Cardinals Move G J.R. Sweezy To IR
Previously ruled out for the Cardinals’ Monday night game, J.R. Sweezy will miss a chunk of their season. The Cards placed the starting guard on IR. Both Sweezy and Arizona defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence landed on IR Saturday.
The former Seahawks starter suffered an elbow injury that will sideline him for at least three games. Lawrence is dealing with a calf malady. Sweezy rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 54 guard through five games this season.
Since missing the entire 2016 season and being a Buccaneers cut, Sweezy has been a dependable lineman. The Seahawks brought him back and used him as a starter throughout their 2018 playoff season, and Sweezy has started 21 straight games since signing with the Cardinals in 2019. The Cards have, however, dealt with extensive injuries up front in recent years. This marks a key setback for this year’s more successful squad.
Despite the Cards employing veteran Max Garcia, third-year blocker Justin Murray will replace Sweezy in Arizona’s starting lineup. Murray started 12 games at right tackle last season. Murray was already seeing time at guard in a rotation with Sweezy and Justin Pugh. He has played 19% of Arizona’s offensive snaps this season.
Chiefs Place Kelechi Osemele On IR
SATURDAY: As expected, Osemele landed on the Chiefs’ IR list. Considering the severity of the reported injury, Osemele is likely done for the season. This comes a season after a separate injury limited him to only three games in 2019.
MONDAY: The Chiefs will be without starting guard Kelechi Osemele for a while, according to head coach Andy Reid. Osemele was forced out in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs and later found to have torn tendons in both of his knees. 
[RELATED: Sammy Watkins Suffers Hamstring Injury]
Osemele, 31, joined the Chiefs on a one-year deal following Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s decision to opt out of the 2020 season. Even though he’s not the player he once was, the 6’5″ blocker came to KC with an impressive resume including two Pro Bowl selections and 96 career appearances from 2012-2019.
The veteran was hoping for a bounce-back year after a turbulent stretch with the Jets. The Jets acquired Osemele from the Raiders in the 2019 offseason for a late draft pick, but things quickly turned ugly. Osemele pushed for shoulder surgery after three games, but the Jets disagreed and urged him to return to action. Eventually, the NFLPA got involved and went to bat on Osemele’s behalf. Ultimately, the Jets released him in October, months before his $11.35MM non-guaranteed base salary for 2020 was scheduled to kick in.
Mike Remmers, who took over for Osemele on Sunday, is likely to move into the starting lineup.
Falcons To Be Without Defensive Lineman, DL Coaches In Week 6 Due To COVID-19
The Falcons are still scheduled to play the Vikings at noon CT on Sunday. But more news is trickling out about their run-in with the coronavirus.
Defensive lineman John Cominsky joined rookie defensive tackle Marlon Davidson on Atlanta’s reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets that Cominsky also tested positive for the virus. Additionally, Falcons defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi and assistant D-line coach Jess Simpson have been identified as close Cominsky contacts. They are not traveling with the Falcons to Minnesota.
Cominsky and Davidson are the only Falcons to have tested positive this week. The team moved A.J. Terrell off its COVID-19 list earlier this month. While it would not be surprising if other Falcon D-linemen landed on the COVID list, none have thus far. That has prompted the NFL to keep their game against the Vikings on as scheduled.
The Falcons closed their facility earlier this week and continued to work in a virtual capacity Thursday, but the team reopened its facility after no more positive tests came in the immediate aftermath of Davidson’s. The Falcons are taking two planes to Minnesota and leaving injured players in Atlanta, per Pelissero (on Twitter). This is certainly a situation to monitor ahead of Sunday morning.
Cominsky started in Week 1 for the Falcons but has worked as a reserve in the four games since. However, the second-year defender has played 53% of Atlanta’s defensive snaps. Defensive tackle Chris Slayton and linebacker Edmond Robinson will come up from the practice squad ahead of Sunday’s Vikings tilt.
Eagles Activate Vinny Curry, Will Parks
Some good injury-related news came out of Philadelphia on Saturday. This change of pace comes in the form of Vinny Curry and Will Parks being activated off injured reserve.
The Eagles placed Curry on IR after Week 1; Parks landed there prior to his new team’s season opener. The Philadelphia native will make his Eagles debut Sunday.
Curry and Parks were part of the brigade of NFLers who suffered hamstring injuries in September, which came after the league canceled its preseason slate because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This will bring some reinforcements for an Eagles defense tasked with supporting an injury-ravaged offense.
