Lions Sign Mohamed Sanu
The Lions have signed wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to the practice squad, per a club announcement. Sanu auditioned for Detroit on Monday and showed enough to land a deal with the 3-4 squad. 
Sanu is both experienced and well-traveled at this point. Last year, the Patriots acquired him from the Falcons in exchange for a second-round pick. Then, in September, the Pats surprised many by releasing him outright. After that, he had a brief 49ers stint with old pal Kyle Shanahan before landing with the Lions.
Sanu underwhelmed in his eight regular season games (six starts) with the Patriots last year, hauling in 26 receptions (on 47 targets) for 207 yards and one score. He was also invisible during New England’s playoff loss to the Titans as he caught just one pass for eleven yards. All in all, Sanu has registered 404 receptions for 4,516 yards (11.2 yards per catch) and 26 touchdowns over the course of his career.
Now, the 31-year-old will be on call for the Lions, who are keeping a close eye on Kenny Golladay‘s hip injury. If he’s called up to the main roster, he’ll have an opportunity to pair with one-time Bengals teammate Marvin Jones Jr.
Raiders Lose Draft Pick For COVID Violations
The NFL will fine the Raiders $500K and strip the team of a sixth-round pick for their COVID-19 protocol violations (Twitter link via Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports). They’ve also fined head coach Jon Gruden $150K for infractions stemming from Trent Brown‘s positive test late last month.
In total, the Raiders have been fined $1.2MM for COVID-19 protocol violations. Now, they’ve become the first team to lose a draft pick over them. Gruden, meanwhile, has been docked a grand sum of $250K by the league office. Quarterback Derek Carr and many other Raiders players were also previously fined for not wearing a mask at a charity event.
The latest wave of sanctions has also impacted the Steelers. Head coach Mike Tomlin was fined $100K for not wearing his mask against the Ravens in Week 8 and the franchise was fined $250K in total. That game has came under additional scrutiny after Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey tested positive for the coronavirus.
Cardinals To Sign Johnathan Joseph
The Cardinals have agreed to sign cornerback Johnathan Joseph, according to Mark Berman of FOX26 (on Twitter). The Titans released the veteran earlier this week, enabling him to sign with any club.
[RELATED: Cardinals Bring Back DL Josh Mauro]
Joseph’s one-year deal with the Titans made him the NFL’s oldest corner in the 2020 season. He’ll keep that mantle — for now — though 37-year-old Tramon Williams could take it from him by signing with the Ravens.
Joseph, 36 years young, will help to fortify a quality secondary group in Arizona. Before the deadline, the Cardinals were said to be in the hunt for cornerback help, though they were tied to a much younger player in Chargers standout Desmond King. Joseph doesn’t profile as a potential replacement for Patrick Peterson in 2021, but he can offer support for the 5-2 contenders this year.
The former 2006 first-rounder will have a chance to debut on Sunday when his new squad faces the Dolphins at State Farm Stadium.
Latest On NFL’s Playoff Contingency Plan
With the COVID-19 pandemic causing many franchises to make roster adjustments this week, the NFL’s competition committee has crafted a potential contingency plan in case 2020 becomes the league’s first season in generations not to feature teams playing the same number of games.
The committee is expected to pitch a 16-team playoff bracket — up from the 14-team field set to debut this season under the 2020 CBA — to owners as a fail-safe format in the event the pandemic forces regular-season cancellations, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reports. The altered bracket would feature no byes and unfold like the quarterfinals of a college basketball conference tournament — though, with home-field advantage obviously still in place — with 1-vs.-8, 2-vs.-7, 3-6 and 4-5 matchups opening the playoffs.
No team has seen a game canceled yet this season, but the coronavirus has forced several schedule changes. With the virus now hitting the country at record levels, the NFL is preparing for scenarios in which teams are prevented from playing 16 regular-season games.
Interestingly, the league’s 16-team emergency bracket would eliminate the requirement for division winners to receive an automatic home game. Seeding would be determined by win percentage, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports. This plan taking effect would remind of 1982, when a players’ strike slashed the season to nine games and prompted the NFL to implement a 16-team bracket. This year, it would seemingly deny the NFC East’s champion from a home playoff game. All division winners would still be guaranteed a playoff spot, however.
No NFL season has featured a missed game since 1935. But since the Titans and Patriots outbreaks resulted in teams’ bye weeks being moved, the league would need a solution in the event teams that have already had their byes run into coronavirus trouble. All teams must approve the plan before it becomes the league’s official contingency option. While this would seem to be a way for the NFL to avoid staging a Week 18 makeup window, Pelissero notes that is still an option.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/5/20
We’ll keep track of the latest practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Seth Devalve
Detroit Lions
- Signed: TE Khari Lee
- Released: RB Dalyn Dawkins
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Ryan Glasgow
New York Jets
- Signed: C James Murray
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Jason Croom
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Josiah Coatney
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Alex Collins (story)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Cyril Grayson
- Released: WR John Hurst
Washington Football Team
- Signed: LB Justin Phillips
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Matt Judon
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: C Sam Tecklenburg
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: LB Elijah Lee
- Waived: C Evan Brown
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: CB Kevin Toliver
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Jalen Elliott
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: S Henry Black, G Ben Braden, CB Stanford Samuels
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: RB Theo Riddick
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed off Raiders’ practice squad: CB Dylan Mabin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Marcus Epps; Epps tested positive for the coronavirus but is believed to be asymptomatic, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link)
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: OL Tony Bergstrom, WR River Cracraft, S Johnathan Cyprien, TE Daniel Helm, RB Austin Walter, WR Kevin White
- Placed on IR: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE George Kittle (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LS Matthew Orzech
Aaron Jones On Track To Play In Week 9
Good news for a Packers team that has seen COVID-19 decimate its running back room: Aaron Jones is on track to play Thursday night.
