The Cardinals have added some necessary kicker depth. Per Tyler Drake of AZSports, Matt Prater is dealing with a left knee issue, necessitating the addition of Chad Ryland. The former fourth-round pick spent his rookie campaign in New England, where he converted 16 of his 25 field goal attempts and 24 of his 25 XP tries. Ryland lost out on the Patriots kicking gig this season to Joey Slye, leading to him being among New England’s final cuts.
The Rams have been faced with a number of challenges on the injury front this offseason, but help on defense could be coming soon. Cornerback Darious Williamswas designated for return from injured reserve on Wednesday, per a team announcement.
Williams dealt with a hamstring injury during the summer, and it lingered into the start of the campaign. He was placed on IR ahead of Week 1, guaranteeing an absence spanning at least the first four games of the season. The 31-year-old is now eligible to practice at the first opportunity, though, suggesting he could be available in time for Week 5.
After a Los Angeles spell which lasted from 2018-21, Williams took a deal with the Jaguars in free agency. That three-year, $30MM pact saw him serve as a key starter in Jacksonville. The former UDFA was released this offseason with one year remaining on the contract, however, allowing him to return to the Rams on the open market. Williams inked a new three-year deal in the spring, this time worth $22.5MM ($7MM guaranteed).
He will be in line for a first-team role once healthy, something which has been the case so far for fellow free agent pickup Tre’Davious White. The former Bills All-Pro took a one-year deal after his Buffalo tenure was marred by multiple injuries, but he has managed to remain available through the first month of the season and has logged a 98% snap share to date. He and Williams will provide plenty of experience on a Rams defense featuring a number of younger contributors.
The team also opened Larrell Murchison‘s practice window on Wednesday. The fifth-year defensive lineman was designated for return before the roster deadline, using one of the Rams’ IR activations in the process. He made 15 appearances and three starts last season, handling a 25% snap share. With Aaron Donaldno longer present along the defensive interior, that figure could increase in 2024 once Murchison is activated.
The Broncos are bringing in the veteran running back Ahmed after he spent four years in Miami. Ahmed’s biggest role came in four starts as an undrafted rookie back in 2020 in which he rushed for 319 yards and three touchdowns over six games. He served as a reliable backup for the Dolphins for the past few years.
The Chargers released Jefferson yesterday, but they’ll keep him around on the practice squad with today’s signing. The veteran adds some quality depth to the roster.
Robbins’ release today marks the end of what was supposed to be the continuation of the battle for the punter position in Cincinnati, setting the table for Ryan Rehkow to continue his job as the primary punter for the Bengals. Robbins was activated from injured reserve yesterday, but his stint on the active roster ends after only one day. It’s an interesting move after the team dedicated one of their eight IR activations for the season on Robbins before the season began.
Players like Hollman, Vigil, Webb, and Quarterman will now be getting called up for the third time this season. The NFL rules limit a practice squad player to three standard gameday elevations per contract. If their teams want to get them into more games in the future, the normal route is for them to be signed to the active roster after this weekend then released/waived and signed to new practice squad deals, starting their three-game count over.
Shy Tuttle‘s foot injury will keep him off the field for Week 3, as the Panthers announced that the defensive tackle has been downgraded from doubtful to out. The Panthers called up Williams to temporarily take the open roster spot. The defensive end started 10 of his 16 appearances for the Panthers last season, and he landed back on Carolina’s practice squad last month after spending the preseason with the Bills.
The Browns announced a handful of moves ahead of their game with the Giants tomorrow. Notably, the team didn’t promote any offensive tackles, which provided some optimism surrounding the availability of their injured tackles. While Jedrick Wills Jr. is expected to play (per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal), Jack Conklin will not (per Tony Grossi of 850 ESPN Cleveland). Conklin hasn’t played since Week 1 of the 2023 season while recovering from a torn ACL and MCL. He practiced this week and was initially listed as questionable for tomorrow’s game, but it sounds like a new hamstring injury is the culprit for his Week 3 absence.
