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NFL Injury Rumors: Giants, Banks, Stafford

November 3rd, 2023 at 9:22pm CST by Ely Allen

The Giants received some good news with the announcement that starting quarterback Daniel Jones has received clearance to play and is line to start Week 9 in Las Vegas. In the same breath, though, New York was forced into the realization that it will be without Jones’ safety net and security blanket as backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor and tight end Darren Waller will both be absent this weekend and, potentially, longer, according to ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

Taylor sustained a rib cage injury that knocked him out of last week’s overtime loss to the Jets. Waller is also dealing with some injury trouble concerning his groin and hamstring. Despite the injuries last week, Taylor and Waller led the Giants in passing and receiving, respectively, in the loss, despite only totaling eight yards passing and four yards receiving.

Raanan relayed the report from head coach Brian Daboll, who mentioned that he doesn’t expect either player back any time soon. In fact, the head coach didn’t rule a stint on injured reserve for Taylor or Waller.

Here are a few other injury rumors from around the NFL, starting with a Texans rookie starter:

  • Houston placed rookie center Jarrett Patterson, who had been forced into the starting lineup due to other injuries along the offensive line, on IR on Tuesday. The specifics of Patterson’s injury weren’t reported at the time, but Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 informed us this week that Patterson suffered a broken fibula. After receiving multiple medical opinions, Patterson will avoid surgery but is still expected to miss six to eight weeks.
  • On the second to last drive of last week’s loss to Cincinnati, 49ers starting left guard Aaron Banks suffered a foot injury that he wouldn’t report until finishing the game. Per a report by David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone, head coach Kyle Shanahan communicated that he expects Banks to miss a few weeks with a turf toe injury. “Yeah, with turf toe, you never know,” Shanahan said. “So, they told me it should be a few weeks, is what I got here. I know that’s a little vague, but I would say that means at least three weeks.” Luckily for San Francisco, one of those weeks should include the team’s Week 9 bye.
  • While dealing with a UCL sprain suffered in this past weekend’s loss to Dallas, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been classified as day-to-day. After testing out the thumb injury on Tuesday, Stafford sat out the remainder of this week’s practices, according to Kevin Patra of NFL Network. Still, head coach Sean McVay reported Stafford will be labeled as questionable heading into the Week 9 and will be a game-time decision to play. If Stafford is unavailable on Sunday, backup quarterback Brett Rypien will make the start. Rypien has gone 2-1 in three starts over his first four years in the league but has thrown twice as many interceptions (8) as touchdowns (4). Either way, Los Angeles will leave Sunday headed towards a bye week, allowing Stafford an extra week of rest to potentially return for Week 11.

Aaron Rodgers Does Not Close Door On In-Season Return; Jets Have Not Called 49ers On Sam Darnold

September 15th, 2023 at 10:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Suffering a ruptured Achilles four plays into his Jets tenure, Aaron Rodgers underwent surgery this week. The four-time MVP was close to retiring before joining the Jets, but he offered a clue into his post-2023 plans shortly after the injury. Early signs point to Rodgers playing in 2024.

[RELATED: Jets Not Planning To Contact Tom Brady]

Rodgers still did not slam the door shut on a question Friday about returning this season, in the event the Jets make the playoffs. While the 39-year-old passer refused to put a timetable on his comeback effort, he included a Kevin Garnett/”anything is possible” reference — in response to a question about coming back in the postseason — during his latest Pat McAfee Show appearance (video link).

“It doesn’t do any good to make prognostications, other than help my own mental state, but yeah, I’m gonna try and push this thing as much as it’ll allow me to,” Rodgers said. “There’s markers I’ve gotta see — where I’m at after a week and two weeks and a month and two months — and then we’ll see what the conversation is from there.”

Players have returned months after Achilles injuries in the not-so-distant past. Terrell Suggs and Michael Crabtree came back from their maladies — in 2012 and 2013, respectively — during the regular season. Of course, the Ravens linebacker and 49ers wide receiver both went down in May. Suggs returned Oct. 21; Crabtree was back Dec. 1. Cam Akers suffered an Achilles tear in July 2021; he returned in time for the Rams’ Week 18 game that season. Of course, Akers was not effective upon coming back that year.

