HEADLINES

Year: 2023

Cardinals LB Kyzir White To Miss Rest Of Season

November 20th, 2023 at 8:15pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals will be without one of their defensive captains for the rest of the season. The team announced today that linebacker Kyzir White tore his biceps and will be placed on IR. The injury will knock White out for the rest of the 2023 campaign.

After signing a two-year deal with the Cardinals this past offseason, White proceeded to play in every snap for his new squad through the first 10 weeks of the season. He played in the first 26 snaps of yesterday’s game against the Texans, and head coach Jonathan Gannon revealed that the veteran played “five or six plays” with the injury before finally exiting the game.

“It was kind of gut-wrenching to watch, because I didn’t know he tore his bicep and he’s out there playing with one arm,” Gannon said (via the team’s website). “That’s why he is who he is.”

In 11 games this season, White collected 90 tackles, two sacks, and one interception. The former fourth-round pick had a breakout season with the Chargers in 2021, finishing with 144 tackles. He had a one-year stop in Philly in 2022, finishing with 110 tackles.

Josh Woods stepped in as the defensive play caller after White was knocked out of the game. Krys Barnes took on a larger share of snaps with White out of the lineup. The veteran hadn’t seen the field for a defensive snap since Week 3 but finished yesterday’s game having appeared in 30 percent of his team’s defensive plays.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/20/23

November 20th, 2023 at 7:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Activated from IR: TE Parker Hesse
  • Placed on IR: RB Jacob Saylors

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Signed: QB Drew Plitt
  • Placed on IR: G Jaxson Kirkland

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

With Mark Andrews sidelined for the foreseeable future, the Ravens have added some tight end depth. The team ended up opting for Scotty Washington, who got into one game with the Patriots as a rookie in 2022. The Wake Forest product was one of several tight ends to work out for Baltimore today, with the group also featuring O.J. Howard, Connor Davis, and Chris Myarick (per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston).

While Michael Thomas recovers from a knee injury, the Saints are turning to a familiar face. Marquez Callaway is back with the Saints after bouncing around the NFL in 2023. The wideout wasn’t re-signed by the Saints following the 2022 campaign, and he’s since spent time with the Broncos and Raiders. The former UDFA spent the first three seasons of his career in New Orleans, hauling in 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns.

Eric Rowe has found a new home after getting cut by the Panthers practice squad back in September. Rowe earned a pair of Super Bowl rings during his three-year stint in New England, and he followed that up with a three-year stint in Miami. Rowe got into 14 games (six starts) for the Dolphins in 2022, finishing with 56 tackles and two sacks.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/23

November 20th, 2023 at 6:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Green Bay Packers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

  • Signed off Bears practice squad: DE Jalen Harris
  • Placed on IR: DL Efe Obada
  • Waived from IR: CB Troy Apke

The Packers will soon be getting some reinforcement on defense, as the team designated safety Darnell Savage Jr. for return from injured reserve today. The defensive back has missed the last four games while recovering from a calf injury. The former first-round pick started all six of his appearances to begin the season, collecting 34 tackles. The fifth-year starter will provide the Packers with a welcome boost when he inevitably returns to the field.

It seems like Green Bay is already preparing for Savage’s return, as the team moved on from another defensive back. Dallin Leavitt spent the past year-plus with the Packers, with the veteran joining the organization following a four-year stint with the Raiders to begin his career. Leavitt got into all 17 games for the Packers in 2022, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. The veteran has seen a handful of defensive snaps in 2023, collecting two tackles in 10 games.

Chargers Place Joey Bosa On IR

November 20th, 2023 at 5:59pm CST by Ben Levine

Joey Bosa is set to miss some time. The Chargers pass rusher has been diagnosed with a foot sprain and will likely be placed on injured reserve, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The Bolts have since announced the move.

This move would keep Bosa off the field for at least four weeks; he’ll be first eligible to return in Week 16. This will run Bosa’s career absence count to 34 games. While the standout edge rusher has suited up for 16 contests in three separate seasons, he has missed extended time in other campaigns.

Bosa was carted to the locker room during yesterday’s game against the Packers. He was initially listed as questionable before being downgraded to out. Bosa was visibly upset while exiting the game, and head coach Brandon Staley later said it was “to be determined” if Bosa would miss the rest of the campaign, so Chargers fans were surely preparing for the worst.

This injury comes at a poor time for Bosa. As Daniel Popper of The Athletic writes, the star pass rusher was just getting back to full health after dealing with a hamstring injury and left big toe fracture earlier this season. Despite the veteran ramping up, he was still plenty productive, collecting 6.5 sacks through nine games.

