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Injured Reserve Return Tracker

November 13th, 2024 at 6:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

This offseason brought a change in how teams could construct their 53-man rosters while retaining flexibility with injured players. Clubs were permitted to attach return designations to two players (in total) placed on IR or an NFI list before setting their initial rosters.

In prior years, anyone placed on IR before a team set its initial 53-man roster could not be activated in-season. All August 27 IR- or NFI-return designations, however, already count against teams’ regular-season limit of eight. This introduces more strategy for teams, who will be tasked with determining which players injured in-season will factor into activation puzzles as the year progresses.

All players designated for return on August 27 are eligible to be activated beginning in Week 5, though any player placed on IR after a team set its initial 53 has not been designated for return and therefore does not yet count toward a club’s eight-activation limit. Players who receive return designations after Week 5 also appear on this list.

Here is how teams’ activation puzzles look going into Week 11:

Arizona Cardinals

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Atlanta Falcons

Designated for return from IR (August 27): 

Designated for return: 

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Baltimore Ravens

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Buffalo Bills

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 6

Carolina Panthers

Designated for return:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Chicago Bears

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 4

Cincinnati Bengals

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Cleveland Browns

Reverted to season-ending IR:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 2

Dallas Cowboys

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Denver Broncos

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Detroit Lions

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activations remaining: 7

Green Bay Packers

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

  • DL Jonathan Ford (Week 8)

Activations remaining: 7

Houston Texans

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 3

Indianapolis Colts

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Jacksonville Jaguars

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 3

Kansas City Chiefs

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Las Vegas Raiders

Eligible for activation from IR:

Eligible for activation from reserve/NFI list:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 7

Los Angeles Chargers

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Los Angeles Rams

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL K.T. Leveston

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 1

Miami Dolphins

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation from IR:

Eligible for activation from reserve/NFI list:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Minnesota Vikings

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New England Patriots

Designated for return from reserve/non-football illness list (August 27):

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New Orleans Saints

Designated for return: 

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

New York Giants

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

New York Jets

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Philadelphia Eagles

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 5

Pittsburgh Steelers

Designated for return from IR (August 27):

  • OL Dylan Cook

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 4

San Francisco 49ers

Eligible for activation: 

Designated for return:

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Seattle Seahawks

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 5

Tennessee Titans

Eligible for activation:

Activated: 

Activations remaining: 7

Washington Commanders

Eligible for activation:

Activated:

Activations remaining: 6

Jets Claim C Connor McGovern

November 12th, 2024 at 9:31pm CST by Ben Levine

And just like that, Connor McGovern is back in New York. The Jets announced that they’ve claimed the veteran offensive lineman off waivers. McGovern was waived by the Saints yesterday.

[RELATED: Saints Waive Connor McGovern]

McGovern started the 2024 campaign in New York after catching on with the team’s practice squad. The Saints snagged the lineman in early October and added him to the active roster, where he proceeded to start five of his six appearances. However, with both Erik McCoy and Shane Lemieux nearing full health, the Saints decided to suddenly move on from their fill-in.

Back in New York, McGovern’s situation will be similar to what he faced earlier in the year. 2023 second-round pick Joe Tippmann is firmly entrenched as the team’s center, with backup center Alec Lindstrom generating only three special teams snaps this year. There’s a chance McGovern only makes a brief stop on the active roster before inevitably landing back on the practice squad.

Still, McGovern represents some worthwhile depth for the organization. The lineman joined the Jets ahead of the 2020 campaign and proceeded to start all 48 of his appearances through his first three seasons with the team. He suffered a dislocated kneecap last October that limited him to only seven starts in 2023.

Saints Waive Connor McGovern

November 11th, 2024 at 5:55pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints have waived center Connor McGovern, per ESPN’s Katherine Terrell, potentially to make space for Erik McCoy, who was designated for return from injured reserve last week.

New Orleans signed McGovern off the Jets’ practice squad at the beginning of October after a rash of injuries to their offensive line, including McCoy’s groin injury that required surgery and a stint on IR. With Shane Lemieux landing on injured reserve after Week 4, the Saints needed another center on the roster until McCoy completed his recovery.

