HEADLINES

Year: 2023

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/23

October 5th, 2023 at 5:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Just one minor transaction to pass along today:

Washington Commanders

The Commanders ruled out running back Chris Rodriguez for tonight’s game against the Bears, so the organization added some extra depth to their backfield. Gore was promoted for Week 4 to fill in for Rodriguez, and the practice squad RB ended up seeing time on six offensive snaps and 19 special teams snaps. Gore’s most productive season came with the Chiefs in 2021, when he finished with 256 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Kyle Pitts Not 100% After Knee Surgery

October 5th, 2023 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons have reassembled their skill-position corps from the Matt Ryan era. Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus are gone, having departed during the Terry Fontenot–Arthur Smith partnership. But Kyle Pitts represents a link to that period. And the Ryan exit has provided a line of demarcation for the former top prospect’s career.

With Ryan at the controls in 2021, Pitts approached Mike Ditka‘s rookie tight end receiving record by totaling 1,026 yards in 17 games. Only Jeremy Shockey (2002) has come within 300 yards of Pitts’ total as a rookie. In the 14 games since, Pitts has accumulated 477 yards on just 39 receptions. The move from Ryan to Marcus Mariota affected Atlanta’s passing attack, and Desmond Ridder now ranks 31st in QBR. But Pitts is also attempting to close the book on a significant injury rehab process.

A grade 2 MCL tear in Week 11 of last season shut down Pitts midway through a disappointing campaign, and while the former No. 4 overall pick was on the field to start this season, Smith confirmed his top tight end is not yet fully recovered.

“Look at him, obviously he’s out there. Again, there are no perfect timetables,” Smith said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. “But there are certain things, you see him and he’s doing really well right now and there are certain things that he can’t [do well]. It’s been a journey back. He’s going to get there.”

Pitts has cleared 45 receiving yards in a game just twice since the start of last season, but in addition to his pass-game inconsistency, his blocking ability has impacted his usage, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Never exactly drafted to impact the game as a run blocker, Pitts does grade poorly in that department for a run-oriented team. Pro Football Focus ranks Pitts as the league’s fourth-worst run-blocking tight end this season.

Although Smith had not yet implemented his full offensive plan in 2021, that setup certainly benefited Pitts compared to the post-Ryan plan. The team brought in Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson in the two ensuing offseasons, leading to the increased run commitment. The Falcons’ 559 rushing attempts led the NFL last season. They are only 13th in rush attempts this year, however. But Pitts has failed to clear the 65% offensive snap barrier in two of Atlanta’s four games. Trade acquisition Jonnu Smith also posted a six-catch, 95-yard effort against the Jaguars. Pitts has not hit six receptions or 95 yards in a game since his rookie year.

This profiles as a pivotal Pitts season. The Falcons must decide on the Florida alum’s fifth-year option in May 2024. While this regime has plenty invested in Pitts, the highest-drafted tight end since the AFL-NFL merger, the soon-to-be 23-year-old pass catcher has skidded off track early. The talented receiver’s performance going forward this season will be rather important for his earning potential.

Bears Activate G Teven Jenkins From IR

October 5th, 2023 at 2:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

OCTOBER 5: Jenkins will be this season’s first IR activation. Despite being designated for return three days before a Thursday-night game, Jenkins will come off IR in time for the Bears’ matchup with the Commanders, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This will be welcome news for a Bears team that has seen three starting O-linemen — Jenkins, Jones and Davis — miss multiple games. Jones remains on Chicago’s IR but will be a candidate to follow Jenkins back onto the active roster down the road.

This activation will shake up the Bears’ O-line. Cody Whitehair, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley, will likely return to the center position he played earlier in his career — the team’s plan upon signing Davis this offseason — while Jenkins is shifting from right guard to left guard to accommodate the ex-Titan. Center Lucas Patrick will be on track to return to a backup role.