Unfortunately, injuries have been an ongoing theme throughout Bosa’s career. The pass rusher was limited to only five games in 2022 thanks to a groin injury, and through the first seven seasons of his career, Bosa missed 30 regular season contests.

Khalil Mack has been having a standout season for the Chargers, and the team will lean on the linebacker even more with Bosa sidelined. Second-round rookie Tuli Tuipulotu will also take on a larger role with his teammate injured.

Texans Re-Sign CB Desmond King

November 20th, 2023 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers tried to trade Desmond King before the deadline; no deal transpired. This led to Pittsburgh cutting its seldom-used cornerback last month. While no trade taker emerged, King has landed another opportunity.

Dealing with cornerback injuries at many points this season, the Texans will bring back the veteran slot defender. King is back in Houston on a practice squad deal. This agreement comes nearly three months after the Texans released King before setting their initial 53-man roster.

King played in three Steelers games this season, but his contributions came almost entirely on special teams. Used as a kick returner, King saw all of one defensive snap during his Pittsburgh tenure. The Steelers signed King shortly after his Texans release, but the partnership did not prove beneficial. Now, King will return to a team that used him regularly in recent years.

Houston has seen Derek Stingley Jr., Tavierre Thomas, Grayland Arnold and Jimmie Ward miss time this season. Ward, who has played some slot corner despite DeMeco Ryans recruiting him from San Francisco by indicating he would return to a full-time safety role, missed the Texans’ Week 11 matchup. Arnold, who has spent time in the slot as well, is currently on IR. King, 28, will be in position to add some insurance.

While King did not make Ryans’ initial Houston roster, he spent the offseason learning the ex-49ers DC’s system and worked as a defensive regular during the team’s David Culley– and Lovie Smith-coached seasons. King, 28, played 86% of the Texans’ defensive snaps in 2021 and logged a 78% snap share last season. He carries an All-Pro distinction as a slot corner and return man — both honors coming in 2018 when King was with the Chargers — and resides as one of the league’s more experienced slot defenders.

After King played on two rebuilding Texans teams that received minimal attention, he will join a Ryans-led outfit that has started 6-4. Pro Football Focus rated King 20th among corners last season, marking an improvement after early struggles in Smith’s defense. Following that 2021 season, however, the Texans gave King a two-year, $7MM deal. As Nick Caserio has handed out a host of lower-middle-class contracts during his run as Texans GM, King was the recipient of two of those. Both contracts averaged $3.5MM per year. King will attempt to reestablish his value on this lower-cost Houston pact.

Jets To Start Tim Boyle In Week 12

November 20th, 2023 at 3:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

3:02pm: For the second straight season, the Jets will demote Wilson two spots on their depth chart. Saleh confirmed Siemian will be Boyle’s backup in Week 12. The Jets made this move last season, bumping Joe Flacco up the depth chart as White’s backup. After another season of continued struggles, Wilson will be out of the equation for the time being.

11:59am: As Robert Saleh‘s comments foreshadowed, the Jets will be making a change at the quarterback spot. Tim Boyle will get the start in Week 12 in place of Zach Wilson, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Saleh benched Wilson in the third quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Bills, another game in which the Jets’ offense struggled mightily. The unit has put up highly underwhelming numbers in a number of categories – including on third down, where New York has a conversion rate of 22.9% on the season – due to a number of issues. Wilson’s play has been one of them, though, which resulted in Boyle finishing the game yesterday.

The latter went 7-for-14 for 33 yards and one interception during his brief relief appearance in Week 11. That marked his first regular season action with the Jets, as he had previously served as Wilson’s backup in the wake of Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear. Wilson has failed to show signs of tangible development in 2023 (although factors such as an injury-riddled offensive line have played a part in his struggles), but Saleh routinely backed him earlier in the campaign. His stance shifted yesterday, however, with the announcement New York would make a decision on a starter for the team’s upcoming Black Friday game.

Boyle, 29, joined the Jets in the spring to serve as depth behind Rodgers and Wilson. His signing marked his first foray out of the NFC North, having spent his first two years with the Packers followed by one-year stints in Detroit and Chicago. Boyle was part of New York’s final roster cuts, but he was immediately retained via the practice squad. That decision, coupled with the Rodgers injury and Wilson’s performance, has now thrust him into a No. 1 role.

