IR/Activation Notes: Njoku, 49ers, Rams, Giants
David Njoku is back. The Browns announced this morning that they’ve activated the tight end from the injured reserve.
The 24-year-old suffered a knee injury during Cleveland’s season opener, and he was subsequently placed on IR. He was designated for return earlier this week, and coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that Njoku would see the field sooner than later. The tight end had three receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown in Week 1, surpassing some of the totals he compiled during his injury-plagued 2019 campaign.
Njoku requested a trade back in July, only to rescind it in early August. While the former first-rounder sits behind free agent addition Austin Hooper on the depth chart (and has to battle the likes of Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, and Kareem Hunt for targets), Njoku should still see a role in the offense going forward.
Let’s check out some more IR/activation notes from around the NFL…
- The 49ers‘ injury woes continue, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (biceps) and cornerback K’Waun Williams (knee/hip) are heading to the IR. Ansah joined San Francisco in late September, and he’s proceeded to appear in two games. He spent the 2019 campaign with the Seahawks, finishing with 18 tackles, two forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks. Williams has spent the past three-plus seasons with the 49ers, and he’s started two of his four appearances this season. Fortunately, there is some good news out of San Francisco, as head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will start Sunday against the Dolphins (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). Garoppolo has missed the past two-plus games, with the team mostly turning to Nick Mullens in his stead.
- 2020 third-round pick Terrell Lewis could make his debut for the Rams this weekend. Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets that the rookie linebacker has been activated off the IR. Following a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Lewis underwent a knee scope just before the start of the season. The former Alabama standout could immediately see some time on the edge for the Rams.
- The Giants placed linebacker Oshane Ximines on IR with a shoulder injury, reports SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano (via Twitter). The 2019 third-rounder saw time in all 16 games as a rookie, finishing with 4.5 sacks. He started three of the Giants first four games in 2020, collecting five tackles.
Patriots, Titans Expected To Return To Team Facilities Today
Some good news out of New England and Tennessee. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that there have been no positive tests for the Patriots nor Titans during their respective latest round of COVID-19 testing. As a result, both teams are planning on opening their facilities today.
The Titans had all negative tests for the second day in a row, meaning they could safely return to the practice field this morning. Over the past few weeks, the team has placed a dozen players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and their game against the Steelers last weekend was postponed indefinitely. This week’s contest against the Bills has been moved to Tuesday night.
The Patriots have also gone two days in a row without a positive test. The team’s expecting to hold a team practice this morning, and they’ll hold a walkthrough on Sunday in anticipation of their game against the Broncos on Monday. That game was moved from Sunday after star cornerback Stephon Gilmore tested positive earlier this week.
It’s been a week since Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, but it’s uncertain if he’ll see the field against Denver on Monday night. New England head coach Bill Belichick told reporters that he doesn’t expect Newton to practice today, noting that he’s taking the player’s status “day-by day” and “hour-by-hour.” If Newton can’t play, it’s expected that the Patriots will turn to second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham.
Jets’ “Presumptive Positive” COVID-19 Comes Back Negative
The “presumptive positive” test result for a Jets player has proven to be a false positive, per a club announcement. With that, their upcoming game against the Cardinals is on track to be played as scheduled.
“This evening, we received negative PCR COVID-19 test results for all players, coaches and personnel,” the team said in a statement. “Following a presumptive positive COVID-19 test and out of an abundance of caution to ensure everyone’s health and safety, we sent all players and personnel home this morning. We also initiated all NFL mandated protocols including player isolation, subsequent testing, and contact tracing.
“As we have thus far, we will continue to follow required health and safety protocols in the best interests of our coaches, players, staff and community. We look forward to our game this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.”
This comes on the heels of some good news for the Patriots and Titans, who received new positives in the last week. The latest round of testing came back negative for both clubs, which means they could resume practice on Saturday if everything remains stable.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/9/20
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: K Jon Brown
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Kalen Ballage
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: DT Albert Huggins
Washington Football Team
- Signed: K/P Kaare Vedvik
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/20
Here are today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to active roster: CB Khalil Dorsey
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: WR Tyron Johnson
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: WR Steven Sims Jr.