With both Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce set to miss Sunday’s trip to Minnesota, the Texans are bringing up Taylor off the practice squad. Taylor will back up Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale against the Vikings this weekend.
September 19th, 2024 at 9:07pm CST by Sam Robinson
Nick Caley‘s name resurfaced on the OC radar this offseason, but only with one team. The Rams assistant took two interviews with the Patriots, his employer from 2015-22. This process ended with a job offer.
In place on Bill Belichick‘s staff — primarily as tight ends coach — for nearly a decade, Caley joined the Rams once the Patriots hired Bill O’Brien as OC in 2023. The Pats separated from Belichick but revisited their Caley OC search a year after he did not land the job. The team’s effort included a high-end offer to call plays under Jerod Mayo, SI.com’s Albert Breer said during an appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Zolak & Bertrand (via NBC Sports Boston).
Although Caley is an aspiring first-time coordinator, Breer notes the Patriots presented him an offer of nearly $3MM per year to take their OC position. That is toward the top of the coordinator spectrum, though coaching salaries do not have to be disclosed in the way player contracts do. Somewhat surprisingly (based on what we now know), Caley passed. The job went to recently dismissed Browns OC Alex Van Pelt, who is a play-calling OC for the first time in 15 years.
A Caley hire would have fit in with how the Patriots built their team and coaching staff this offseason. Despite Belichick’s ouster, the Pats promoted Mayo and elevated DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator. Caley would not have been a direct promotion, but considering his past in Foxborough, he certainly made sense as a return candidate given the way this offseason played out in New England. A host of re-signings and extensions followed the club’s coaching decisions, including a three-year, $27MM deal for ex-Caley pupil Hunter Henry.
The Rams have since moved Caley to pass-game coordinator underSean McVay and OC Mike LaFleur. Caley, 41, is still in charge of the Rams’ tight ends but carries a new title that often matters when OC-needy teams are conducting searches. He is also tied to a team that has sent several assistants to coordinator roles and coordinators to HC positions.
Last year brought more interest in Caley, with the Texans and Jets joining the Patriots in interviewing the promising assistant. Caley was on an expiring contract in 2023 but still had a chance to stay. Post-Belichick interest remained, though it is worth wondering if that door is now closed despite the sides’ lengthy history.
Prior to joining McVay’s staff, Caley’s only NFL work had come in New England. He left the college ranks for a Pats assistant job in 2015, eventually collecting two Super Bowl rings and being given the chance to coach Rob Gronkowski in the final years of the all-time great’s Patriots run. The Pats gave Caley increased responsibility in 2022 as well, and other teams took notice.
As injuries force the Rams into numerous changes early this season, Caley is taking his chances as an assistant under one of the NFL’s top HCs. It stands to reason the northeast Ohio native viewed his current position as one that would help him land other coordinator interviews down the road. It should be expected Caley resurfaces on the coordinator carousel next year, but this certainly qualifies as a notable “what if?” involving he and the Patriots.
September 19th, 2024 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson
Trent Williams‘ absence secured him a significant guarantee midway through the life of a six-year contract. The All-Pro 49ers left tackle had shown up to minicamp but staged a training camp holdout that surpassed one month. Williams did not talk to Kyle Shanahan or John Lynch for more than two months, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini notes (subscription required). This ended with Shanahan calling the disgruntled tackle to express the team’s need for his return, with Russini indicating that the eighth-year HC’s overture took place eight days before San Francisco’s season opener.
The parties ended up agreeing to their rework, which provided Williams with a three-year deal worth $82.66MM ($26.9MM guaranteed at signing), less than 48 hours later. Williams, who remains signed through 2026, is by far the 49ers’ best O-lineman and is gunning for a tackle-record 12th Pro Bowl nod.