OCTOBER 2: Teams can begin opening practice windows for players on IR and the PUP list this week. The Bears will do so with one of their starting offensive linemen.

Suffering an injury during the preseason, Teven Jenkins went on IR just after the Bears finalized their initial 53-man roster. This allowed them to make the young blocker one of their in-season activations. It looks like Jenkins will be in play to return soon, with Matt Eberflus confirming (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley) the interior starter is now designated for return.

Designating a player to return from IR means a 21-day practice window is opened. This transaction means the Bears have three weeks to decide on Jenkins, who will either be activated in that span or revert to season-ending IR. With this unspecified leg injury never expecting to end his season, it should be assumed the former second-round pick will return at some point in October. With the Bears having a Thursday-night tilt, it would not surprise if Week 6 became the Jenkins target date.

After struggling as a tackle, Jenkins broke through at guard last season. He graded as a top-10 guard, in the view of Pro Football Focus, despite moving to the post during the 2022 offseason. The Oklahoma State alum returning would certainly help the Bears, who are 0-4 and have seen other availability issues plague them up front. Left tackle Braxton Jones is on IR as well, while free agent pickup Nate Davis has missed two games.

Teams have eight in-season IR activations at their disposal. Players must miss four games upon being placed on IR, but they can now be activated from the injured list twice. From 2020-21, teams enjoyed unlimited IR activations. Opting for a middle ground between the pandemic-era format and the stricter setup of previous eras, the NFL settled on eight in 2022. For Jenkins, this marks his second NFL injury hiatus. He missed much of his 2021 rookie season due to a back injury.

Latest On Giants’ Offensive Line

October 5th, 2023 at 2:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Andrew Thomas‘ absence was glaringly visible on a historically bad pass-protection night. The Giants’ 11 sacks allowed set a Monday Night Football record, with backup left tackle Joshua Ezeudu struggling as the Seahawks padded their total late in the rout.

The Giants are expected to be without Thomas against the Dolphins as well. Brian Daboll said he is leaning no on the All-Pro left tackle coming back for Week 5. Thomas sustained a setback on his way back from the strained hamstring he suffered in Week 1, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. This will make four straight absences.

Ezeudu, who worked as a backup left tackle during parts of training camp, was expected to win one of the guard battles this summer. But those went to Ben Bredeson and Mark Glowinski. Though, the team’s setup inside has changed as well. Despite signing a three-year deal worth $18.3MM, Glowinski has endured multiple demotions this season. The Giants benched the longtime Colts starter after his Week 1 struggles, and the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy notes the veteran has been bumped to the bottom of the depth chart.

New York demoted Glowinski a second time during Week 2, and he did not play an offensive snap in Week 3. Bredeson and 2022 fifth-round pick Marcus McKethan, who missed all of his rookie year due to an ACL tear, opened Week 4 as Big Blue’s guard starters. Pro Football Focus ranks all three blockers outside the top 55 among guards. Shane Lemieux started ahead of Glowinski in Week 3 but suffered a groin injury Monday. The door keeps reopening for Glowinski, a four-year Colts right guard starter whom PFF viewed as a top-30 guard in his first Giants season. A 2024 release seems likely at this point, however. That move will save the Giants $5.7MM.

The Giants did not invest much in guards this offseason, having signed Glowinski in March 2022 and drafted Ezeudu in Round 3 a month later. No answers have come for the team, which has also seen right tackle Evan Neal continue to struggle. This allowed for Seahawks target practice on Daniel Jones on Monday night, and the Giants have since added Justin Pugh. The former 2013 Giants draftee joined the practice squad, but given the team’s guard state, the five-year Cardinals starter should be expected to be elevated soon.

Some additional shuffling became required after center John Michael Schmitz suffered a shoulder injury on the Giants’ failed “Tush Push”-style QB sneak. Adding insult to injury, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes tight end Daniel Bellinger sustained an MCL strain on that play. While Bellinger’s injury is seen as moderate, the Giants losing two regulars on that play — after only previously repping it in a walkthrough setting — compounds the troubles they are experiencing up front.

