Raheem Morris Impressing Falcons’ Brass
Interim Falcons head coach Raheem Morris has his team playing well following Dan Quinn‘s dismissal, and it has caught the attention of Atlanta decision-makers. Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Morris has a good chance to be named the team’s permanent HC after the season.
Under Morris, the Falcons have gone 3-1, and the one loss was a 23-22 heartbreaker against the Lions that came on a last-second score (and if not for a poor decision by running back Todd Gurley, Detroit wouldn’t even have had the chance to possess the ball for the game-winning drive). Atlanta’s performance has improved on both sides of the ball, and Morris’ leadership abilities represent another highlight on his resume.
The fact that Morris has now been with the Falcons in a number of different roles since 2015 further helps his cause, as do his strong ties with team president Rich McKay. He was one of the youngest head coaches in league history when he helmed the Buccaneers from 2007-09, and it looks like he might not be too far away from another shot, whether that’s with the Falcons or someone else.
For now, though, Atlanta is focused on replacing deposed GM Thomas Dimitroff. La Canfora says the club is putting its list of candidates together and hopes to hold some interviews next month. Former Texans general manager Rick Smith, who also has a history with McKay, is one person the club would like to meet with.
Presumably, whoever the new general manager is will get to choose the team’s permanent head coach, but that person will have to give strong consideration to Morris if the Falcons continue to play well down the stretch.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/20
Here are the latest practice squad moves from around the league:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Laquon Treadwell
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: TE Xavier Grimble
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: K Taylor Bertolet, LB Daniel Bituli
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: S Trayvon Henderson
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Stanley Morgan
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Craig Reynolds
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: K Tristan Vizcaino
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Akeem Spence
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DB DeMarkus Acy
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/20
Here is Saturday’s usual flood of minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: QB Kurt Benkert
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: DB Natrell Jamerson, LB Chris Orr
- Waived: S Sean Chandler
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Jack Conklin, K Cody Parkey
- Promoted: G Michael Dunn, DE Cameron Malveaux, FB Johnny Stanton
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: T Brandon Knight
- Promoted: C Adam Redmond, CB Rashard Robinson
- Placed on IR: C Tyler Biadasz
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: OL Elijah Wilkinson
- Promoted: TE Troy Fumagalli, LB Josh Watson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: P Drew Kaser
- Promoted: RB Mike Weber
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Nate Hall, OL Greg Mancz, RB Scottie Phillips
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: CB D.J. Hayden
- Promoted: RB Nathan Cottrell, LB Joe Giles-Harris, WR Terry Godwin, TE Eric Saubert
- Waived: S Doug Middleton
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: C Joey Hunt, DE Cassius Marsh, DT Rob Windsor
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Gehrig Dieter, OL Bryan Witzmann
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: DL David Irving
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Theo Riddick
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: LB B.J. Bello, LB Cole Christiansen, S Jaylen Watkins
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Kyzir White
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: K Matt Gay
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: TE Chris Myarick
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: T Aviante Collins, LS Andrew DePaola
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: FB C.J. Ham
New England Patriots
- Promoted: LB Terez Hall, WR Donte Moncrief
- Waived: OL Hjalte Froholdt, DE Derek Rivers
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: DT Ryan Glasgow, TE Garrett Griffin
New York Jets
- Promoted: QB Mike White
- Activated from IR: LB Frankie Luvu
- Placed on IR: CB Bless Austin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: RB Elijah Holyfield, DT T.Y. McGill, DE Joe Ostman, TE Caleb Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: DT Chris Wormley
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jordan Kunaszyk, T David Steinmetz
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/17/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: LB Jake Carlock
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Luke Wilson
Carolina Panthers
- Cut: TE Seth DeValve
Cincinnati Bengals
- Cut: OT O’Shea Dugas
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: DE Breeland Speaks
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: P Johnny Townsend
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Ryan Glasgow
- Cut: DE Will Clarke
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Nate Wieting
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Adrian Killins
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Charles Jones
- Released: LB Ray Wilborn
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on practice squad IR: DB Jared Mayden
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: G J.R. Sweezy
- Promoted: DL Trevon Coley, RB D.J. Foster, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: DL Leki Fotu