Here is the latest from the NFC West:
Brock Purdy will already be without McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel against the Rams, but the third-year 49ers QB also may not be able to target George Kittle in a game featuring concerning injury trouble for both California teams. Hamstring tightness led Kittle to a DNP on Thursday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The All-Pro tight end practiced Wednesday but appears to have come out of the workout worse for wear. Kittle, 31 next month, has dealt with a number of injuries in his career but has managed to avoid extensive absences since missing much of the 2020 season. Eric Saubert would likely step in as San Francisco’s starter if Kittle joins CMC and Samuel in being unable to go.
The 49ers also recently worked out slot cornerbacks Tre Herndon and Chandon Sullivan, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. A longtime Jaguars slot player, Herndon caught on with the Giants in June but did not make their 53-man roster. Sullivan, who has played for the Packers, Vikings and Steelers in a six-year career, has been a free agent since March.
A tweaked hamstring led Darious Williams to the Rams‘ IR list just before the season. Williams preceded a host of Rams regulars — including Puka Nacua, Jonah Jackson, Steve Avila and John Johnson — in heading to IR before Week 3. Williams had been battling hamstring trouble this summer and will be eligible to return in Week 5, with ESPN.com’s Sarah Barshop noting the Rams are not yet concerned the recently reacquired cornerback will need to miss more time. Hamstrings, of course, can cause uncertain timetables. For Williams, this is his first IR trip since 2021. It is not a good start to his age-31 season, as the former Super Bowl starter is attached to a contract that becomes a pay-as-you-go accord beyond 2024. Williams will be due $8MM if on the Rams’ roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year.
The Seahawks recently created some cap space by restructuring D.K. Metcalf‘s three-year deal. Seattle converted $11.88MM of Metcalf’s 2024 base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $9.5MM in cap room, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fizgerald notes. The team saw its cap-space figure balloon from around $4MM to $13MM-plus via this conversion, creating breathing room and inflating Metcalf’s 2025 cap number (now $31.88MM). Seattle added three void years to Metcalf’s deal as well; as a result, the team would take on $7.13MM in dead money if Metcalf is not re-signed before the 2026 league year begins.
The Cardinals and Patriots each posted 4-13 records last season, but New England’s tiebreaker both provided access to the No. 3 overall pick (Drake Maye) and a better waiver position. The Pats took advantage recently, claiming recent UDFA tackle Demontrey Jacobsoff waivers from the Broncos. Arizona had also submitted a claim for Jacobs, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss offers, only to lose out by one priority spot.
September 19th, 2024 at 8:58am CST by Sam Robinson
SEPTEMBER 19: Kupp will be in a cast for the next week before beginning his rehab, McVay said, via The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (subscription required). He added the injury will not require surgery, which is another positive development. McVay also said a final decision on injured reserve has not been made yet in Kupp’s case, however, so he could still be shut down for notable stretch.
SEPTEMBER 18: This season is skidding off track quickly for a Rams team that carried higher expectations compared to 2023. More IR placements are on tap for Sean McVay‘s team.
That said, some good news has come out of this early-season bloodbath. Cooper Kupp is not currently viewed as an IR candidate, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Kupp is again battling an ankle injury. McVay had previously said Kupp was an IR candidate.
Previously the last man standing among Rams starters in terms of health and overall availability entering Week 2, Jackson aggravated the shoulder injury that sidelined him for much of training camp and the preseason. The free agency addition must now miss at least four games. Jackson must sit until at least Week 8, while Avila and Noteboom are out until at least Week 7. The Rams have their bye in Week 6. That suddenly looms as an important recovery period, despite it coming so early in the season.
The Rams gave Jackson a three-year, $51MM deal days after re-signing Kevin Dotson (three years, $48MM) to remain at right guard. A four-year Lions left guard starter, Jackson has bounced between LG and center early in his Rams tenure. But injuries have overshadowed the entire O-line’s work thus far. Dotson is playing through a sprained ankle.