Rodgers is considerably older than this trio at the time of injury, and it would be shocking if he became a realistic candidate to come back this season. It certainly says a lot about his change in mindset upon being traded that he would go from being “90% retired” to considering a radical comeback in the event the Jets made the playoffs — or advanced deep into the postseason.

“Give me the doubts, give me the timetables, give me all the things that you think can, should or will happen, because all I need is that one little extra percent of inspiration,” Rodgers said. “That’s all I need. So, give me your doubts, give me your prognostications and then watch what I do.”

The Jets have not signed a quarterback to fill out their depth chart. Although Zach Wilson underwhelmed to the point the Jets benched him and then charted an aggressive course to add a veteran, the team has attempted to throw its support behind the former No. 2 overall pick as a starter. Ex-Rodgers Packers backup Tim Boyle is in place as Wilson’s backup ahead of Week 2. The Jets have been connected to Colt McCoy, Brett Rypien and the recently retired Chad Henne in the wake of Rodgers’ injury. McCoy remains a free agent, and no indications have emerged Henne would unretire if asked to do so. The Rams bumped Rypien to their 53-man roster to prevent a potential Jets poaching, but CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson indicates Gang Green’s Rypien interest was not believed to be serious.

On another front, John Lynch said Friday (via the San Jose Mercury News’ Can Inman) the 49ers did not receive a call from the Jets on Sam Darnold. With the 49ers trading Trey Lance to the Cowboys last month, trading Darnold back to the Jets would seemingly be a nonstarter for a team that has dealt with a number of QB injuries in recent years. The Jets made the decision to trade their three-year starter in 2021 and draft Wilson in 2021, collecting second-, fourth- and sixth-round picks from the Panthers.

Rams Promote Brett Rypien; Jets Showed Interest In QB

September 14th, 2023 at 2:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Aaron Rodgers situation deals a crushing blow to Nathaniel Hackett‘s hopes of an immediate rebound, and the future Hall of Famer’s Achilles tear ended up affecting one of Hackett’s ex-Broncos charges as well.

Multiple players with pasts working for Hackett have come up in the Jets’ search for a veteran reserve option. In addition to Chad Henne, the Jets expressed interest in Brett Rypien, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Rypien began Thursday on the Rams’ practice squad, but the team promoted him to its 53-man roster, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes.

[RELATED: Rodgers Responds After Season-Ending Injury]

Rypien, who spent four seasons as a Broncos backup, was already part of the Rams’ gameday contingent in Seattle. But the fifth-year passer was a gameday elevation and was thus returned to the Rams’ taxi squad after Week 1. But the Rams did not want to lose Rypien, with Stetson Bennett now on their reserve/non-football illness list. As such, the Rams signed Rypien to their active roster to prevent the Jets poaching him.

Rypien played for Hackett in 2022 and served as the Broncos’ starter on two occasions, replacing an injured Russell Wilson. Backing up the likes of Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Teddy Bridgewater and Wilson in Denver, Rypien played an unexpected role in Hackett’s final game as Broncos HC. The former UDFA expressed frustration for Broncos O-linemen not helping Wilson up after knockdowns, which led to then-starting guard Dalton Risner shoving Rypien on the sideline. After the 51-14 loss, Hackett received his walking papers and joined an exclusive club of first-year HCs fired before season’s end.

Matthew Stafford and Rypien are the only QBs on the Rams’ active roster or practice squad. While Henne, Colt McCoy and now Rypien have come up since the Jets began searching for options in the wake of Rodgers’ season-ending injury, they have not signed anyone. Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle are their only QBs as of Thursday afternoon. For the time being, the Jets are not planning to replace Wilson. Despite devoting considerable resources to adding a veteran starter this offseason, the Jets have attempted to express confidence in the underwhelming former No. 2 overall pick.