Matt Peart resides as the only other tackle on the Giants’ roster, in the event the team benches Ezeudu. Thomas, who is now the NFL’s second-highest-paid O-lineman after signing a $23.5MM-per-year extension this summer, is on track to match his career high for single-season absences. He missed four games in 2021 as well.

Bills To Open Von Miller’s Practice Window

October 5th, 2023 at 1:45pm CST by Rory Parks

OCTOBER 5: After experiencing no speedbumps during the Bills’ wing of practices in Buffalo ahead of their London game, the future Hall of Famer is making the trip to England, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The Bills have nearly three weeks to activate Miller from the PUP list, but making the trip ahead of the Jaguars matchup represents a good sign of a Week 5 return.

OCTOBER 1: Bills defensive end Von Miller opened the season on the PUP list as he continues to recover from the ACL tear that ended his 2022 campaign prematurely. That meant that Miller would miss at least the first four games of the season but would be eligible to return for Buffalo’s Week 5 contest against the Jaguars next Sunday.

Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills are opening Miller’s practice window, and the future Hall of Famer will resume practicing this week. Once that happens, the club will have three weeks to add him to the 53-man roster, and if they do not do so, he will be ineligible to return this season.

Obviously, the Bills would not open the practice window if they did not believe Miller was close to game-ready (indeed, at the beginning of August, GM Brandon Beane expressed optimism that Miller would suit up for Week 1). However, that does not necessarily mean that Miller will be in the lineup in Week 5. As Schefter notes, Buffalo will continue to be cautious with Miller, and there is not yet a definitive return date.

Now 34, Miller signed a six-year, $120MM contract with the Bills in March 2022. In his first season in western New York, which lasted just 11 games, the eight-time Pro Bowler posted eight sacks and was viewed as one of the league’s best all-around defenders in the eyes of Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. This offseason, Buffalo signed Leonard Floyd as something of a contingency plan, and Floyd has acquitted himself nicely, posting 3.5 sacks through the first three games of 2023.

Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa have also had some success this season, but the return of Miller will nonetheless be a welcome development for a team that has designs on a deep postseason run. The team currently ranks second in the league in terms of total defense, points allowed, and sacks, and Miller’s presence will make an already-imposing unit even more formidable.

In other news, safety Damar Hamlin is making his 2023 debut against the Dolphins today. While Hamlin participated in all three of the Bills’ preseason games, this will mark the third-year pro’s first regular season action since he collaped on the field due to commotio cordis in a Bills-Bengals game in January. Hamlin’s inspiring recovery has now come full circle, and he has taken the place of the injured Jordan Poyer on the active roster.

Owners Not Expected To Approve Tom Brady’s Raiders Stake At Meetings

October 5th, 2023 at 1:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

In place for months, Tom Brady‘s agreement to buy a Raiders stake remains on hold ahead of a crucial point. The next round of NFL owners’ meetings are set to begin Oct. 17, and the Washington Post’s Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala report Brady’s purchase is unlikely to be ratified at that point.

Brady’s stake of the franchise is believed to be between five and 10%, according to Maske and Jhabvala, who report owners have issues with the discounted price Mark Davis is offering the recently retired quarterback. Although minority pieces of a sports franchise are frequently sold for discounted rates — due to limited partners’ minimal contributions in franchise operations — the Post reports Davis may be offering Brady an approximate 70% discount to join his ownership group.

Multiple issues are clouding the deal, but the stake price appears to be the lead item. The former Patriots and Buccaneers passer has said he plans to play a “very passive” role as a Raiders owner, and he was recently approved as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Aces, a WNBA franchise Davis owns. Twenty-four owners must approve Brady’s share of the Raiders. As of now, that is not expected to take place at the upcoming meetings, which run from Oct. 17-18.