Lucas Patrick started Week 5 at center for New Orleans, but had to move back to left guard after an injury to Nick Saldivieri. McGovern finished the game at center and started the next five games, allowing just eight pressures and zero sacks across 369 total snaps, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

But with Lemieux coming off injured reserve last week and McCoy nearing full health, the Saints moved on from McGovern. Since he was released after the trade deadline, he is subject to waivers and can be claimed by any NFL team. As an experienced lineman who has proven he is healthy after an injury ended his 2023 season, McGovern could draw interest on waivers by a team that needs center depth for the rest of the season. If he clears waivers, he is free to sign to any team’s active roster or practice squad.

The Saints recorded their third win of the year after firing head coach Dennis Allen last week. McCoy’s return should help stabilize the offensive line in front of Derek Carr, but his top receivers, Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave, are both on injured reserve, limiting the ceiling of a Saints offense that scored 91 points across their first two games but has averaged just 17 points per game since.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis Not On Hot Seat; Team Does Not Anticipate Rebuild

November 10th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Parks

If he had his druthers, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis would not have fired head coach Dennis Allen. Owner Gayle Benson went around her longtime GM and handed Allen his walking papers last week, the second time this season that a team’s owner fired their head coach without input from their top personnel executive (Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh earlier this year and did not involve GM Joe Douglas in the decision).

That would ordinarily be a bad sign for the GM in question, and indeed, Douglas could be in his final days as a member of the Jets’ front office. However, Loomis is reportedly in no danger of losing his job, with Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post writing that Loomis is “bulletproof” as far as Benson is concerned.

“Mickey is going to be able to do whatever he wants,” another team’s GM told La Canfora. “Nothing has changed there.” 

Loomis has been in his post since 2002, and during that time, the Saints have compiled a 205-159 record and captured the first and only Super Bowl in franchise history. Of course, the team’s on-field success came with Drew Brees at quarterback, and while Loomis deserves credit for bringing the future Hall of Famer to New Orleans, the first three-plus seasons of the post-Brees era have not gone according to plan.

Now 3-7, the Saints are almost certainly going to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, and Loomis will be tasked with finding a permanent head coach for just the third time during his tenure. He hired Sean Payton in 2006 and recently navigated Payton’s decision to step down/briefly retire by trading Payton’s rights to the Broncos in exchange for a package fronted by a 2023 first-round pick. Allen, who had served as Payton’s defensive coordinator from 2015-21, was promoted to the HC post following his former boss’ departure.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has a real chance to land the job on a full-time basis if the team shows life down the stretch, as La Canfora reports. Speculatively, Loomis may not have many options in that regard, as the team’s typically untenable cap situation and uncertain quarterback situation is unlikely to attract the top HC candidates in the upcoming cycle.

As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com details in an expansive piece that is well-worth a read for Saints fans in particular, New Orleans is projected to be about $63MM over the 2025 salary cap, $55MM worse than the next closest team. Due to Loomis’ extensive use of void years and restructures, there is no real relief to be found in releasing players, so it will be a challenge to become cap-compliant.

As even casual NFL observers know, this is a familiar refrain for the Saints, but while the team remained competitive amidst prior cap crunches due to Brees’ presence and the fact that Loomis hit on several draft classes, the general consensus is that the Saints’ immediate outlook is bleaker than it has been for some time.

In order to right the ship and usher in a new era of competitiveness, Fitzgerald proposes a series of maneuvers that begins with renegotiating QB Derek Carr’s current deal this offseason and then releasing the veteran signal-caller as a post-June 1 cut. While acknowledging that Carr’s future in New Orleans is unclear, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Saints are not planning a full rebuild.

Per Rapoport, the club believes its competitive window is still open, and that the two blowout wins it enjoyed to start the 2024 season reflect the roster’s upside when it is at full strength. Plus, the Saints have seen how long and unpredictable true overhauls can be, which reinforces their belief that a retooling – in Rapoport’s words, “keeping good players, moving on from those with upside-down value, and getting more good players” – is the best course of action.

That is why, despite receiving trade inquiries on a number of prominent players on the roster, Loomis’ only move at this year’s deadline was to deal Marshon Lattimore to the Commanders, which led to a notable return of draft capital. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, meanwhile, agrees that a teardown would come as a shock.

The retooling strategy is based on the belief that Loomis & Co. will ace the 2025 and subsequent drafts. He has done it before, and all signs point to his being given ample opportunity to do it again.

