Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
Houston Texans
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Jeff Saturday is now overseeing a staff full of Frank Reich assistants, but the surprising Colts HC hire is not currently looking to add any new personnel to his staff for this audition. Rumors of Jim Irsay‘s Saturday hire frustrating current Colts staffers surfaced last week, and while Saturday bucking the recent trend by seeing his interim tag turn into a full-time post would likely mean a host of new assistants in 2023, Reich’s group will be the one in place for the rest of this season.
“I like the group; I like the support they give each other. They’re in clearly defined roles,” Saturday said. “And I’m happy with where they are. Bringing somebody in, trying to learn an entire process or how we’ve done things? I like where the guys are, so I don’t anticipate that. I’m not guaranteeing it, but in my head I haven’t even had a chance to get that far. I’m just trying to get Week 2 under my belt.”
Saturday stopping short of shutting down the prospect of outside staffers coming in is interesting, but considering how off the board his hire was, it would not surprise to see the new Colts HC consider bringing in some staffers while he is in charge. Here is the latest from the coaching scene:
Linked to teams this offseason, Ndamukong Suh has remained in free agency since his Buccaneers contract expired. The All-Decade defensive tackle who had never missed an NFL game due to injury has missed half the season.
But prospects of Suh resurfacing with a contender appear viable. The Eagles have discussed a deal with the veteran D-lineman this week, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports tweets. While the Eagles have since signed Linval Joseph, he may not have been a Suh backup plan. Despite the Eagles having signed Joseph, Glazer adds they remain interested in Suh (Twitter link).
With Joseph and Robert Quinn being added in-season, the Eagles’ defensive line is now one of the most veteran-heavy position groups in recent memory. Joseph and Quinn joined a stable including Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat. Derek Barnett is also on Philly’s payroll, but the former first-round pick is out for the season.
Experience notwithstanding, the Eagles have run into some trouble defending the run. Joseph is in Philly to help with that issue. Suh’s skillset differs somewhat from Joseph’s, with far more pass-rushing production on the former’s resume, but the Eagles clearly sense an opportunity this season. Being 8-1, such aggressiveness makes sense.
Suh, 35, spent the past three seasons with the Bucs. But they moved in a different direction this offseason, drafting Logan Hall in the second round and signing Akiem Hicks. Connections to the Raiders, Vikings and Browns followed, though conflicting reports emerged on the Las Vegas and Cleveland fronts. This led to a quiet period for the durable veteran, who drifted off the radar for a stretch. But he joins Odell Beckham Jr. as a high-end free agent available for a contender seeking a second-half boost.
An Eagles fit would be interesting given the team’s investments at D-tackle. Cox, Hargrave and now Joseph populate Philly’s group inside, but Jordan Davis‘ return would minimize opportunities beyond the team’s top three here. The Eagles have missed Davis’ presence inside. Since the first-round pick went down against the Steelers, the Eagles have struggled against opposing rushing attacks. The Texans amassed 168 rushing yards in Week 9, while the Commanders totaled 152 in their upset win Monday. The Commanders kept going to the run well against the heavy favorite, too; their 49 attempts were the most by any non-Eagles or Ravens ground attack since 2018.
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Today’s minor transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
Tennessee Titans
NOVEMBER 16: This injury will shut Goedert down for at least four weeks. The Eagles have placed the high-priced tight end on IR.
NOVEMBER 15: The Eagles will be without a key offensive weapon for the next few weeks. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that tight end Dallas Goedert will miss “extended time” with a shoulder injury.
Goedert suffered the injury during last night’s loss to the Commanders, with the tight end hurting his shoulder on a controversial no-call. Fortunately, the tight end isn’t expected to be shelved for the rest of the regular season and should get some run before the playoffs. ESPN’s Tim McManus tweets that the Eagles haven’t decided whether they’ll place Goedert on IR, so it sounds like there’s some optimism that he could be back at some point over the next four weeks.
The 27-year-old has continued to build off a career year in 2021 that saw him finish with 830 receiving yards. In nine starts this season, Goedert hauled in 43 receptions for 544 yards and three touchdowns. Pro Football Focus currently ranks him fourth at the position, although the site hasn’t been particularly fond of his blocking ability.
Goedert has played the third-most snaps at the position in 2022 (behind Cole Kmet and former teammate Zach Ertz), and the Eagles lack experienced depth behind the starter. Rookie Grant Calcaterra should get some reps at the position, although the sixth-rounder has generally played TE3 behind blocker Jack Stoll. Tyree Jackson, who is recovering from a torn ACL, has been practicing since late October and could eventually be activated.
Linval Joseph will have a chance to see action in a 13th NFL season. The Eagles are signing the veteran defensive tackle, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The former Giants, Vikings and Chargers interior defender recently visited the Jets. No signing followed, but the Eagles will provide an opportunity. Philadelphia has struggled against the run in each of its past two games; Joseph stands to provide some help for the 8-1 team on this front.
After playing out his two-year Chargers contract, Joseph has spent the past eight months in free agency. He will join an Eagles team that has devoted significant funds to its defensive line. Philly recently dealt for Robert Quinn, adding the veteran edge rusher to a position group that already featured five veteran contracts (Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett) and first-round pick Jordan Davis. The team has seen Davis’ recent absence hurt its efforts against the run.
Davis suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 8. In the two games without the mammoth D-tackle, the Eagles have respectively given up 168 and 152 rushing yards. Dameon Pierce did not experience much of a blip in his Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign against then-unbeaten Philly in Week 9, and the Commanders’ Brian Robinson–Antonio Gibson duo steadily wore down an Eagles defense on the field for much of Monday night’s upset loss. The Commanders’ 49 rush attempts were the most by a non-Eagle or Raven squad over the past five years.
At 34, Joseph should not be considered a candidate for an every-down role. After his two-year Chargers contract expired in March, not much free agency interest came the nose tackle’s way. But he has a lengthy history of being a run-game deterrent. His 330-plus-pound frame, as of 2021 at least, stands to help an Eagles team that has run into staffing issues on run downs recently.
The former Giants draftee broke into their starting lineup in his second season — Big Blue’s fourth Super Bowl-winning campaign — and used his New York tenure as a springboard to sign two nice Minnesota contracts and an L.A. accord. The former second-round pick served as a key cog during the Vikings’ run of top-10 defenses under Mike Zimmer in the late 2010s, working as a nose in Zimmer’s 4-3 scheme.
For his career, Joseph has started 162 games. That is in the top 30 all time for pure defensive tackles. With Cox and Hargrave present, Joseph may not have a chance to move into the top 20. But the Eagles are offering an opportunity for the veteran run defender to contribute for a Super Bowl contender.
In a corresponding move, the Eagles are placing Marlon Tuipulotu on IR, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Tuipulotu has seen more time since Davis went down. The 2021 sixth-round pick has played at least 43% of Philadelphia’s defensive snaps over the past three games. But he will be shut down for at least the next four.
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans
Here are Monday’s practice squad updates:
Carolina Panthers
Minnesota Vikings
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Rams
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Mitchell has been out of the mix for the Jets since suffering a dislocated knee early last month. Although Mitchell was carted off the field because of that injury, he appears on track to come back. The Jets also have George Fant on IR, but he has not yet been designated for return. The Jets have used Duane Brown and journeyman Cedric Ogbuehi at tackle over the past two games. Gang Green has six injury activations remaining.
The Giants four activations left. A 2021 sixth-round pick, Williams ran into a bone-spur issue during training camp. The Giants claimed Layne off waivers from the Steelers after cutdown day. The former third-round pick has worked on special teams throughout the season.