The Eagles signed Parks in free agency. The four-year Broncos supporting-caster is on track to be a depth piece with the Eagles. Curry is in his second season back in Philly. The longtime defensive line contributor spent the 2018 season in Tampa Bay but returned after one season in south Florida.
While the Eagles will be down four offensive line starters in Week 6, they still have their array of talented defensive linemen ready to go. The team also promoted tight end Jason Croom and defensive back Elijah Riley ahead of its game against the Ravens.
Ravens Place DT Brandon Williams On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The NFL again changed its policy regarding the reserve/COVID-19 list this week, resulting in more players being eligible to land on it. The Ravens placed their first player on the list since training camp.
Baltimore placed veteran defensive tackle Brandon Williams on the COVID list Saturday, putting him in line to miss Sunday’s game against Philadelphia. The Ravens are now on track to be without Williams and Derek Wolfe against the Eagles. The latter drew a doubtful designation because of a neck injury and a concussion.
Williams was not at Ravens practice Friday, with John Harbaugh indicating he was an excused absence. The 31-year-old defender did not test positive, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com, but did have close contact with an infected person (Twitter link). The Ravens’ Week 6 game against the Eagles remains a go, per The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (on Twitter). They are traveling to Philadelphia this afternoon.
A former Division II standout, Williams has been a Ravens starter since the 2014 season. The Ravens opted not to let the former third-round pick walk in 2017, re-signing him to a lucrative extension. Williams made the 2018 Pro Bowl and is a key player for a Raven defense that ranks third in DVOA.
It is unclear if Williams has tested positive for the coronavirus, but new protocols implemented this week call for all players who qualify as close contacts of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 to be isolated for at least five days — even if they are asymptomatic.
Colts Sign WR Marcus Johnson To Active Roster, Activate DT Sheldon Day
The Colts are doing a bit of roster reshuffling this morning. Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star reports (via Twitter) that the team is signing wideout Marcus Johnson to the active roster.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds that the team has also activated defensive tackle Sheldon Day from injured reserve, waived defensive tackle Eli Ankou, released safety Ibraheim Campbell, and promoted guard Jake Eldrenkamp and wide receiver DeMichael Harris from the practice squad.
Johnson, 26, joined the Colts back in 2018, but he started making a name for himself during the 2019 campaign. That year, the wideout finished with 17 receptions for 277 yards and two scores. He was waived by Indy back in September, but he later caught on with the practice squad. He had already been promoted to the active roster twice this season, and he’s hauled in four receptions for 80 yards in those two contests.
After spending the previous three seasons with the 49ers, Day joined the Colts this past offseason. He suffered a knee injury early in training camp that required his placement on the IR, and he was designated for return in late September. The 26-year-old appeared in 16 games for the 49ers last season, compiling 15 tackles and one sack. He also started each of San Francisco’s three playoff games.
Ankou was claimed off waivers from the Browns in early September, but he didn’t end up seeing any playing time for the Colts. Campbell was released by the Titans in September, and he subsequently joined Indy’s practice squad. He saw time in three games for the Colts, only contributing on special teams.
Broncos Release QB Blake Bortles
With Drew Lock looking like he’ll return to the field this weekend, the Broncos have moved on from one of their other quarterbacks. Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post reports (via Twitter) that the team is releasing Blake Bortles. The team has signed practice squad defensive lineman Sylvester Williams to take his spot.
Following five trick-or-treat seasons with the Jaguars, the 2014 third-overall pick had to settle for a backup gig with the Rams last season. He saw time in three games behind Jared Goff, completing one of his two pass attempts. Bortles sat in free agency for the entire offseason, but he eventually got a contract from the Broncos following Lock’s injury in Week 2.
With the 23-year-old appearing to be recovered from his rotator cuff strain, the Broncos apparently so no use for the 28-year-old Bortles. The team will instead move forward with Brett Rypien or Jeff Driskel as the backup quarterbacks.
Williams, a first-round pick by the Broncos back in 2013, reunited with his old team earlier this month when he inked a practice squad deal. The 31-year-old appeared in five games for the Chargers last season, compiling five tackles.
The Broncos have made a few other moves to their roster. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the team has promoted running back Jeremy Cox and linebacker Josh Watson to their active roster. Cox, a former standout at Old Dominion, will serve as the third running back with Melvin Gordon on the shelf. Watson joined the Broncos as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 2019. He’s appeared in nine career games for Denver, collecting a pair of tackles.
Browns Notes: Garrett, OBJ, Mayfield
On Sunday, Browns defensive end Myles Garrett will face off against the Steelers for the first time since last year’s infamous contest. During the final moments of Cleveland’s win over Pittsburgh last November, Garrett ripped off the helmet of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and proceeded to hit him over the head with the object. The fracas resulted in a season-ending suspension for Garrett.