Saints WR Chris Olave Expected To Land On IR, May Be Done For Season

November 9th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Ben Levine

Chris Olave may have already played his last snap of the 2024 campaign. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Saints wide receiver is expected to land on injured reserve today. Olave suffered a concussion in Week 9 and was already ruled out for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons. Olave will now be out for at least the next four games.

[RELATED: Saints’ Chris Olave Visiting Concussion Specialists]

As we learned earlier this week, Olave is set to visit specialists as he determines his future in the NFL. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football says the “expectation” is that Olave won’t play again during the 2024 campaign. Rapoport echos that sentiment, citing the nature of the injury, Olave’s impending visits with specialists, and the Saints’ unlikely chances of making the postseason.

This latest concussion marks the second time this season that Olave has dealt with a brain injury, continuing a troubling trend for the wideout. The 2022 first-round pick also dealt with concussions in each of his first two seasons, and this latest occurrence prompted meetings with specialists. When Olave returned to the field in Week 8 following a one-game absence, he was sporting a new helmet, although the player opted against wearing a Guardian Cap.

As Olave navigates his latest concussion, it sounds like the Saints are opting to play it safe with their young star. Following a 2-0 start, the Saints are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, leading to Dennis Allen‘s firing earlier this week. With fellow wideout Rashid Shaheed having already been lost for the season, the Saints receivers room will be down to the likes of veterans Cedrick Wilson Jr. and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, plus UDFAs Mason Tipton and Jermaine Jackson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/24

November 9th, 2024 at 9:11pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves, including standard gameday practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Elevated: LB Curtis Bolton, WR Isaiah Hodgins

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Spector will miss at least the next four games as a result of the Bills’ move. He has remained a mainstay on special teams this year, having also done so in 2022 and ’23. The former seventh-rounder has made three starts on defense, however, so his absence will be felt moving forward. Linebacker has been a position hit hard by injuries this season, and Buffalo’s depth at the second level will now be tested even further.

Wattenberg had his 21-day practice window opened by the Broncos earlier this week, paving the way for today’s activation. The 27-year-old operated as the team’s starting center prior to going down after having won a summer competition for the gig with Alex Forsyth. Forsyth handled first-team duties over the past four games, drawing a superior PFF evaluation and therefore potentially playing his way into an extended look atop the depth chart. At a minimum, having Wattenberg back will give Denver – a team with three IR activations left – depth up front.

Saints Place Chris Olave On IR, Activate Shane Lemieux, Will Harris

November 9th, 2024 at 6:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints have officially placed Chris Olave on injured reserve. The third-year wideout will miss at least the first four games as a result, although his availability for the remainder of the season is in question.

Olave is dealing with his second concussion of the season, which also represents his fourth in less than three full campaigns in the NFL. The 24-year-old’s visits with specialists will determine his next steps, but for at least the immediate future he will be unavailable to the 2-7 Saints as they begin life with Darren Rizzi as head coach. New Orleans has already lost fellow WR starter Rashid Shaheed for the season.

Olave is under contract through 2025 as things stand, but his fifth-year option for the following season could be exercised this spring. A decision on that front – or any approach with respect to a long-term extension, of course – will be dictated in large part by the Ohio State product’s prognosis. Given how far the Saints are from postseason contention along with the long-term approach being taken by team and player, attention will increasingly turn toward Olave’s Week 1 availability in 2025.

New Orleans will have a pair of returnees in the lineup for Week 10, however. The team also announced on Saturday that offensive lineman Shane Lemieux has been activated from IR. The 27-year-old took over as the first-team option at center once Erik McCoy was injured; McCoy has been ruled out for tomorrow’s contest, so Lemieux could reprise that role now that he is healthy. If not, he will be an option in the middle but also at guard as the Saints look to establish a consistent lineup along the O-line to close out the year.

Safety Will Harris has also been activated from IR. A hamstring injury led him to injured reserve roughly one month ago, interrupting his debut campaign in New Orleans. Harris started each of his five appearances prior to going down, serving in a first-team role after he did so during parts of his five-year Lions tenure. Harris, 28, will look to aid a defense which ranks 27th against the pass this season.