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Dante Fowler
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: S Geno Stone
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: S Juston Burris
- Promoted: RB Rodney Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: T Quinn Bailey, TE Troy Fumagalli, LB Josh Watson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Frank Herron, T Dan Skipper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: S Andrew Wingard
- Promoted: S Doug Middleton, LB Joe Giles-Harris, WR Terry Godwin, OL K.C. McDermott
- Waived: DL Caraun Reid
- Placed on IR: S Josh Jones
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: S Jordan Fuller, OL Joseph Noteboom
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LS Austin Cutting
New England Patriots
- Activated from IR: OL Jermaine Eluemunor
- Promoted: LB Terez Hall, LB Cassh Maluia
- Waived: DL Nick Thurman
- Placed on IR: LB Shilique Calhoun
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: CB Michael Jacquet, DT T.Y. McGill, TE Caleb Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: S Antoine Brooks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Kevin Dotson
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: TE Daniel Helm, S Jared Mayden
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Cyril Grayson, WR Jaydon Mickens
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/10/20
We’ve got a long list of all the minor transactions from the last day or so:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: CB De’Vante Bausby
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: LB Edmond Robinson
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT Anthony Rush
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: Deon Bush, Lachavious Simmons
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Margus Hunt
Denver Broncos
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: CB De’Vante Bausby
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: CB Tony McRae
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jarrad Davis
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Jordan Love, LB Kamal Martin, RB Jamaal Williams
Houston Texans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Dylan Cole, LB Whitney Mercilus, G Max Scharping
- Placed on IR: LB Kyle Emanuel, LB Brennan Scarlett
- Claimed off waivers from Washington: DE Nate Orchard
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: DL Ron’Dell Carter
- Promoted: WR DeMichael Harris
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from reserve/PUP list: T Martinas Rankin
- Waived: DE Demone Harris
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: LB Natrez Patrick
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Todd Davis
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LS Austin Cutting
- Waived/failed-physical: LB Ben Gedeon
- Placed on IR: DB Holton Hill
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers from Cardinals: TE Jordan Thomas
- Waived: LB Cassh Maluia
- Placed on IR: TE Dalton Keene
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: G Will Hernandez
- Waived: CB Corey Ballentine
New York Jets
- Activated off NFI list: CB Bryce Hall
- Waived: QB Mike White
- Placed on IR: TE Trevon Wesco
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Kendrick Bourne
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: WR Jeff Badet
- Waived: WR Tony Brown
Falcons Waive DE Takk McKinley
Takk McKinley‘s time with the Falcons has come to an end. Atlanta has waived the defensive end, a former first-round pick, they announced Monday afternoon.
It was widely reported that the Falcons were shopping the pass-rusher ahead of last week’s trade deadline, but last Monday McKinley announced he wouldn’t be traded, saying Atlanta turned down a handful of offers for him. If that’s true, then it’s pretty strange the Falcons would have chosen not to take some draft compensation only to cut him loose a week later. We heard last week that the team had been seeking a fourth-round pick for him in trade talks.
The 26th overall pick of the 2017 draft, McKinley will now be subjected to waivers and any team can claim him. He’s only owed a little under $900K for the rest of the season, so there’s a good chance we see a team submit a claim this week. Since the Falcons declined the fifth-year option on his contract back in April, he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
If he isn’t claimed, there figure to be a number of interested suitors on the free agent market. There are a handful of contending teams who could use edge rushing help including the Titans, who just released Vic Beasley and are dealing with an injury to Jadeveon Clowney, and the Seahawks, who did already trade for Carlos Dunlap.
The UCLA product entered the league with a lot of fanfare, but like most recent Falcons defensive draft picks, he didn’t pan out in Atlanta. He had six sacks as a rookie and seven the next year, but regressed to 3.5 last year despite starting 13 games and appearing in 14. He was only playing a part-time role in the four games he played with them this year, racking up eight tackles, seven quarterback hits, and one sack.
He only turned 25 last week, and still has a lot of theoretical potential. He blasted the team on social media this week for not trading him and allegedly turning down past deals on the table, making the situation untenable. He’ll likely benefit from a fresh start, and it’ll be interesting to see where he lands. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear something.
2020 NFL Cap Space, By Team
The trade deadline is in the rear view mirror, but teams are still keeping a watchful eye on their salary cap figures. For contenders, the available dollars can be used for late-season signings. For all clubs, a portion of the unspent dollars can be rolled over into future seasons, giving them a larger budget to work with in the first wave of free agency.