Alaric Jackson‘s return from a two-game suspension will help a Rams team in crisis. That will give the team three of its five O-line starters available, with longtime RT Rob Havenstein returning in Week 2. But the team is battling injury issues at multiple spots. Johnson sustained a hairline scapula fracture and had loomed as an IR candidate. Re-signed to continue his second Rams stint in July, Johnson had started one game for a Rams team otherwise retooling at safety.
As the Rams’ O-line injury issues remind of their 2022 problems, Kupp’s most recent trouble is familiar as well. Kupp suffered a foot injury in October 2022 but then went down with a more significant ankle malady a month later. The All-Pro receiver underwent season-ending tightrope surgery to repair the issue, and while he returned in time for training camp in 2023, a hamstring issue delayed his debut last season.
Kupp has missed 13 games since his dominant 2021 season, stalling the crafty wideout in his early 30s. The Rams gave Kupp a big raise after his Super Bowl MVP showing — during an offseason in which the team paid Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald — but have not seen much to justify it since.
Kupp, 31, does lead the NFL with 18 receptions through two games; that total came despite leaving the Rams’ Week 2 loss early. The team has Puka Nacua on IR as well, leaving the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington as Stafford’s top targets.
September 18th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Nikhil Mehta
Nine NFL teams have started the regular season with an 0-2 record. Some teams (Panthers, Broncos) are experiencing expected struggles, with others (Ravens, Rams) disappointing fans hoping for a playoff run.
Since 2015, 74 teams have opened the year with back-to-back losses, (h/t James Boyd of The Athletic). Just eight qualified for the postseason, a 10.8% rate that suggests only one of this season’s 0-2 starters will make the playoffs.
The Ravens were a toe away from taking the Chiefs into overtime (or attempting a do-or-die two-point try) in Week 1 before blowing yet another double-digit fourth-quarter lead to the Raiders in Week 2. Baltimore gambled on a new-look offensive line after jettisoning three veteran starters during the offseason, and the results thus far have not been encouraging. Lamar Jackson faced heavy pressure at crucial moments across his first two games, with right guard Daniel Faalele struggling in his conversion from tackle. First-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr is dealing with the same early hiccups that his predecessor Mike Macdonald did back in 2022, surrendering a league-high 257 passing yards per game.
Unlike past years, though, Baltimore has started the season healthy, and it is capable of winning almost any game with Jackson under center. Several young Ravens like Odafe Oweh, Travis Jones, Zay Flowers, and Isaiah Likely have begun the year with promising starts, too, so the team has plenty of reason to remain optimistic about its long-term playoff chances. The Ravens will need to win at least two of their next three against the Cowboys, Bills, and Bengals to avoid a near-insurmountable 1-4 hole.
The division-rival Bengals are also 0-2, scoring just 10 points in Week 1 against the Patriots and losing to the Chiefs on a field goal as time expired. Ja’Marr Chase‘s hold-in did not extend into the regular season, but his lack of practice time and Tee Higgins‘ hamstring injury has hindered Cincinnati’s downfield passing game. The running back committee of Zack Moss and Chase Brown is a clear downgrade from Joe Mixon, and Cincinnati’s defense has struggled to apply pressure outside of Trey Hendrickson.
Cincinnati’s minus-7 point differential is the best of any 0-2 team, and the offense will likely improve as Chase gets more reps and Higgins recovers. The Bengals’ secondary has allowed the second-fewest pass yards through two weeks, and that includes a matchup with Patrick Mahomes. Cincinnati’s season will rely on keeping its three offensive stars healthy. A search for a pass rusher at the trade deadline to pair with Hendrickson may also be avenue the team explores.
