Cardinals DE Jonathan Ledbetter Out For Season
As the Cardinals close out the 2023 season over the next two weeks, they will be shorthanded along the defensive interior. Jonathan Ledbetter is out for the rest of the year due to a knee injury, head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Tuesday. 
The defensive end was injured on Sunday in the Cardinals’ loss to the Bears, and he will now likely find himself on injured reserve. Ledbetter’s 2023 campaign – his third in Arizona – has seen him take on a full-time starter’s role and post new career-highs in terms of production. The news thus come as a disappointing end to an encouraging season.
The 26-year-old played only one game in his debut Cardinals campaign in 2021, but he was used in a rotational capacity the following year. Logging a 29% snap share, Ledbetter posted 22 tackles while making 14 appearances and three starts. He finished the season on injured reserve, but remained in place for the current season as a young, inexpensive option for the rebuilding Cardinals’ defense.
In 2023, Ledbetter started all 12 of his appearances while seeing a signficant jump in playing time (64% snap share). The former UDFA parlayed that increased workload into a new career high in tackles (46), sacks (1.5), pressures (five) and quarterback hits (four). His improvement in the pass-rush department produced a 60.0 PFF grade in that regard, although Ledbetter’s overall evaluation resulted in an overall grade of 36.2, a regression from last season.
The Georgia alum is a pending free agent, so it will be interesting to see if his performance this season earns him a new Cardinals deal or a market amongst other suitors in the new league year. In any case, Ledbetter will turn his attention to recovery while Arizona moves forward without a D-line starter to finish the campaign.
Browns Place QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson On IR, Sign P.J. Walker
Joe Flacco comfortably sits atop the Browns’ quarterback depth chart, but a new backup will be in place for the foreseeable future. Dorian Thompson-Robinson has been placed on injured reserve, the team announced on Tuesday. 
The fifth-round rookie is dealing with a hip injury, and it will shut him down for an extended stretch. The move guarantees at least a four-week absence for Thompson-Robinson, meaning he will not be available for the remainder of the regular season. In a corresponding move, P.J. Walker has been signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
The quarterback spot has been in flux for Cleveland, a team which has managed to win games with four different signal-callers. Thompson-Robinson has logged three starts and eight appearances with starter Deshaun Watson finding himself in and out of the lineup before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. The UCLA alum had been in place as Flacco’s backup during his impressive run at the helm, but the QB2 spot will now belong to Walker.
The latter has made a pair of starts in 2023, his first season with the Browns. Walker has made a total of six appearances, the most recent of which came in Week 12. The former XFLer has struggled when on the field, throwing five interceptions and just one touchdown. Those totals cost him an active roster spot to make way for the Flacco-Thompson-Robinson pairing, but he is now in position to close out the season as the team’s backup.
Flacco has been highly impressive since arriving with the Browns last month. As a result, he may be playing his way into a new Cleveland contract this offseason. The former Super Bowl MVP will be counted on through the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, but the latest injury-induced change to the quarterback depth chart will leave the Browns thin under center moving forward.
When speaking to the media on Tuesday, head coach Kevin Stefanski also announced that kicker Dustin Hopkins will miss Cleveland’s Thursday night contest against the Jets. Hopkins exited the Browns’ Week 16 win with a hamstring injury, and the team responded yesterday by signing Riley Patterson. Still in the running for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, the Browns will have a new face at the kicker position while bringing back a familiar one to fill the QB2 role.
Browns To Sign P Matt Haack
In their upcoming Thursday night matchup, the Browns could have new faces at both the kicker and punter positions. Cleveland has agreed to a deal with Matt Haack, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports. 
Incumbent punter Corey Bojorquez suffered a quad injury during the Browns’ win over the Texans, Garafolo notes. As a result, he joins kicker Dustin Hopkins (who left the game with a hamstring injury) as a Browns specialist in danger of missing the game against the Jets. Cleveland signed kicker Riley Patterson on Sunday to provide insurance against Hopkins being unable to play.
Like the Patterson deal, this Haack agreement is a practice squad signing. The latter has not played this season, having briefly spent the summer with the Cardinals. Arizona released Haack in August, leaving him on the open market until today’s move. The 29-year-old is an experienced mid-season addition, as he has 98 NFL games under his belt.
Haack began his career with the Dolphins, and his play in Miami earned him a three-year deal with the Bills when he reached free agency. He spent only one year in Buffalo, however, after he was released last summer. That quickly led to an agreement with the Colts, and he remained in Indianapolis throughout the season. Haack recorded a personal-best 44.8 yards per punt average in 2022, and his net average (39.6) was an improvement from the previous season’s performance.
