Andrew Sendejo

Colts OLs Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski To Miss Saturday’s Game

The Colts continue to climb the AFC standings, but they’ll have to take on the formidable Cardinals on Saturday without two starting linemen. According to The Athletic’s Stephen Holder (on Twitter), linemen Ryan Kelly (personal) and Mark Glowinski (reserve/COVID-19 list) will both miss this weekend’s game.

Kelly was just named to his third-straight Pro Bowl, and the 28-year-old is having another standout season for Indy. He’s appeared in at least 90 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in his 12 starts. 2020 fifth-round pick Danny Pinter will likely get the start in place of Kelly.

Glowinski was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier today. The former fourth-round pick has generally been a starter throughout his time with the Colts, and he’s started 12 of his 14 games in 2021. Chris Reed could get the nod in Glowinski’s stead.

While the team’s going to have to deal with some absences on their offensive lineman, they can rest easy knowing All-Pro Quenton Nelson will be in uniform. Per Holder, the offensive lineman was back at practice today after dealing with an illness earlier this week.

In other injury news, Holder notes that the team will also be without Andrew Sendejo (concussion) on Saturday. The 34-year-old defensive back joined the Colts back in September, and he’s started 10 of his 12 games this season. collecting 40 tackles.

Colts CB Xavier Rhodes, S Andrew Sendejo In Concussion Protocol

A pair of Colts defensive backs might not be cleared to play this weekend. The team announced that cornerback Xavier Rhodes and safety Andrew Sendejo are in the concussion protocol.

This is a tough break for Rhodes, who missed the first two games of the season with a calf injury. He’s been relatively productive since returning to the lineup, although he was limited to 41 snaps on Monday before exiting with the concussion. The veteran is currently in his second season with Indy. He got into all 16 games in 2020, finishing with 42 tackles, 12 passes defended, and two interceptions.

Sendejo‘s absence further depletes a safety corps that’s already missing Khari Willis. After starting 14 games for the Browns in 2020, Sendejo has started two of his four games in 2021, collecting eight tackles.

If Rhodes and Sendejo are unable to go this weekend against the Texans, the team would have to turn to defensive backs BoPete Keyes, Anthony Chesley, or George Odum to cover the open cornerback and safety spot.

Colts Sign S Andrew Sendejo, Cut CB Chris Wilcox

After getting torched on several deep balls by Russell Wilson on Sunday, the Colts worked out a group of safeties on Monday. They apparently liked what they saw from Andrew Sendejo.

Indianapolis is signing the veteran, the team announced. In a corresponding roster move, they’ve cut cornerback Chris Wilcox. Wilcox was a seventh-round pick of the Buccaneers, 251st overall, in this past draft. Let go by Tampa at final cuts he was claimed off waivers by the Colts, but lasted just a week on the active roster.

Sendejo on the other hand is a seasoned vet with plenty of starting experience. An UDFA out of Rice back in 2010, Sendejo found a home with the Vikings toward the end of the 2011 season. He then was with Minnesota until the end of the 2018 season, and was a full-time starter for a handful of years.

After a brief stint in Philly he was cut midway through 2019, and latched back on with the Vikings to close the year. He signed with the Browns last offseason, and started all 14 games that he played in with Cleveland in 2020. Sendejo worked out for the 49ers last month, but didn’t draw too much other known interest. He turned 34 last week.

49ers Working Out Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Bradley McDougald, Others

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix‘s visit schedule continued Tuesday. The former Pro Bowl safety made his way to San Francisco for a 49ers visit, joining a few others at the position at this audition.

The 49ers also worked out safeties Bradley McDougald, Andrew Sendejo and Clayton Geathers, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Kyle Shanahan said starter Jaquiski Tartt is not expected to come off the team’s active/PUP list for a while, opening a door for a possible veteran addition.

Clinton-Dix’s 2021 itinerary has included trips to Indianapolis, Charlotte, Houston and Las Vegas. Clinton-Dix, 28, has not played since the 2019 season, when he played out a one-year contract with the Bears. The Cowboys signed the ex-first-round pick in 2020, but he did not make their 53-man roster.

