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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/30/23

December 30th, 2023 at 9:14pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions and callups for the remainder of the Week 17 matchups:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Alualu is set to make his Lions debut after signing earlier this month. Given the injury issues Detroit has faced up front, the 36-year-old has the chance to see playing time through the close of the regular season and into the playoffs. Alualu expressed a desire to continue playing with the Steelers this offseason, but he remained a free agent deep into the year. His tenure in the Motor City could help boost his free agent stock if he wishes to remain in the league in 2024, though.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/23

December 29th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

Badgley has officially been tabbed as the leg to depend on for the remainder of the season as well as for the Lions’ first playoff run since 2016. Detroit waived Riley Patterson two weeks ago, allowing Badgley to stake his claim on the job once again.

The Cabinda departure is a little surprising, considering the Lions just utilized one of their injured reserve activations on the former linebacker yesterday. Because of that investment, it would make sense to see Cabinda return to Detroit on a practice squad deal here in the next few days.

Vikings To Start QB Jaren Hall In Week 17

December 28th, 2023 at 12:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

A decision has emerged with respect to Minnesota’s quarterback plans to close out the season. Head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Thursday that Jaren Hall will start in Week 17.

Signs pointed to another change under center in the aftermath of Nick Mullens throwing four interceptions in the Vikings’ loss last week. O’Connell acknowledged a decision would need to be made in the coming days, and first-team reps were split at practice to begin the week. Now, Hall will be entrusted with his second career start in a crucial game as it pertains to Minnesota’s playoff hopes.

In the wake of Kirk Cousins suffering an Achilles tear, the Vikings have struggled to find a consistent replacement at the QB spot. Mullens was injured at the time Cousins went down, which thrust Hall into action. The latter, a fifth-round rookie, suffered a concussion and was forced to exit his debut as a starter. That paved the way for Josh Dobbs to take over immediately upon arrival with the team after he was acquired at the trade deadline.

Dobbs enjoyed a surprising run at first, but his struggles led to Mullens being installed as the starter. The most experienced healthy option at the position, Mullens threw for over 700 yards in his two starts, both of which resulted in losses. A major reason for that was his six interceptions, something O’Connell referenced when making the announcement of the decision to return to Hall. In a pair of appearances this regular season, the BYU alum has thrown a total of 10 passes.

Despite that tangible lack of experience, Hall will be counted on to keep Minnesota in reach of a playoff position. Top spot in the NFC North is no longer attainable, but a wild-card berth is. The Vikings play the Packers on New Year’s Eve before a rematch with the Lions to close out the regular season. Sitting at 7-8 at the moment, Minnesota will need to win both to have a chance at a postseason appearance. Much of whether or not that is achieved will depend on the latest switch under center.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/23

December 27th, 2023 at 8:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

December 26th, 2023 at 8:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Panthers, Cardinals and Commanders continued their losing ways in Week 16, the Patriots’ effort in Denver shook up the top of the 2024 draft. New England has dropped from second to fourth in the ’24 order.

In a strange spot in which Broncos fans and and undoubtedly many Pats supporters wanted the Russell Wilson-driven comeback to succeed, Chad Ryland‘s 56-yard game-winning field goal dropped New England out of the No. 2 spot, injecting doubt about the team’s ability to nab a top-flight QB prospect without trading up next year.

The Bears (via the Panthers) remain atop the table, holding a one-game lead on the Cardinals. Carolina closes its season with two games against eight-win teams — the Jaguars and Buccaneers. Arizona will face Philadelphia and Seattle, and with Carolina’s strength of schedule at .522 and Arizona’s at .561, the draft-order tiebreaker reaffirms the Bears’ placement on the doorstep of entering a second straight offseason holding a No. 1 overall pick. The Justin Fields matter remains an important big-picture NFL topic, but GM Ryan Poles is close to having his pick of the 2024 QB prospects.

It is not clear if the Commanders will be interested in a quarterback in the first round, but they will have a new regime running the show. The last time Washington held a top-three pick (2020), it passed on Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert due to having drafted Dwayne Haskins in the 2019 first round. With Sam Howell struggling as of late, Josh Harris‘ next set of decision-makers may want to bring in their own prospect. The Cardinals could stand in the Commanders’ way, via another trade in the top three, but suddenly Washington could be a player for a 2024 first-round QB.

Ahead of Week 17, here is how the 2024 draft order looks:

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

Vikings TE T.J. Hockenson Out For Season

December 26th, 2023 at 2:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Signs from the aftermath of the Vikings’ loss over the weekend pointed to an extended absence for T.J. Hockenson. That has now been confirmed, as head coach Kevin O’Connell said Tuesday the Pro Bowl tight end will require surgery to repair ACL and MCL tears.

