Ravens Activate RB Danny Woodhead
The NFL’s worst passing offense is about to get a much-needed boost. The Ravens announced (via Twitter) that they have activated running back Danny Woodhead from the injured reserve. The veteran will be eligible to play tomorrow against the Packers. To make room on the roster, the team waived tight end Gavin Escobar.
After signing a three-year deal with the organization during the offseason, Woodhead was placed on the injured reserve in September after he struggled to recover from a hamstring injury. While running back Alex Collins and his 5.6-yards-per-carry have looked solid, the team is in dire need of some receiving help. The Ravens currently rank dead last in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns, leading to an underwhelming 4-5 record. The 32-year-old Woodhead should certainly help in that regard, as he’ll provide quarterback Joe Flacco with another dependable target.
While the veteran missed the majority of the 2014 and 2016 seasons, he showcased his talents in 2013 and 2015. During those two campaigns, Woodhead averaged 78 receptions for 680 yards and six touchdowns. It may take the running back several weeks to get back in the swing of things, but he’ll presumably replace Javorius Allen as the Ravens’ main pass-catching back. The 26-year-old has been solid this season, hauling in 39 receptions for 189 yards.
Escobar, a 2013 second-round pick, joined the Ravens in October after having spent his entire four-year career with Dallas (plus a brief stint with the Chiefs). The 26-year-old went on to play in a pair of games for Baltimore, although he didn’t compile a single stat. In 64 career games, Escobar has 30 receptions for 333 yards and eight touchdowns.
Jaguars Activate WR Dede Westbrook
Wide receiver Dede Westbrook is finally set to make his NFL debut. The Jaguars activated the rookie wideout from the reserve/injured list this morning, the team announced. The organization also activated defensive back Calvin Pryor from the reserve/injured list and promoted receiver Larry Pinkard from the practice squad. To make room on the roster, the team placed wideout Arrelious Benn on the injured reserve and waived defensive tackle Sheldon Day and receive Jaelen Strong.
We learned in late October that the Jaguars had designated Westbrook for return. The fourth-rounder was initially placed on the injured reserve with a core injury prior to the start of the regular season. A former Oklahoma standout, Westbrook collected 80 receptions for 1,524 yards and 17 touchdowns last season, making him a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Considering the fact that Allen Robinson was already out for the season and the team let go of two wideouts today, Westbrook could easily slide behind Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns on the depth chart.
Pryor was claimed off waivers from the Browns in September, although he was placed on the injured reserve shortly thereafter. As our own Dallas Robinson noted, Pryor will be stuck in a reserve role behind Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson, who both rank among the NFL’s top defensive backs, according to Pro Football Focus. Of course, the 25-year-old still has plenty in the tank, as he finished the 2016 campaign with 62 tackles and six passes defended in 15 games for the Jets.
Benn, a 2010 second-round pick, has been stuck towards the bottom of the depth chart during his two-year tenure in Jacksonville. After having hauled in 55 receptions during his first two seasons in the league, Benn only has six receptions for 128 yards and one touchdown in two seasons with the Jaguars (24 games). The 29-year-old was productive on special teams, however, compiling eight tackles over the past two years. Strong, a 2015 third-round pick, joined the Jaguars in mid-September after being waived by the Texans. He ultimately didn’t see the field for the Jaguars. Pinkard, a former undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion, has yet to get in an NFL game. Day, a 2016 fourth-round pick, was buried on the depth chart for the Jaguars, as the 23-year-old had only compiled three tackles and one sack in six games this season.
Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor Likely Done For Season
The Seahawks have lost another key member of their secondary. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via the GMFB Twitter), strong safety Kam Chancellor is likely to miss the rest of the season. The veteran suffered a neck injury during last week’s game against the Cardinals. There was seemingly some optimism that Chancellor’s season wouldn’t be compromised, as coach Pete Carroll noted earlier this week.
“We’ll find out,” Carroll said on 710 ESPN (via Curtis Crabtree of ProFootballTalk.com). “We don’t know yet. He had a stinger thing that happened during the game and we’re going to have to make sure he’s in good shape and he’s OK. Don’t know right now. He’s going to get some tests and make sure. This is stuff that is so crucial that we do a really good job and take our time with and all that. We’re doing that.”
