This year’s ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ Key did not make the Jets’ initial 53-man roster. The 24-year-old was retained via the practice squad, but he did not see any regular season action. Now a free agent, Key will look to latch on with another organization.
Ross signed with the Eagles in May as part of his bid to return to the NFL. The former Combine 40-yard dash record holder was released during roster cutdowns, however, after he was unable to carve out a depth role on offense. Ross will rejoin the team in a bid to provide Philadelphia with a complementary receiving option as the team deals with a number of injuries at the WR spot.
Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts but he quickly landed a deal with the Lions on their practice squad. Healthy after back-to-back years featuring major injuries, the 30-year-old has twice been a gameday elevation so far this year and logged a 44% offensive snap share. He will aim to remain in a depth role while now permanently on the active roster.
Covey will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks given today’s move. His injury is particularly notable given the fact A.J. Brownand DeVonta Smithare both injured at the moment, thinning out the team’s receiver room. Covey, 27, received seven targets across the past two games and Philadelphia will need to turn to other options for a complementary role at wideout (along with the return game).
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 20th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Adam La Rose
The Giants traded up in the third round of the 2023 draft to select wideout Jalin Hyatt. Through the first two weeks of the current season, though, he has not emerged as a regular contributor in the passing game.
Hyatt has logged only 28 offensive snaps to date, and he has been targeted once so far. The Tennessee product spent much of the offseason competing with veteran Darius Slaytonfor a starting role, but he sits fourth on the depth chart as things stand. Slayton, Malik Nabersand Wan’Dale Robinsonrepresent the Giants’ preferred trio on the first-team offense, so an injury will be needed for Hyatt to handle a notable workload.
During the summer, the 22-year-old expressed frustration with his situation, with ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reporting Hyatt told the Giants they should trade him if they kept him pegged for a backup role. Raanan adds no consideration is being given to to a trade, and head coach Brian Daboll said on Friday he never received a trade request in the offseason (h/t Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). Hyatt himself also offered a denial of the report (video link via SNY). For now, attention from team and player will be focused on preparing for an evantual uptick in usage.
“I thought I had a very, very good training camp and they told me I did,” the Tennessee product said (via Raanan). “They told me I had a great training camp, but there are things that I can’t control, and I am disappointed about it, but at the end of the day, I’m just going to keep getting better and my chance will come, and when it comes I will be ready.”
Hyatt put up modest production during his first two seasons with the Volunteers. During his junior campaign, however, he racked up 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns en route to winning the Biletnikoff Award as the country’s top receiver. That helped his draft stock, although questions remained with respect to his overall skillset at the NFL level. Hyatt was primarily viewed as a vertical threat upon entering the league, and that was demonstrated by his 16.2 yards per catch average as a rookie.
Since he is attached to his rookie contract through 2026, it would have come as a surprise if the Giants had given serious thought to a trade involving Hyatt during the summer. Since he does not play on special teams, though, he is in line to remain a relative afterthought for the team’s WR room barring a change on the depth chart and a resultant increase in opportunities.
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.
September 17th, 2024 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson
Graham Gano‘s injury changed the Giants’ gameday procedure, costing them dearly in a narrow loss to the Commanders. After not attempting any extra points once Gano went down, the Giants will make their expected addition.
With Gano set to miss at least four games, New York worked out four kickers. The team, however, will take another course. The Giants are signing Greg Joseph off the Lions’ practice squad, per his agency. The team must keep Joseph on its 53-man roster for at least three weeks due to poaching him off another team’s P-squad. Gano is now on IR, per a Giants announcement.
Joseph, 30, spent the past three seasons as the Vikings’ kicker. He drilled a 61-yard game-winning field goal to beat the Giants in Week 16 of the 2022 season. Like Gano, who made a 63-yarder to beat the Giants as a Panther in 2018, Joseph will make his way to the NFC’s New York franchise.
