HEADLINES

Month: September 2021

49ers Discussed Trade For Vikings’ Cameron Dantzler; Richard Sherman Still On Radar

September 17th, 2021 at 4:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

After entering the season with a thinner cornerback depth chart than they featured in recent years, the 49ers have needed to make multiple additions over the past several days.

Josh Norman and Dre Kirkpatrick are now on San Francisco’s roster, with injuries — most notably Jason Verrett‘s ACL tear — moving the team to add veterans. The 49ers have been in discussions to keep bolstering their corner corps, with The Athletic’s David Lombardi reporting Richard Sherman remains on the team’s radar (subscription required).

The 49ers and Sherman still have mutual interest in a reunion, according to Lombardi. Sherman, 33, played the past three seasons with the 49ers but has run into off-field trouble. A July arrest brought five misdemeanor charges for the former All-Pro, who had been on a few teams’ radars this offseason. This marks Sherman’s first known connection to a team since the arrest.

Initially, the 49ers and Sherman agreed to part ways ahead of free agency. But Sherman did not land anywhere in free agency. In May, the prospect of Sherman returning to San Francisco surfaced. The Raiders, Saints and Seahawks also held discussions with the acclaimed defender. Norman and Kirkpatrick’s arrivals notwithstanding, Sherman would help the 49ers further address a key need. After missing Week 1, outside corner Emmanuel Moseley is doubtful for San Francisco’s Week 2 tilt in Philadelphia with a knee injury.

These issues also prompted the 49ers to look to the trade market. The team inquired about Vikings corner Cameron Dantzler, Lombardi adds. Minnesota made the 2020 third-round pick a healthy scratch in Week 1. Dantzler started 11 games as a rookie but is now behind offseason additions Patrick Peterson and Bashaud Breeland. For now, the Vikings are holding off on a Dantzler deal. The 49ers then moved to Kirkpatrick, whom they auditioned earlier this year.

With Kirkpatrick and Norman in place as stopgaps, San Francisco’s cornerback spot certainly stands as a situation to monitor early in the season.

Saints Place Marcus Davenport, Kwon Alexander On IR

September 17th, 2021 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two Saints defensive starters will be sidelined until at least October. The Saints are placing Marcus Davenport and Kwon Alexander on IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Neither Davenport nor Alexander practiced this week due to shoulder and elbow injuries, respectively. They will not be able to return until New Orleans’ Week 5 game.

While Davenport was believed to have suffered a pectoral muscle strain in Week 1, the Saints listed the fourth-year defensive end on their injury report with a shoulder ailment. Davenport’s injury is not expected to keep him out especially long, but the Saints will nevertheless save a roster spot by moving him to IR.

The Saints moved Davenport back into their starting lineup to start this season, after having let Trey Hendrickson walk in free agency. Hendrickson signed with the Bengals, leaving Davenport an opportunity to re-establish himself opposite Cameron Jordan. Davenport registered a sack and two QB hits in the Saints’ dominant Week 1 win over the Packers. The Saints picked up Davenport’s fifth-year option in May.

Alexander worked his way back from a December Achilles tear to be ready in time for the Saints’ opener, but this continues a rough run of health for the former Buccaneers standout. Alexander suffered a torn ACL in 2018, though he still landed a nice contract from the 49ers. However, the veteran linebacker sustained a pectoral muscle tear in his first 49ers season. Alexander’s latest malady stands to increase second-year linebacker Zack Baun‘s workload, The Athletic’s Larry Holder tweets. The 2020 third-round pick played 23 defensive snaps in the team’s opener.

Patriots Plan To Place K Quinn Nordin On IR

September 17th, 2021 at 3:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Folk should soon be in position to stick around as the Patriots’ kicker for the foreseeable future. The Pats are planning to place rookie kicker Quinn Nordin on IR, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

An abdominal injury will lead to Nordin’s IR stay. The Michigan product did not kick in New England’s opener, with the team promoting Folk from its practice squad. Nordin managed a limited practice Thursday but did not work out Friday. This is not expected to be a season-ending injury, per Rapoport, who adds November will be a return goal.

Despite being the Patriots’ primary kicker over the past two seasons, Folk still resides on New England’s taxi squad. That status will change ahead of the team’s Week 2 game against the Jets. The Pats elevated Folk before last week’s game. He made all three of his field goal tries in the Week 1 loss to the Dolphins. New England initially added Folk in 2019, after Stephen Gostkowski‘s injury halted his 14-season tenure, and re-signed him this offseason.

New England added Nordin as a UDFA this offseason. Nordin led the Big Ten in field goals made as a freshman, connecting on 19, and remained the Wolverines’ top kicker through his senior year.

Raiders’ Josh Jacobs To Miss Week 2

September 17th, 2021 at 2:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders will be down another member of their starting offense for their Week 2 game against the Steelers. After losing Denzelle Good for the season, the team ruled out Josh Jacobs for Sunday’s matchup.

Jacobs missed practice throughout the week due to toe and ankle injuries. The toe issue emerged before Las Vegas’ opener; the ankle problem surfaced on this week’s injury reports.

The two-time 1,000-yard rusher appeared on the Raiders’ first injury report of the season but played against the Ravens. Jacobs scored two touchdowns in the Raiders’ Monday victory. Jacobs played 15 games last season, doing so after finishing his rookie season on IR due to an ankle ailment.

Kenyan Drake, whom the Raiders gave a two-year deal worth $11MM, stands to move into the team’s starting lineup. Drake spent the past two seasons as the Cardinals’ starting back. Playing on the transition tag last season, the former Dolphins draftee gained 955 rushing yards (4.0 per carry). Jon Gruden, however, said recent pickup Peyton Barber will pick up some of the slack as well. The Raiders added Barber after Washington released him ahead of this year’s roster cutdown deadline.

