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Patriots Designate T Riley Reiff For Return

November 15th, 2023 at 12:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots’ top offseason acquisition to staff their right tackle spot has not been available much this season, but the team still has Riley Reiff in its plans. Despite already using one IR activation on Reiff this year, the Patriots once again designated him for return, per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss.

Reiff is back at Pats practice Wednesday, signifying the return designation. The NFL’s 2022 rule update, which reintroduced limits on how many players can return from IR in a season, allows for the same player to be designated for return twice. Both moves, however, will count toward the Pats’ eight-activation total. So far, the team has only used three. Reiff landing on IR for a third time would end his season; he has three weeks to be activated or would revert to season-ending IR.

An October activation went to Reiff, who was initially placed on IR just before the season. A leg injury shut Reiff down at that point. A knee injury, which Bill Belichick classified as a new malady rather than an aggravation of the previous ailment, led Reiff back to IR two weeks later. The Patriots are on bye this week, but Reiff became eligible to return to practice after Week 10. It seems likely the 34-year-old blocker will be back on the Pats’ active roster soon.

Reiff, who signed a one-year deal worth $5MM this offseason, avoided a notable injury last season and ended up transitioning from a Bears swingman to their right tackle starter. While the Patriots were rumored to be eyeing a bigger splash at right tackle, they instead signed Reiff and made other lower-level investments to staff the position. The team has since moved guard Michael Onwenu to right tackle, thus making Reiff’s return interesting on multiple fronts.

Onwenu has played right tackle extensively, but the former sixth-round pick began the past two seasons at guard. Although the team planned to start Onwenu at right guard and Reiff at right tackle to begin the year, Bill Belichick said Onwenu is staying at right tackle. Reiff has also spent time at guard this year, playing inside in Week 5 and having previously worked at the position in the summer. Reiff has spent nearly his entire career at tackle, lining up on the left and right edges for his bevy of teams. If Onwenu is truly entrenched at RT, Reiff may well have another chance at guard.

Reiff, who will turn 35 in two weeks, is likely nearing the end of a lengthy career. This is Year 12 for the former Lions first-round pick. He has started 149 career games and played in 164, suiting up for the Lions, Vikings, Bengals, Bears and Patriots. While a season-ending injury prevented Reiff from helping the Bengals clinch a Super Bowl LVI berth, the Iowa alum had never played fewer than 12 games in a season. The two IR stints this year ended that streak.

Raiders Claim CB Jack Jones

November 14th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

7:15pm: The Vikings also put in a claim for Jones, a source told ESPN’s Field Yates. The Raiders landed the cornerback by virtue of having higher waiver positioning.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifer wonders if Akayleb Evans‘ calf injury influenced Minnesota’s claim. The Vikings cornerback exited Sunday’s win, leading Mekhi Blackmon to see more playing time and secure the first interception of his career.

3:20pm: Although Mark Davis cut ties with the Patriot Way leadership he hired just last year, the Raiders will be the team that gives recent Patriots cut Jack Jones a second chance. Jones will head to Las Vegas after the team submitted a successful waiver claim, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo.

While this is yet another ex-Patriot joining the now-Antonio Pierce-led roster, he arrived as a 2022 draftee — after Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler were in Nevada. The Pierce tie is more relevant here than the Patriots component. Pierce has an extensive background with Jones, having coached him in high school (at Long Beach Poly) and in college (at Arizona State). This past made the Raiders a natural suitor for Jones, who the Patriots waived after multiple benchings.

Pierce was head coach at the Southern California high school from 2014-17. This overlapped with Jones’ tenure. The 25-year-old corner was a five-star recruit coming out of Long Beach Poly. While he signed with USC, off-field issues led him to the junior college ranks. By the time the 5-foot-11 corner was back on the Division I radar, Pierce was in place as Arizona State’s linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator under Herm Edwards. Jones signed with the Sun Devils in 2019 and fared well enough to warrant a fourth-round draft investment.

The Patriots drafted Jones in 2022 and used him as a regular. Jones played 54% of the Patriots’ defensive snaps last season; Pro Football Focus rated him 17th overall among corners. This year has proven rockier for Jones — on and off the field. PFF rates Jones outside the top 100 at the position, and the talented cover man has only played 121 defensive snaps in his second season.

An accumulation of performance-related issues and other matters contributed to Jones’ New England exit, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. Bill Belichick still referred to Jones as a talented player, via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed, and The Athletic’s Jeff Howe adds the Pats did not view Jones as a bounce-back candidate this season. The team benched Jones in Week 9, along with J.C. Jackson, and used him on just 10 defensive plays in their Germany matchup. Belichick had said the Pats were not planning to bring Jones back on the practice squad, had he cleared waivers. While that is a moot point, the Raiders are taking a chance on a corner with notable baggage.