The Seahawks used McDougald as a three-season starter but included him in last year’s Jamal Adams trade. With the Jets, McDougald started seven games before an injury shut him down. This Bay Area trek marks the first news involving the 30-year-old safety this year.

Like Clinton-Dix, Geathers did not play in 2020. The former Colts second-round pick has not been connected to a team in a while, despite being a 34-game starter in Indianapolis. The 29-year-old defender will need to catch on with a team at some point soon in order to stay on the NFL radar. Sendejo played the 2020 season in Cleveland, working as a full-time starter for a Browns team that lost Grant Delpit in training camp. Sendejo is an 11-year veteran who will turn 34 next month.

San Francisco is set to redeploy Tartt and Jimmie Ward as its starting safeties. Tartt, however, is battling a toe injury Shanahan confirmed is not rapidly improving. The veteran starter has been dealing with this toe problem since November of last year, which certainly presents a problem for the 49ers. They signed Tony Jefferson earlier this summer, but he is dealing with an injury as well. It would seem likely at least one of the veterans at Tuesday’s workout will be called upon to stick around.

NFL Finds COVID-19 Spread Within Browns

Jan. 8: There is finally some good news to report on the Browns’ COVID-19 situation. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that the only new positive test today was assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters, who had already been identified as a high risk close contact. Hopefully, this means that the spread has been contained.

The wildcard game against the Steelers remains scheduled for Sunday night.

Jan. 7: The Browns learned Thursday they will be without another starter against the Steelers. Ronnie Harrison tested positive for COVID-19, the Browns announced. The team will have another starting safety — Andrew Sendejo — back for its playoff opener, but the NFL has determined some coronavirus spread has occurred within the Browns.

NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said “there was some spread from one individual to another,” via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Previously, the league deemed the Browns’ virus issue as having resulted from a spread within the Cleveland-area community.

Despite the Browns being down head coach Kevin Stefanski, Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and others, the game remains on schedule for Sunday night, Pelissero tweets. However, contact tracing is ongoing and intra-team spreads have triggered postponements this season.

The Steelers saw multiple games — against the Titans and Ravens — postponed because of COVID-19 spreading within those teams’ facilities. The NFL could face a decision soon. It is not out of the question the AFC North matchup is postponed, per the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, but a “bigger bump” in spread would need to happen (Twitter link).

Even in the event of a postponement of a day or two, the Browns would not have Stefanski or Bitonio back due to their positive tests occurring earlier this week. Cleveland also has key contributors Denzel Ward, Kevin Johnson, KhaDarel Hodge, Malcolm Smith and Harrison Bryant on its reserve/COVID-19 list. Ward could be activated in time for Sunday’s game but only if he has not encountered symptoms.

The Browns also placed linebacker Montrel Meander on the practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list but moved linebacker B.J. Goodson back onto their active roster after his stay on the COVID list. Harrison just returned to action, playing in Week 17 after missing several late-season games due to a shoulder injury.

Latest On Browns’ COVID-19 Situation

The Browns’ COVID-19 situation will keep at least four players out of their crucial Week 17 game. Linebacker Malcolm Smith and tight end Harrison Bryant are the players who tested positive for the coronavirus, sources tell NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). They’ll be held out of Sunday’s tilt against the Steelers, along with linebacker B.J. Goodson and safety Andrew Sendejo

[POLL: Which AFC Contender Will Miss Playoffs?]

Although the team reopened its facility after a contact tracing effort Wednesday, the Browns closed it again Thursday. They will, however, have their top four receivers back this week. Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge are off the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. So is linebacker Jacob Phillips. The Steelers-Browns rematch remains on schedule for 1pm ET Sunday.

Denzel Ward, however, is the latest Browns player to run into COVID trouble. The Browns’ No. 1 cornerback tested positive for the coronavirus and is out Sunday, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter). He is out for Sunday’s game and would be a long shot to play in the Browns’ playoff opener, should they qualify.

The Browns are playing to snap the NFL’s longest active playoff drought. If they win, they’re in. If they lose, they’ll need the Colts to do the same, but that would hinge on a quality performance from the lowly Jaguars. If the Browns lose and the Colts win, they’ll need a Titans loss, plus wins from the Ravens and Dolphins to sneak into the postseason.

