks of the season. The 2-9 Jaguars are set to face the Texans on Sunday, and Lawrence is on track to be in the lineup for that contest.

“He’s had a good week,” head coach Doug Pederson said (via Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union). “Done some really good things this week. I would say as of right now, yes, he will play.”

A postseason berth is not in the cards for Jacksonville, but having Lawrence back in the picture could offer a needed boost on offense. In two games with Mac Jones at the helm, the team has amassed only 313 yards and 13 points. Lawrence has not enjoyed a stellar campaign in his own regard, with his passer rating (87.9) being the worst mark since his rookie season. Still, he could give the Jags a higher floor in the passing game he if manages to avoid aggravating his shoulder injury.

Lawrence is attached to the $275MM extension he signed this offseason, so his long-term health is an obvious priority for the franchise. Pederson noted there will be no restrictions for the Clemson product provided he is on the field Sunday, though, so the team’s offense will look to operate as usual with its top signal-caller back in the fold. Should Lawrence encounter a setback in the immediate future, Jones would be in position to see playing time once again; it would currently come as a surprise if that were to become necessary, however.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/24

November 30th, 2024 at 9:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Saturday’s minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo is listed as questionable, but head coach Raheem Morris is confident he’ll play, calling Patterson an emergency option.

Speculation out of Baltimore was that Maulet wouldn’t require a second stint on injured reserve with his calf injury, but that intel appears to have been off. Maulet and Kolar could potentially make a return in time for the postseason, but they’ll miss four games before they do.

VanSumeren served double-duty as a fullback and linebacker. With his placement on IR, Uzomah was targeted as a possibility to fill in at fullback.

Jags’ Trevor Lawrence Considering Surgery

November 28th, 2024 at 10:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Trevor Lawrence has missed the Jaguars’ last two games while dealing with an AC joint sprain in his non-throwing shoulder. The door is open to a return in Week 13, but surgery aimed at correcting the issue is also receiving consideration.

Such a procedure would shut Lawrence down for the remainder of the campaign, and with Jacksonville not in touching distance of a postseason berth it would make sense to play it safe on the injury front. The former No. 1 pick returned to practice this week, however, giving him the chance to suit up for the first game after the Jags’ bye. How he manages this issue over the near future will determine if the surgical route is to be taken.

“[Surgery is] definitely something that I’m considering and not off the table at all,” Lawrence said when addressing the matter (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). “It’s something that we’re going to have to just [approach] truly day-by-day, week-by-week.

“Hopefully I’m able to get back out there this week or as soon as possible and then it’s going to be just every week kind of evaluating it, seeing where it’s at. Obviously up until this point I’ve been doing everything I can to avoid that and want to be back out there with my guys and finish the season. So that’s my goal.”

Lawrence was available for every game during each of his first two seasons, and he missed only one contest in 2023 despite playing through a number of lingering ailments. The 25-year-old’s QBR for this season (61.8) is the highest of his career, but he in particular and Jacksonville’s offense as a whole has not lived up to expectations. A rebound over the coming weeks could boost head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke‘s job security, but notable changes in the offseason should still be expected given the 2-9 team’s struggles.

If Lawrence manages to suit up on Sunday against the Texans, he and the team will get a better sense of the feasibility of remaining on the field for the rest of the year. If not, it will be Mac Jones getting the nod once again; the offseason trade acquisition has thrown three interceptions (with no touchdowns) and taken four sacks during his two starts so far, so expectations would be limited if he were to remain in place under center.

2024 NFL Dead Money, By Team

November 27th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants making the decision to waive Daniel Jones, rather than keep him around ahead of a potential 2025 post-June 1 cut designation, changed their dead money outlook for this year and next. Here is how their new total fits in with the rest of the teams’ numbers for dead money — cap space allocated to players no longer on the roster — entering the final third of the regular season. Numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.