Support does exist among NFL brass and the league’s finance committee for Brady’s Raiders agreement to be approved, per Maske and Jhabvala. Brady remaining involved with the NFL would understandably be enticing for many, though the all-time great is also planning to begin a career as a FOX analyst in 2024. Brady agreed to a 10-year, $375MM contract in 2022 to become FOX’s lead analyst when his playing career ended. Brady, 46, delayed that move for a year, intending to take time off before committing fully. But the finance committee is not planning to approve Brady’s stake at the above-referenced price.

Considering Brady’s popularity, it is certainly notable this many “no” votes are in place. The other issues holding up a deal are not known, but Brady agreed to become a Raiders part-owner less than a year after the NFL slapped the Dolphins with a steep penalty — loss of a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third — for a tampering scandal in which the AFC East franchise eyed Brady as a player/owner and Sean Payton as head coach. That arrangement would have needed full ownership approval, which seemed unlikely given how Brady’s talent could have affected other teams under that plan. Brady serving as a Raiders player/owner — a scenario that has been shot down on multiple occasions — would also need 31 “yes” votes; that would also be viewed as unlikely.

Unlike last year, Brady has said he is done for good. The Jets were not planning to reach out to the future first-ballot Hall of Famer after Aaron Rodgers‘ injury. The Raiders have used fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell as Jimmy Garoppolo‘s backup, though the team did look into Brady as a player before his February retirement.

For now, Brady remains unattached. But it is not out of the question the remaining issues are resolved and the 23-year veteran signs on in a Raiders ownership-only role. The next round of meetings are scheduled for Dec. 12-13.

Vikings To Promote OL Hakeem Adeniji

October 5th, 2023 at 12:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

After failing to make the Bengals’ 53-man roster, Hakeem Adeniji quietly caught on with the Vikings’ practice squad. The veteran offensive lineman will have another chance on an active roster soon.

The Vikings are promoting Adeniji to their 53-man squad, The Score’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Rather than a gameday elevation, this move will bump the fourth-year blocker to the active roster on a full-time basis. Adeniji has not been a gameday elevation yet this season, but instead of the Vikings going through the process of using elevations to bring him onto the roster, a midweek bump will take place.

Adeniji went from starting in Super Bowl LVI to seeing the Bengals move to replace him during free agency a month later. After the Bengals signed Alex Cappa to replace Adeniji, the former sixth-rounder out of Kansas resurfaced as a starter in the playoffs. Adeniji started in each of Cincinnati’s three playoff games, working as a La’el Collins right tackle replacement on what became a decimated O-line.

Pro Football Focus was not high on Adeniji’s work in either of the past two seasons, and the Bengals moved on ahead of the final season of his rookie contract. The Bengals’ Orlando Brown Jr. signing helped lead Adeniji off the roster. Jonah Williams is now at right tackle in Cincinnati, with D’Ante Smith and Jackson Carman in place as swingmen.

Overall, Adeniji has 15 starts on his NFL resume. He joined Dalton Risner as a late addition for the Vikings, who returned their starting five offensive linemen from last season. Risner has played in Minnesota’s past two games but has not logged an offensive snap with his new team yet. The four-year Broncos starter has considerably more starting experience than Adeniji, though the latter offers more versatility due to his tackle experience. Both will be in place as Vikings backups soon.

Cardinals Sign RB Damien Williams

October 5th, 2023 at 12:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Damien Williams signed with the Raiders in August, joining the team as Josh Jacobs stayed away from training camp. But Williams’ first workout this summer came in Arizona. Released by the Raiders in August, Williams will circle back to the Cardinals.

The Cards are adding Williams on a practice squad deal, per a team announcement. The former Chiefs Super Bowl starter worked out for the Cardinals in late July. This signing comes as backup Keaontay Ingram is battling a neck injury.