- Signed to active roster: G Joshua Garnett
Austin Ekeler Placed On IR
Oct. 9, 3:09pm: Ekeler has been placed on IR, the team announced.
Oct. 5, 2:12pm: Ekeler is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with the injury, Schefter tweets. He notes Ekeler is seeking a second opinion on the injury and the timetable, although it sounds like injured reserve is a near certainty at this point.
Oct. 5, 11:39am: The Chargers collapsed like only they (and maybe the Falcons) know how to do, blowing a 17-point lead against the Buccaneers. The bad news doesn’t stop there however, as it looks like they’ll be without running back Austin Ekeler for a while.
Ekeler suffered a hyperextended knee and hamstring injury that will cause him to miss multiple weeks, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The severity won’t be known until an MRI on Monday, but it sounds like a trip to injured reserve (minimum three games) is a possibility. Ekeler pulled up lame and looked to be in loads of pain, needing to be carted off. The Chargers are expected to place Ekeler on IR, but they’ll wait until a full analysis is completed before making the call (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).
It’s yet another brutal blow for a Chargers team that has yet again been besieged by injuries. They’re currently down multiple starters on the offensive line, receiver Mike Williams missed Sunday’s game, and a handful of starters on defense are hurt.
Los Angeles has come very close to winning every game, yet now sit at 1-3 through four weeks. Stop us if you’ve heard that one before. Ekeler was handling by far the biggest workload of his career this season after the Chargers moved on from Melvin Gordon. A dynamic pass-catcher as well as runner, he had 11 receptions in Week 3 against the Panthers.
The unheralded former undrafted free agent had 557 yards and three touchdowns on the ground last year, adding another 993 and eight through the air. The Western Colorado product signed a four-year, $24.5MM pact with the Chargers back in March, so thankfully he’s financially secure. Rookie fourth-rounder Joshua Kelley from UCLA and Justin Jackson will carry the load in his absence.
Dolphins Place LT Austin Jackson On IR
The Dolphins have placed left tackle Austin Jackson on IR due to a foot injury he suffered during Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports (via Twitter). Although the rookie LT would be eligible to return after three weeks under the modified rules for 2020, Barry Jackson says in a full-length piece that head coach Brian Flores was non-committal when asked if Austin Jackson would be back this season.
Indeed, Flores said the team is looking for a “long-term replacement” for Austin Jackson, so it sounds as if the USC product very well may miss the rest of the year. Though Miami has several options, Barry Jackson suggests that Julie’n Davenport — who filled in for Austin Jackson during the Seattle game and played well — might have the first crack at the LT job.
Austin Jackson was the second of three first-round choices that the Dolphins had in this year’s draft. He was thrown into the fire right away, and he acquitted himself reasonably well. He had not allowed a sack this season, and he recently earned praise from his position coach.
“Austin has had a great start to this season,” offensive line coach Steve Marshall said earlier this week. “He’s learning every time he’s going out there. I’m very excited for his future. He can be a heck of a pro offensive left tackle.”
Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics considered Austin Jackson to be a below-average performer in terms of both run-blocking and pass-blocking, but he has certainly shown enough flashes to justify Marshall’s enthusiasm. One wonders if Austin Jackson’s absence will have any bearing on Flores’ decision as to when to insert rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa into the starting lineup.
To take Austin Jackson’s place on the roster, the Dolphins have promoted rookie running back Salvon Ahmed from the practice squad. As Barry Jackson observes (via Twitter), the team has liked what it has seen from the UDFA, though he will be joining a crowded RB depth chart.
Bears G James Daniels Out For Season
1:10pm: Daniels did indeed suffer a torn pec last night, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets. He will miss the rest of the season.
10:07am: The Bears improved to 4-1 by defeating the Buccaneers last night, but they may have lost a starting offensive lineman in the process. As Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported after the game, Chicago fears that left guard James Daniels suffered a season-ending pectoral injury (Twitter link).