Chancellor, 29, has been a mainstay on the Seahawks defense since 2010. The four-time Pro Bowler was having another productive season in 2017, compiling 49 tackles and a pair of passes defended in nine games. Pro Football Focus has been particularly fond of his 2017 performance, ranking him sixth among 86 eligible safety candidates. Chancellor has missed a handful of games over the past several seasons, including nine regular season contests between 2015 and 2016. The defensive back inked a lucrative three-year, $36MM extension ($25MM guarantee) with the organization prior to this season.
Assuming Chancellor lands on the injured reserve, he’ll be joining fellow defensive back Richard Sherman, who is out with an achilles injury. Fortunately, the team should be seeing some reinforcement on the unit, as Earl Thomas is set to return to the lineup after missing a pair of games with a hamstring injury. The team will presumably turn to their grouping of backup safeties, including Bradley McDougald, Delano Hill, and Tedric Thompson, to fill in for Chancellor.
AFC Notes: Jets, Darnold, Rosen, Fuller, Broncos TE’s, Williams
While the game probably will not effect the College Football Playoff, USC vs. UCLA will certainly have a ton of NFL Draft implications. Both starting quarterbacks, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, are considered two of the best QB draft prospects eligible for the 2018 NFL Draft, and will try to outshine each other during Saturday’s contest. The hyped matchup will be attended by 20 teams in some form, including the QB needy Jets, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Jets were most recently connected to Wyoming signal caller Josh Allen, although Allen’s draft status has taken a big hit because of some early season struggles vs. top level collegiate defenses. New York’s season has gone a bit better than many expected, but they still have a long-term need at the QB position with Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty not looking like the long-term answer. The Jets, along with many other scouting departments will definitely get a good comparison of two of the top signal callers in all of college football in Los Angeles this weekend.
- The Texans have faced a number of injuries to key players including J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and most recently quarterback Deshaun Watson. Now another playmaker who missed time early in the season will be forced to the sidelines again. Big play receiver Will Fuller will miss Sunday’s game with a rib injury, according Houston’s official injury report released on Friday afternoon. This leaves the team without another weapon for now starter Tom Savage and puts added pressure on DeAndre Hopkins to make contested plays due to increased attention from the defensive backs. Fuller missed the Texans first three games with a broken collarbone, but has since caught an impressive seven touchdowns in the past six games. Bruce Ellington is the next man up on the depth chart to try and replace Fuller’s downfield threat ability.
- The Broncos have just one tight end on the roster entering the weekend for this Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Both A.J. Derby and Jeff Heuerman have been ruled out, which leaves Virgil Green as the lone name left on the depth chart, according to Mike Klis of 9news.com. Derby is recovering from a shoulder injury that he suffered this past Sunday night and Heuerman is dealing with a knee injury. It should be noted that no Broncos tight end has been a huge factor in the team’s offense, with Denver mostly relying on the receiving combo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders to move the football through the air. Klis does note that the team is expected to call up practice squad tight end Austin Traylor to take snaps as the team’s number two, adding that interestingly an unknown offensive lineman could work as the Broncos number three option if need be.
- In order for the Browns to activate wide receiver Corey Coleman, they opted to waive fellow wideout Kasen Williams. The team has learned that Williams has passed through waivers and is free to sign with any practice squad he chooses, tweets Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The 25 year-old receiver first latched on with the Seattle back in 2015, but appeared in seven games with Cleveland so far this season.
NFC Notes: Winston, Wilson, Lane, Saints O-Line
We now know that the NFL is investigating an incident regarding Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and an uber driver from last year. The female uber driver claimed that the former number one overall pick groped her during a ride, but Winston has denied those allegations. but adding onto this story, Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports in a Twitter video, that the 23 year-old signal caller will not go on the exempt list because no charges have filed as of yet.
However, it might not be long until the quarterback faces suspension from the league, according to Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders. Cummings says that while Winston may avoid suspension for the rest of the year because the investigation could take some time, but notes that sexual assault allegations have resulted in missed time in the past. The writer points to when Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for four games back when he faced similar charges in 2010.
The story is still unfolding, so while Winston’s playing outlook is in flux given his current injury, this situation adds an unexpected twist to his 2017 season and perhaps even in 2018.
- Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson shed some light on the jaw injury that he suffered vs. Arizona last Thursday in a session with the media today. The signal caller said that while he wasn’t concussed in the game, his jaw injury forced him to undergo some drastic treatment in the days after, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Condotta relays that Wilson was forced to wear a mouthguard and could not eat solid foods for the three days following the midweek contest. “Basically, the game was on Thursday, so Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I was pretty sore,” he said. “Tons of ice and treatment and all of that, so I feel good now. … the first two-and-a-half, three days, I couldn’t really eat anything. I was just doing smoothies and all that kind of stuff.” While the injury does sound painful, it looks like Wilson is going to tough it out for Monday night’s game vs. the Falcons.
- While Wilson will remain in the starting lineup, another team leader in Richard Sherman will miss the rest of the season. With that news finally settling in for Seahawks fans, Condotta also passes along that cornerback Jeremy Lane will replace him in the defensive backfield (Twitter link). Lane was notably rescinded in the Duane Brown trade because he failed the Texans physical, and now finds himself as a key cog to Seattle staying afloat in a competitive NFC playoff picture.
- The Saints have been one of the hottest teams in football winning their last seven games after dropping their first two at the start of the regular season. A big reason for this has been the emergence of arguably the league’s best 1-2 backfield punch that includes veteran Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. However, Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate notes that the team has been helped by some notable early returns on their offensive line. Erickson states that three of the team’s starting lineman have returned sooner than expected, including guard Larry Warford, center Max Unger and left tackle Terron Armstead. Warford returned this past Sunday from an abdominal strain, missing only two games, Unger progressed ahead of schedule from offseason Lisfranc surgery and Armstead’s return was premature after suffering a torn labrum. All three lineman have helped the Saints offense change it’s identity to a more ground and pound style, which has been on full display in the past seven weeks.
Philip Rivers Cleared To Play On Sunday
The Chargers will have their franchise quarterback when they face the Bills at home on Sunday. The team has announced that Philip Rivers has cleared the league’s concussion protocol and will be active for the team’s 10th game of the season, according to Eric Williams of ESPN.com. The soon-to-be 36-year-old veteran signal caller hasn’t not started a regular season game since 2005, when he was the clear backup to then starter Drew Brees in San Diego.
Rivers has been progressing on schedule throughout the past week and it seemed more and more likely that the all-star QB would play as the week went along. While the not the same player he was in his prime, the former fourth overall draft pick back in 2004 has maintained low-end starting caliber numbers in his 14th year in the league. Rivers has passed for over 2,250 yards in nine games in 2017, throwing 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. His QBR stands at a meager 43.1 through 10 weeks with him ranking as just the 24th best quarterback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nevertheless, Rivers is a much better option than backups Kellen Clemens and Cardale Jones to roll out on gameday. Jones only appeared in one game for the Bills during his rookie season, while Clemens has only attempted 10 passes since 2014. At 3-6, the Chargers seem to be on the outside looking in of the postseason pitcure, even with what looks to be an underwhelming race for the final wild card spot in the AFC. Still, Los Angeles must beat Buffalo this weekend if the team hopes to have any shot in pushing for a playoff spot during the final two months of the regular season, which now looks like much more manageable task with Rivers expected to play in Week 11.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/17/17
Here are today’s minor transactions:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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Waived: WR Bernard Reedy
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Signed from practice squad: WR Freddie Martino
Today’s practice squad updates:
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman
- Waived: OT Jake Rogers
AFC Notes: Dolphins, Grimes, Gordon, Hali, Ford, Stanley, Pats Injuries
The Dolphins season has taken a dive in recent weeks. After starting the year 4-2, the team has lost control of the final AFC Wild Card spot, losing their past three games by a combined 67 points, thanks to blowout defeats at the hands of the Ravens and Panthers. However, while their reliance on Jay Cutler and midseason trade of Jay Ajayi have’t helped, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald opines that the secondary has been one of the major reasons why the Dolphins are not in position to be playoff contenders, particularly in regards to loss of Brent Grimes when the franchise opted to cut him before the 2016 season.
Beasley explains that the front office decided to move on from the veteran cornerback because his age, salary, 2015 performance and even his wife’s antics, but in hindsight the team misses Grimes’ steady contributions. The 34 year-old corner will face his former team for the first time since they let him walk this Sunday. Since his release, the Dolphins have failed to rectify the position with the likes of Byron Maxwell, Tony Lippett, Xavien Howard and Cordrea Tankersley. While Howard and Tankersley are still young, both aren’t guys you can lean on during a playoff run. In comparison, Grimes has played more like a middle of the pack corner this season , grading out as the 60th best corner in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, in Beasley’s opinion the way the team has handled their defensive back situation has been a dud all around over the past few years.