The Rams added Rypien in May, replacing four-year backup John Wolford. Bennett is viewed as the team’s longer-term backup, but the placement on the reserve/NFI list leaves Rypien as the last man standing behind Stafford. The Broncos replaced Rypien, 27, with Jarrett Stidham in March. Rypien has four career TD passes, eight INTs and has averaged six yards per attempt as a pro. He is 2-1 as a starter.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/23

September 9th, 2023 at 6:47pm CST by Ely Allen

We have our first flood of pregame transactions of the season today as teams across the league with games tomorrow utilize their two permitted practice squad elevations:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Promoted from practice squad: LB Brevin Allen

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: RB Myles Gaskin, OLB Benton Whitley

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC West

August 30th, 2023 at 3:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These 49ers, Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks moves are noted below.

Arizona Cardinals

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Los Angeles Rams

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

San Francisco 49ers

Placed on IR:

Signed: 

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Seattle Seahawks

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad: 

Rams Cut Down To 53 Players

August 29th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

The Rams did a bit of work yesterday in moving towards the 53-man deadline. Here are the additional moves the team made today to get down to the max roster number to start the season:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

Released:

It appears that fourth-round rookie draft pick Stetson Bennett won out in the battle for the backup quarterback job, leading to the expendability of Rypien and Winn. Youth similarly won out at the running back spot as rookie Zach Evans and second year backs Kyren Williams and Ronnie Rivers beat out the veteran backup in Freeman. On defense, Copeland is bit of a surprise after starting nine games last year for the Rams.

The special teams room is quite intriguing for now. The room was looking to hold three rookies before the above waiver of the undrafted Oklahoma State kicker Brown. Seventh-round rookie punter Ethan Evans and undrafted rookie long snapper Alex Ward remain on the roster, but without Brown, the Rams will need to look into adding a new kicker out of the free agent market. Or they may attempt to follow the recent trends and trade for one.

Rams To Add QB Brett Rypien

May 3rd, 2023 at 5:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Wednesday’s flurry of signings will continue, and the Rams will use this post-draft free agency window to add a backup quarterback. They are signing former Broncos backup Brett Rypien, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

A former UDFA, Rypien had spent his entire career in Denver. He will head to Los Angeles on a one-year deal. The Rams used a fifth-round pick on two-time national championship-winning QB Stetson Bennett, but Rypien will provide the team with more experience behind Matthew Stafford.

The Rams have not brought back John Wolford, their QB2 for much of Sean McVay‘s tenure, and the team nontendered Bryce Perkins as an RFA in March. Rypien and Bennett represent the Rams’ Stafford reserves for the moment. The team has also agreed to terms with UDFA arm Winn Dresser, who played at Tennessee-Martin.

Part of the Broncos’ list of starting QBs between Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson, Rypien made two starts for an injured Wilson last season as well. He piloted the Broncos to a December win over the Cardinals, which came two months after the struggling team could not topple the Jets in Rypien’s other 2022 start. Rypien threw two touchdown passes and four interceptions last season, completing 60.2% of his passes.

For his career, Rypien has made three starts. He quarterbacked the Broncos to a win over the Jets during the 2020 season but ended up the team’s third-stringer in 2021, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. Although the Broncos signed Josh Johnson, Rypien relegated the journeyman extraordinaire to the practice squad after winning the QB2 gig in training camp. The Broncos have since signed Jarrett Stidham to back up Wilson, signaling Rypien would need to move on to continue his career.

The Rams will give him that opportunity. Brett Rypien, the nephew of former Super Bowl MVP Mark Rypien, made an interesting decision during the Broncos’ seminal Christmas Day loss in L.A., criticizing Denver’s offensive linemen for not helping Wilson from the turf. That internal strife, which featured a sideline shoving match between Rypien and then-Broncos guard Dalton Risner, helped seal Nathaniel Hackett‘s fate after the Rams’ blowout win.

The Rams were on their fourth QB that day, but the team’s Baker Mayfield partnership proved short-lived. With Wolford and Perkins gone, Rypien will have a chance to be the Rams’ top backup. Considering Stafford’s injury trouble last season, that is a rather important post.