As of this morning, head coach Matt Nagy did not have an update on Daniels’ condition (Twitter link via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com). Daniels is scheduled to have an MRI today, so we will pass along those results as soon as we have them.
Although the Bears are near the bottom of the league in terms of total offense and points-per-game, their offensive front is actually performing pretty well as far as the advanced metrics are concerned. Football Outsiders pegs Chicago’s O-line as a top-10 unit in both run-blocking and pass protection, and any disruption to the group’s continuity will be unwelcome. For what it’s worth, Pro Football Focus thinks highly of Daniels’ personal run-blocking effort through the first few weeks of the season, though it’s less fond of his pass-blocking.
Daniels has become a fixture in the Bears’ starting lineup, having started the last 31 games for the club. He has also demonstrated some versatility, playing eight games at center in 2019 before switching back to guard.
The 2018 second-round pick is currently backed up by former UDFA Alex Bars, who has yet to record a start in his pro career.
Jarrett Stidham To Start For Pats If Cam Newton Is Unavailable
The Patriots are currently scheduled to play the Broncos on Monday, and if starting QB Cam Newton is unable to take the field, New England will turn to second-year passer Jarrett Stidham, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Newton has been taking part in Zoom meetings with the team, and there is still hope that he will be able to suit up.
Of course, Newton’s positive COVID-19 test sidelined him for last week’s matchup against the Chiefs, and though New England’s defense generally held its own against Patrick Mahomes & Co., the club was clearly missing the 2015 league MVP. The Pats turned to veteran Brian Hoyer to start the game, but Hoyer lost track of his team’s timeouts at the end of the first half, and he lost a fumble late in the third quarter. Both mistakes likely cost New England points.
Hoyer was benched in favor of Stidham, and the Auburn product kept the Pats in the game on a nice TD pass to N’Keal Harry, but he ultimately threw two interceptions in just 13 pass attempts (though to be fair, one of them was really receiver Julian Edelman‘s fault, and the other came on something of a desperation heave that Stidham might not have tried but for the score of the game at that point). Given that Stidham, a 2019 fourth-round selection, clearly offers more upside than Hoyer, it makes sense that the Pats would look his way.
Of course, Stidham appeared to be the leading candidate to open the 2020 season as the Patriots’ starting signal-caller until Newton fell into their laps at the end of June. Then, a disappointing training camp that included some injury concerns forced the team to slide Stidham behind Hoyer on the depth chart. Stidham will surely welcome the opportunity to rebuild his stock if Newton has to sit.
Tyron Smith Done For Season
Oct 9: Smith will undergo neck surgery and will miss the rest of the season, head coach Mike McCarthy announced this morning (Twitter link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram). However, he is expected to make a full recovery and plans to be back in action for Week 1 of the 2021 season (Twitter link via Gehlken).
Oct. 8: Tyron Smith played all 82 of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps in their shootout loss to the Browns, but the neck injury that caused the All-Pro left tackle to miss the previous two games continues to be a concern.
The Cowboys are considering placing Smith on IR and are not certain he can continue to play this season, Ed Werder of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Smith indeed suffered a setback with his neck and is gathering medical information. He also is considering the prospect of the injury shutting him down for the rest of the season, Jane Slater and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report (on Twitter).
This would certainly be a major loss for a Cowboys team that has already seen right tackle La’el Collins shelved for the season. Travis Frederick‘s offseason retirement would leave Zack Martin alone among Dallas’ All-Pro blocking coalition responsible for helping the respective rises of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
The Cowboys are also down center Joe Looney, who left Sunday’s game after the first play. The team confirmed its starting center is dealing with an MCL issue and will miss time. As for Smith, he has gone to seven straight Pro Bowls and joined Martin on the 2010s’ All-Decade team. The 2011 first-round pick has never missed more than three games in a season.
UDFAs Brandon Knight and Terence Steele are expected to be the Cowboys’ left and right tackles, respectively, for the foreseeable future, the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken tweets. A Smith IR stay would mean at least three missed games, pushing his total to a minimum of five absences this season. Even if that ends up being the Cowboys’ move, their offensive line has run into the kind of trouble that it has not faced in many years.