The former UDFA has three starts to his name, each of which came in 2021 with the Lions. Boyle has played in 18 total regular season games in the NFL, making him a less experienced option than Trevor Siemian (35 games, 30 starts). The latter signed in September in what the Jets quickly confirmed would be the team’s only outside addition at the QB spot. Siemian has remained on New York’s practice squad since his arrival.

One year remains on Wilson’s rookie contract, though the Jets could elect to pick up his fifth-year option for 2025 this offseason. Such a move would come as a major surprise, since for the second straight year (after the change to Mike White which took place in 2022) he has seen an extended run as a starter brought to an end. Today’s move marks another sign of lost confidence in the former No. 2 pick, as well as a bid to rescue the remaining weeks until Rodgers’ targeted return to action. New York will face Miami on Friday to begin the attempt at a rebound on offense.

Vikings To Move DL Dean Lowry To IR, Activate OL Chris Reed

November 20th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dean Lowry signed with the Vikings this offseason and has been a starter up front, but the veteran defensive lineman will be out of the picture for a while. For the second straight year, the former ironman will head to IR.

A pectoral injury sustained Sunday night will lead Lowry to surgery, Kevin O’Connell said Monday. The Vikings will bring offensive lineman Chris Reed off their reserve/NFI list to fill Lowry’s roster spot, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert tweets.

This injury will require surgery, according to O’Connell, pointing to the eighth-year veteran being shut down for the season. That is not confirmed just yet, but pectoral tears generally produce such an outcome — especially those sustained during the second half of a season. Lowry is in the first season of a two-year, $8.5MM contract.

A longtime Packers starter, Lowry had played in 101 straight regular-season games before a Christmas Eve injury last year. The Packers placed Lowry on IR ahead of Week 17, ending his Green Bay tenure. The team had drafted Devonte Wyatt in the 2022 first round, and the Georgia product ended up replacing Lowry. Minnesota gave the former fourth-round pick another opportunity, and Lowry had both started and worked as a rotational D-line presence in Brian Flores‘ defense.

In his second year with the Vikings, Reed has not played this season. Minnesota parked the veteran interior O-lineman on its NFI list in July and moved him to the reserve edition a month later. A Minnesota State alum, Reed played in seven games as a backup last season. The 31-year-old blocker restructured his contract twice this offseason; the former Colts spot starter started in Week 18 for the Vikes last season, filling in for center Garrett Bradbury.

Minnesota has used Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard more frequently than Lowry up front this season. Lowry had played 237 defensive snaps for his new NFC North employer. The Vikings have Khyiris Tonga and Jaquelin Roy as backup options but will undoubtedly add to their D-line corps before their Week 12 game.

Commanders DE Efe Obada Out For Season

November 20th, 2023 at 2:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders used one of their IR activations on Efe Obada this season, but the veteran defensive end will not make it through the campaign. Obada suffered two leg fractures during the team’s loss to the Giants on Sunday.

Undergoing surgery Sunday night to repair the two lower-leg breaks (via The Athletic’s Ben Standig), Obada will not return this season. Ron Rivera confirmed Obada is headed back to IR and is not in line to come back.

When Washington initially activated Obada in October, the team had a much stronger defensive end situation. Since trading Montez Sweat and Chase Young, however, the Commanders’ edge-rushing corps is depleted. Obada, who has been with the team for two seasons, was carted off in the first quarter of the team’s upset defeat in Week 11. A patella tendon injury sidelined Obada to start the season.

Despite the trades of Young and Sweat, Obada did not move into Washington’s starting lineup. He worked as a backup over the past five games. Washington re-signed him to a one-year, $2MM deal this offseason. A former Panthers and Bills contributor, Obada totaled 13 sacks from 2019-21. He will finish this season without one.

The trades prompted the Commanders to use Casey Toohill and James Smith-Williams as their starting defensive ends. A Smith-Williams hamstring injury brought seventh-round rookie Andre Jones into the lineup for his first start. Toohill recorded one of the eight sacks Washington registered Sunday and has five this season. Smith-Williams has collected one QB drop this year.

49ers S Talanoa Hufanga Suffers Torn ACL

November 20th, 2023 at 11:45am CST by Ely Allen

NOVEMBER 20: Shanahan confirmed on Monday that Hufanga did indeed tear his ACL. His third season with the team – one in which he appeared to be on his way to a second straight Pro Bowl nod – is over as a result. San Francisco’s secondary will be significantly shorthanded for the rest of the campaign.