Hockenson was forced to exit Minnesota’s game against Detroit due to the injury, and O’Connell admitted not long after that signs were pointing to a lengthy absence. After further testing, the 2022 trade acquisition is now out for the year. The news puts an end to a productive campaign, and leaves the Vikings without another key member of their offense due to a major injury.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered an Achilles tear earlier in the year, something which threatened to derail the team’s season. Especially given the time missed by star wideout Justin Jefferson, Minnesota’s playoff prospects appeared to take a turn for the worse. The Vikings are now 7-8 on the year, but they face uncertainty under center and they will now be without a major weapon in their passing game as they push for an NFC wild-card berth.

Hockenson was acquired at the trade deadline last season in a deal which put an end to his hot-and-cold tenure with the Lions. The intra-divisional swap resulted in a strong showing in the second half of the season, however, as he posted a 60-519-3 statline in 10 games. That production proved his effectiveness in O’Connell’s system, and set him up for a major payday in the offseason.

The 26-year-old signed a $16.5MM-per-year extension in August, keeping him on the books through 2027 and making him the league’s second-highest paid tight end in terms of annual compensation. That pact raised expectations for Hockenson, and he delivered in 2023 despite Cousins’ missed time. The Iowa alum set new career highs in catches (95) and yards (960) in 15 games this season. As a result, his absence will deal a substantial blow to the Vikings’ offense.

O’Connell also confirmed that edge rusher D.J. Wonnum is headed to injured reserve due to a torn quad. That was the expected outcome in this situation, but it confirms his season is over, something with signficant financial implications given his status as a pending free agent. Minnesota’s defense will be shorthanded as the team approaches a pair of must-win games, while the offense will likewise be without a top contributor.

With Hockenson out of the picture, Josh Oliver will likely assume starting duties at the TE spot. A free agent addition from this past offseason, Oliver has established himself as a strong blocker in recent years, which led to a three-year, $21MM contract. The former third-rounder has made only 19 catches this season serving as a complement to Hockenson this season, though. Johnny Mundt and Nick Muse have likewise seen small workloads in the passing game to date, but that could change in the immediate future.

Vikings Contemplating QB Change?

December 26th, 2023 at 10:28am CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings lost a key divisional matchup in Week 16, in large part due to the turnover-filled performance of quarterback Nick Mullens. In the wake of his rough outing, a change atop the QB depth chart could be forthcoming.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the Vikings are “taking a long look” at replacing Mullens and starting rookie Jaren Hall. The former has started the past two games since taking over from Josh Dobbs late in Minnesota’s 3-0 win over the Raiders. Mullens has amassed 714 passing yards over that stretch, but he has also thrown six interceptions while fumbling twice. The Vikings lost both of his starts, leaving the team out of contention for the NFC North title.

Sitting at 7-8, a wild-card spot is still in reach, however, so Minnesota’s decision under center in the bid to find a consistent Kirk Cousins replacement will be crucial to close out the season. Dobbs enjoyed a strong start to his Vikings tenure after arriving at the trade deadline, but he later struggled. That opened the door to Mullens taking over, and ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted in the aftermath of Saturday’s loss that the 28-year-old appeared to still be in place to get the nod for Week 17.

Mullens has the most career starts amongst Minnesota’s healthy options under center, and he began the season as Cousins’ backup. When announcing that the former UDFA would be in place for Week 16, head coach Kevin O’Connell stressed the importance of not being unnecessarily aggressive, a challenge Mullens failed to meet. As a result, it would not come as a complete surprise if the team turned to Hall for his second career start despite the late-season circumstances.

Hall was drafted in the fifth round this April, the time when many believed the Vikings would add an heir apparent to Cousins given the latter’s status as a pending free agent. Amidst the inconsistencies at the QB position since Cousins tore his Achilles, Hall received a start in the first game after Cousins went down, but he suffered a concussion. As a result, he has attempted a total of just 10 passes in the regular season to date.

The Vikings have a game against the Packers and a rematch with the Lions remaining on their schedule. Winning both will be critical to their postseason outlook, but the question of who will be in place under center for those contests will be a key question in the coming days.

NFL Injury Updates: Jacobs, Miller, Vikings, Sutton

December 25th, 2023 at 11:52am CST by Ely Allen

To start with, let’s address one of the remaining games of this week. It appears that the Chiefs’ route to an eighth consecutive AFC West title will be a bit easier today as the Raiders will be playing without leading running back Josh Jacobs, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. After starting the first 13 games of the season with Las Vegas, Jacobs is now set to miss a second straight game.