Although Williams is 31, he has only totaled 490 career touches. Most of those came with Kansas City. The ex-Miami backup is best known for seeing Kareem Hunt‘s midseason dismissal lead to a significant shakeup in the Chiefs’ 2018 backfield. Williams was soon the starter in Kansas City’s first Patrick Mahomes-directed offense. The veteran running back proved a capable fill-in during the regular season and shined in both the 2018 and ’19 playoffs. In five games between those two winters, Williams totaled 10 touchdowns. Two of those came in Super Bowl LIV, a game in which Williams posted 133 yards from scrimmage.

In the years since, Williams reverted to his pre-Kansas City usage. The former UDFA caught on with the Bears and Falcons, respectively, after opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. In those two seasons, however, Williams accumulated just 58 touches. A rib injury led the Falcons to place Williams on IR in September 2022 and later release him with an injury settlement.

For a third straight year, James Conner is operating as Arizona’s lead back. Not much was expected from the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray-less offense this season, but the team has played each of its four opponents close and emerged with a Week 3 upset win over the Cowboys. Conner has logged 62 carries this season, while Ingram — a second-year backup — has taken 12 handoffs. Rookie UDFA Emari Demercado (four carries) resides as the Cards’ third-stringer.

Jonathan Taylor Addresses Recovery, Colts Status

October 5th, 2023 at 10:53am CST by Sam Robinson

Designated for return from the Colts’ reserve/PUP list this week, Jonathan Taylor is practicing with his team for the first time since last season. The former rushing champion’s status for Week 5 is unclear, but he confirmed Thursday he is healthy. For a second straight day, Taylor was a full practice participant.

Although Taylor underwent what has been classified as a minimally invasive ankle surgery in January, he has either taken much longer than expected to recover or used the injury as an excuse to stay away from the team amid trade talks. Asked about the extended rehab timeline, the fourth-year running back said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson) “no surgery is the same” but added he is ready to return.

In his first comments since the July trade request, however, Taylor has refrained from discussing his Colts future. Taylor said he is “here right now” but added he is committed to returning to action (via Fox 59’s Mike Chappell). The disgruntled back is set to begin a contract year late. The Colts have the option of trading of him until October 31, but this long-running issue could also be put aside for the time being.

With Taylor calling his contract situation an “offseason issue,” the Colts could be set to activate him. They can do so at any point until October 25. If Taylor is not activated from the PUP list by then, he would stay on the PUP list for the rest of the season. That would be highly unlikely, as it would lead to Taylor’s contract tolling to 2024. Shane Steichen has not ruled out Taylor from playing against the Titans on Sunday. Considering what has gone down between player and team over the past 2 1/2 months, Taylor’s debut — whenever it happens — will be one of the most interesting in recent NFL history.

Already expressing disappointment about the state of the running back market, Taylor shifted from wanting to retire as a Colt to asking for a trade. Jim Irsay played the lead role in the relationship’s deterioration, sending a much-discussed tweet criticizing running backs for gathering on a Zoom call to discuss the seismic offseason at their position. A subsequent Taylor-Irsay meeting did not go well, and while the owner attempted to walk back his comment by saying it was not aimed specifically at Taylor, the damage escalated. Taylor’s recently hired agent became a prominent player in this impasse as well, and the three-year Colts RB1’s demeanor changed upon returning to Indy’s facility.

Taylor, 24, is in a difficult position with regards to his contract. Although the Colts have taken care of a number of core players before their contract years under Chris Ballard (Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith and Shaquille Leonard among them), the seventh-year GM cited Indianapolis’ 4-12-1 2022 record as a reason the team was not planning to extend Taylor this year. The team declined a Taylor extension request this offseason. Barring a trade before the deadline, the Colts will still have the option of franchise-tagging Taylor — on what will be the NFL’s second-lowest tag number, ahead of only kickers and punters — in 2024.

