HEADLINES

Roger Goodell: Super Bowl Outside U.S. A Possibility

October 17th, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

After gradually increasing the number of international games over the past several seasons, the NFL could be poised to bring its biggest annual event overseas, according to Ken Maguire of The Associated Press. 

“We’ve always traditionally tried to play a Super Bowl in an NFL city — that was always sort of a reward for the cities that have NFL franchises,” Roger Goodell at a fan forum in London last week. “But things change. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if that happens one day.”

Excepting Super Bowl XLVIII, the NFL has picked stadiums either in warm-weather states or with domes to host the Super Bowl. This could be a significant barrier to an international Super Bowl. London, the most likely destination, may be too cold in February and lacks a domed stadium with enough capacity for the big game.

However, NFL executive Peter O’Reilly clarified on October 17 that an international Super Bowl is “not on the front burner,” per FOX News’ Armando Salguero. 

It is more likely that the NFL continues to augment its international presence during the regular season. Goodell has proposed a 16-game international slate if the regular season expands to 18 games, though that will face pushback from the NFLPA after players have openly expressed frustration with traveling overseas midseason.

The prospect of 16 international games came up during talks that led to the 2020 CBA’s ratification, but the league’s 17-game schedule has come in well short of that mark. This season brought five international games. That is the highwater mark to date. Moving to eight has come up in the recent past. However, a jump to 16 would be a major change to the league’s schedule as a whole.

Goodell expects Dublin, Ireland and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to join the list of international hosts, with Madrid already confirmed for next season. Sweden and Australia have also come up as international sites, as is Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, which hosted a site visit in the past year, per CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. So far, the NFL has mostly camped in London, Germany and Mexico City. Though, the Packers-Eagles Brazil matchup marked a significant development on the international sports scene. Jaguars owner Shad Khan – who also owns West London Premier League team Fulham F.C. – is also considering playing more games in London during upcoming stadium renovations in Jacksonville.

Owned by the storied Irish-American Rooney family, the Steelers are a prime candidate to play in Dublin’s first NFL game, according to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. The Steelers and Bears played a preseason game in Dublin in 1997.

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/17/24

October 17th, 2024 at 8:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

New York Jets

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/17/24

October 17th, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos 

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Watson could be claimed off waivers by any teams seeking backfield depth. If that does not take place, though, he will become a free agent. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports a mutual interest exists for team and player to reunite via a practice squad deal provided it is possible. Watson, an undrafted rookie, has made only one appearance to date so he should have a strong chance of passing through waivers unclaimed.

Broncos Activate Damarri Mathis From IR

October 17th, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Broncos have brought a number of contributors into the fold ahead of tonight’s game. In addition to edge rusher Baron Browning and right tackle Mike McGlinchey, Denver has activated cornerback Damarri Mathis.

The latter suffered a high ankle sprain during the Broncos’ preseason finale. That put an end to the chances of a trade taking place, although Denver preferred to hold onto the 25-year-old. While setting their initial roster, the Broncos designated Mathis for return on August 27, taking advantage of the league’s new rule allowing up to two injured players to be handled in that manner.

That left the former fourth-rounder off the initial roster during cutdowns, but it used up one of Denver’s eight allocated activations. Mathis returned to practice last week, opening his 21-day activation window and setting up an activation in time for the opening game of Week 7. He does not have a full-time starting spot in place upon returning to action, although with Patrick Surtain out for tonight’s contest Mathis could handle a notable role during his season debut.

Surtain and Riley Moss are Denver’s top perimeter corners, with Ja’Quan McMillian in place as the top slot option. Mathis logged 11 starts as a rookie but he was relegated to a rotational role on both defense and special teams last year. The Pitt product has 100 tackles and eight pass deflections to his name, and his workload moving forward will be influenced by his production when on the field.

Surtain (once he is back in action) will of course face the greatest expectations amongst Broncos defenders given the big-ticket extension he signed this summer. The team’s other cornerback options are young and cost-effective, though, and Mathis figures to have a role in that group now that he is back in the picture.

Saints’ Rashid Shaheed Undergoes Season-Ending Meniscus Surgery

October 17th, 2024 at 3:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

Rashid Shaheed will indeed be out for the remainder of the season. The Saints’ top vertical receiver underwent a full meniscus repair, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.

When it was first learned Shaheed would undergo a procedure, it was not known if a meniscus trim or repair would be required. The outcome of his surgery would dictate his recovery timeline, and today’s update confirms a 2024 return will not be possible. Schefter adds Shaheed will be sidelined for four to six months.