NOVEMBER 19: It’s safe to say the 49ers have rebounded strongly from their three-game losing streak with two straight wins as they’ve continued to get healthy. That march towards perfect health will take a step back, though, as it looks like San Francisco will be without starting safety Talanoa Hufanga for the remainder of season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that Hufanga “most likely” suffered an ACL injury, per Jake Hutchinson of KNBR.

Hufanga has quietly become one of the league’s top safeties. After a quiet start to his rookie year as a fifth-round pick, Hufanga found playing time filling in for an injured Jaquiski Tartt in the middle of the season. After that, the 49ers staff got creative in trying to fit Hufanga into more packages for the rest of the year. When Tartt’s contract expired at the end of the season, San Francisco decided to invest a bit more in the youthful option out of USC.

Hufanga became a starter in his sophomore season and exploded onto the scene. During a season in which he demonstrated his physicality with nearly 100 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles, Hufanga showed his true range as a safety with nine passes defensed and four interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, as well. He was rewarded for his efforts with a Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro selection.

So far this year, Hufanga has continued his stellar play. Before falling to injury today, he was well on track to match or exceed his tackle-total from last year and could’ve surpassed last year’s four-interception performance with three already and seven games to go. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) even noted an improvement in Hufanga’s game this season, rating him as the league’s 13th best safety after ranking him at 23 last year.

With Hufanga out today, the 49ers relied on a two-man front to replace him in Ji’Ayir Brown and George Odum. Odum had gotten more run than Brown so far this season, but Brown put up such a stellar performance in the team’s win over the Buccaneers today that a bigger role could be in the works for the third-round rookie out of Penn State. Given his most playing time of the year, Brown was all over the field with four tackles, three passes defensed, and his first career interception. If Brown continues to play like that, the 49ers should feel pretty good lining him up next to Tashaun Gipson as a starter. If not, a rotation with Odum, a veteran with some starting experience, could ensue.

This isn’t Hufanga’s first time suffering a season-ending injury as a broken collarbone ended his freshman year with the Trojans. An ACL tear is a different monster, though. Hopefully, the young All-Pro will prove his resilience with a relatively quick recovery from what seems to be a season-ending injury.

49ers Likely To Prioritize Extension For WR Brandon Aiyuk Over DE Chase Young?

November 20th, 2023 at 10:49am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers made one of the largest additions at the 2023 trade deadline by acquiring Chase Young from the Commanders. Given his status as a pending free agent, though, the possibility remains Young ends up being a half-year rental as the team turns to other players in need of a new deal in the offseason.

One of those is wideout Brandon Aiyuk. The 25-year-old is playing out the final year of his rookie pact in 2023, after the 49ers elected to exercise his fifth-year option. That decision tied him to a cap number of $14.1MM this year, and demonstrated the organization’s commitment to him in at least the short term. Reaching agreement on a multi-year pact will require a larger AAV figure, but such a move would represent a logical priority for the team.

Aiyuk has posted 831 yards and four touchdowns on 43 receptions this season. Those figures put him on track to surpass his career-best statline of 78-1,015-8 from 2022. The Arizona State alum comfortably leads the team in receiving, and he has developed into a key member of the 49ers’ vaunted skill-position group. For that reason, Matt Barrows of The Athletic predicts Aiyuk will be seen as a higher priority than Young in the event only one is retained for 2024 and beyond (subscription required).

As Barrows notes, Aiyuk has progressed from head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s doghouse to a major contributor on one of the league’s top offenses. The length of time which would be required to draft and develop an Aiyuk successor in 2024 or down the road could outweigh the risk of letting Young walk in free agency. The latter – brought in for a compensatory third-round pick – arrived in the Bay Area with high expectations given his status as a former Defensive Rookie of the Year and his health in 2023. Young posted five sacks in seven games in Washington, and he has added 1.5 in two 49ers contests.

Continuing that production will help his market with San Francisco or other interested teams. The former No. 2 pick is comfortable waiting until the offseason to discuss a new contract, something which would be quite challenging to afford for the 49ers. Young’s former Ohio State teammate, Nick Bosa, is attached to the most lucrative contract ever given to a defensive player ($34MM AAV), making it difficult to justify another lucrative investment along the edge. By contrast, the team’s top WR commitment is to Deebo Samuel, whose $71.5MM deal runs through 2025 (though no guaranteed salary exists on the final year of that pact).

The 49ers will have a number of key financial decisions to make this offseason, with Aiyuk and Young comprising only two members of their free agent class. For now, at least, the former could be considered the likelier of the two to find himself in the Bay Area next season.

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