  1. Denver Broncos: $85.21MM
  2. New York Giants: $79.57MM
  3. Minnesota Vikings: $69.83MM
  4. Buffalo Bills: $68.47MM
  5. Carolina Panthers: $68.28MM
  6. Green Bay Packers: $65.53MM
  7. Tennessee Titans: $62.89MM
  8. Philadelphia Eagles: $61.95MM
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $60.64MM
  10. New Orleans Saints: $59.44MM
  11. New York Jets: $59.24MM
  12. Los Angeles Chargers: $58.62MM
  13. New England Patriots: $53.37MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $52.28MM
  15. Seattle Seahawks: $52MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars: $51.2MM
  17. Las Vegas Raiders: $49.37MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $42.81MM
  19. Houston Texans: $39.28MM
  20. Cleveland Browns: $38.79MM
  21. Los Angeles Rams: $34.63MM
  22. Detroit Lions: $33.71MM
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: $30.18MM
  24. Chicago Bears: $29.65MM
  25. Arizona Cardinals: $29.35MM
  26. San Francisco 49ers: $26.91MM
  27. Dallas Cowboys: $26.79MM
  28. Baltimore Ravens: $21.35MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $12.65MM
  30. Indianapolis Colts: $11.8MM
  31. Atlanta Falcons: $11.55MM
  32. Cincinnati Bengals: $9.11MM

The Jones release moved more than $13MM of dead cap onto the Giants’ 2024 payroll. More significantly, the Giants granting Jones an early exit — after a contract-driven benching — will prevent the team from designating him a post-June 1 cut next year. The Giants will take on $22.2MM in dead money in 2025, rather than being able to split that bill over two offseasons. The team also took on more than $10MM in dead money this year due to the 2023 Leonard Williams trade.

This year’s most egregious dead money offender has been known for months. The Broncos’ contract-driven Russell Wilson benching last year preceded a historic release, which saddled the team with more than $83MM in total dead money. A small cap credit is set to come in 2025 (via Wilson’s veteran-minimum Pittsburgh pact), but for this year, $53MM in dead cap hit Denver’s payroll as a result of the the quarterback’s release.

The Broncos more than doubled the previous single-player dead money record, which the Falcons held ($40.5MM) for trading Matt Ryan), and they will be on the hook for the final $30MM-plus in 2025. Beyond Wilson, no other ex-Bronco counts more than $7.5MM in dead money. In terms of total dead cap, however, the Broncos barely check in north of the Buccaneers and Rams’ 2023 totals. Denver is trying to follow those teams’ lead in rallying back to make the playoffs despite nearly a third of its 2024 payroll tied up in dead cap.

Twenty-two players represent dead money for the Saints, who have seen their total updated since the Marshon Lattimore trade. Rather than restructure-crazed GM Mickey Loomis using the Lattimore contract once again to create cap space next year, the Saints will take on the highest non-QB dead money hit in NFL history. Lattimore counts $14MM in that category this year before the contract shifts to a whopping $31.66MM in dead cap on New Orleans’ 2025 payroll. Considering the Saints are again in their own sector for cap trouble next year ($62MM-plus over), the Lattimore trade will create some issues as the team attempts to rebound post-Dennis Allen.

Two 2023 restructures ballooned the Vikings’ figure toward $70MM. Void years on Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter‘s deals combined for more than $43MM in dead money. Minnesota also ate nearly $7MM from the void years on Marcus Davenport‘s one-year contract, while the release of 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine (currently on the Bills’ practice squad) accounted for more than $5MM.

Free from the Tom Brady dead money that comprised a chunk of their 2023 cap, the Bucs still have eight-figure hits from the Carlton Davis trade and Mike Evans‘ previous contract voiding not long before the sides agreed on a new deal. Elsewhere in the NFC South, three of the players given multiyear deals in 2023 — Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman — being moved off the roster in GM Dan Morgan‘s first offseason represent nearly half of Carolina’s dead cap.

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/24

November 26th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE McCallan Castles

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Julius Welschof

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: DT Viliami Fehoko Jr.
  • Released: G Marquis Hayes

The Chiefs are set to roll with their third kicker of the season. With Harrison Butker on IR and Spencer Shrader sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kansas City had to add yet another leg to the roster. The team opted for Matthew Wright, who already has experience kicking with the franchise. Wright filled in for Butker twice in 2022, connecting on three field goals and eight extra points.