Any missed time would be acutely felt in New Orleans’ offense given the 26-year-old’s importance to the team’s offense. Shaheed has averaged 17.5 yards per reception this year while also remaining an X-factor in the return game. Especially as Chris Olave misses Week 7 due to a concussion, the Saints will be highly limited in the passing game tonight.

Beyond their upcoming game against the Broncos, however, the Saints will miss Shaheed’s abilities as a deep threat. The former UDFA logged 14 combined starts during his first two years with the team, emerging as a legitimate No. 2 option along the way. He held that role through the opening six weeks of the current campaign, totaling 349 yards (a figure which leads the team) and three touchdowns on offense. Shaheed also leads the league in punt return average (15.9 yards) and he scored a touchdown in that department earlier in the year. New Orleans’ offense and special teams will be notably shorthanded moving forward.

As the Saints look to maintain their top-five ranking in scoring with rookie Spencer Rattler at quarterback for at least one more game, they will need to do so without a key contributor. Finding a way to replace Shaheed would of course also help in ending the team’s four-game losing streak and boost the chances of a playoff berth. Shaheed is under contract for 2025, the point at which he will next see game action.

Saints Place WR Rashid Shaheed On IR; Return This Season In Doubt

October 17th, 2024 at 3:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 17: Shaheed was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. That move guarantees at least a four-game absence and does not offer an encouraging sign with respect to his late-season availability. Until the outcome of Shaheed’s surgery is clear, though, the Saints will remain hopeful he can return at some point in 2024.

OCTOBER 16: Already without Chris Olave, the Saints will head into their Thursday-night Broncos matchup with breakthrough wideout Rashid Shaheed sidelined as well. Shaheed will undergo knee surgery, sidelining him for the foreseeable future.

The downfield threat has a chance to come back this season, but that is not assured. The outcome of Shaheed’s meniscus surgery will determine if he misses a few weeks or the rest of the year, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Losing Shaheed would be a tough blow to a New Orleans offense that has already played without multiple offensive linemen for stretches this season. Dealing with an oblique tear, Derek Carr is also set to miss a second game.

Dennis Allen subsequently announced that Shaheed will undergo an exploratory procedure that will determine if the third-year wideout will need a meniscus trim or a full repair, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds. A full repair would knock the recently extended receiver out for the season.

Averaging 17.5 yards per catch, Shaheed has continued his transition from UDFA to starter. Olave’s top sidekick has scored three long-range TDs and exited Week 6 with 20 receptions for 349 yards. Shaheed, last season’s first-team All-Pro punt returner, also returned a punt for a score for a second straight season. While Olave is the Saints’ top receiver investment, Shaheed currently leads the team in yardage.

The Saints did well to identify Shaheed out of Division I-FCS Montana State, bringing him in as part of their 2022 UDFA class. With Michael Thomas rarely available over the previous two seasons — and when he was, the former All-Pro displayed an injury-driven decline that presently has him out of the league — Shaheed stepped in to give the team an intriguing WR2 option. Last season, Shaheed totaled 719 yards and five TD receptions in 15 games. He then entered this year as a clear-cut New Orleans starter.

Shaheed, 26, signed an ERFA tender this offseason but later inked a one-year bump that calls for a $4.2MM base salary in 2025. This transaction prevented the Saints from needing to apply a second-round RFA tender on the Weber State alum next year. But the team now risks losing a blossoming player, continuing a tough stretch that followed an explosive 2-0 start.

The Saints will again deploy Spencer Rattler as their starting QB, but he will not have any reliable wideouts to target. The team cut 2023 draftee A.T. Perry, who is now on Denver’s practice squad. Beyond Shaheed and Olave, rookie Bub Means leads Saints WRs with five receptions for 45 yards.

Broncos To Activate OLB Baron Browning, RT Mike McGlinchey

October 17th, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:01pm: McGlinchey will also return when first eligible. Although the Broncos could have given their two recovering players the mini-bye to move toward a return, they have deemed neither IR-return cog as in need of extra time. The veteran right tackle will join Browning in coming off IR tonight, NFL.com’s Jane Slater tweets.

Adrift at right tackle for a decade, with the team using a remarkable 11 Week 1 RT starters from 2013-23, the Broncos have McGlinchey signed to a five-year deal that features a fully guaranteed 2025 salary. McGlinchey made 16 starts last season, and the former 49ers top-10 pick will be back for a Broncos team that remains without reserve RT option Alex Palczewski. Four injury activations now remain for the Broncos.

12:33pm: The Broncos’ pass rush will have a reinforcement back tonight. Despite Baron Browning returning to practice during a short week, the Broncos will not slow-play his return.