Bojorquez has had a strong second season in Cleveland. Having punted a career-high 80 times this campaign, the 27-year-old has posted a 49.5 yard gross average and a 42.0 net average; both figures are the second highest of his career. Missing Bojorquez for any stretch could thus deal a blow to Cleveland’s special teams, but in case he is unable to suit up on Thursday, an experienced option is now in place.
Vikings Contemplating QB Change?
The Vikings lost a key divisional matchup in Week 16, in large part due to the turnover-filled performance of quarterback Nick Mullens. In the wake of his rough outing, a change atop the QB depth chart could be forthcoming. 
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports the Vikings are “taking a long look” at replacing Mullens and starting rookie Jaren Hall. The former has started the past two games since taking over from Josh Dobbs late in Minnesota’s 3-0 win over the Raiders. Mullens has amassed 714 passing yards over that stretch, but he has also thrown six interceptions while fumbling twice. The Vikings lost both of his starts, leaving the team out of contention for the NFC North title.
Sitting at 7-8, a wild-card spot is still in reach, however, so Minnesota’s decision under center in the bid to find a consistent Kirk Cousins replacement will be crucial to close out the season. Dobbs enjoyed a strong start to his Vikings tenure after arriving at the trade deadline, but he later struggled. That opened the door to Mullens taking over, and ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted in the aftermath of Saturday’s loss that the 28-year-old appeared to still be in place to get the nod for Week 17.
Mullens has the most career starts amongst Minnesota’s healthy options under center, and he began the season as Cousins’ backup. When announcing that the former UDFA would be in place for Week 16, head coach Kevin O’Connell stressed the importance of not being unnecessarily aggressive, a challenge Mullens failed to meet. As a result, it would not come as a complete surprise if the team turned to Hall for his second career start despite the late-season circumstances.
Hall was drafted in the fifth round this April, the time when many believed the Vikings would add an heir apparent to Cousins given the latter’s status as a pending free agent. Amidst the inconsistencies at the QB position since Cousins tore his Achilles, Hall received a start in the first game after Cousins went down, but he suffered a concussion. As a result, he has attempted a total of just 10 passes in the regular season to date.
The Vikings have a game against the Packers and a rematch with the Lions remaining on their schedule. Winning both will be critical to their postseason outlook, but the question of who will be in place under center for those contests will be a key question in the coming days.
Commanders Likely To Pursue Offseason QB Addition
2023 marked Sam Howell‘s first season as the full-time starter for the Commanders. His level of play has taken a downturn recently, meaning his grip on the No. 1 role heading into next season could be less tenuous than it was this past offseason. 
The Commanders elected to release Carson Wentz after the 2022 campaign, and they declined to bring in an expensive addition to replace him. That decision – coupled with the lack of draft investment at the QB position – paved the way for Howell to spend the season atop the depth chart. The 2022 fifth-rounder has started every game this season, but the results have been varied.
Howell has thrown for 300 or more yards five times this year, showing signs of promise as a rusher by adding a pair of 35-plus-yard performances on the ground along the way. However, the North Carolina alum has thrown eight interceptions over the past five games, tossing only two touchdowns during that stretch. In each of the past two contests, veteran Jacoby Brissett has taken over for Howell and provided a spark on offense.
Given Howell’s inconsistent play, Outkick’s Armando Salguero reports the Commanders are likely to bring in competition for the starting role in the 2024 offseason. Brissett has logged 48 starts during his journeyman career, but he was always seen as an insurance policy more than a genuine threat to Howell for the No. 1 gig. The latter is not in danger of being let go, of course, since his rookie contract runs through 2025.
However, it would come as little surprise if Washington elected to hold an open competition under center this offseason. Brissett is a pending free agent, so the team will need to add another option at the position via trade, free agency or the draft if he is not retained. The 4-11 Commanders are on track to have a high first-round draft pick, but they may find themselves out of reach for top options Caleb Williams and Drake Maye.
Another major factor in this situation, of course, is the uncertainty the Commanders face on the sidelines and in the front office. New owner Josh Harris is widely expected to dismiss head coach Ron Rivera, and general manager Martin Mayhew is also on the hot seat. New decision-makers will need to be in place before a direction is chosen as it pertains to the quarterback position.
In any event, the Commanders are projected to be among the league leaders in cap space this offseason, giving them flexibility ahead of an important roster-building stretch. Whether or not competition for Howell is brought in will be a key storyline in the nation’s capital.