Broncos HC Fallout: Penner, Paton, Payton, Hackett, Evero, Rosburg, Rypien, Risner

December 28th, 2022 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

George Paton‘s status with the Broncos has taken some hits this week. Although the second-year GM is set to remain in his post, it appears the decisions to hire Nathaniel Hackett and trade for Russell Wilson have cost him.

New Broncos CEO Greg Penner is set to play a major role in the team’s next HC hire, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes. With the Broncos still in the process of putting the team up for sale when they conducted the search that produced Hackett, Paton led the hiring process. Penner said he will rely on Paton during the team’s latest hiring effort, but with it being the new ownership’s first HC search, it should be expected the GM will not have final say.

Paton’s situation reminds somewhat of Joe Douglas‘ with the Jets, though the former has not been on the job as long. Douglas has rebuilt the Jets’ defense to the point the team is a playoff contender, and this year’s draft class has helped the team considerably. But the Zach Wilson investment has gone south fast. Paton passed on Justin Fields for burgeoning star cornerback Patrick Surtain II and landed high-end starters Javonte Williams and Quinn Meinerz in Rounds 2 and 3, while also adding outside linebacker Baron Browning on Day 2 of last year’s draft. Denver collected first- and fourth-round picks for Bradley Chubb at this year’s deadline, helping to fill the draft-capital void created by the Wilson trade. While several of Paton’s moves have worked out, the Wilson-Hackett partnership undercut them and has the former Vikings lieutenant on thinner ice.

It is not known if Paton or ownership pushed to have Wilson signed long-term before this season. Conversations ramped up once Penner arrived along with Rob Walton, and the team wanted to avoid waiting until 2023 to extend the QB. But the five-year, $245MM extension is off to a shockingly poor start. Penner announcing that the next HC will report to him and not Paton strips the latter’s power to the point Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk posits the next Broncos coach will have the chance to run the football operation. Paton, 52, has held that role since arriving last year.

The Broncos have experienced ups and downs with a coach running the show, going from Mike Shanahan in this role to the overmatched Josh McDaniels, who held de facto GM power upon being hired in 2009. Considering new ownership’s deep pockets and a potential offer to run football operations, the Broncos would present an intriguing opportunity for an experienced head coach. That is believed to be the direction Denver heads this time, after seeing first-time hires Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio and Hackett underwhelm.

“I’ve worked with a lot of great CEOs, and it starts with really strong leadership,” Penner said. “I think that’s going to be the most critical factor here in a head coach. Obviously the X’s and O’s are important, but we need a strong leader for this organization that’s focused on winning. That starts with culture, it’s instilling a sense of accountability, discipline, and we need an identity on offense. At the starting point, it’s got to be about culture and leadership, and those characteristics are what we’ve focused on the most.”

Frank Reich, Jim Harbaugh, Dan Quinn and Sean Payton are believed to be on the early radar. The Broncos could make a strong run at Payton, Fowler adds, though it is not certain the former Saints HC is interested. Harbaugh has a relationship with Broncos consultant John Elway, who ran the team’s football ops for 10 years, and minority owner Condoleezza Rice due to each’s Stanford ties. Rice worked with Harbaugh during his time with the Cardinal, per Florio, adding an interesting wrinkle to the upcoming search.

As for the team’s current setup, interim HC Jerry Rosburg said (via 9News’ Mike Klis, on Twitter) DC Ejiro Evero declined the chance to be the interim option out of loyalty to Hackett. Evero and Hackett have been friends since they were college teammates at UC-Davis. The league has also shifted away from promoting interim coaches, with Doug Marrone being the most recent such hire back in 2017. The Broncos still want to interview Evero, though the first-time DC does not profile as an experienced candidate.

