Colts Sign S Andrew Sendejo, Cut CB Chris Wilcox
After getting torched on several deep balls by Russell Wilson on Sunday, the Colts worked out a group of safeties on Monday. They apparently liked what they saw from Andrew Sendejo.
Indianapolis is signing the veteran, the team announced. In a corresponding roster move, they’ve cut cornerback Chris Wilcox. Wilcox was a seventh-round pick of the Buccaneers, 251st overall, in this past draft. Let go by Tampa at final cuts he was claimed off waivers by the Colts, but lasted just a week on the active roster.
Sendejo on the other hand is a seasoned vet with plenty of starting experience. An UDFA out of Rice back in 2010, Sendejo found a home with the Vikings toward the end of the 2011 season. He then was with Minnesota until the end of the 2018 season, and was a full-time starter for a handful of years.
After a brief stint in Philly he was cut midway through 2019, and latched back on with the Vikings to close the year. He signed with the Browns last offseason, and started all 14 games that he played in with Cleveland in 2020. Sendejo worked out for the 49ers last month, but didn’t draw too much other known interest. He turned 34 last week.
Raheem Mostert Out For The Year, 49ers Signing Kerryon Johnson To PS
Unfortunate news for 49ers fans. It appears running back Raheem Mostert won’t be returning in a couple of months after all. Instead, Mostert will have surgery on his knee that will sideline him for the rest of the season, he announced himself on Twitter.
In a responsive move, the 49ers will be signing free agent running back Kerryon Johnson to their practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Johnson, a 2018 second-round pick of the Lions, was cut by the Eagles last month. He also visited with the Raiders last week, and is still only 24. Johnson operated as the Lions’ lead back for his first two years in the league, but took a backseat to D’Andre Swift last year and was soon jettisoned.
Mostert says that he weighed his options and ultimately determined this was the best course of action. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had said yesterday that Mostert would only undergo a scope for chipped knee cartilage, and that he would return in about eight weeks. He’ll instead have cartilage repair surgery that will have a six-month recovery, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. That should at least give him plenty of time to be 100 percent for the start of 2022.
It looks like the backfield will now be Elijah Mitchell‘s to lead going forward. Mitchell got 19 carries in the 49ers’ win over the Lions after Mostert went down, turning them into 104 yards and a touchdown. Fourth-round rookie Trey Sermon, who was a healthy scratch in Week 1, could get a crack at some point as well.
It’s a tough blow for Mostert, who has been an extremely effective runner when healthy but has struggled to stay on the field. He’s averaged a ridiculous 5.7 yards per carry on 284 career attempts, but injuries limited him to eight games last year and held him back in prior years as well. It’s especially tough considering Mostert is in a contract year, and will be an unrestricted free agent this spring.
It’ll be very interesting to see what kind of contract he lands in free agency. On the one hand he’s been remarkably efficient the past few years, but on the other hand has been plagued by injuries and has played in Shanahan’s system, in which virtually every running back seemingly thrives.
Panthers Cut K Ryan Santoso, Sign K Zane Gonzalez
The Panthers have made their decision. Carolina is cutting kicker Ryan Santoso after just one game, a source told Joe Person of The Athletic (Twitter link). The team then announced they would be signing kicker Zane Gonzalez off the Lions’ practice squad to replace him.
It was a move that was time sensitive because of the Panthers’ trade for Santoso a few weeks ago. Carolina agreed to acquire Santoso from the Giants, and the deal stipulated that they’d send a seventh-round pick to New York if Santoso was on the active roster for two games. Essentially, they had a one week free trial on the kicker, and decided he wasn’t worth the late-round pick.
Santoso made both of his field goal attempts in the team’s Week 1 win over the Jets, but he did miss one of his two extra point attempts. The Panthers cut Joey Slye at final cuts, and they also have Dominik Eberle on the practice squad. Gonzalez was the Browns’ kicker in all 16 games in 2017, and he spent most of the past two seasons as the Cardinals’ full-time kicker. Because he was signed off another team’s practice squad, Carolina will need to keep him on the active roster for at least three weeks.
The Giants will now get nothing in return for the man they had behind Graham Gano during the preseason. Teams apparently thought highly enough of Santoso, who has spent some time in the CFL, to warrant a trade for him, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he gets another shot with somebody soon.
Lions Have Spoken With Quinton Dunbar
The Lions just lost cornerback Jeff Okudah to an unfortunate Achilles tear, and it sounds like they may be looking outside the building to help bolster their secondary.
Detroit is “searching for CB help,” and they’ve spoken with free agent Quinton Dunbar, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). Those sources also said that the Lions had actually talked with Dunbar before the Okudah injury as well, so their renewed interest isn’t out of nowhere. It also sounds like they might face some competition for his services.