Both Browning and Mike McGlinchey received IR-return designations this week, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the former is coming off IR ahead of tonight’s Saints matchup. It is not yet certain if McGlinchey will join the outside linebacker in playing in New Orleans, but with Denver’s right tackle practicing fully Wednesday, it would seem the team will strongly consider another immediate activation.

[RELATED: Injured Reserve Return Tracker]

Browning went down with a foot injury in Week 2; McGlinchey sustained an MCL sprain during the Broncos’ loss to the Steelers as well. Browning’s return will be pivotal for his future, as this is a contract year for the former third-round pick. The Ohio State alum worked as a starter alongside his former college teammate, Jonathon Cooper, but the Broncos have seen 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto enjoy success filling in.

Regardless of how the Broncos structure their OLB corps, the team has another piece to use during a season that has seen Vance Joseph‘s unit help cover for offensive struggles. Browning will join Bonitto, Cooper and third-round rookie Jonah Elliss in the Broncos’ OLB group.

Denver moved Browning from inside linebacker to the edge in 2022, after having used him as a starter off the ball as a rookie. Browning has flashed pass-rushing chops, totaling five sacks in 2022 and 4.5 last season. Browning forced two fumbles in 2023 and tallied 12 QB hits a year prior. Though, injuries have been a consistent part of Browning’s NFL career. An offseason knee injury led Browning to the Broncos’ PUP list last year, costing him seven games. Browning, 25, also missed three games during the 2021 and ’22 seasons.

It would stand to reason, then, that Cooper may be higher on Denver’s long-term priority list. The former seventh-rounder has established himself as a starter in Joseph’s 3-4 scheme, leading the Broncos with 4.5 sacks this season. Cooper joins Browning in a contract year, creating a decision for a Broncos team that has already paid two members from its 2021 draft class — Quinn Meinerz and Patrick Surtain. A Cooper-or-Browning decision may loom, but the latter also will need to show he can stay healthy enough to be a productive player in his contract year to warrant extension consideration.

NFC North Notes: Bears, Vikings, McManus

October 17th, 2024 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady recently said the Bears were on his free agency radar four years ago. Although one fall 2020 report indicated Chicago had indeed waded into the Brady market, Bears chairman George McCaskey confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin) the team did participate in a stealth operation to bring in Brady.

“Anytime you’re in a situation like that you’re not putting all of your eggs in one basket,” McCaskey said. “You’re looking at alternatives. It’s the same in free agency, it’s the same in the draft. If the person you’re targeting isn’t available, you want to make sure that you’ve done your due diligence on all other options. So that was one option that we were looking at.”

The Bears’ alternative that year became a Nick Foles trade. Foles did replace Mitch Trubisky for a stretch during the latter’s contract year, but the former No. 2 overall pick took his job back to help a defense-powered Chicago roster back to the playoffs. The Bears have since drafted two more quarterbacks — Justin Fields, Caleb Williams — in Round 1, as Brady retired (for good, thanks to his Raiders ownership agreement being approved) after a successful Tampa stay.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • Playing well at guard after an injury-plagued rookie year at tackle, Teven Jenkins makes sense as a Bears extension candidate. The Ryan Poles regime did not draft Jenkins — a 2021 second-round pick — but the GM has paid Ryan Pace-era pickups Jaylon Johnson and Cole Kmet. Jenkins has confirmed he approached Bears brass about a second contract, but that has been on hold for a while. Chicago’s Week 7 bye loomed as the next window for a Jenkins deal. Jenkins also has not generated too much momentum early in his contract year, missing time because of rib and ankle injuries. As such, it would be surprising — per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain— if the Bears engaged in serious extension talks with Jenkins’ camp this week. Pro Football Focus still views Jenkins as a higher-end guard, ranking him in the top 20 after slotting the Oklahoma State alum as a top-15 option in 2022 and ’23.
  • The Vikings have Cam Akers back in the fold, agreeing to a late-round pick-swap trade to acquire the running back for a second straight season. This will be Kevin O’Connell‘s third stint with the former Rams second-round pick. Despite the second Akers-O’Connell partnership ending with the running back sustaining the second Achilles tear of his career, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes the Vikings attempted to re-sign him before training camp. Akers opted for a Texans offer instead and did enough filling in for Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce to entice O’Connell and Co. to bring him back.
  • Jordan Addison was arrested on DUI charges in August, putting the second-year wide receiver on a path toward a suspension. The Vikings pass catcher appears a good bet to play most of this season, as ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes his court date has been moved to Dec. 3. Addison had been scheduled to appear in court Monday.
  • Not charged with a crime, Brandon McManus saw a civil suit lead to his exit from Washington. The NFL had ruled the veteran kicker would not be suspended as a result of the suit — one filed by two flight attendants part of a crew on a Jaguars London flight last year — and both McManus’ attorney and counsel for the plaintiffs confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky) the matter has been resolved. Neither party indicated if the resolution came via settlement or a judge dismissing the women’s suit. McManus was accused of sexual assault in the suit; he denied any wrongdoing. The former Broncos and Jaguars kicker will now be asked to step in for a Packers team that has been unable to find a reliable option post-Mason Crosby.