Rosburg, 67, also said (via ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, on Twitter) it was his decision to fire special teams coordinator Dwayne Stukes and offensive line coach Butch Barry. Both were Hackett hires. Rosburg also confirmed it was Paton, not Hackett, who brought him out of retirement to be the team’s game management assistant. Hackett’s run of issues during the season’s first two weeks led to the hire. The sideline confrontation between Brett Rypien and Dalton Risner also contributed to the early Hackett dismissal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link), as it was a sign the first-year coach was losing the team. Penner said off-field matters led to the early firing. Randy Gregory, who threw a punch at Rams offensive lineman Oday Aboushi and faced a suspension, cited Hackett’s tenuous status as HC in his successful appeal to the league, Klis tweets.

Broncos Do Not Plan To Shut Down Russell Wilson

December 19th, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 19: When speaking to the media after Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, Hackett praised the play of Rypien (who finished with 197 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception and one fumble lost). Still, he confirmed that Wilson will be back under center next week when the Broncos take on the Rams as they look for positives in a lost season.

DECEMBER 16: Russell Wilson will miss his second game of the season — and just the fifth of his 11-year career — on Sunday. The Broncos will sit the high-priced quarterback due to the concussion he sustained against the Chiefs.

Although Wilson has battled multiple injuries prior to the concussion he suffered during a scramble, the team does not plan to him down for the season. Wilson will play against the Rams on Christmas Day, Nathaniel Hackett said.

Denver fell to 3-10 in Week 14, matching the franchise’s worst 13-game record since 2010. While the team’s Christmas opponent — the Rams — are almost certainly shutting down their starter (Matthew Stafford, who had two concussion protocol stints recently), Wilson said he lobbied to return against the Cardinals this week. He cleared concussion protocol Friday, and the discussion on redeploying him so soon involved GM George Paton and ownership over the past three days, Troy Renck of Denver7 adds (via Twitter).

Brett Rypien will make his second start this season. The Broncos lost their emergency quarterback two weeks ago, when the 49ers signed Josh Johnson off their practice squad. Rookie UDFA Jarrett Guarantano, signed to Denver’s practice squad after Johnson’s return to San Francisco, will be elevated to be Rypien’s backup before Saturday’s transaction deadline. The Broncos will face backup quarterbacks in each of the next two weeks, in Colt McCoy and, in all likelihood, Baker Mayfield.

Although Wilson’s three touchdown passes and 57 rushing yards against the Chiefs showed signs of improvement, this has been easily the worst season of his career. The 34-year-old passer sits 27th in QBR after ranking 10th even in a 2021 season marred by a finger injury. Any dramatic swing in Wilson’s play will likely be tabled until next season, when the Broncos should be expected to have a new offensive coaching staff in place. The Broncos have Wilson signed through 2028, via the five-year, $245MM extension he inked in August.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson Ruled Out, Brett Rypien Will Start

October 22nd, 2022 at 3:32pm CST by Ely Allen

After Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett initially asserted that quarterback Russell Wilson would be a gametime decision, the first-year head coach decided to exercise caution today and announce that the team would hold back their big-money passer in order to allow his hamstring injury to heal and prevent a lingering issue down the line, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Denver will turn to third-year quarterback Brett Rypien to start in Wilson’s absence.

Wilson suffered the injury in last week’s overtime loss to the Chargers but was able to stay in and complete the game. Wilson felt he could play this week against the Jets, but Hackett will err on the side of caution and hold him out. Schefter also reports that Wilson’s injury will be re-evaluated next week to determine if he will even be able to return against the Jaguars when the Broncos travel to London.

Rypien will start his first game since his rookie season in 2020. Oddly enough, Rypien’s first start was also against the Jets. Rypien gave the Broncos their first win of the season that year with a performance that showcased both some good and some bad. In the lone start, Rypien completed 19 of 31 passes for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns but also gave away three interceptions. Regardless, he led the Broncos to a nine-point win over the Jets and will hope for a similar outcome tomorrow.

In a related move, the Broncos have used one of their gameday elevations on veteran, journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson to back up Rypien. Johnson started a game as recently as last year, when he subbed in on an injury-riddled Ravens offense that was without Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Johnson put forth an impressive performance in that game completing 28 of 40 pass attempts for 304 yards and two touchdowns, along with one interception.

The team will utilize their second gameday promotion on practice squad long snapper Mitchell Fraboni.

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