Jones was booted off the USC squad for academic reasons, leading to him playing at Moorpark (Calif.) College for the 2018 campaign. That season, Jones was arrested following an incident at a Panda Express, and he served 45 days of house arrest after pleading guilty to commercial burglary, which is a second-degree misdemeanor. In June, Jones was arrested on a number of charges in connection with bringing two loaded guns to an airport and attempting to board a plane. A deal with prosecutors led to the charges being dropped, but Jones still began the season sidelined, suffering a hamstring injury in an early-September practice.

The Raiders rebooted at corner this offseason, letting 2022 starters Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Averett walk in free agency. The team took a few fliers in the spring, but none became regulars. Marcus Peters, who signed during training camp, leapfrogged the spring additions. Ditto Jakorian Bennett, who went from fourth-round rookie to starter. But the Raiders benched Bennett, using third-year defender Amik Robertson opposite Peters. Robertson, however, left the Raiders’ Week 10 game with a head injury.

Jones has worked primarily as an outside corner as a pro. He finished with two interceptions, a forced fumble and six passes defensed as a rookie. The Pierce-led Raiders would seemingly represent Jones’ best chance to salvage his NFL career. The 5-5 team will give him that chance.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/13/23

November 13th, 2023 at 7:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

JaMycal Hasty was waived by the Jaguars this past weekend following a year-plus with the organization. The running back had 320 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns during his first season in Jacksonville but was limited to only three games and zero touches this year. He’ll be hard pressed to carve out a role in New England with Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott leading the depth chart.

Patriots Waive CB Jack Jones

November 13th, 2023 at 12:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the wake of seeing his playing time reduced during yesterday’s loss, Jack Jones has seen his time with the Patriots come to an end. The second-year cornerback has been waived, his agent confirmed on Monday.

Jones played just 10 snaps in New England’s loss in Germany to the Colts yesterday, a continuation of disciplinary measures taken against him. The 25-year-old was benched to start the previous contest along with veteran J.C. Jackson, the latter of whom remained stateside for the international contest. Jackson is a possibility to suit up for the team’s next game, but that will not be the case for Jones. The Boston Sports Journal’s Mike Giardi reports Jones’ response to his benching was unsatisfactory, pointing to today’s move.

A fourth-round pick in 2022, Jones entered the league with a history of disciplinary issues dating back to his time at college. He managed to show promise at Arizona State, however, and he delivered an encouraging performance in his rookie season with 30 tackles, a pair of interceptions and one forced fumble. A hamstring injury led to an IR stint and delayed his 2023 debut, however.

Jones saw a regression in his coverage statistics compared to last year, allowing a 78% completion percentage and 101 passer rating as the closest defender. Those on-field struggles were coupled with another (albeit brief) legal matter. Jones was arrested in July for attempting to bring two loaded firearms onto a plane, but charges on that front have since been dropped. It remains to be seen if any league action will be taken in the wake of his plea agreement being worked out.

Jones will be available to all NFL teams via the waive wire. In the event he goes unclaimed, he will be free to sign with any interested party. Given his age and promise shown in 2022, it will be worth watching closely how aggressively teams are in attempting to add him. In a statement, Jones’ agent expressed (via Mike Garafolo of NFL Network) his willingness to make “an immediate contribution to his next team as soon as Sunday.”

Meanwhile, the Patriots will proceed with a shorthanded CB group. First-round Christian Gonzalez is out for the year with a torn labrum, and Marcus Jones finds himself on IR. Their absences, along with that of Jackson, left a number of relatively new, inexperienced faces in the secondary in Week 10. Regardless of if Jackson (whom New England re-acquired via trade this season) returns to the lineup in the near future, they will be without Jones moving forward unless he clears waivers and remains in the organization via the practice squad.

Latest On Bill Belichick’s Patriots Future

November 12th, 2023 at 10:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

Sunday saw the Patriots fall to 2-8 on the season, adding to what has been an underwhelming campaign for a team which appears destined to miss the postseason for the third time in four years. As the losing skid continues, questions will no doubt intensify about Bill Belichick‘s job security.

[RELATED: Exploring Potential Post-Belichick Patriots Options]

“This is our thirtieth year that I’ve had the privilege of owning this team, and I’ve never been 2-7,” owner Robert Kraft said in a pre-game interview with NFL Network’s Rich Eisen (video link). “So it’s really disappointing and I hoped that things would be a lot better, as I know our fan base did… This isn’t what we were expecting to happen this year.”

Kraft’s postseason-or-bust ultimatum in the offseason led to speculation about how the team would handle Belichick’s future if expectations weren’t met. The latter signed a new deal prior to the start of the 2023 campaign, though the terms of that agreement were unclear at first. Previous reports have suggested the contract only runs through 2024, and Eisen’s colleague Ian Rapoport confirmed Sunday that is indeed the case. Moving on from Belichick after the season would thus not be financially prohibitive for Kraft.