These moves will leave the Saints with five IR activations on the year. Bringing Olave back into the fold at some point would lower that figure, but it appears signficant progress will need to be made in his recovery for that to become a consideration.

Ravens Offered Third-Round Pick For Marshon Lattimore

November 8th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Ely Allen

The Ravens’ trade deadline moves were a bit anticlimactic, especially considering that Baltimore is thought to be a contender in a championship window who should be receiving the full allotment of compensatory draft picks in 2025. It appears that the Ravens’ lackluster result wasn’t necessarily for lack of trying, as Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports that Baltimore put in an offer to trade for former Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

According to Breer, the Ravens offered up a third-round pick for the veteran cornerback. Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports adds that this was initially a battle of the AFC’s top contenders as the Chiefs and Ravens each attempted to acquire Lattimore, but Washington, a blooming contender in their own right, swooped in at the final moment to outbid them.

Per Schultz, the Commanders saw their extensive draft capital in the upcoming offseason and their top-four cap space for 2025 and decided to acquire Lattimore as another building block for the next few seasons. Breer reports that Lattimore initially wasn’t even being made available. It wasn’t until former head coach Dennis Allen got fired that the Saints started hearing out offers on the defender.

He adds that Lattimore wasn’t the only Ravens trade target for whom the team fell short. Breer relays that Baltimore also was on the homestretch to reacquire defensive lineman Calais Campbell from the Dolphins. The aging veteran spent three years with the Ravens from 2020-22, making a Pro Bowl (the sixth of his career) during his time with the team. In eight games in Miami this year, Campbell hasn’t really shown his usual production but still could’ve been a crucial addition to a Ravens defensive line that applies plenty of pressure but often struggles to finish.

Instead, the Ravens held on to their likely 11 draft picks for 2025 (seven rounds plus four compensatory picks), acquiring wide receiver Diontae Johnson from the Panthers for a 2025 late-round pick swap and oft-injured veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White and the Rams 2027 seventh-round pick for a seventh- of their own in 2026.

One of the league’s more consistent franchises when it comes to the draft, those 11 picks can be crucial for the future, but it’s likely frustrating for fans who watch the team’s 32nd-ranked pass defense and who realize just how quickly championship windows can close.

Saints’ Chris Olave Visiting Concussion Specialists; IR Under Consideration

November 8th, 2024 at 10:08pm CST by Adam La Rose

10:08pm: Rizzi said on Friday a move to injured reserve is under consideration in Olave’s case (h/t Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football). That would ensure at least a four-game absence and allow for an extended period of further evaluation and recovery similar to how the Dolphins proceeded with Tua Tagovailoa earlier in the year. The Saints – who have officially ruled Olave out for Week 10 – currently have seven IR return slots available for the rest of the season.

9:54am: Chris Olave was knocked out of the Saints’ Week 9 game with his latest concussion. The third-year wideout was quickly discharged from hospital after the injury, but he and the team are taking a slow approach to his recovery process.

Olave was diagnosed with one concussion in each of his first two seasons in the league. In 2024, he has dealt with two more brain injuries, a concerning trend for his short- and long-term health. The 24-year-old is meeting with specialists in the wake of his latest concussion, as detailed by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell.

“He wants to go thoroughly through the process and making sure he’s making the best decision for Chris Olave, removing football from that equation… What’s the best decision for the person?” interim head coach Darren Rizzi said. “So, my conversations with him and our medical staff, we’ve been thorough and his family’s going to be thorough with the process. I completely support that.”

Olave changed helmets after his first concussion of the season to a model designed for better protection against further brain trauma. He considered wearing a Guardian Cap upon return, but elected not to do so. Regardless of if his stance on that front changes, the Ohio State product’s ability to remain on the field once he receives clearance will be a key storyline for the Saints. New Orleans is without wideout Rashid Shaheed for the remainder of the campaign, so having Olave back in the near future would be crucial for the team’s passing attack down the stretch.

With the Saints sitting at 2-7 on the year, however, the long-term outlook for his injury status is of course much more important. Olave will be eligible for an extension this offseason, and a decision on his 2026 fifth-year option will need to be made during the spring. The former No. 11 pick will be in line for $16.63MM that year if his option gets picked up, and a long-term deal would require a signficant investment on the Saints’ part if they were to commit to a second contract in this case.