Wright has only got one extended look as a starter (when he got into 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021), but he’s still managed to get into at least one game per season over the past few years. Wright has already made an appearance in 2024, when he was responsible for 12 points in the 49ers win over the Seahawks last month.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

November 25th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Week 12 slate of games is in the books. For many teams, attention is increasingly turning toward the offseason with a playoff berth no longer in reach.

Plenty of time remains for the draft order to change over the coming months, and it will be interesting to see which teams wind up in position to add at the quarterback spot in particular. The crop of prospects for 2025 is not held in high regard after Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, meaning the demand for potential franchise passers is set to outweigh demand at the top of the board. Of course, players like Sanders’ Colorado teammate Travis Hunter will be among the ones worth watching closely as well.

The Jets have moved on from head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, inviting questions about a reset under center as well. Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but it remains to be seen how his relationship with the organization will take shape down the stretch and if a new regime will prefer to move on at the position. The Giants, meanwhile, confirmed they will be in the market for a new signal-caller with Daniel Jones no longer in the fold.

Teams such as the Raiders have long been mentioned as a team to watch regarding a rookie QB pursuit. Jayden Daniels was a target for head coach Antonio Pierce last spring, and it would come as no surprise if Vegas were to make a push for a long-term starting option this time around. Other franchises not on track to qualify for the playoffs figure to give the Raiders plenty of competition in that department, though.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-9
  2. New York Giants: 2-9
  3. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-9
  4. New England Patriots: 3-9
  5. Carolina Panthers: 3-8
  6. Tennessee Titans: 3-8
  7. New York Jets: 3-8
  8. Cleveland Browns: 3-8
  9. New Orleans Saints: 4-7
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7
  11. Dallas Cowboys: 4-7
  12. Chicago Bears: 4-7
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 5-7
  14. Miami Dolphins: 5-6
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6
  16. Los Angeles Rams: 5-6
  17. San Francisco 49ers: 5-6
  18. Arizona Cardinals: 6-5
  19. Atlanta Falcons: 6-5
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 6-5
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-5
  22. Houston Texans: 7-5
  23. Denver Broncos: 7-5
  24. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-4
  25. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-3
  27. Green Bay Packers: 8-3
  28. Minnesota Vikings: 9-2
  29. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-2
  30. Buffalo Bills: 9-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-1
  32. Detroit Lions: 10-1

Lions OC Ben Johnson Will Remain Highly Selective With HC Opportunities

November 21st, 2024 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

NOVEMBER 21: Johnson is not eyeing the “perfect” opportunity with respect to a head coaching position, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero writes, but to little surprise alignment with the front office and the chance of long-term success will be crucial in his evaluation of his 2025 opportunities. Remaining with the Lions through another hiring cycle certainly remains a distinct possibility in Johnson’s case at this point, although plenty of changes in the HC landscape can take place between now and the offseason.

NOVEMBER 17: Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been one of the hottest names in each of the past two coaching cycles, though he ultimately pulled his name out of HC consideration in both 2023 and 2024 to remain in Detroit. To no surprise, Johnson will be “very, very selective” about his destination in the upcoming cycle, and he may elect yet again to stay in his current post, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter noted in a recent appearance on Get Up! (video link).

Schefter goes on to say that Johnson will not be interviewing simply for the sake of interviewing. If he agrees to a summit with the front office of any club, he will be doing so with every intention of taking that club’s HC job.

Of course, the success that Johnson has had as the Lions’ OC has afforded him the ability to be choosy about his seemingly inevitable head coaching opportunity. Since his ascension to the top spot on the offensive coaching staff in 2022, Detroit has posted a 29-14 regular season mark and made it to the brink of a Super Bowl appearance, and quarterback Jared Goff has revitalized his career. Over the 2022-23 seasons, the Lions finished in the top-five in terms of both total offense and points scored, and the 2024 version of the team currently sits sixth in total yards and second in points per game.

Johnson’s patience with this process is best exemplified by the fact that the Commanders’ HC job was reportedly his for the taking earlier this year, and it was a desirable position. After all, Washington is under new ownership, had just hired a well-respected general manager in Adam Peters, and had considerable salary cap space and draft capital to work with. That included the No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 draft, which gave the team a clear chance to select its franchise quarterback (which it eventually did when it used the selection on impressive rookie Jayden Daniels).

