Seahawks Add Snacks Harrison To P-Squad
Damon Harrison will be on track to play a ninth NFL season. The Seahawks intend to sign the free agent nose tackle, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Snacks visited the Seahawks on Tuesday and was scheduled to make a trip to Green Bay for a Packers meeting Wednesday. But the latter summit is off.
While Harrison needed to go through the NFL’s beefed-up COVID-19 testing protocols — six days’ worth of coronavirus tests — before officially joining the Seahawks, Pete Carroll said he has done so and is officially on the team’s 16-man practice squad. The accomplished veteran joining Seattle’s taxi squad likely doubles as a way for the team to stash the longtime starter while he reacclimates.
Harrison, 32 in November, considered retirement while with the Lions, who acquired him via trade from the Giants in 2018. He did start 15 games for Detroit last season and has logged 111 starts in his career. Being 1-for-8 in playoff appearances in his career, Harrison has made it known he seeks a winning situation. The Seahawks, who have made the playoffs in seven of the past eight seasons prior to their 4-0 start this year, will certainly qualify.
Jaguars Place CB D.J. Hayden On IR
The Jaguars will be down their slot cornerback for at least three weeks. They placed D.J. Hayden on IR Wednesday, further thinning out the team’s new-look secondary.
Hayden left the Jags’ Week 4 game with a hamstring injury. The third-year Jaguar represents the team’s most experienced corner, having been a regular since coming into the league as a 2013 first-round pick.
Jacksonville signed Hayden in 2018 and, for the most part, has seen the former Raiders bust rejuvenate himself. Hayden graded as a top-25 corner in 2018 and ’19, per Pro Football Focus, which is less bullish on his early-2020 returns.
Hayden teamed with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in 2018 and to start last season. Both have since been traded, leaving the veteran with younger defenders. The Jags will be forced to use their less seasoned talents exclusively against the Texans in Week 5.
Titans’ Workout Violates NFL’s COVID-19 Rules
The Titans broke league protocols by gathering for a workout last week (Twitter link via Paul Kuharsky). Kuharsky’s story includes photo evidence, which could prove to be problematic for the team.
[RELATED: Titans Have Two New COVID-19 Positives]
The Titans were barred from gathering in person following their initial coronavirus outbreak. By working out at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee, those involved could place league discipline. Hypothetically, this could lead to a forced forfeiture of a game, per the league’s updated guidelines for safety. For the time being, that scenario has not been discussed by league officials, Judy Battista of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
The Titans are currently slated to face the Bills in a Week 5 matchup at Nissan Stadium. That could change in the coming hours following word of more positive tests in Tennessee.
Latest On NFL’s COVID-19 Testing
The NFL received 84 positive test results between August 1 and October 3, per a Wednesday announcement from the league. That number includes 31 players and draws from a total of 370K+ tests.
The NFL had two confirmed positive tests among players and four new confirmed positives among other personnel between Sept. 20-26. Unfortunately, that number jumped to eleven confirmed positive player tests players and 15 new confirmed personnel positives from Sept. 27-Oct. 3. Among the recent players to test positive: Patriots quarterback Cam Newton, Patriots cornerback and reigning DPOY Stephon Gilmore, and two additional players from the Titans, who previously seemed to have their outbreak under wraps.
“The virus is still very much a threat not only to our season, but to the safety of everyone in our community,” said Dr. Thom Mayer, the NFLPA’s Medical Director. “We encourage everyone to do their part to follow the protocols and keep each other safe.”
Meanwhile, the state of Florida has given the Dolphins permission to operate at 65K capacity. However, citing CDC guidelines, the Dolphins will continue to operate at 13K capacity, CEO Tom Garfinkel says (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
Dabo Swinney: I’m Not Thinking About Texans Job
Could the Texans replace Bill O’Brien with Deshaun Watson’s former mentor, Dabo Swinney? According to the Clemson head coach, the answer is no. At least, for now. 
[RELATED: Texans Fire Bill O’Brien]
“I have not heard from Deshaun and that is not even anything that I want to even have to think about,” the two-time national champ said, via Matt Young of The Houston Chronicle. “You would be the one to ask that question out of all the questions. You don’t want to ask anything about Miami? Next question.”
Swinney was connected to the Texans job immediately following word of O’Brien’s firing. The speculation made — and still makes — lots of sense. The Tigers head coach isn’t just close with Watson, he also has a good relationship with executive Jack Easterby, who is currently in charge of operations.
Swinney famously compared Watson to Michael Jordan in the buildup to the 2017 draft, where the Texans landed him at No. 12 overall. Even with a football MJ under center, the Texans started 0-4, leading to O’Brien’s surprise dismissal.
If the Texans do go after Swinney, it’ll cost them — he currently ranks as the highest-paid college football coach in the nation with a salary of $9.3MM per year.
Washington To Bench Dwayne Haskins
The Washington Football Team is making a quarterback change. Former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins will be benched in favor of Kyle Allen, as Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweet. Furthermore, Haskins will be moved down to No. 3 on the QB depth chart with Alex Smith taking over as the primary backup. 
Washington tried to tailor the offense to Haskins’ strengths this offseason while giving him all of the first-string reps in practice. So far, that hasn’t panned out. After their comeback win over the Eagles to start the season, WFT has gone without a W in the last three games.
Haskins, the No. 15 overall pick of the 2019 draft, has been sacked a ton — the offensive line is partially to blame, though Haskins has not been able to locate his open targets quickly, either. Between his three interceptions and one fumble against the Browns, Haskins is coming off of a four-turnover game, one that may change the trajectory of his NFL career. All in all, Haskins has completed just 56.4% of his passes with four touchdowns against three INTs.