Broncos To Waive S Kareem Jackson
3:15pm: The Broncos will move forward with the decision to waive Jackson, Mike Klis of 9News reports. Given the team’s decision not to activate ahead of last night’s game, the move comes as little surprise. Klis adds, however, that Denver intends to retain the veteran by signing him to the practice squad. Jackson is unlikely to garner much of a market on the waiver wire and if he clears, he will be free to re-join the Broncos. The news confirms Locke will continue in a full-time starting role.
12:44pm: Kareem Jackson‘s 2023 campaign has been marred by a pair of suspensions, and he has missed six games as a result. He is now eligible to return to the Broncos’ lineup, but it remains to be seen if that will take place. 
The veteran safety was issued a four-game ban for repeated instances of unnecessary roughness, though he was able to have the ban reduced to two games on appeal. That was immediately followed by another hit using his helmet, however, which resulted in a new four-game suspension. Jackson has returned to practice with the Broncos via a one-week roster exemption, but it is set to expire today.
Denver would be required to open a roster spot to bring Jackson back into the fold. Notably, though, the team did not do so in time for yesterday’s game against the Patriots. The 35-year-old was thus a healthy scratch for a contest with signficant playoff implications. Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reported over the weekend that the Broncos were taking a “day-to-day” approach with respect to getting Jackson back into game shape. A decision on activating or releasing him will now need to be made in the immediate future.
On that point, Denver7’s Troy Renck notes that the result of Denver’s Christmas Eve matchup could play in role in the team’s next move. The Broncos lost on Sunday night, dropping them to 7-8 on the season and dealing a signficant blow to their postseason chances. With a wild-card berth potentially out of reach, Renck adds the team may lean more toward a release than the comparatively easy decision of bringing him back into the fold had they won the game.
Jackson has been in Denver since 2019, serving as a full-time starter throughout his tenure there. For the third straight season, he finds himself on a one-year deal as he moves closer to the end of his career. With much of his 2023 salary ($2.52MM) having been paid out already, a release would not be expensive from Denver’s perspective. Moving on from the veteran would also solidify P.J. Locke as a starter, a role he has filled while Jackson served his suspensions.
Locke, a former UDFA, has enjoyed a career year in 2023. The 26-year-old has recorded 43 tackles, three sacks, one interception and two fumble recoveries this year, and he would be in store to add to that production if Jackson were to remain out of the picture. Locke is a pending free agent, so a first-team role to finish out the season could help boost his value on the open market.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/25/23
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: OLB Jeremiah Moon, WR Laquon Treadwell
- Reverted to season-ending IR: LB Malik Hamm
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: DT Domenique Davis
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: QB Max Duggan
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed to active roster: WR Willie Snead
- Waived: T Matt Pryor
- Elevated: DL T.Y. McGill, CB Jason Verrett (story)
The Ravens designated Hamm for return on Dec. 4, making Christmas Day the linebacker’s activation deadline. Rather than activating Hamm to their active roster, the Ravens let his 21-day practice window close. A rookie UDFA out of Division I-FCS Lafayette, Hamm will end up missing his entire rookie season. The Ravens carried Hamm over to their 53-man roster after training camp, placing him on IR a day later.
Eagles CB Darius Slay Aiming For Postseason Return
The Eagles were without Darius Slay during their most recent loss after he underwent knee surgery. No firm recovery timeline is in place, but the All-Pro corner recently provided an update on his health status. 
When speaking to the media, Slay said the knee issue he had been dealing with dated all the way back to 2019. After attempting to continue playing through it this season, his mobility dropped to 30%, leading to the decision to go under the knife. Slay declined to add if would suit up again in the regular season, but he said he will be available in time for the playoffs (h/t EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
Getting the five-time Pro Bowler back at any point would be a welcomed development for a reeling Eagles defense, but a path is in place for Philadelphia to earn the top spot in the NFC East with or without him the rest of the way. Resting until the postseason would help Slay’s recovery process, but the team’s secondary could benefit from his return earlier than that.
Slay has had another productive campaign in 2023. The 32-year-old has collected 57 tackles, 14 pass deflections and a pair of interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown). He has also delivered coverage statistics roughly in line with his two most recent campaigns, although the Eagles’ pass defense has been a sore spot this year. The team enters today’s contest surrendering an average of 255 yards per game through the air, which ranks 27th in the league.
The return of slot corner Avonte Maddox will provide a boost on the backend, and having Slay back no later than the postseason will give the Eagles another starter as the team transitions to Matt Patricia handling play-calling responsibilities. With Slay having not been placed on IR, no roster transaction will be needed for him to return to the lineup.
Chargers Frontrunner For Jim Harbaugh; HC Contemplating Michigan Extension
Jim Harbaugh remains at the heart of speculation and reporting with respect to the upcoming NFL hiring cycle. His future remains in doubt, but a leader has emerged in terms of an NFL destination if he elects to return to the pros. 