Joseph made 86.8% of his field goals in 2021 but did not clear the 80% barrier in either of the past two seasons. He made 80% of his tries last season, missing three from between 40 and 49 yards, and saw the Vikings take a different route this year.
As for Gano, this is the second time he has landed on IR in as many seasons. Gano has suffered two injuries since the Giants gave him a three-year, $16.5MM extension ($11.34MM guaranteed) in September 2023. Gano, 37, missed nine games last season. The Giants will hope to have their regular specialist back from his hamstring injury this season, but they will need to use an IR activation to make that happen.
Bullock served as the Giants’ Gano replacement in six games last season, while Patterson could not secure a spot as the Commanders’ kicker in the preseason. (Gonzalez has not kicked since the 2021 season.) The Commanders, who settled on Austin Seibert as their latest kicker, became the first NFL team to win a game despite scoring zero touchdowns to their opponent’s three.
September 17th, 2024 at 11:59am CST by Adam La Rose
Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen entered the 2024 campaign with questions about their job security. The Giants have started the year 0-2, though, leading to a new round of speculation regarding changes on the sidelines and in the front office.
Owner John Mara made it clear in advance of the season that a playoff berth was not mandatory for the campaign to be considered a success. He did say, however, that a “big step forward” was expected compared to last year’s 6-11 showing. Things have not gone according to plan so far, with a lopsided loss to the Vikings being followed by a Commanders defeat during which the Giants scored the game’s only three touchdowns.
Despite the winless start to the year, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes a shakeup at this point should not be expected. He predicts the Giants’ situation would need to worsen for consideration to be given by ownership to an in-season firing. A turnaround will still be needed to quell doubts about changes being made during the 2025 offseason, of course.
“I’ve been part of some 0-2 teams that ended up pretty well,” Daboll said (via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post). “I know [the Giants] have here. So again, what really happened 10 years ago or last year, like I’ve always said, really has no bearing on anything this season.”
Much of the 2024 campaign will revolve around the play of quarterback Daniel Jones. The organization remains committed to the former first-rounder, whose contract contains a potential out after the season. Jones’ performance was better in Week 2 than in the season opener, but he will remain under heavy scrutiny if the Giants are unable to meet expectations. The same will be true of Daboll and Schoen, whose first year at the helm resulted in a surprise postseason berth (and wild-card victory) before a major step back in 2023.
Plenty of time remains for New York to rebound from the opening two weeks of the campaign, with offensive efficiency and the play of the team’s recent draft classes in particular being watched closely as it pertains to Daboll and Schoen, respectively. Both could very well find themselves increasingly on the hot seat in the near future, but for the time being their jobs appear to be safe.
September 16th, 2024 at 8:28pm CST by Adam La Rose
Graham Ganowas added to the Giants’ injury report on Saturday with a groin issue. The veteran kicker then suffered a hamstring injury on the opening kickoff of New York’s Week 2 loss, and the latter ailment has him set to miss time.
When speaking to the media on Monday, head coach Brian Daboll said Gano will be sidelined for “a few weeks” (h/t ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). Daboll added the team will host free agent workouts to evaluate options, while Jude McAtamneyis currently in place on the practice squad. This marks the second consecutive season in which Gano has suffered an injury which requires a multi-week absence.
The 37-year-old was limited to eight games in 2023 due to a knee injury which required surgery and landed him on injured reserve. This latest ailment altered New York’s approach to Sunday’s game. Punter Jamie Gillanattempted an extra point after the team’s first touchdown but missed. The Giants then unsuccessfully attempted a two-point conversion after their other two scores, and were stopped on a fourth-and-four while within field range (under normal circumstances) late in the fourth quarter.
New York made history by scoring three touchdowns in a contest while not allowing any but still losing in regulation time. Missing Gano played a role in that, and replacing him during the coming days will be an obvious priority. With roughly $5.8MM in cap space, the team should be able to add a free agent kicker relatively easily. McAtamney does not have any regular season experience, so it would come as no surprise if a veteran option were to be added in short order.