The 2017 first-overall pick told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that he considered walking away from the game during his ban.
“I would’ve been OK,” Garrett said. “I love football. I love competing, I love my teammates, and I definitely want to win, but at the end of the day, I’m still a guy. I’m still a young man who has a lot of life to live and my life is much more than football. I just would’ve moved onto something else I enjoy and found another way to save my competitive nature, whether it would’ve been trying out for a basketball team or going to play baseball like [Michael] Jordan.
“I would’ve found something else I love to do, whether I was a writing coach or whatever. I would’ve left with my head held high and I wouldn’t have looked back.”
Garrett hasn’t missed a step following his return to the field. Through the first five games of the 2020 campaign, the 24-year-old has 15 tackles, six sacks, and a league-leading three forced fumbles.
Some more notes out of Cleveland:
- Garrett also told Cabot that he’d welcome a face-to-face meeting with Randolph. “If it were to happen, I’d be fine with it,” he said. “Not just fine, but I wouldn’t mind it and I’d be happy to make it happen, if there were a way. I’m not sure how I’d go about that, how I’d broach that. I’m not even sure if he’d want to do that but I wouldn’t have a problem sitting down with him and just not talking about the incident, just talking man-to-man, how we move forward, and just being better men and football players and not letting something like that happen again…Whether we can do that, I’m not sure, but I’d be willing to extend the olive branch and make that happen.”
- Cabot tweets that wideout Odell Beckham Jr. had his second COVID-19 test come back negative today. As a result, he’s been cleared to play against the Steelers tomorrow. The receiver was sent home Thursday after coming down with an illness, and he stayed away from the team facility on Friday. ESPN’s Jake Trotter notes that Beckham continued to participate in meetings remotely. Following a three-touchdown performance in Week 4, Beckham had five receptions for 58 yards during last week’s win over the Colts.
- After suffering a rib injury during last weekend’s win, Baker Mayfield was a limited participant at practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Fortunately, he was back to full participation on Friday, and despite his questionable tag for tomorrow’s game, it sounds like the quarterback is on track to play. “Like we’ve been saying all along, he’s improving every day,” said head coach Kevin Stefanski (via the team’s website).
Broncos RB Melvin Gordon Out Sunday
Melvin Gordon won’t be on the field when the Broncos take on the Patriots tomorrow. Mike Klis of 9News in Denver reports (via Twitter) that the running back did not travel to New England due to an illness.
[RELATED: Broncos/Patriots still on track for Sunday]
The reporter later clarified that Gordon had been diagnosed with strep throat. Considering the bacterial infection can be contagious, the Broncos decided to be cautious and leave Gordon in Denver. Earlier this morning, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported (via Twitter) that the running back had come down with a non-COVID-19 illness, noting that the training staff had taken extra precautions to guarantee he wasn’t dealing with COVID-19.
It hasn’t been the best week for Gordon. On Tuesday night, the 27-year-old was cited for driving under the influence. The police report stated that Gordon was found to be intoxicated after he was pulled over for speeding. The DUI citation could subject him to league discipline, including a possible suspension.
After three relatively underwhelming performances to begin his Broncos tenure, Gordon had a big game earlier this month against the Jets, rushing for 107 yards and two scores on 23 carries. Following a five-year stint with the Chargers that saw him earn a pair of Pro Bowl nods, Gordon inked a two-year, $16MM deal with Denver this past offseason.
Jaguars PS Player Tests Positive For COVID-19
The Jaguars announced that a player on their practice squad has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the team will be holding virtual meetings today, and their game against the Lions tomorrow is still expected to be played.
“Last night, we received results from our daily PCR testing that revealed an individual on our practice squad tested positive for COVID-19,” the team said in a statement. “After confirming the positive test, our organization began working with the NFL to review contact tracing data while the player self-isolated.
“As a precautionary measure for today, we made the decision to conduct our football activities remotely while following the NFL protocols and recommendations. This decision was made in consultation with the NFL and the team’s medical advisors. The health and safety of our players, coaches and staff, as well as their families, as our top priority.”
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that every member of the organization received rapid-result tests this morning.
While the news isn’t great in Jacksonville, it’s a bit better in New England. ESPN’s Mike Reiss reports that the Patriots opened their team facility on Saturday. The Pats join the Colts and Falcons among teams that have reopened facilities over the past 24 hours. New England canceled practice on Friday after another player tested positive for COVID-19.