Cardinals’ Bilal Nichols Out For Season, ‘Good Chance’ Jonah Williams Returns

October 17th, 2024 at 12:26pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Cardinals defensive tackle Bilal Nichols will be out for the rest of the 2024 season, head coach Jonathan Gannon confirmed on Thursday, per team reporter Darren Urban.

Nichols was knocked out of Arizona’s Week 6 loss to the Packers with a stinger, and further evaluation revealed a season-ending injury that landed him on injured reserve on October 15. He will join Justin Jones – who tore his triceps in Week 3 – on the sideline for the rest of the year, severely depleting the Cardinals’ defensive line rotation.

Nichols and Jones were two of general manager Monti Ossenfort‘s major free agency signings this offseason, meant to short up Arizona’s league-worst rushing defense in 2023. The injuries have made any improvements marginal at best; the Cardinals rank 30th with 918 yards allowed on the ground this season. Now, only Roy Lopez remains from the starting defensive line, with Khyiris Tonga, L.J. Collier, Naquan Jones and Dante Stills expected to fill the void.

Ossenfort can hope for a better return on his other big offseason investment: offensive tackle Jonah Williams. Gannon said there is a “good chance” that Williams returns from a Week 1 knee injury that initially put the rest of his season in jeopardy, according to Urban.

Veteran Kelvin Beachum has taken over for Williams at right tackle since Week 1 outside of a minor injury in Week 3 that required relief efforts from both Jackson Barton and Charlie Heck. The position has not been a weakness for the Cardinals’ offense, but there is little doubt that Williams would still be an upgrade if he can return this year.

Kicker Matt Prater is also on injured reserve in Arizona, but Gannon said that it is possible he returns this season. In the meantime, the Cardinals have relied on Chad Ryland, who converted five of his six attempts including a game-winner against the 49ers in Week 5.

Steelers C Zach Frazier Facing Multi-Week Absence

October 17th, 2024 at 11:16am CST by Sam Robinson

As the Steelers determine their Week 7 quarterback, Justin Fields or Russell Wilson will be taking snaps from a different center. Zach Frazier will become the second Steelers center this season to miss time.

A second-round rookie, Frazier stepped into Pittsburgh’s starting lineup due to Nate Herbig‘s rotator cuff tear in August. Frazier has started the team’s first six games, but an ankle injury will sideline the rookie for a bit. While officially given a week-to-week timetable, Frazier will miss multiple games, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac.

Frazier’s earliest return window looks to be after Pittsburgh’s Week 9 bye. A Week 10 return would allow the Steelers to avoid using an injury activation, as Frazier would miss just two games. An IR placement would knock Frazier out until Week 12, and Dulac did not confirm Frazier would be set to return in Week 10. If Frazier is indeed expected to miss more time following the bye week, the Steelers will assuredly consider placing him on IR this weekend.

This has not been a good year for Steelers O-line health, yet the team has withstood these maladies to start 4-2. Frazier’s injury follows Troy Fautanu‘s more significant setback. The first-round rookie tackle is out for at least the entire regular season, having seen a multi-injury year lead to what may well be a lost season. Fautanu is not out of the picture for the playoffs, though Herbig is on season-ending IR. The Steelers also did not have Isaac Seumalo in their lineup until Week 5. They did not use IR for the left guard, but he still missed four games. To top this off, contract-year right guard James Daniels is out for the season with an Achilles tear.

Among Steelers starters, only Dan Moore Jr. will enter Week 7 having not missed any time this season. Broderick Jones, who has started five games, has also appeared in all six. Frazier’s absence will lead to Ryan McCollum starting, Mike Tomlin said this week. A 2021 Texans UDFA who caught on with the Steelers in 2022, McCollum has played in all six Pittsburgh games this season. The 26-year-old blocker has made one career start — with the Lions three years ago — and did not see any game action in 2022 or ’23.

Load More Posts