Despite the benefits of the Commanders’ top job, and despite the fact that the Lions did not sweeten his contract, Johnson turned down Washington’s overtures. When discussing his decision in May, he said, “I’m not gonna do it just to do it. I love what I’m doing right now. Love it. I love where I’m at. My family loves where we’re at. Love the people that we’re doing it with, so I’m not willing to go down the other path yet, unless I feel really good about how it’s gonna unfold.”

The 38-year-old staffer further indicated that he is seeking an opportunity that presents a real chance of sustained success and, by extension, a clear route to a second contract. It is unclear exactly how he will make that determination, but Schefter does appear to suggest that the Bears will not be on Johnson’s list of top landing spots.

If Chicago moves on from current HC Matt Eberflus, the club would presumably love to poach Johnson from its division rival, and it does have the No. 1 overall pick of this year’s draft, Caleb Williams, at quarterback and a fair amount of talent on the roster. However, Schefter cites organizational dysfunction as a reason why Johnson might steer clear of the Bears.

The Jaguars are looking increasingly likely to be in the head coaching market this offseason, and like the Bears, they have a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback (Trevor Lawrence) and talented players on both sides of the ball. Incumbent HC Doug Pederson has not been able to get Lawrence to live up to his potential, though, and while Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post hears that Jacksonville owner Shad Khan might give Johnson a blank check to come to Duval, Johnson could be leery of that gig as well.

Jaguars’ Trent Baalke Wanted Doug Pederson To Fire OC Press Taylor?

November 20th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars stood 8-3 at this point last season but have gone 3-14 in the 17 games since that hot start. As a result, Doug Pederson is almost certain to be fired by season’s end. GM Trent Baalke is also on unstable ground.

Pederson remains employed as Jaguars HC, with owner Shad Khan thus far resisting the former Super Bowl-winning coach join Urban Meyer and Gus Bradley in being dismissed in-season. But it appears only a matter of time before Pederson is gone. Some around the league believe Khan will have no choice but to fire both Pederson and Baalke to start the 2025 offseason, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes.

[RELATED: Baalke-Bill Belichick Jacksonville Partnership Unlikely]

Sitting 2-9 after a 52-6 demolition at the hands of the soaring Lions, the Jaguars rank last defensively despite that being the area Pederson focused on in terms of staff turnover. Pederson fired two-year DC Mike Caldwell and most of his staff but opted to keep OC Press Taylor despite Baalke having conducted a close look into the state of the offense with Taylor at the controls. Pederson made Taylor the team’s full-time play-caller in 2023, and that plan carried over into this season. The younger brother of Bengals HC Zac Taylor, Press has not distinguished himself during a dismal Jags season.

Baalke and Pederson are not seeing eye-to-eye presently, and SI.com’s Albert Breer notes Press Taylor’s presence is a key reason why. Baalke is believed to have wanted Pederson to make more staff changes, with Taylor’s name coming up as one the fourth-year Jags GM would have liked to see go. As was the case with the Eagles, however, Pederson has been loyal to Taylor. This is not the first time Taylor’s name has come up as a Pederson anchor, nor is this the first report of Pederson-Baalke strife.

The Eagles shot down Pederson’s plan to promote Taylor to OC in 2021; the team fired Pederson soon after. Nevertheless, the former Philadelphia honcho brought Taylor with him to Jacksonville and has stuck by him despite steady criticism. The Jaguars have tumbled from 13th to 28th in total offense since last season and 13th to 23rd in scoring. Trevor Lawrence‘s absence has played a small part in the decline, though the former No. 1 overall pick has been healthier than last season on the whole.

It is rather interesting Taylor’s name has caused so many issues for Pederson dating back to his time in Philly — only to see no action taken. Taylor remains in place as Jags OC, though his tenure in that role will be capped at three seasons. This has marked Taylor’s first OC opportunity, but Pederson promoted him to pass-game coordinator with the Eagles. That drew scrutiny once Carson Wentz regressed; Taylor did not interview for another OC post once the Jags hired him in 2022. Taylor, 36, has been a Pederson staffer throughout the latter’s HC tenure, even though it was Chip Kelly who initially brought him to Philly.