The Chargers are the frontrunners to land the former 49ers head coach, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reports. That comes as little surprise given the degree to which the two parties have been linked recently. Los Angeles made an informal inquiry about Harbaugh, whose candidacy for a second NFL HC gig has not been damaged by the pair of three-game suspensions he has served this year. To no surprise, though, Pauline notes Harbaugh is currently focused squarely on Michigan’s upcoming CFP semifinal.
Once the Wolverines’ season has come to a close, a new deal could await Harbaugh. The 60-year-old has received a 10-year, $125MM offer from Michigan, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport writes. The pact would include a clause precluding Harbaugh from taking an NFL job in 2024, but no such restrictions would apply beyond next year. A new Michigan contract has been in the works for some time now, but Harbaugh has yet to make a final decision. Rapoport adds another, shorter offer with an annual average value of roughly $11MM is also on the table.
Both versions of the potential extension could check in below Harbaugh’s asking price on an NFL deal, which Pauline pegs at $15MM per year or more. His track record both at Michigan and in San Francisco before that would give the former Super Bowl runner up plenty of leverage in negotiations on a return to the pro level, and the degree to which he would be involved in roster decisions will no doubt be a key talking point. Budgetary concerns have been raised regarding the Chargers’ search for a Brandon Staley replacement, but multiple reports have indicated they are prepared to spend big in search of a long-term answer on the sidelines.
Given the presence of quarterback Justin Herbert, many have pointed to Los Angeles as an attractive destination for veteran coaching candidates. A mutual interest is believed to exist, however, between the Chargers and Lions OC Ben Johnson, one of the league’s top up-and-coming offensive minds. Johnson will be a highly sought-after staffer, and he profiles as a much different option than Harbaugh. Los Angeles could very well lean toward the latter if the team’s desire for a proven option holds true, though.
Harbaugh has seemed to be on the verge of an NFL return over the past two offseasons, interviewing with the Vikings and Broncos during that time. While the Chargers are certainly a team to watch in this year’s cycle, one which appears to be out of the running is the Panthers. Carolina owner David Tepper is not believed to be interested in Harbaugh, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini (subscription required). The Panthers are expected to make a strong run at Johnson, something which would be particularly interesting if highly-regarded defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero were to be retained through a potential GM change.
Even if the Panthers are out of the running for Harbaugh, he will remain a signficant domino this season, as he has in years past. His willingness to commit to a new Michigan pact (or a lack thereof) will be particularly impactful for the Chargers as they undertake an organizational reset.
Buccaneers Hope To Retain WR Mike Evans
Talks on a new deal during the summer did not produce an agreement for Mike Evans, leaving him as a pending free agent entering the season. The uber-consistent wideout has had another strong campaign, though, upping his value on a third Tampa Bay pact. 
The Buccaneers want to retain Evans, Dianna Russini of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Efforts were made to ensure he would be in the fold beyond 2023, but little traction was found before the four-time Pro Bowler’s self-imposed Week 1 deadline arrived. Evans has been a major factor in the Bucs’ offense this year, however, including the team’s three-game win streak entering Sunday’s action.
The former first-rounder has already eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark, meaning he has hit that threshold every season in his 10-year career. Evans has also scored double-digit touchdowns for the fifth time in 2023, and his pair of scores in today’s game has him in position to set a new personal best in that regard. To no surprise, then, Russini notes that Evans’ asking price has likely risen compared to where things stood in the offseason.
The Texas A&M product is playing out the end of his five-year, $82.5MM pact signed in 2018. The $16.5MM AAV of that deal sits well below the top of the market given the monster contracts a number of wideouts have signed in recent years. At the age of 30, it will be interesting to see how much term Evans will be looking for on a new pact in addition to compensation. Working out a new deal would replace the void years on his current pact, which calls for a cap charge of over $12MM in 2024.
Tampa Bay already has a pricey WR deal on the books, though, with Chris Godwin set to carry a cap hit of over $27.5MM next year. Extending him could lower that figure, but doing so would require committing future resources at the position to someone other than Evans. The latter was mentioned in trade talks at the deadline, but he was retained and a November report suggested Tampa Bay was willing to negotiate a new deal ahead of free agency.
Retaining Evans would provide valuable continuity to an offense which faces quarterback uncertainty at the moment. Baker Mayfield is firmly on the extension radar, though, and a new pact for him will no doubt include a considerable raise from his 2023 compensation. Whether or not Evans will be in place for the Bucs’ 2024 offense will be a major storyline for the team after the campaign has come to a close.