Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Las Vegas Raiders
Washington Football Team
Cardinals pass rusher J.J. Watt may need season-ending shoulder surgery, but nothing has been decided just yet, according to Cardinals GM Steve Keim (via the team website). 
“I know surgery is an option, but at the same time I think there are some things that are possibly put in place where we want to play this thing out with a little bit more time and see how he responds,” Keim said. “To me, if there is anybody who can bounce back and can do it, it’s J.J. Watt.”
It’s safe to say that Watt won’t be ready for the Cardinals’ Nov. 7 game against the 49ers, but there’s a chance that he could return for the playoff stretch. Keim also raises a fair point about Watt and his resilience — the veteran managed to finish out the Cards’ Week 7 win over the Texans and beat his recovery timetable in 2019 after suffering a torn pec.
Through seven games this year, Watt has tallied 16 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits. The Cardinals — sans the future Hall of Famer — remain tied with the Packers the NFC lead.
Packers rookie running back Kylin Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury on Thursday night (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Hill will be placed on injured reserve, opening up a spot on the 53-man roster. 
Hill suffered the injury on a third quarter kick return, when he was tackled by Cardinals running back Jonathan Ward. Both players had to be carted off of the field following the violent collision, with Ward being evaluated for a concussion.
Hill, a seventh-round rookie, has served as the Packers’ No. 3 RB behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon. The bulk of his work has come on special teams, with 26 snaps on offense vs. 76 ST plays. He’ll finish his season with 10 carries for 24 yards, one reception for five yards, and ten kickoff returns for 199 yards.
The Packers could use Malik Taylor as their KR going forward, but they’ll need to add a new RB. Practice squader Patrick Taylor would be next in line, but they could also audition free agents between now and their Nov. 7 game against the Chiefs.
The Packers advanced to 7-1 after beating the league’s last undefeated team. Now the owners of the NFL’s longest active winning streak, they hold a comfortable divisional lead over the 3-3 Vikings.
The Dolphins were looking to clear their roster in 2019, and that led to one of the more notable trades that took place around that season’s deadline. On October 28, 2019, the Dolphins traded running back Kenyan Drake to the Cardinals for a conditional sixth-round pick.
Drake had spent his first three-plus seasons in Miami, including a 2018 campaign where he collected 1,012 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns in a part-time role. However, the 2019 iteration of the Dolphins had no hopes of contending, and the organization traded off pieces as they looked towards 2020 and beyond. So, on this date two years ago, they sent their starting running back to Arizona.
The Cardinals didn’t give up a whole lot to acquire Drake, and they needed some reinforcement at the position with both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds struggling with injuries. Drake ended up having a solid eight-game stint for the organization, collecting 814 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. Still, the move didn’t do much to help the team’s record, as Arizona finished at 5-10-1.
The organization ended up placing the transitional tag on their acquisition following the 2019 season, and Drake eventually signed a one-year, $8.48MM tender. During his lone full season in Arizona, the running back finished with a career-high 10 touchdowns to go along with 1,092 yards from scrimmage. Drake moved on to the Raiders prior to the 2021 season (via a two-year, $14.5MM deal), and the Cardinals pivoted to James Conner in a rushing attack that also includes Edmonds and quarterback Kyler Murray.
While the Dolphins did everything in their power to clear their 2019 roster of any talent, the team still only finished with the fifth-worst record in the NFL. As a result, the team missed out on LSU superstar Joe Burrow and had to settle for Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. Further, the front office made a curious move with the draft pick they acquired from Arizona. That conditional sixth-rounder ended up improving to a fifth-round pick, and the Dolphins proceeded to…trade the pick for running back Matt Breida, who’s only a year younger than Drake.
Each team had different intentions when making the selection, but neither team ended up with their desired outcome. Hindsight is always 20/20, but both teams may have been better off avoiding this trade altogether (although it’s tough to be overly critical of the Cardinals for ditching a late-rounder or the Dolphins for essentially swapping Drake for Breida).
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
THURSDAY: Hopes Watt could somehow return late in a potential Cardinals playoff run now sound unrealistic. Watt suffered the following injuries in the second half of the Cardinals’ win over the Texans: a torn labrum, torn bicep, torn rotator cuff and a dislocated shoulder, Rapoport tweets. While still not ruling Watt out for a possible Cardinals playoff run, Rapoport adds the 11th-year vet will undergo surgery next week (video link).