The reported HC-GM friction aside, Fowler adds some believe the coach has not lost the locker room. Baalke has plenty to answer for as well, seeing as he greenlit the three most lucrative extensions in franchise history (for Lawrence, Josh Hines-Allen and Tyson Campbell) only to see the team plummet off the contender tier. This came two years after Baalke’s famous Travon Walker-over-Aidan Hutchinson call. GMs do not receive second chances on the level HCs do, and it appears more likely than not the former 49ers front office boss’ second GM opportunity is nearing an end.

Minor NFL Transactions 11/19/24

November 19th, 2024 at 6:23pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Here are the latest moves from around the NFL:

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

Jaguars GM Trent Baalke At Risk Of In-Season Dismissal

November 18th, 2024 at 3:14pm CST by Rory Parks

NOVEMBER 18: Sunday’s lopsided loss has, as expected, left Pederson’s job status very much in the air. If a change on the sidelines is to take place, Bill Belichick remains a potential candidate to take over by the start of the 2025 season. On that note, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports a partnership between Belichick and Baalke would be “highly unlikely.” How Khan proceeds over the immediate and medium-term future will certainly be worth watching closely regardless of whether or not a Belichick pursuit takes place.

NOVEMBER 17: Reports from earlier this week indicated that an in-season shakeup of the Jaguars’ power structure may be in store should Jacksonville suffer a blowout loss at the hands of the Lions in Week 11. In addition to head coach Doug Pederson, Jags general manager Trent Baalke could also lose his job if the Jags are outclassed by Detroit, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms.

Owner Shad Khan publicly backed both Pederson and Baalke earlier this year, and he reportedly prefers to wait until the end of the season to pull the trigger on a coaching and/or front office overhaul. However, there is a very good chance that the 2-8 Jaguars, who are being quarterbacked by Mac Jones while Trevor Lawrence nurses a shoulder injury, will indeed lose in lopsided fashion to the 8-1 Lions, and Rapoport says the sense inside the Jaguars’ facility is that some sort of change is inevitable.

When addressing his team during training camp this summer, Khan made a statement that is aging more poorly with each passing day, noting that this year’s iteration of the Jaguars is the best in franchise history. Assuming he truly felt that way – and per Rapoport, rival clubs acknowledge Jacksonville sports a talented roster – then it would seem that Baalke, as the chief architect of that roster, would at least have a chance to remain in his position in 2025.

Indeed, when Pederson’s seat began to heat up in September, it was suggested that Baalke was on firmer footing than the head coach. On the other hand, the team’s fall over the last calendar year – the 2023 Jags won eight of their first 11 games and then lost five of their final six to miss the postseason – could be too dramatic for any of its top power brokers to survive.

Baalke, 60, served as the 49ers’ GM from 2011-2016, and during that time, San Francisco boasted 35 Pro Bowl selections and made a Super Bowl appearance. After head coach Jim Harbaugh departed at the end of the 2014 season, however, the Niners’ fortunes went south. The coaches that Baalke hired to replace Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, were one-and-dones, and the team went a combined 7-25 over the 2015-16 seasons. That led to Baalke’s ouster, and he spent the next several years as a football operations consultant for the NFL.

Baalke became the Jaguars’ director of player personnel in February 2020, was named interim GM upon Dave Caldwell’s firing in November of that year, and had his interim tag removed at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. Even so, Baalke’s status as GM was believed to be turning off certain coaches during what became a long-running HC search in the 2022 coaching cycle, and the team interviewed longtime Vikings GM Rick Spielman for a non-GM position (but one that would have outranked Baalke). Although the Spielman hire never came to pass, rumblings about Baalke’s standing within the organization were still surfacing at the end of the 2022 season, the first year of the Pederson era.

While it has been reported that the relationship between Pederson and Baalke has become strained, Rapoport says that there is no in-fighting between the personnel department and the coaching staff at the moment. Members of both parties acknowledge that the club’s failure is a collective effort, and there is a “pall” and a “doom” hanging over the building as staffers brace for at least one ax to fall in short order.

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