- Josh Gordon is back at the Browns practice facility and he has made a positive impression on head coach Hue Jackson, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Ulrich passes along that the second-year Cleveland head coach has stated that the wideout has been “involved” and is a “pleasure to be around”. The Browns reporter also states that Jackson expects the talented reciever to be back on the practice field on November 20. Still just 26 years old, Gordon last played for the team in 2014, and has since been suspended from the league for multiple drug violations. The former high supplemental draft pick will be a restricted free agent in 2018, so he needs to make the most of every opportunity to impress the coaching staff if he wants a real chance to continue his playing career.
- The Chiefs will be without two key pass rushers when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Giants this Sunday. Both Dee Ford and Tamba Hali have been ruled out for the contest, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com (Twitter link). This is particularly interesting development in the case of Hali because the team took the cautious approach to resting him by putting him on the PUP before the start of the regular season. However, he remains on the sideline despite being placed back on the active roster. Kansas City will lean on Frank Zombo with these pass rush specialists unavailable. Getting to the quarterback has been an issue for the team, as the Chiefs currently rank in the bottom half of the league in terms of sacks, racking up just a combined 19.0 through ten weeks.
- The Ravens have already lost their best offensive lineman for the year in Marshal Yanda and have another troubling injury situation unfolding regarding left tackle Ronnie Stanley. Even after a bye, the second-year lineman is doubtful to play with a concussion, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Obviously, all concussions should be taken seriously, but his absence should be a concern considering that Baltimore has really had to shakeup their protection for Joe Flacco with the injuries to Yanda and second-year guard Alex Lewis. James Hurst would likely get the start in place of Stanley, which is a significant downgrade for a team that is looking to gain momentum in securing the final AFC wild card spot over the last seven weeks of the regular season.
- The Patriots will be without two starting offensive lineman of their own when they travel to Mexico City to take on the Raiders on Sunday afternoon. Both center David Andrews (illness) and right tackle Marcus Cannon (ankle) have been ruled out, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Backup lineman Ted Karras got some snaps at center during last week’s blowout of the Broncos and the team has reserve tackles in Cameron Fleming and LaAdrian Waddle who could fill in at right tackle. Bill Belichick and co. will also be without Chris Hogan and special teams ace Matt Slater, so the team has to overcome more than just new surroundings to get out of Mexico with their eighth win of the year.
AFC East Rumors: Dolphins, Jets, Glenn
The Dolphins have invested heavily at wide receiver in recent years, selecting Jarvis Landry in the 2014 second round and DeVante Parker in the 2015 first before authorizing a higher-end contract to re-sign Kenny Stills. But at least some within the organization are missing a former lower-level investment, with Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reporting (on Twitter) a common lament among the Dolphins is they wish they’d retained Rishard Matthews — a UFA in 2016. Now an integral component on the Titans, Matthews did not require much to sign. As players like Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu and Travis Benjamin required at least $6MM per year to sign in 2016, with Jones costing the Lions $8MM annually, Matthews signed a three-year, $15MM deal in Tennessee. (Stills signed for $8MM AAV in 2017.)
A 2012 seventh-round pick, Matthews easily established a new career high with 945 receiving yards last season and is on pace to top that this year, exiting Week 11 with 626. He averaged more than 15 yards per reception in his final year with the Dolphins and is sitting on 15.3 through 10 2017 Titans games. No Dolphin has 500 air yards this season. Stills has 408 through nine games, while Parker’s at 378.
Here’s the latest out of the AFC East.
- Cordy Glenn will miss Sunday’s Bills-Chargers game with what the team is calling a foot/ankle malady. Glenn has run into rampant injury trouble since signing an extension in 2016. Sunday will mark his fourth missed game of this season. He missed five in 2016 after being absent for none the previous three seasons. Dion Dawkins filled in for Glenn the last time he couldn’t go because of an ankle problem, one that’s dogged him for the past two seasons. Glenn has three seasons remaining on his five-year, $60MM contract authorized by the Doug Whaley regime.