Here are the most recent figures for each team, via Over The Cap:
- Cleveland Browns – $31MM
- New York Jets – $30.4MM
- Dallas Cowboys — $28MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars– $26.3MM
- Philadelphia Eagles– $23.9MM
- Washington Football Team – $23.3MM
- New England Patriots – $21.8MM
- Denver Broncos – $19.8MM
- Miami Dolphins – $15.6MM
- Detroit Lions – $14.2MM
- Cincinnati Bengals– $12.3MM
- Indianapolis Colts – $10.7MM
- Los Angeles Chargers — $8.4MM
- New York Giants – $8MM
- Chicago Bears – $7.6MM
- Houston Texans – $7.5MM
- Los Angeles Rams – $6.9MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $6.9MM
- Green Bay Packers – $6.7MM
- Arizona Cardinals– $6.2MM
- New Orleans Saints – $6MM
- Las Vegas Raiders – $6MM
- Kansas City Chiefs – $5.7MM
- Carolina Panthers – $5.5MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $5.3MM
- Tennessee Titans – $4.6MM
- Minnesota Vikings – $3.8K
- San Francisco 49ers – $3.7MM
- Seattle Seahawks – $3.3MM
- Baltimore Ravens – $3.3MM
- Buffalo Bills – $3MM
- Atlanta Falcons – $1.8MM
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: TE Maxx Williams
- Promoted: DL Michael Dogbe, RB D.J. Foster, CB Jace Whittaker
- Waived: TE Jordan Thomas
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: CB Darqueze Dennard
- Promoted: LB Edmond Robinson, LB Pita Taumoepenu
- Placed on IR: CB Jordan Miller
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
- Promoted: CB Dane Jackson, WR Jake Kumerow
Carolina Panthers
- Activated: DE Yetur Gross-Matos, RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: QB Tyler Bray, OL Dieter Eiselen, WR Dwayne Harris, DL Daniel McCullers, Badara Traore
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: P Chris Jones
- Promoted: P Hunter Niswander, RB Sewo Olonilua, QB Cooper Rush, CB Saivion Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: S Alijah Holder
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/PUP list: DE Austin Bryant
- Promoted: OL Marcus Martin
- Placed on IR: CB Darryl Roberts
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Nate Hall, DL Corey Liuget, OL Greg Mancz
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from IR: LB Matthew Adams
- Promoted: WR Daurice Fountain, WR DeMichael Harris
- Placed on IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: LB Joe Giles-Harris, S Doug Middleton, CB Josh Nurse
- Placed on IR: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Gehrig Dieter, G Bryan Witzmann
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: DT Daniel Ross
- Added to active roster: DE Chris Smith
- Waived: WR Rico Gafford
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: RB Kalen Ballage, DE Jessie Lemonier, DB Quenton Meeks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Brandon Facyson
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: T Austin Jackson
- Promoted: WR Kirk Merritt
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: DT Abdullah Anderson, C Brett Jones
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: CB Brandon Williams
- Promoted: DB Montre Hartage, RB Alfred Morris, G Chad Slade
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: S Antoine Brooks, LB Jayrone Elliott
- Waived: RB Trey Edmunds, OL Stefen Wisniewski
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: DE Rasheem Green
- Promoted: RB Alex Collins, CB Jayson Stanley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL William Gholston
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: WR Cameron Batson, CB Breon Borders, RB D’Onta Foreman, LS Matt Overton, LB Wyatt Ray, DL Teair Tart
- Placed on IR: CB Tye Smith
- Waived: OL Daniel Munyer
Washington Football Team
- Activated from IR: WR Steven Sims
- Promoted: WR Jeff Badet, OL Ross Pierschbacher
- Waived: DE Nate Orchard
NFC South Notes: Bucs, Thomas, McCaffrey
Not that much doubt existed as to why Antonio Brown is in Tampa, but the Buccaneers indeed reversed course on the volatile wide receiver because Tom Brady pushed for the signing, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora notes. Brown is living with Brady, who insisted to Buccaneers brass he would work with the former All-Pro daily to ensure he does not become a problem for the organization.
“Brady told them he is going to make sure this is not a problem,” a source with knowledge of this process told La Canfora. “He guaranteed BA (Bruce Arians) that he would make sure this guy did everything he has to do, even if Brady has to drive him there himself. And (the Bucs) made it clear to Brady that Brown is on a very short leash. If he (slips up), he’s gone.”
Brown went from potential first-ballot Hall of Famer to the epicenter of numerous controversies last year, but Brady expressed disappointment the Patriots released him after one game. Arians said in March that Brown would not be a fit with the Bucs. They activated him this week; Brown will debut for a third team Sunday against the Saints.
Here is the latest from the NFC South:
- Staying on the subject of availability for the biggest game in the history of the Saints-Bucs series, Michael Thomas is finally on track to return to action. The All-Pro wide receiver, who has not played since suffering an ankle injury against the Bucs in Week 1, is on track to be back in action Sunday night, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Thomas has missed six games due to ankle and hamstring injuries and for striking a teammate. Emmanuel Sanders also practiced Friday, putting the veteran No. 2 wideout in line to play Sunday. Sanders missed two games after contracting the coronavirus.
- In this suddenly intergalactic matchup of receiving corps, Chris Godwin will be back as well. Arians said Friday the fourth-year target will be back after undergoing surgery on a broken finger. Godwin has missed time due to three separate issues this season, and given that doctors told him he would face a four- to six-week recovery timetable — per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter — his return will be worth monitoring. Doctors inserting pins into Godwin’s damaged index finger opened the door for him to miss just one game, Schefter adds.
- Keeping with the “return to action” theme here, Christian McCaffrey‘s six-week hiatus is expected to end. The All-Pro Panthers back will be activated ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, per Matt Rhule. McCaffrey has been sidelined since Week 2 because of a high ankle sprain.
- Calvin Ridley is battling a mid-foot sprain, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link), and is questionable to face the Broncos on Sunday. Ridley left the Falcons’ Week 8 win with the foot malady.