Speculation has increased about teams showing interest in Belichick in the event he becomes available via trade or if he were to find his New England tenure come to an end via firing or resignation. On that point, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports the expectation from many around the situation remains a “mutual parting of the ways” after the season finishes (subscription required). As she and Rapoport note, however, it would come as a surprise if a coaching change were to be made midseason despite the struggles New England has endured so far.

Of course, the evaluation of Belichick from Kraft could chance in the coming weeks, but signs continue to point to a changing of the guard on the sidelines in the spring. The willingness Kraft shows to eat one season’s worth of Belichick’s deal – as well as the interest he shows in a potential replacement – will certainly be a major storyline to watch as the second half of the campaign plays out.

Patriots Unlikely To Pick Up QB Mac Jones’ Fifth-Year Option

November 12th, 2023 at 9:30pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL career of Patriots quarterback Mac Jones started off hot. Following two years of apparent regression, though, he’s putting himself in a tough position for the future. With the team’s decision of whether or not to pick up the third-year passer’s fifth-year option looming this offseason, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald finds it hard to believe that New England opts in for the extra year.

After a Pro Bowl rookie campaign that saw Jones lead the Patriots to the playoffs while throwing for 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, New England has struggled to match that success. In three fewer starts the next year, Jones would go 6-8 as a starter, throwing for just under 3,000 yards with 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. This season, his yards per game has continued to decline while he now holds an even ratio of 10 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

Now, there are a few different areas that could contribute to this decline in performance. While Jones enjoyed some consistency in his receiving corps over his first two years in New England, his cast of receivers looks a bit different this year. The team allowed Jones’ favorite target, Jakobi Meyers, to walk in free agency, opting to replace him with free agent addition JuJu Smith-Schuster. Meyers has shown his usual consistency in Las Vegas, while Smith-Schuster has looked like a shadow of his former self, only racking up 140 yards in seven starts this year.

Another issue could potentially be the lack of consistent instruction. After playing under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels in his rookie year, Jones led an offense devised by a strange mix of Bill Belichick, senior football advisor (and former defensive coordinator) Matt Patricia, and offensive assistant (and former special teams coordinator) Joe Judge. This year, Bill O’Brien has led the charge as offensive coordinator.

In reality, the excuses don’t amount to much. In a league that very much values the what-have-you-done-for-me-lately mindset, Jones hasn’t done much this year. In fact, with Belichick’s future with the franchise in doubt, what Jones has shown the league becomes that much more important. Jones won’t get the benefit of familiarity if an outside coach and a new general manager come in and look at his total body of work.

If those new team leaders look at this season alone, Jones has been benched three times, the third coming in today’s loss to the Colts. Kyed asserts that, if New England had better backup options behind him, Jones wouldn’t even be starting anymore after three benchings. The first two came in contests that were so out of range for the team that the move could’ve been viewed as protective of their starting passer. Today’s game, though, was very much in range. When the Patriots had an opportunity to drive down the field for a game-winning touchdown, Jones found himself on the bench as backup quarterback Bailey Zappe was shouldered with the task of leading the team to victory.

“To make people believe, you have to be better,” Jones told reporters when asked if he felt Belichick still believed in him, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I’m not sure. I don’t know.”

In terms of what all of this means for the fifth-year option of Jones’ first-round rookie contract, it’s hard to believe that the Patriots are ready to commit to Jones for this current 2023 season or the 2024 season next year, let alone 2025. There’s still plenty of time this year for Jones to turn things around and prove that he deserves more time, but if Belichick is truly on his way out, Jones will just need to be that much more convincing for the next crew who takes over.

Injured Reserve Return Tracker

November 11th, 2023 at 9:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a 2022 rule change, teams can activate up to eight players from injured reserve. That has reintroduced some strategy into how franchises proceed with their activations, and teams will again need to be cognizant of their activation counts in 2023.

The NFL had reintroduced IR-return options in the 2010s, after a period in which an IR move meant a player’s season was over. But the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the league to loosen restrictions on IR from 2020-21. Teams were permitted to use unlimited activations to start the decade, but roster math is again a consideration.

Players who land on IR after cutdown day must miss at least four games. Once a team designates a player for return, the activation clock starts. Clubs have 21 days from a player’s return-to-practice date to activate that player. If no activation commences in that window, the player reverts to season-ending IR.