Jacobs was held out of last week’s contest after suffering a quad injury in the previous week. He hadn’t been able to practice during a short week and the team had decided it better to act out of an abundance of caution so as to not risk further damage. The Raiders had been holding out hope that Jacobs would be able to find his way back to the field this week, but an illness combined with the healing quad to ensure that Jacobs would not be able to make an appearance in Week 16. If his absence last week, backup Zamir White earned his first career start, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown in place of Jacobs.

After a promising start to his career, the last few years have been a bit inconsistent for Jacobs. He followed up two seasons in which he rushed for a combined 2,215 yards and 19 touchdowns with only an 872-yard campaign, though he was still breaching the endzone often with nine touchdowns. After a down year that led to the Raiders choosing not to pick up his fifth-year option, Jacobs exploding into a rushing title with 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns. This year, Jacobs is at 805 rushing yards on a career-worst 3.5 yards per attempt and six touchdowns.

Jacobs had avoided playing out this season on the franchise tag, after coming to a one-year agreement with the Raiders, but a long-term deal remained elusive. Missing time due to injury at the tail end of disappointing season is unfortunately not going to help matters much when Jacobs enters the offseason at the end of the year.

Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:

  • In addition to Jacobs, while Las Vegas will reportedly have left tackle Kolton Miller return today as an active player, it appears that he may only be available as an emergency option on the offensive line, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Miller has missed four of the team’s last five contests. In his absence the Raiders have experimented with moving usual starting right tackle Thayer Munford to the left side while having backup lineman Jermaine Eluemunor start on the opposite side of wherever they line up Munford. That trend should continue into Week 16.
  • We already reported on the situation with Vikings pass rusher D.J. Wonnum, but the team lost three other significant contributors to injury during yesterday’s game. Budding tight end T.J. Hockenson, rookie first-round wide receiver Jordan Addison, and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon were all forced out of Sunday’s game early. Fowler of ESPN reported this morning that the outlook for Hockenson is “not good.” While Minnesota is still holding out hope that his MRI will tell a different story, the team is bracing for bad news on the subject. As for Addison, an ankle sprain is projected to have him on a week-to-week status, and the Vikings will hope to glean a bit more information after further testing today, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
  • Lastly, the Broncos played much of yesterday’s loss to the Patriots without their leading receiver after Courtland Sutton left the game with a concussion, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Sutton has struggled over the years to find the yardage success he had in 2019 but has rediscovered his redzone proficiency in 2023. The big-bodied receiver leads the team in receptions (58), receiving yards (770), and receiving touchdowns (10) this season. Sutton will have to pass through concussion protocol to return next week in time to help his team in what has become a bit more difficult race for a Wild Card spot.

Vikings OLB D.J. Wonnum Likely Out For Remainder Of Season

December 25th, 2023 at 8:12am CST by Ely Allen

Unfortunately, it looks like the contract year for Vikings outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum has come to an early end. Luckily, Wonnum has done plenty this season to set himself up well for his pending free agency. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, Wonnum has suffered a partially torn quadriceps muscle that will likely hold him out of the remainder of the 2023 NFL season.

Wonnum, a fourth-round draft pick for Minnesota in 2020, has seen his role wax and wane over the years of his rookie contract. After a rookie campaign in which Wonnum would come off the bench for most of the year behind Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jalyn Holmes, and Yannick Ngakoue, the South Carolina product would lead the team in sacks (8.0) as a full time starter in his sophomore year across from Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen. Last year saw Wonnum’s role decrease again with the arrival of Za’Darius Smith, who would combine with Hunter for 20.5 sacks, but with Smith out of Minnestoa, Wonnum has retaken his starting place this year, now alongside Hunter.

In the final year of his rookie deal, Wonnum has put up career numbers, setting himself up well for his impending free agency. He has matched his career-high totals for sacks (8.0), tackles for loss (7), and quarterback hits (15), while setting new highs in total tackles (62) and passes defensed (6). Adding to an already impressive season, Wonnum has also freed up Hunter, taking enough focus away from Hunter’s side of the ball to allow the veteran to reach a new career-high sack total himself (15.5).

While the injury is likely bad news that indicates he’s is done putting together his free agent resume, there’s still a bright side to the injury. A partial tear in the muscle should likely keep him out of play for a bit of time, but it’s minor enough that it shouldn’t affect how prospective teams view his free agency in the months to come. Wonnum has proven he can be an effective counterpart for a star pass rusher while providing some quarterback pressure himself, as well. If evidence points to a clean recovery, there should be a number of teams looking to add him to their pass rush.

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