The standout running back has missed the past two games with a calf injury, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports he is expected to be active against the 49ers (Twitter link).
A.J. Dillon‘s positive coronavirus test led to the Packers’ top Jones replacement — Jamaal Williams — being deemed a high-risk close contact. On the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, Williams and Dillon will miss tonight’s game. The Packers having Jones active would be critical, though the notoriously cautious team will see how its starter looks in pregame warmups, per Schefter.
Green Bay promoted running back Dexter Williams from its practice squad Thursday and has return specialist Tyler Ervin set to play. Were Jones to experience pregame issues with his calf, the Packers would be extremely shorthanded in their backfield. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Williams has five career carries. Despite being a 2016 draftee, Ervin has 10 career totes.
Jones has been one of the NFL’s best backs over the past two seasons. After his 19-touchdown 2019 season, the former fifth-round pick is averaging 5.2 yards per carry this year. Jones has scored seven TDs in five games. He suffered the calf injury in practice prior to Green Bay’s Week 7 game in Houston. Returning to full strength will be key for Jones, who hopes to join several of his 2017 running back draft classmates in securing a big payday. His rookie contract expires at season’s end.
Trent Brown Back On Raiders’ Reserve/COVID-19 List
Trent Brown has run into several issues that have impacted his availability this season. After another transaction Thursday, the Raiders right tackle will miss another game.
The Raiders placed Brown on their reserve/COVID-19 list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Brown landing back on the coronavirus list would force him to isolate for five days. Brown is still experiencing complications from his bout with the virus, Albert Breer of SI.com reports (Twitter link). He will miss the Raiders’ Week 9 game against the Chargers.
Brown landed on the list two weeks ago, after testing positive for COVID-19, and missed the Raiders’ Week 7 game against the Buccaneers. While Brown came off the list last week and was on track to resume his season in Cleveland, a scary pregame IV mishap forced the 380-pound lineman to be hospitalized Sunday. He was discharged from that hospital Sunday night.
After being the rare right tackle to make the Pro Bowl last season, Brown has only played 73 snaps in 2020. He suffered a pectoral injury in Week 1, returned in Week 5 to help the Raiders upset the Chiefs but has not played since. Considering Brown’s weight makes him a higher risk for developing coronavirus complications, the sixth-year blocker continuing to experience issues is certainly a situation to monitor for the Raiders and the NFL.
Chiefs Place Chris Jones On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Chiefs had a staffer recently test positive for COVID-19 and may be observing some fallout. They placed Chris Jones on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.
Jones will be forced to isolate for five days and, unless his close contact with the person who tested positive came before Wednesday, will miss the Chiefs’ Week 9 game against the Panthers.
Chiefs VP of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Burkholder tested positive for the coronavirus, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. With Burkholder serving as a Chiefs trainer, it is possible the team will place more players on its COVID-19 list ahead of Week 9.
Jones has not tested positive, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter), but instead profiles as a close contact. This close contact may well have been separate from Burkholder’s positive test, with Albert Breer of SI.com tweeting Jones’ encounter with a COVID-positive person occurred outside the Chiefs’ facility.
The Chiefs gave Jones a four-year, $80MM extension this summer. The NFL’s record holder for consecutive games with a sack, Jones has anchored Kansas City’s defensive line for years. The fifth-year defensive tackle has 4.5 sacks this season.
Falcons Interested In Nathaniel Hackett; Eric Bieniemy Also On Radar
After 1 1/2 seasons as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett has emerged as a head coaching candidate. The Falcons are interested in the longtime assistant, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports.
Team president Rich McKay is likely to pursue an interview with Hackett when he becomes available for one, per JLC, who adds the 40-year-old OC’s name has come up in “several” internal discussions to succeed Dan Quinn.
McKay is running Atlanta’s search and has a history with Hackett, who is a second-generation NFL coach. The son of former NFL OC Paul Hackett, Nathaniel broke into the NFL as a Buccaneers quality control coach during his father’s stay as the team’s QBs coach during the mid-2000s. McKay was with Tampa Bay at that point.
The Packers hired Hackett last year to work as Matt LaFleur‘s right-hand man on offense. While Aaron Rodgers certainly makes a coordinator’s job easier, the Packers rank second in offensive DVOA this season despite having gone stretches without Davante Adams and Aaron Jones. Green Bay ranked eighth last season, though the team was seventh in Mike McCarthy‘s abbreviated final season. LaFleur calls Green Bay’s plays. Hackett served as OC for the Bills and Jaguars under Doug Marrone; the Jags fired him in 2018. Only one of Hackett’s five pre-Packers offenses ranked in the top 15 in DVOA.
The Falcons are likely to be interested in Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy, La Canfora notes. They will have company in chasing Kansas City’s non-play-calling OC, who has been in place throughout Patrick Mahomes‘ tenure as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. The Texans are also interested in Bieniemy, who has taken HC interviews in each of the past two offseasons and is expected to land a coaching job in 2021.