Panthers QB Bryce Young To Return In Week 4
SEPTEMBER 29: Reich confirmed on Friday, via Newton, that Young will indeed be back in action this Sunday. His return will give him the chance to rebound from a pair of underwhelming performances to begin his career, and get the Panthers into the win column for the first time in 2023.
SEPTEMBER 27: Two of the three rookies given starting roles right away in 2023 – Bryce Young and Anthony Richardson – missed Week 3 due to injuries. Both appear to be on track to limit their absences to a single game. 
Young was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, signaling he should be available for Sunday’s contest against the Vikings. His ankle injury required Andy Dalton to start last week, but such a move will not be necessary as long as the No. 1 pick’s recovery proceeds as scheduled. More work is still to be done on that front, of course, but today’s news is an encouraging sign.
“The big thing right now is to see how he responds [Thursday],” head coach Frank Reich said, via ESPN’s David Newton. “Just have to make sure there’s no major setbacks, no flare-ups. But if he stays on track, then I think things are headed in the right direction.”
Originally given a one-to-two week recovery timeline, it comes as little surprise that Young has a strong chance to suit up after only missing one contest. Dalton threw for 361 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Panthers’ loss to the Seahawks, a game which dropped them to 0-3. In doing so, the veteran showcased a continued ability to produce as a spot-starter, something he has done with four teams in as many years since his Bengals tenure ended. Dalton guided Carolina to a more notable performance in the passing game than the team’s two contests with Young under center.
The latter has repeatedly been tapped as the starter when available, though, so he will be in the lineup as soon as possible. To that point, Reich added that the Panthers are prepared to play Young at less than 100% – a noteworthy stance given the Alabama product’s long-term importance to the franchise. Young was the target of the team’s trade-up to the first overall selection, and as such he has been entrusted with providing much-needed stability at the QB spot. Risking further injury so early in his career would need to be weighed against the possibility of dropping to 0-4 on the season.
The same holds true of the Vikings, making Sunday’s matchup one of importance for both teams involved. Presuming all goes well in the coming days, each squad will have their No. 1 quarterback available on Sunday.
Rams, TE Tyler Higbee Agree To Extension
A key member of the Rams’ passing attack has a new deal in hand. Tight end Tyler Higbee has agreed to a three-year extension worth a base value of $27MM which includes $17MM guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The Rams have since confirmed the deal, though they have announced it as a two-year pact which will keep him signed through 2025. 
Higbee has spent his entire eight-year career with the Rams, and this newest contract will be his third with the franchise. The 30-year-old’s previous pact – a four-year, $29MM accord signed in 2019 – was set to expire at the end of the season. Instead of hitting the open market in March, he will again remain in place on a multi-year agreement.
Serving as a full-time starter throughout his career, Higbee has been a constant for the team’s passing game over the past four seasons in particular. The former fourth-rounder has recorded at least 520 receiving yards each year over that span, including a career-high 734 in 2019. Higbee has added 16 touchdowns across that span as well, giving Los Angeles a consistent and productive option to compliment wideout Cooper Kupp.
Aside from the latter, the Rams have moved on from a number of skill-position players from their Super Bowl core. That includes trading Robert Woods to the Titans last March and the deal which sent his presumed replacement, Allen Robinson, to the Steelers this past April. In their absences, along with that of Kupp to start the year, Higbee has posted 132 yards on 11 catches through three games in 2023.
After missing out on the team’s Super Bowl victory due to a sprained MCL, Higbee has yet to be sidelined for a game. That durability will allow him to continue his presence as a consistent chain-mover and add to his 113 games played total, which ranks 13th in franchise history. He will likely crack the top 10 in that regard by the end of this latest pact, which Rapoport notes can max out a value of $30.5MM.
A 2022 restructure left Higbee with a cap hit of $9.13MM in 2023. It will be interesting to see how his latest deal works out on the Rams’ cap sheet, something which has undergone plenty of changes recently as the team transitions to a young nucleus at a number of positions. They will retain a steady veteran at the TE spot for a few more years, however.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/23
Wednesday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed to active roster: LB Andre Smith
- Released: T Isaiah Prince
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: DE Matt Dickerson, WR Montrell Washington
- Placed on IR: WR Richie James, T Prince Tega Wanogho
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Cody Thompson
Prince’s release is notable given his status as the Falcons’ swing tackle. The 26-year-old has seen only 10 special teams snaps to date with Jake Matthews and Kaleb McGary staying healthy early in the campaign. A 2019 Dolphins sixth-rounder, Prince has six NFL starts to his name (two in Miami and four in Cincinnati). He signed a reserve deal with the Broncos in February, but was released ahead of final roster cuts. That led to his Falcons deal, one which will have proven to be quite short-lived if he is not retained via the practice squad.
Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd Undergoes Thumb Surgery
The Jaguars are set to play the first of back-to-back games in London in Week 4, but they will be without a defensive starter for at least one of them. Linebacker Devin Lloyd will be absent on Sunday as a result of thumb surgery. 
Lloyd had a number of screws implanted in his right thumb on Wednesday, as noted by ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. As a result of the procedure, he will not travel with the Jaguars in advance of their game against the Falcons. The 2022 first-rounder’s absence will leave a notable vacancy at the second level of Jacksonville’s defense.
The second Jaguars Day 1 selection last April (after No. 1 pick Travon Walker), Lloyd saw immediate playing time with an 80% defensive snap share. The Utah alum racked up 115 tackles, three interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries. Those stats failed to translate to a flattering PFF evaluation, however, with tackling issues and struggles in coverage leading to an overall grade of 48.3.
Lloyd has shouldered a heavier workload in the early going during the 2023 campaign, and his metrics have taken a positive turn. The 24-year-old has earned a 58.7 grade, a mark which leaves plenty of room for improvement down the road, but offers reason to expect he can remain a productive contributor in Jacksonville in the short- and long-term. Lloyd has helped the Jaguars rank seventh in the league against the run, allowing an average of 84 yards per game on the ground.
In his absence, leading tackler Foyesade Oluokun will likely be joined in the starting lineup by Chad Muma. The 2022 third-rounder has played primarily on special teams early in his career, though he has also logged over 300 defensive snaps. Fourth-year depth contributor Shaquille Quarterman could also be in line for an increased workload with Lloyd unavailable for the time being.
Since finding a rhythm offensively has been akin to pulling teeth for Jacksonville so far this season, the team’s defense will likely have a large role to play in helping rebound from a 1-2 start. Missing Lloyd will hurt their linebacking corps, but his absence should at least not be expected to last particularly long.
Ravens Sign LB Kyle Van Noy
SEPTEMBER 27: The Ravens finalized this agreement Wednesday. Van Noy is officially part of Baltimore’s 16-man practice squad. This will be the veteran defender’s fifth NFL destination, coming after stays with the Lions, Patriots, Dolphins and Chargers.
SEPTEMBER 26, 1:24pm: This visit will produce a quick agreement. Van Noy is signing a practice squad deal with the Ravens, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets. A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Patriots, Van Noy has excelled in a hybrid capacity for most of his career. The off-ball linebacker/pass rusher has notched at least five sacks in five of the past six seasons.
This P-squad agreement seems likely to precede Van Noy moving up to Baltimore’s active roster. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds the deal is not quite done but notes mutual interest exists.
11:49am: For the second time this year, Kyle Van Noy is set to head to Baltimore ahead of a potential deal. The veteran edge rusher is visiting the Ravens today, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. 
Van Not met with the Ravens in July, signaling that a contract could be on the horizon. That would have come as little surprise, given the team’s lack of experience in the pass-rushing department. Even with Jadeveon Clowney now in the picture, though, the team is in need of depth along the edge.
Tyus Bowser remains on the NFI list, leaving Baltimore without a full-time starter. His absence has since been compounded by injuries picked up by 2021 first-rounder Odafe Oweh, who missed Week 3, and 2022 second-rounder David Ojabo, who exited that contest due to an ankle ailment. Given the team’s lack of healthy bodies at the moment, Van Noy would likely be able to see notable playing time right away if he were to sign.
The 32-year-old remained a consistent producer during his stint with the Chargers last season. Van Noy posted five sacks, adding 14 pressures, eight tackles for loss and a forced fumble. Having logged a 70% snap share, he proved a continued ability to handle a large defensive workload split between inside and outside linebacker. The Ravens’ ILB tandem of Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen is intact, however, so any Van Noy addition would see the latter used strictly in a pass-rushing capacity.
Pending the status of Oweh and Ojabo, the Ravens’ list of healthy edge rushers currently consists of Clowney, fourth-round rookie Tavius Robinson and former UDFA Jeremiah Moon. Van Noy, who has yet to take a known visit since his last Baltimore trek, would add considerable experience to that group while providing at least a depth presence when the team is at full health. With roughly $7.8MM in cap space, the Ravens should be able to afford a deal with the veteran on what would no doubt be a low-cost flier for the remainder of the campaign.
Jets Sign QB Trevor Siemian
The Jets are set to make a long-awaited addition to their quarterback room. Trevor Siemian is prepared to sign with the team pending a physical, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network adds this will be a practice squad arrangement. The deal is now official.