- Speaking of the Bills, their handling of Tyrod Taylor could make the 2018 draft more complicated. The Bills, who are starting fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman in his place, figure to be in the hunt for a franchise passer in Round 1, and Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com writes that will make the Jets‘ search for one more complex. The new Buffalo regime took over after the draft, so Peterman did not arrive on their watch. That would point to the Bills, who almost certainly will be moving on from Taylor after this season, thoroughly examining the 2018 quarterback prospects. Vasquez adds Taylor could be a Jets option as well. There was interest from Gang Green in the now-28-year-old passer had the Bills not reworked his contract this offseason.
- The Jets could also be in the market for a new head coach despite Todd Bowles‘ unexpected success with this bare-bones roster thus far, with Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writing the third-year Jets coach is not secure for 2018. Bowles was viewed as a hot-seat candidate entering this season, one that came after an offseason purge of veterans from the roster, but the Jets sitting at 4-6 when many viewed four wins as a ceiling for the season may put Mike Maccagnan to a decision. Mehta argues it’s hard to judge Bowles based on the talent available presently. He’s 19-23 as Jets coach in just more than 2 1/2 seasons.
NFC Notes: Winston, 49ers, Cards, Pryor
The woman who accused Jameis Winston of groping her in an Uber vehicle in 2016, via Buzzfeed report earlier today, said only she and Winston were in the car at the time. But Winston’s representatives assert there were several people in the car, with the Buccaneers quarterback sitting in the backseat, NFL.com reports. Winston’s statement pointed to there being multiple passengers in the vehicle as well. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) listened to the voicemail an Uber representative sent Winston, with the phrase “you or someone else in your vehicle engaged in inappropriate behavior” used. This led to Winston being banned from Uber but also has the third-year passer’s representatives saying there were more people in the car than the accuser’s account suggests.
Here’s the latest from the NFC.
- The knee sprain Drew Stanton suffered will lead to the Cardinals starting a third quarterback this season. Bruce Arians said Blaine Gabbert will start Sunday against the Texans, marking the first time since October 2016 Gabbert will have started a game. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com notes it will be a game-time decision for who will be Gabbert’s backup. Stanton, who sprained a knee against the Seahawks, being healthy enough to be an in-case-of-emergency option will make him the No. 2. If not, recently signed Matt Barkley will serve as the backup. This marks the second time in four seasons the Cardinals have needed to start three quarterbacks. This happened in 2014, when Carson Palmer, Stanton and Ryan Lindley opened with that playoff-qualifying team’s first unit.
- John Lynch said the 49ers don’t need to see Jimmy Garoppolo start a certain number of games in order to make a judgment about him for the future. The rookie GM the franchise’s view of the longtime Patriots backup has been enhanced by Garoppolo’s first few weeks in San Francisco despite him not seeing game action yet. “We know what we like about Jimmy Garoppolo. And that’s only been strengthened by the time that’s he’s been here,” Lynch said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “We’re just going to let these things play out. People have had all these ideas about why we got Jimmy. We got Jimmy because we think he has big-time ability at the quarterback position. And we believe so much – to get where we need to get – you have to have a franchise quarterback. We think he’s got that ability. Whether that happens, when that happens, we’ll see. But we certainly like his future with the 49ers.”
- Both Terrelle Pryor and Jordan Reed will miss the Redskins‘ Week 11 against the Saints, and Pryor’s ankle injury looks like one that could shelve him for multiple weeks. Pryor will see Dr. James Andrews about his ankle, Master Tefatsion of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). Signed to a one-year contract, Pryor has been demoted from Washington’s first unit and now hopes he can return this season — one that’s doubled as a grim contract year. Center Spencer Long will also miss Washington’s game in New Orleans.
- On the subject of less-than-ideal contract years, Ziggy Ansah will miss a second straight game with a back injury, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports. Injuries have limited the Lions defensive end for the past two seasons and figure to be a key part of the discussion once his contract expires after 2017. He has four sacks — all coming in two games — this season.
- Mike Remmers experienced a concussion protocol setback this week and will miss the Vikings‘ Week 11 game against the Rams, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Andrew Sendejo will also miss Sunday’s game, the safety being out due to groin and hamstring pain. Rashod Hill and Anthony Harris will respectively replace the ailing duo in Minnesota’s starting lineup.