Washington is set to play the Ravens this week, presenting Allen with a tough task. But, after that, they have a fairly soft stretch that includes the Rams, Giants (2x), Cowboys, and Lions. Ron Rivera & Co. believe that Allen can take advantage of that stretch and put them on the right track.
Meanwhile, this marks yet another remarkable milestone for Smith, who suffered a gruesome leg injury in November of 2018.The injury was thought to be a potential career ender, especially after Smith contracted sepsis. Now healthy, the 36-year-old could be on the verge of taking his first snap in years.
Titans Have Two New COVID-19 Positives
The Titans received two positive tests results in their latest round of COVID-19 testing, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Previous to this, the Titans seemed to have the viral spread under control with consecutive days of zero new positives.
[RELATED: Patriots’ Gilmore Tests Positive For COVID-19]
The Titans are scheduled to play the Bills in Week 5. As it stands, that game is still on; as is the Patriots’ Sunday tilt against the Bills. Of course, the league will keep a watchful eye on the Titans and Patriots, who just received word of star cornerback Stephon Gilmore‘s positive test.
The Titans were forced to call off their Week 4 game against the Steelers and close their team facility following the first outbreak. They’ve shut down their building once again in light of the latest positives. In total, the Titans have had ten players test positive in the last two weeks, plus nine personnel members.
Patriots’ Stephon Gilmore Tests Positive For COVID-19
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has tested positive for COVID-19, as NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. With that, the Patriots have called off Wednesday’s practice.
Gilmore’s positive tests comes on the heels of quarterback Cam Newton‘s diagnosis. In addition, practice squad defensive lineman Bill Murray has been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which means that he has either come in close contact with someone that has the coronavirus or has it himself.
The Chiefs — who played the Patriots on Monday night — had zero positive tests in Wednesday’s round. However, Gilmore was in close contact with numerous Chiefs players during the game, including star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Gilmore was also on one of the Patriots’ two team planes, meaning that many more players and personnel members were potentially exposed.
Gilmore, 30, was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. He’ll be ineligible to play on Sunday against the Broncos, per league protocol, and his diagnosis will likely have a ripple effect on the schedule. More importantly, the hope is that the virus has not spread and that Gilmore remains in good condition.
AFC East Notes: Newton, Dolphins, Jets
Cam Newton was reported Monday to be asymptomatic after his positive COVID-19 test, and with nothing changing on that front Tuesday, the Patriots quarterback could return to practice as soon as Thursday. While no other players on New England’s active roster tested positive, the team placed practice squad defensive tackle Bill Murray on its reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday. Murray did not make the trip to Kansas City, per NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran (on Twitter), but Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the young defender did stay at the hotel near Gillette Stadium with teammates previously.
Here is the latest from the AFC East, moving first to the Dolphins’ quarterback situation:
- Brian Flores did not commit to Ryan Fitzpatrick receiving a fifth start when asked earlier this week, but the Dolphins‘ second-year head coach did so Tuesday. Fitzpatrick will start against the 49ers. Flores said Tua Tagovailoa‘s 2019 hip injury remains a factor in the Dolphins’ decision-making. The former Alabama prodigy’s past injury issues have helped keep Fitzpatrick in the lineup. Fitz has thrown four touchdown passes, five interceptions and interestingly holds the league’s No. 9 QBR figure (75.3). But with questions about Fitzpatrick’s job status taking place before Week 5, Tagovailoa will surely make his debut this season.
- Before ultimately deciding on the Giants, Logan Ryan was squarely on the Jets‘ radar. The most recent report indicated Jets GM Joe Douglas nixed a Ryan agreement because it leaked to the media, with contract demands almost certainly playing a role as well, but Ryan said during a radio interview with WFAN the Jets did not make an offer (Twitter link). Ryan estimated he talked to nearly every team this offseason, one in which he was a free agent for more than five months. Barring a Giants extension, the veteran defensive back is slated to be a free agent again in 2021.
- The Jets did not plan on using injured left tackle Mekhi Becton last week, but replacement Chuma Edoga going down in the first quarter prompted them to reinsert their ailing starter into the lineup. Adam Gase said the nature of Becton’s injury would have prevented him from making it worse, calling it a pain-tolerance issue. The Louisville alum is said to be dealing with a capsule issue in his shoulder, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. This pertains to the ligament surrounding the shoulder joint. Becton played just 17 snaps in Week 4. The first-round pick has played well when healthy but has seen this injury stall his development.
- Gang Green may be without its left tackle and starting quarterback in Week 5. The Jets are not expected to play Sam Darnold against the Cardinals, with the team on track to proceed with caution after the quarterback was slammed to turf during the Jets’ loss to the Broncos.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/6/20
Workout updates stand to be sparser going forward, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com noting the NFL has moved to, in light of some teams’ recent issues with the coronavirus, cap workouts at five per week (Twitter link). However, the rule will not apply to teams that place more than three players on IR in a week, Garafolo tweets. In those scenarios, teams would be permitted to work out 10 players in a week. That said, here are the top developments from the workout circuit, as of Tuesday evening.
Atlanta Falcons
- LB James Burgess, S J.J. Wilcox (visit)
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
- DT Xavier Williams (visit)
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
- LB Deone Bucannon, LB Emmanuel Ellerbee, DB Roderic Teamer
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Najee Goode (visit), DB Akeem King, DB Jaylen Watkins, LB Ramik Wilson
New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks
- LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, DE/LB Jeff Holland
Tennessee Titans
- LS Colin Holba, LS Matt Overton