Siemian will make a return to New York, having spent the 2019 season with the Jets. This reunion will give the team three healthy passers, as they previously only had Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle on the roster. The former has received repeated endorsements as New York’s starter from head coach Robert Saleh, but experienced depth, at a minimum, will be added with this deal. Siemian visited the Jets on Tuesday morning, CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweets.
[RELATED: Jets Connected To Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz]
The 31-year-old has yet to win a start since 2017, going 0-6 in that span. Siemian has seen time with the Saints and Bears, which led him to a Bengals deal this offseason. He was among the team’s final roster cuts, however, leading to a free agency stay which lasted well into the start of the season. Pelissero’s colleague James Palmer notes Cincinnati considered bringing Siemian back this past week while Joe Burrow‘s availability was in question.
When the Jets initially added Siemian in 2019, he was brought in to back up Sam Darnold, who was going into his second season. A Darnold mononucleosis diagnosis led to Siemian starting the Jets’ Week 2 game against the Browns that year, but a season-ending ankle injury took Siemian off the field after just six pass attempts. He moved on in 2020. The former Peyton Manning Denver successor has since been with four more teams — the Titans, Saints, Bears and Bengals — and has been strictly a backup or a third-string option.
This is certainly not a transaction that would appease Jets fans clamoring for Wilson to be benched. As Saleh continues to insist the third-year passer is the team’s clear-cut best option, the Jets are not believed to have done work on adding a starter-caliber passer. They looked into Colt McCoy and a potential Chad Henne unretirement in the aftermath of Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear, but the team went into Weeks 2 and 3 with just Wilson and Boyle on its depth chart. Siemian now becomes the team’s de facto third-stringer, though it is conceivable he could leapfrog Boyle to be Wilson’s backup or potentially usurp both to become a starter again. Being unable to beat out Jake Browning for the Bengals’ QB2 gig, however, does not exactly boost Siemian’s prospects.
Through three games, Wilson ranks ahead of only Justin Fields in QBR, sitting 33rd. He has completed just 52.4% of his passes — down from his full-season numbers in 2021 and ’22 — and is averaging only 5.6 yards per attempt. The latter number is also down from his ’21 and ’22 averages. While it remains interesting the Jets have not made a more aggressive push to find a veteran capable of unseating the struggling starter, the team at least filled out its depth chart with Siemian.
Anthony Richardson To Remain Colts’ Starter Upon Return
The Colts picked up their second straight win in Week 3 despite having Gardner Minshew under center. The team’s backup signal-caller will retain that position on the depth chart once Anthony Richardson clears concussion protocol. 
Richardson exited Indianapolis’ Week 2 game against the Texans after being removed due to the hit he suffered while scoring his second rushing touchdown of the contest. He remains in concussion protocol for now, and head coach Shane Steichen did not say for certain whether Richardson or starting center Ryan Kelly would be able to practice on Wednesday. Presuming the former is able to do so, though, his starting gig will await him come Week 4.
“Anthony is our guy,” Steichen said, via Akeem Glaspie of the Indy Star. “[Richardson’s] our starting quarterback, but going back to Gardner, a ton of respect for Gardner and what he does on a week in and week out basis. When he goes in, he operates at a high level and couldn’t be more thankful that he’s here and what he’s done for this football team.”
Given the Colts’ decision to anoint Richardson the starter after just one preseason contest, Steichen’s remarks come as little surprise. The No. 4 pick was tapped as a candidate to see immediate playing time as a rookie (just like Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, the two passers selected ahead of him), and his success on the ground in particular – 5.8 yards per carry, three touchdowns – has earned him a continued look as a first-teamer when healthy.
On the other hand, Minshew has been efficient in his time filling in for Richardson and his Week 3 start. The 27-year-old has posted a 66.7% completion percentage while throwing a pair of touchdowns with no interceptions. Targeted by the Colts in part for his Eagles connection to Steichen, Minshew represents a high-floor backup option to Richardson, as he has already demonstrated in the early going of the 2023 campaign.
Richardson’s participation in practice in the coming days will be worth watching closely, but for now he should be expected to clear the protocol in time for Week 4 against the Rams on Sunday. As long as he is available, he will return to his starting duties while Minshew is relegated back to his QB2 role.
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell Addresses Turnover Issues
The Vikings sit at 0-3 in large part due to the team’s struggles with ball security. Minnesota leads the league in turnovers, and lineup changes could be coming soon as a result. 
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown a pair of interceptions – including one in the end zone in the losing stages of Sunday’s loss to the the Chargers – but the more troubling early trend has been the Vikings’ league-leading seven fumbles. Head coach Kevin O’Connell admitted he altered the team’s practice routine in the build-up to Week 3, but ball security remains an issue. In the aftermath of that contest, he issued a warning that players could find themselves on the bench in the near future.