Chargers Place Bryan Bulaga On IR

September 17th, 2021 at 12:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers have placed starting tackle Bryan Bulaga on the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. To take his place on the roster, they’ve added guard/tackle Michael Schofield III.

Bulaga spent ten seasons in Green Bay, up until 2020 when he joined the Bolts. The 32-year-old stepped into the right tackle role last year, starting in all ten of his games. He resumed his role for Week 1, but his hip flexor hasn’t cooperated.

“It’s just more discomfort than anything. The MRIs are negative,” head coach Brandon Staley said recently (via the Associated Press). “We’re trying to give him adequate rest and the mobility recovery that he needs so he can go into this game feeling good.”

The 12th-year pro has battled injuries throughout his career, though he did manage 16 games in 2019 and 14 in 2018. The Chargers hope he’ll be back soon and healthy in the long-term as well. His three-year, $30MM deal runs through the 2022 campaign.

Packers Place Za’Darius Smith On IR

September 17th, 2021 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have placed edge rusher Za’Darius Smith on injured reserve, according to head coach Matt LaFleur (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). The Packers initially hoped to have him ready for Week 2, but his back hasn’t healed as quickly as expected.

“We’re going to have to shut him down for a while,” LaFleur said. “[It’s a matter of,] do you keep him in a limited or do you shut him down for a while and try to get him up to the snap count we’d like him to be.”

Smith came off Green Bay’s active/NFI list August 9 but suffered setbacks shortly after. The Packers plan to exercise caution here, shelving Smith for at least another three games.

Smith, 28, also took issue with how the Packers restructured his contract earlier year. However, club officials have made it clear that Smith’s absence is strictly injury-related.

In theory, the two-time reigning NFC North champs are well equipped to handle Smith’s absence, given the presence of Preston Smith and former first-round pick Rashan Gary. Still, they didn’t look great in any facet last week as the Packers were crushed 38-3 by the Saints.

Latest On Jets’ Mekhi Becton

September 17th, 2021 at 11:19am CST by Zachary Links

Jets tackle Mekhi Becton will miss anywhere between four to eight weeks after undergoing knee surgery, according to head coach Robert Saleh. This is already a longer timetable than initially projected — early reports pegged Becton at 4-6 weeks.

The promising left tackle went through with a second opinion, which confirmed season-ending surgery would not be required. The Jets instead will hope this cartilage cleanup procedure, which is scheduled for Wednesday, will allow Becton to return this season (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler).

Becton, the Jets’ 2020 first-round pick, went down early in the season opener against the Panthers. The Jets went on to lose 19-14. Becton will be sorely missed for the next month or two, starting with Sunday’s tilt against the Patriots.

The Jets will deploy George Fant at left tackle while Morgan Moses mans the right side. The Jets are surely glad that they picked up the longtime Washington starter in June. Ideally, Moses would be serving as the No. 3 tackle behind Becton and Fant. But, with Becton out of action for several weeks, he’ll be playing a much more key role on the front five.

Moses went six straight seasons without missing a game for the Washington Football Team, but they opted revamp their tackle group with rookie Samuel Cosmi and ex-Bears LT Charles Leno. According to the advanced metrics, 2020 might have been Moses’ best year yet as he placed top-20 for tackles, per Pro Football Focus. Before that, the advanced metrics framed him as a middle-of-the-road blocker from 2017 through 2019.

In a best case scenario, the Jets could have Becton return after their bye. The next week, on 10/24, they’ll face the Pats for a second time.

Browns Place Anthony Walker On IR

September 17th, 2021 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns will place starting linebacker Anthony Walker on injured reserve with a hamstring strain (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Fortunately, it’s expected to be a short-term matter, which means that Walker should return in three weeks. 

[RELATED: Browns Work Out Reuben Foster]

Walker started alongside Darius Leonard for three seasons with the Colts. Working as Indianapolis’ primary middle linebacker, he registered 321 tackles from 2018-20 and did not miss a game. He also posted 18 tackles for loss in that span, including 10 in 2018. Pro Football Focus did not grade Walker particularly well last season, slotting him near the bottom of its linebacker hierarchy.

Still, the Browns saw potential in the former fifth-round pick and moved quickly to sign him to a one-year, $3MM deal in March. He should resume his starting role on the other end of this IR stint and can return as soon as 10/10 against the Chargers.

Giants OL Nick Gates Suffers Lower Leg Fracture

September 16th, 2021 at 9:12pm CST by Ben Levine

Giants offensive lineman Nick Gates left tonight’s game following a brutal leg injury. According to the team, Gates suffered a lower leg fracture (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter).

The injury occurred in the first quarter. Gates was tossed to the ground, and teammate Daron Payne accidentally rolled over the lineman’s ankle. Gates’ leg was placed in an air cast before he was carted off the field. The broadcast refused to show a replay considering the gruesome nature of the injury.

Gates was an undrafted free agent in 2018, but he’s transformed into one of the Giants’ most reliable offensive lineman. The 25-year-old started all 16 games for New York in 2020, and he was named a team captain prior to the 2021 campaign. He appeared in all 61 of the Giants’ offensive snaps during their Week 1 loss.

After playing center in 2020, the Giants shifted Gates to left guard this week following an injury to Shane Lemieux. This allowed recent acquisition Billy Price to slide into the center spot. Ben Bredeson replaced Gates following the injury, per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com.

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