On the plus side, the Steelers indicated they will rest Ben Roethlisberger this weekend. Plus, they’ll be without top defenders Devin Bush and Bud Dupree, who limited the Browns to just six points in their October meeting. As it stands, Football Outsiders gives the Browns a 44% chance to hold at the No. 6 seed and a 20% chance to make it as the No. 7 seed.

Browns Close Facility Due To COVID-19

3:13pm: While several Browns remain on the coronavirus list, they have completed a contact tracing effort and reopened their facility, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com tweets. They also added center Javon Patterson to the practice squad COVID list, Cabot adds (via Twitter).

11:06am: On Wednesday, the Browns closed their team facility due to a positive COVID-19 test. This comes after the Browns learned that a coach and a practice-squad player have tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

The Browns have also placed safety Karl Joseph, Andrew Sendejo and Harrison Bryant on the reserve/COVID-19 list, a sign that he was likely in close contact with one or both of those individuals.

The Browns were in similar territory last week with the ripple effect of B.J. Goodson‘s positive COVID-19 test. Contact tracing deemed several Browns wide receivers Jarvis Landry, Rashard Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones to be high-risk close contacts, keeping them out of Sunday’s game against the Jets. The Jets went on to win 23-16, bumping the Browns to 10-5 and knocking themselves out of the No. 1 draft pick sweepstakes.

The Browns can make the playoffs for the first time in a long time with a win over the Steelers in Week 17. Alternatively, they can still reach the postseason if the Colts fall to the Jaguars. There’s also a third scenario that would give them a playoff berth, though that would be dependent on the outcome of three different games.

Contract Details: Zuerlein, Bills, Cardinals

Here are the latest details from the second wave of free agency. All links courtesy of the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, unless otherwise noted.

Browns To Sign S Andrew Sendejo

Andrew Sendejo is going from the NFC North to the AFC North. On Friday, the Vikings agreed to sign the safety to a one-year, $2.25MM deal with the Browns, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Sendejo spent eight seasons with the Vikings up until March of last year when he hooked on with the Eagles. That union didn’t last long – the Birds dropped him in November, leading him back to Minnesota to close out the season.

Sendejo was a staple in the Vikings’ secondary up until 2018, when a groin injury put him on the sidelines. After that point, the Vikings’ D actually improved with Anthony Harris, George Iloka, and Jayron Kearse taking on a larger share of the workload.

In Cleveland, he’ll play alongside a cornerback group headlined by Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams with support from newcomer Kevin Johnson.

League Notes: Burfict, Goodell, Kearse, Rivers

In an exclusive interview with Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required), controversial Raiders linebacker Vontaze Burfict laid into the league and did not seem to leave any thought unspoken. Burfict, who is currently serving a suspension that began after Week 4 and spans to the end of the season, was adamant that his behavior does not compare to Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who was recently suspended indefinitely after swinging a helmet at Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph.

Burfict also detailed the suspension process, including the appeal meeting he had with league executives. The former Bengals linebacker claims the league had already decided on the suspension prior to the meeting and had no interest in hearing his side of the story. On top of some colorful language used at the expense of multiple execs, the piece offers an interesting view into Burfict’s place in the Raiders locker room.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Vikings safety Jayron Kearse may not be in Minnesota for much longer given the tone of his tweets today. This morning Kearse tweeted out that he was “excited” for his future, but when a fan replied asking if the Vikings will be a part of his future, Kearse replied “No.” Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press noted the back and fourth and added that Kearse did not answer him on Friday when Tomasson asked if he would start in tomorrow’s game against the Broncos given Anthony Harris‘ injury. Tomasson speculates that Andrew Sendejo could instead be the starting safety.
  • Longtime Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers‘ contract expires at the end of this season and set to turn 38 in December, it would not be a shock for the veteran to declare this his last professional season. However, Rivers remains noncommittal on his future, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN. Rivers still has a desire to play in the Chargers new stadium when it opens in 2020, but wants to take some time after the season ends to evaluate where he is physically and mentally before making any final determination.