Watt somehow finished the Cards’ Week 7 win but will likely be out of the picture for the unbeaten team the rest of the way. Although Watt beat his timetable to recover from a torn pec in 2019, returning for the Texans’ two playoff games that season, this latest run of injury misfortune figures to sideline the future Hall of Famer well into the offseason.
WEDNESDAY: It sounds like J.J. Watt‘s shoulder injury will likely cost him the rest of the season. The Cardinals pass rusher is likely to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Watt injured his shoulder during Sunday’s win over the Texans, but there was hope that the veteran would only miss weeks, not months. Instead, Watt’s upcoming surgery will likely sideline him for the rest of the 2021 campaign. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the recovery time is expected to take at least three months, which would bring us to late in the postseason. That slightly leaves the door open for a Watt return (especially considering his past ability to recover quickly), but no one should be hanging their hat on that scenario. Per Schefter, the surgery has yet to be scheduled.
Watt’s stint with the Texans ended this offseason, and he proceeded to ink a two-year, $28MM deal with the Cardinals. So far, that investment has been worth it for the team, as Watt has played a major role in guiding Arizona to a 7-0 record and a top-five defense. Through seven games, the 32-year-old has collected 16 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits. Despite his injury, he managed to finish Sunday’s win, but he was limited to a season-low 30 snaps on defense.
Injuries have consistently been an issue for the all-time great. Injuries in 2016 and ’17 interrupted Watt’s stratospheric pace, and although the three-time Defensive Player of the Year returned to an All-Pro level in 2018, the former Texans superstar missed a chunk of the 2019 season as well. Since 2016, Watt has missed a total of 32 regular season games, and we’ll be able to pencil in another 10 missed games for 2021.
While there really isn’t a silver lining, at least the Cardinals can rest a bit easier knowing they’ll be getting some reinforcement on their defensive line this week. Arizona will have Chandler Jones on the field after he spent the past two weeks on their reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Packers will not be the only ones missing key personnel for Thursday night’s NFC showdown. The Cardinals will be without J.J. Watt. Arizona ruled out Watt with a shoulder injury. Watt did not practice this week.
Watt has thus far delivered on the big-ticket deal he signed to relocate to Arizona, helping the Cardinals to their first 7-0 start since 1974 and playing a central role in the team ranking in the top five in scoring and total defense. The 32-year-old defender has played inside and outside for the Cardinals, who signed him to a two-year, $28MM deal this offseason. Pro Football Focus ranks Watt as a top-10 interior D-lineman through seven games.
But injuries have certainly been an issue for the all-time great. Another one will sideline him for the Cards’ Week 8 tilt. Injuries in 2016 and ’17 interrupted Watt’s stratospheric pace, and although the three-time Defensive Player of the Year returned to an All-Pro level in 2018, the former Texans superstar missed a chunk of the 2019 season as well. From 2016-19, Watt missed 32 games. Thursday will be his first absence since that 2019 season, however.
Arizona will have Chandler Jones back after he spent the past two weeks on their reserve/COVID-19 list. The team activated Jones and defensive lineman Zach Allen from the virus list.
Green Bay will be down Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, with both landing on the team’s COVID list. The Packers could activate All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, who returned to practice last week. Giving the veteran blocker an extra 10 days to come off the PUP list would make sense as well.
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Chargers
Minnesota Vikings
New England Patriots
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Oct. 24: Kingsbury has cleared COVID-19 protocols and will be on the sidelines for today’s game against Houston, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Cards are in search of a 7-0 start, and they are heavily favored to defeat the one-win Texans.
Oct. 16: The Cardinals are looking to improve to 6-0 tomorrow, but they won’t have their head coach on the sideline. Kliff Kingsbury has tested positive for COVID-19 and won’t coach tomorrow’s game against the Browns, per NFL.com.
[RELATED: Chandler Jones Land On Reserve/COVID-19 List]
According to the team, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers will share head coaching duties during tomorrow’s contest. Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter), Kingsbury will “script as much as he can” prior to the game, but the organization will be relying on a collaborative approach when the script inevitably goes awry. Garafolo notes that QBs Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy will even have a say on offensive play calling.
We heard earlier this week that edge rusher Chandler Jones had tested positive, and he’s unlikely to play tomorrow after showing symptoms. The team will also be without GM Steve Keim, who tested positive and won’t make the trip to Cleveland. QB coach Cam Turner and defensive tackle Zach Allen also tested positive and won’t travel with the team.
As a result of the positive tests, the Cardinals are now dealing with “enhanced COVID-19 protocols,” but the NFL doesn’t have any intention of rescheduling or postponing tomorrow’s game.