The Rams hoped Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp returning to full health would pair with last year’s breakthroughs from Puka Nacuaand Kyren Williams to create one of the league’s most explosive offenses. Injuries to Kupp and Nacua, plus starting offensive linemenJoe Noteboom, Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson, have decimated the Los Angeles offense — a clear factor in their Week 2 41-10 blowout loss to the Cardinals. The Rams also have three defensive backs on injured reserve, leaving their secondary shorthanded and placing a burden on a young front seven that lost Aaron Donald to retirement in the offseason.
That young defensive front has plenty of talent in second-year players Kobie Turner and Byron Young and rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. They will need to step up their play over the next several weeks to keep the Rams afloat as the offense desperately tries to get healthy in time for a late-season playoff push.
The Jaguars‘ anemic offense has emerged as the team’s biggest issue to start the season, as Trevor Lawrence‘s 51.0% completion rate is the second-lowest in the league. The fourth-year QB needs more consistency from his pass-catching group, with none of Lawrence’s targets having more than six receptions yet. The defense has allowed just 38 points, a top-10 mark, but has not forced any turnovers that could have impacted in the team’s one-score losses.
The Colts are dealing with the highs and lows of quarterback Anthony Richardson, as the second-year QB has produced some of the best throws of the young season while also owning the league’s lowest completion percentage (49.1%) and most interceptions (four). Veteran Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie Adonai Mitchell have both struggled to find a rhythm on offense, and the defense has been gashed on the ground in both games.
Richardson’s continued development will advance the offense, which has plenty of potential with a strong offensive line and a fully healthy Jonathan Taylor. Indianapolis’ defense remains its biggest impediment to the postseason. Outside of the interior defensive duo of DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, the Colts lack both consistent contributors and impact playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. And Buckner is now on IR.
The Titans have lost each of their first two games by a touchdown and have yet to score a point in the fourth quarter. Two of Will Levis‘ three primary receivers are new additions, as is running back Tony Pollard. As a result, Tennessee’s offense is a work in progress as the franchise’s decision-makers evaluate if Levis is the QB of the future. Defensively, the Titans have stars at all three levels: defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons, linebacker Harold Landryand cornerback L’Jarius Sneed. The addition of Ernest Jones via preseason trade with the Rams may well be a shrewd move to shore up the middle, giving Tennessee the framework of a high-upside defense.
First-round pick Malik Nabershas been among the few bright spots during the Giants‘ 0-2 start, recording 15 catches for 193 yards to open the year. Daniel Jones has largely struggled when not targeting Nabers behind an offensive line with multiple new pieces. New York’s defense allowed efficient passing performances from Sam Darnold and Jayden Daniels while surrendering 5.3 yards per rushing attempt in Weeks 1 and 2. Offseason addition Brian Burns and 2022 first-rounder Kayvon Thibodeaux have yet to record sacks this season, making life harder for a young Giants secondary.
The Giants considered trading up for a rookie QB during this past draft, indicating that Jones’ future in New York depends on his performance this season. Either he succeeds, and the Giants stick with him and his contract, or he struggles and is replaced before next season, giving general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll the chance to save their tenure. This duo may not be on the hot seat presently, but this trajectory would point to temperatures rising before season’s end.
Sean Payton landed on first-rounder Bo Nixas his starting quarterback in Denver, and the rookie’s early struggles have only amplified the overall talent deficiency on the roster. Nix’s four interceptions and a virtually nonexistent running game have hindered the offense thus far, putting the defense in disadvantageous positions in both games. The Broncos’ underrated defensive line has gotten pressure on opposing QBs, but the team will need more than just Patrick Surtain in the secondary to stay in games with such a limited offense.
The Panthers benchedBryce Young after their 0-2 start, which included three interceptions and league-lows in points (13) and passing yards (245). A season-ending meniscus tear for Derrick Brown has added injury to insult to a Carolina franchise with little talent or direction at the moment. Switching to Andy Dalton at quarterback may stabilize the offense and aid the development of its young playmakers, but that still provides no long-term solution under center.
Which of these teams has the best chance to beat the above-referenced odds and rebound en route to the playoffs? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