Olave topped 1,000 yards as a rookie, averaging 14.5 yards per catch. He took on a larger target share last year, increasing his catch, yardage and touchdown totals along the way. Expectations therefore remain high for the rest of 2024 and beyond, but for the time being attention will remain focused on the outcome of his medical evaluations.

Mickey Loomis, Saints Ownership Disagreed On Dennis Allen Firing

November 7th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The longest-tenured pure GM in the NFL, Mickey Loomis has held this New Orleans gig since 2002. He has only hired two head coaches, however, tabbing DC Dennis Allen to take over after Sean Payton‘s exit (Loomis was hired during Jim Haslett‘s six-year HC tenure). That number, barring a change in the front office, will expand to three next year.

If Loomis had his way, however, Allen may still be coaching the Saints. The 23rd-year GM is not believed to have been ready to fire the team’s third-year HC, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who indicates ownership drove this ouster.

Hearing from a Saints fanbase that has not seen a season with six or fewer wins since 2005, the Gayle Benson-fronted group pulled the plug. Breer goes as far as to indicate ownership was committed to making this move to the point Allen might have been fired even if the Saints had won the Week 9 matchup with the downtrodden Panthers. The Saints had lost by double figures in each of their previous four games, with a Buccaneers 51-point day sprinkled in.

Allen has received two chances as a head coach. This one went better than his Raiders stint, which occurred in the early years of Mark Davis‘ ownership. Allen went 8-28 as Raiders HC, and while Derek Carr was Oakland’s quarterback when Davis dropped Allen in October 2014, the two-time Payton assistant had coached Carson Palmer in 2012 — before the QB’s Arizona resurgence — and then oversaw an unenviable 2013 situation that featured Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin combining for 15 starts. Allen went 4-12 in each of his first two Raiders seasons and followed a 7-10 2022 slate with a 9-8 showing last year. Though, his third New Orleans HC season reminded of the bleak period in Oakland.

The Saints started 2-0, seeing Klint Kubiak‘s offense become a central September storyline in the NFL, before dropping seven straight. This is the longest Saints losing streak since 1999, when Mike Ditka‘s finale deteriorated into a 3-13 showing. Allen firing rumors cropped up near the end of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, but Loomis resisted calls for the coach’s dismissal each year. The decision to retain Allen after the ’23 campaign surprised some Saints players.

Recently retired O-lineman James Hurst said this week some players expected Loomis to fire Allen after the team’s Week 18 win over the Falcons — a game that sealed Arthur Smith‘s fate in Atlanta. New Orleans’ 2023 season famously wrapped with backup QB Jameis Winston going rogue, eschewing Allen’s plans for a kneeldown sequence to give Jamaal Williams a chance to score a touchdown last season. Williams, who had led the NFL in rushing TDs in 2022, had not scored one to that point last year. The Saints beat the Falcons 48-17, with Williams’ TD occurring with 1:10 remaining. Smith voiced his displeasure to Allen postgame, and then apologized for his team’s actions.

Now working with WDSU, Hurst said during a recent broadcast many players viewed Allen as missing an opportunity to support them — even as the offense disobeyed the second-year HC — following that season-ending win. Hurst added Loomis addressed the players a day later, creating an expectation among them Allen would be fired. That, of course, did not happen. After all, the 2023 Saints won four of their final five games. This year’s edition is now 2-7 and will be in the market for an outside hire for the first time since Loomis hired Payton in 2006.

Allen not sticking up for his players publicly created a legitimate issue, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds. The losing streak, albeit one that involved a few key injuries, may have further solidified a perception of Allen losing the locker room. Loomis, however, does not look to have entirely agreed with that.

A Payton assistant from 2006-10 who returned after his Raiders ouster, Allen had played a central role in the Saints turning their defensive operation around after a rough mid-2010s period. After top-half finishes in both scoring and yardage from 2017-19, Allen’s defense ranked in the top 10 in points allowed from 2020-23. This season, however, Allen’s veteran-laden unit exited Week 9 ranked 26th in that category.

If Loomis indeed was not ready to fire Allen, both of this year’s in-season firings have gone down this way. Jets owner Woody Johnson went around GM Joe Douglas to can Robert Saleh last month. It will be interesting to see how Benson and Loomis coexist once the search for Allen’s full-time successor commences in earnest.

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