Here is how the NFL’s remaining two IR situations look for Super Bowl LVIII:

Kansas City Chiefs

Activated:

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 3

San Francisco 49ers

Designated for return:

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 4

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/11/23

November 11th, 2023 at 9:06pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL’s minor moves, including gameday callups for Sunday of Week 10:

Atlanta Falcons

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

CB J.C. Jackson Will Not Travel To Germany With Patriots

November 10th, 2023 at 1:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

NOVEMBER 10: Belichick said Friday he expects the sixth-year cornerback to return after the Patriots’ bye week. While expectedly evading a question about why Jackson stayed in the States for this international game, Belichick said (via Rapoport) Jackson will likely be back with the team in Week 12.

NOVEMBER 8: J.C. Jackson has run into another hurdle on his path to playing time this season. After Jackson was a healthy scratch with the Chargers earlier this year, the Patriots temporarily benched their low-end trade acquisition in Week 9. While Jackson ended up playing Sunday, questions about his status now loom.

The Patriots are set to travel to Germany without Jackson this week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, who add unreliability is behind the team’s plans to play its overseas game without the recently reacquired cornerback. The Patriots will face the Colts in Week 10 but will do so without another player who has been a starting corner. The team hopes this layoff, which will feature a Week 11 bye, will help in an effort to bring Jackson back into the fold.

New England is already down Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez for the season, and the team has used Jackson as a starter. In five games back with the Patriots, Jackson has started three. The soon-to-be 28-year-old defender worked as a backup days after the trade back to New England and against Washington in Week 9, with the team benching both he and Jack Jones to start the game. Both entered later, with Jackson debuting on New England’s third defensive series. But an issue has emerged here.

It took until the second quarter for Jones to play against the Commanders, and the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed notes Bill Belichick mentioned consistency in connection with the corners’ early-game absences. Though, as expected, the 24th-year coach did not delve into this matter deeply. Earlier this week, Belichick praised Jackson’s effort to re-acclimate — on the conditioning end, at least — after spending multiple seasons in Los Angeles.

“Well, it’s been a transition. I think his off-field training and physical health and conditioning — conditional has definitely improved,” Belichick said of Jackson. “So, he’s done a good job working at that. Just the consistency in the secondary from everybody is something we need to do a better job of.”

This consistency may also bleed into off-field matters. Jackson being late to the team hotel Saturday contributed to his benching, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Jackson missed curfew before the Commanders game, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, who adds the Patriots told the veteran cover man to stay home today. Attitude concerns and performance-related matters are at play here as well, with Howe noting the team had planned to bench Jackson for the Washington game as well (Twitter links).

Off-field matters have limited Jackson at various points during his career. An arrest while at Florida led him off the SEC team’s roster and into the JUCO ranks, before a resurgence at Maryland. Still, Jackson went undrafted in 2018 in part because of off-field issues. Earlier this year, an arrest warrant emerged in connection with a criminal speeding charge from 2021. He was also arrested for what was labeled a “nonviolent family issue” in 2022.

On the field, Jackson has been one of the NFL’s top ballhawks in recent years. He has 26 career interceptions and worked as a regular for higher-profile Patriots teams, playing a role on New England’s 2018 Super Bowl-winning squad and on a No. 1-ranked defense in 2019. Jackson’s rookie-contract work led to a five-year, $82.5MM deal from the Chargers in 2022. But Jackson struggled before suffering a ruptured patellar tendon midway through last season. During what was believed to be his ramp-up period, the Bolts made the sixth-year corner a healthy scratch for a Week 3 matchup against the Vikings. They soon traded him back to the Patriots in a swap of late-round 2025 picks.

Pro Football Focus ranks Jackson outside the top 110 at corner this season, viewing his Patriots work as inferior to what he put on tape with the Chargers. Assuming Jack Jones will travel to Germany, the Pats will have the second-year corner along with Jonathan Jones as their top options in Week 10.

Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order

November 10th, 2023 at 8:44am CST by Adam La Rose

Yesterday’s Panthers-Bears game carried signficant draft implications, as many noted in the build-up to the primetime matchup. With Carolina having dealt its 2024 first-round pick to Chicago as part of the deal involving last year’s No. 1 selection, the Bears were able to boost their chances of picking first in April with a win.

Owning the top selection in a draft touted for having multiple high-end options at the quarterback spot would of course add further to the speculation surrounding Justin Fields. The Bears gave the 24-year-old a vote of confidence last spring by trading out of the No. 1 slot, but he has yet to develop as hoped this season. Chicago could opt for a fresh start under center (particularly if they declined Fields’ fifth-year option) this spring while also having the opportunity to add help elsewhere on the roster with their own first-rounder, which seems destined to fall within the top 10 or perhaps even top five selections.

Of course, teams like the Giants, Cardinals and Patriots have experienced signficant troubles of their own this year. A continuation of their first half performances could leave them in pole position for the Caleb Williams–Drake Maye sweepstakes. All three teams face potential uncertainty with respect to their current passers’ futures, despite each having term remaining on their respective contracts.

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. With plenty still to be sorted out over the coming months, here is an early look at the current draft order:

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