Randy Bullockand Mason Crosbyhandled kicking duties for the Giants last season after Gano went down. Both are on the open market at the moment, as is Cade York(who spent time on New York’s practice squad in 2023 but did not see any game action). York briefly returned to the Browns before being traded to the Commanders. He was let go in favor of Austin Seibert, however, and it was the latter who went seven-for-seven on field goals yesterday to help Washington win.
Placing Gano on injured reserve would ensure at least a four-week absence. Keeping him on the active roster while injured for a shorter period will be an option, albeit an usual route given that teams typically only keep one available kicker in the fold at any given time. While a decision on that front is made, the Giants will once again look for a midseason replacement.
The Giants’ attempts to trade up in this year’s draft to acquire a top quarterback prospect were clearly not a ringing endorsement of incumbent Daniel Jones, who landed a four-year, $160MM contract from the team in March 2023. The ensuing 2023 season was an injury-marred slog for Jones, who played in just six games and who threw for two touchdowns against six interceptions while posting a 1-5 record and 70.5 quarterback rating.
Owner John Mara recently indicated that he did not have buyer’s remorse over the Jones deal, noting that the Duke product’s injuries – he battled a neck ailment before a season-ending ACL tear – the team’s lack of receiving talent, and a porous O-line conspired to make 2023 a forgettable season for Jones and for Big Blue as a whole. And, while there was never any real QB controversy this summer despite speculation to the contrary, that could change if Jones does not begin to perform at a higher level.
Even if the Giants had been successful in their pursuit of a high-end collegiate signal-caller in the draft, they would have been unable to realistically get out from under Jones’ contract this year. 2025, though, is a different story, as New York can release Jones as a post-June 1 cut next year and realize cap savings of $30.5MM while incurring relatively modest dead money charges of $11.1MM in 2025 and 2026.
However, Jones’ deal also includes $23MM in injury guarantees, a sum that will become fully guaranteed if he suffers an injury and is unable to pass a physical in the offseason. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote this morning, if Jones does not play up to the 2022 standard that helped him secure his notable payday, the Giants could be put to a decision: bench Jones and protect themselves against the injury guarantee – as a number of teams have done in recent history – or continue rolling the dice with the player to whom they made such a sizeable commitment not that long ago?
Connor Hughes of SNY.tv notes that this is not just idle speculation on Schefter’s part, thereby suggesting that the team is already contemplating a Jones benching at some point in the near future (indeed, Hughes reminds us that GM Joe Schoen brought up the topic at his preseason presser, and Hughes himself said he could envision a quarterback change at halftime of the club’s Week 2 contest today if Jones does not play well).
On the other hand, Dan Duggan of The Athletic points out that head coach and offensive play-caller Brian Daboll did not act like a man who was concerned with the injury guarantee in last week’s 28-6 drubbing at the hands of the Vikings. Daboll called three power runs for Jones, and he even called timeouts to get the ball back for a garbage-time drive, during which Jones took two more hits.
Of course, Daboll is very much on the hot seat, and given that his backup QB is Drew Lock, he has every reason to try to get Jones in a rhythm. But Jones, who completed 22 of 42 passes for 186 yards and two picks in the Minnesota contest, may be running out of time to do that, with ESPN’s Jordan Raanan hearing from multiple sources that the sixth-year passer has lost confidence in himself.
Patrick was among the Broncos’ final roster cuts after a Saints trade was discussed. The 30-year-old missed the 2022 and ’23 campaigns due to ACL and Achilles tears, respectively. Patrick did not need to wait long to find a new opportunity, though, quickly landing a practice squad deal with the Lions. He is now positioned make his season debut tomorrow as a complementary option in Detroit’s passing attack.
Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury and he was known to be facing a long-term absence. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise, but it ensures at least a four-week absence. The former All-Pro scored a punt return touchdown with Pittsburgh early last season and added another during his 10-game Giants stretch to close out the year. The team will need to rely on other options in the return game for the time being.