“I think that’s something we’re going to fix one way or the other,” O’Connell said of the fumbling problems, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “Either guys are going to [fix] it or we’re going to have to put other guys in the game that have ball security.”
Running back Alexander Mattison has been among the players who have lost a number of fumbles (although only one so far has resulted in a change of possession). The 25-year-old assumed lead back duties in the wake of Dalvin Cook‘s release, and he is currently averaging a career-high 13 carries per game. Mattison has recorded 155 scoreless yards on the ground, along with one touchdown in the passing game.
Minnesota’s struggles on the ground made it little surprise that the team added Cam Akers via trade. In spite of his arrival, Mattison has received a vote of confidence as the Vikings’ lead back, though Akers did not suit up in Week 3. The latter will however be involved in the team’s game plan for Week 4, Seifert notes. It will be interesting to see how the Vikings divvy up their RB snaps, particularly if ball security remains an issue.
Aside from Mattison, other skill position players could now be on notice in advance of Minnesota’s game against Carolina. That matchup of winless teams will be important in the NFC standings, but it could also play a part in dictating playing time moving forward in the Vikings’ case.
Bengals’ Joe Burrow Active For Week 3
5:51pm: The increased rumblings of Burrow progress will lead to the fourth-year star suiting up for the Bengals against the Rams tonight. Burrow is in uniform and active for Cincinnati’s Week 3 game.
12:23pm: Throughout the week, questions have lingered regarding whether or not Joe Burrow will be able to suit up for the Bengals’ upcoming Monday night contest. An answer remains elusive at this point, but the team may very well have its starting quarterback available tonight. 
Burrow continues to deal with the effects of his calf injury suffered in training camp, one which was aggravated in Week 2. In the time since Cincinnati’s second straight loss to open the campaign, it has become clear Burrow will need to play through considerable pain to be available in the immediate future. Given the team’s 0-2 start on one hand, and the enormous long-term commitment made in Burrow on the other, opinions are split on how the Bengals should proceed.
Russini notes, however, that things are “trending in the right direction,” meaning the progress made over the weekend by Burrow (who has been urging team officials to let him play) has continued. Adding to that notion, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports the team is prepared to go ahead with its franchise cornerstone under center barring a setback in advance of kickoff. The former No. 1 pick’s presence would no doubt be a welcomed sight for the Bengals as they look to avoid dropping to 0-3.
Doing so would greatly boost their postseason chances, something of importance given the franchise’s position in a Super Bowl window. If Burrow is destined to play through the nagging injury for most (if not all) of the season’s remaining games, Monday would simply represent the first full contest of meeting that challenge since aggravating his calf. The team’s options under center if Burrow is unable to finish the game are, however, a group which faces plenty of question marks.
Jake Browning is the Bengals’ only other quarterback on the active roster, and he has one regular season pass attempt to his name. Knowing Burrow’s uncertain status for Week 3, Cincinnati spent two days last week adding signal-callers (Reid Sinnett and A.J. McCarron) to the practice squad. It will be interesting to see how the team handles its two gameday elevations before kickoff, as the number of QBs dressing for the contest will go a long way in illustrating the confidence held in Burrow’s ability to suit up.
Arrest Warrant Issued For Chargers CB J.C. Jackson
J.C. Jackson‘s on-field situation has not developed as planed with the Chargers, and his off-field status continues to take unwanted turns as well. An arrest warrant has been issued for the high-priced cover man. 
Failure to attend a probation violation hearing in Attleboro District Court is the cause for the warrant, reports MassLive’s Chris Mason. Jackson had initially been charged with criminal speeding in 2021 (during his time with the Patriots), but he failed to take a ‘Brains At Risk’ program which was mandatory as a result of his arrest. He also did not pay a $300 fine and failed to appear in court last week, leading to the warrant being issued.
Jackson was a healthy scratch on Sunday, a move which came as a surprise given the progress he had been making in his recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon early in the season. Mason’s report indicates no clear link between the benching decision and today’s news; likewise, Jeff Howe of The Athletic states the two are not related (subscription required).
The former UDFA was arrested last December for what was termed a ‘non-violent family issue.’ Jackson wound up being limited to five games in 2022, though his missed time came about only through injury, not suspension. The campaign was still a signficant disappointment, given the five-year, $82.5MM deal he signed in free agency as part of the Chargers’ efforts to fortify their defense.
Jackson struggled in his limited game action in 2022, although his first two performances this season offered a glimpse of improvement in coverage. After the Chargers gave up 24 points on 367 passing yards in Week 3, it will be interesting to see how Jackson figures into the team’s defensive game plans moving forward. No guaranteed base salary remains on his contract, but he is owed a $5MM roster bonus of the third day of each league year through its conclusion in 2026.