The Colts have discussed Taylor in trades, doing so during the final week of August. While the Dolphins and Colts engaged in discussions, doubt surfaced about Indianapolis’ desire to grant Taylor’s request. Irsay initially said the Colts would not trade Taylor, but the team is believed to have since dropped its asking price — from an unrealistic place (a first-rounder or equivalent value) to pushing for a second-rounder — in recent weeks. The market for Taylor, which was never believed to be robust, looks to have cooled. That may well have prompted Taylor to stand down and begrudgingly return to the team.

In his most recent healthy season, Taylor won the rushing title by more than 500 yards. This ankle issue doubles as Taylor’s only notable injury during his pro or college careers. It had been widely suggested Taylor was exaggerating the injury to apply pressure on the Colts. If the Wisconsin alum truly needed more than eight months to recover, that would stand to affect his trade value as well. Teams had been leery of trading prime draft assets for Taylor and agreeing to a top-market extension. The ankle issue being a true nagging concern would introduce another complication.

The Colts have used Zack Moss as their primary back over the past three weeks, and the ex-Bills second-round pick has played fairly well. Moss has gained 210 rushing yards over the past two games. That said, Taylor has proven to be one of the NFL’s premier backs when healthy. If activated, he should regain his starting role quickly. Though, it would not surprise to see Moss remain in the mix with the now-Anthony Richardson-led offense.

Davante Adams Not Planning To Seek Trade

October 5th, 2023 at 10:16am CST by Sam Robinson

Mustering only 17 points against a Broncos defense that has been by far the league’s worst over the first four games has kept the Raiders from an 0-4 start. They rank outside the top 20 in total offense and points, opening the door to bigger-picture questions.

Las Vegas’ offense looks quite different from the top-flight attacks Davante Adams aided in Green Bay and is not the one he signed up for, seeing as longtime friend Derek Carr was booted after the ex-Fresno State teammates reunited for one season. While Adams would qualify as a splashy option in trades, such a scenario does not look to be on the radar.

Adams expressed curiosity when assessing his fit with Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the All-Pro wide receiver is not eyeing a trade out of Las Vegas. The ex-Packers star is aiming for a long-term Raiders stay.

After helping the Packers to three straight playoff byes to close out his tenure, Adams pinpointed the Raiders as his ideal destination during the 2022 offseason. Carr played a key part in Las Vegas becoming Adams’ preferred landing spot, but he said before the team’s Week 18 game last year — a contest the Raiders played after Carr left the team — he wanted to stick around. Through four games, Adams does not appear to have changed his mind.

Even as the Raiders struggled in Josh McDaniels‘ debut — a season in which Carr took a statistical step back — Adams showed he could thrive independent of Aaron Rodgers, posting a third straight first-team All-Pro season. This year, the 30-year-old wideout is at 33 receptions for 397 yards and three touchdowns. He caught six passes for 66 yards and no scores last week sans Garoppolo, and while the Raiders passed on drafting a quarterback despite visiting with each of this class’ top signal-callers, Fowler adds Adams is high on fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell.

Khalil Mack‘s six-sack spree notwithstanding, O’Connell threw for 238 yards and had the Raiders at the Chargers’ 3-yard line in the final minutes. An Asante Samuel Jr. interception nixed a potential game-tying score, though O’Connell also fumbled twice as Mack revved up. Garoppolo is not in any present danger of losing his job. But O’Connell profiles as a player to watch, especially considering he sits behind the NFL’s most injury-prone starting quarterback and became the Raiders’ pick after they met with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker.

If the Raiders’ struggles continue, Adams’ status will be worth monitoring. His five-year, $140MM contract also features a fully guaranteed 2024 salary ($16.89MM), with a total of $42.9MM injury guarantee shifting to a full guarantee this past March. This would affect Adams’ trade value, but for now, that appears a moot point for a Raiders team that has seen Adams and No. 2 wideout Jakobi Meyers produce to start the season.

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