That’s because Garafolo notes that Dunbar “has a few options he’s sorting through” at the moment. Dunbar was with the Lions during camp, so he’s got plenty of familiarity with the system, but was cut in mid-August. He entered the league as an UDFA in 2015, and carved out quite the career for himself. He eventually became a starter in Washington, and had four interceptions in only 11 games in 2019.
Last offseason he was traded to Seattle, and after a bizarre legal situation, was eventually cleared to play. However injuries limited him to six games in his first and only season with the Seahawks, although he started all of them. Dunbar turned 29 in July.
Buccaneers Sign Pierre Desir To Practice Squad
In the wake of a key injury in their secondary, the Buccaneers are signing a notable name. Tampa Bay has added veteran corner Pierre Desir, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
However, Desir will report to the practice squad initially instead of the active roster. The move comes after starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered an elbow injury in the Bucs’ opener that will have him sidelined for at least a few weeks. Not too long ago Desir was a highly regarded corner, although his stock has dropped sharply the past couple of years.
Last year he started eight games for the Jets, racking up eight passes defended and three interceptions, but was cut in November. He then spent the rest of the year with Baltimore but barely played. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2014, Desir rose to prominence with the Colts.
He started 23 games for Indianapolis between 2018-19, and was given a three-year contract worth $22.5MM in March of 2019. He got $12MM guaranteed, but made it just one year into that pact.
Desir, who turned 31 last week, will give Tampa some solid depth and a veteran presence in their young secondary.
Raheem Mostert To Miss 8 Weeks With Knee Injury
Unfortunately, Raheem Mostert is dealing with another significant health issue. The 49ers’ talented but oft-injured running back has chipped cartilage in his knee, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday.
Shanahan said the knee issue will sideline Mostert for about eight weeks. He’ll have a scope on the knee and go on injured reserve for the time being. Elijah Mitchell, who became a workhorse against the Lions after Mostert went down early, figures to become the team’s new lead back in his place. Mitchell turned 19 carries into 104 yards and a touchdown against Detroit.
The injury likely also means fourth-round rookie Trey Sermon, who was a surprise inactive against the Lions, will get a crack at the first action of his pro career. Mostert was a 2015 UDFA from Purdue who spent time with six different teams in less than two seasons before finding a permanent home with the 49ers.
He signed with San Francisco’s practice squad in November of 2016, and has been with the team ever since. Impressively, he’s averaged 5.7 yards per rush on 284 career carries. Last year he had 521 yards in only eight games as he dealt with various ailments.
It’s an especially tough blow for Mostert since he’s set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Hopefully he can return and have a lot of success in the second half to help him cash in next spring. Mostert briefly requested a trade in the summer of 2020 before he and the team patched things up with a revised contract.
Broncos’ Jerry Jeudy Out 4-6 weeks
The Broncos will be without 2020 first-round pick Jerry Jeudy for a bit, but it could’ve been worse. Jeudy suffered a high ankle sprain during the team’s win over the Giants on Sunday, head coach Vic Fangio confirmed Monday.
Fangio said that thankfully the plan for now is just rest and recovery rather than surgery. The injury is expected to sideline the former Alabama star for 4-6 weeks, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a tough blow, but still better than the alternative of an ankle break which would’ve brought an end to his season.
When Jeudy went down he was visibly distraught and had to be carted off, so 4-6 weeks may end up proving to be somewhat of a best-case scenario all things considered. Denver looked great while pummeling the Giants 27-7, but they’ll now be without one of their top weapons moving forward.
Courtland Sutton (coming off an ACL tear), Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler are all likely to see their workloads increase in his absence. Jeudy looked good before suffering the injury, catching six passes for 72 yards. As a rookie last year, he had 52 catches for 856 yards and three touchdowns.
Falcons Re-Sign Brandon Copeland
Brandon Copeland‘s free agency didn’t last long. Just a couple days after being released by the Falcons the veteran linebacker has re-signed with Atlanta, the team announced Monday.
It seems his release on Saturday was just a procedural move to ensure his salary didn’t become guaranteed. Vested veterans have their contracts guaranteed for the year when they’re on a Week 1 roster. Originally an UDFA out of Penn back in 2013, it took Copeland a few years to find his footing in the league. He eventually broke out in 2018 with the Jets.
He started 10 games for New York that year, racking up five sacks and 14 QB hits while operating as an outside linebacker. The Ivy League grad again played a sizable role with the Jets in 2019, then signed with the Patriots last year. A torn pec limited him to six games, but he started four of them for New England.
He then landed with the Falcons back in March. Atlanta got drubbed by the Eagles in their season opener on Sunday, so they could use all the help they can get.
Jets DB Lamarcus Joyner Likely Done For Year
The Jets had a rough opener. They lost to the Panthers 19-14, and also lost starting tackle Mekhi Becton for at least the next month. But the 2020 first-rounder wasn’t the only New York starter to go down against Carolina.
Safety Lamarcus Joyner suffered a torn tendon in his arm that will require surgery, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The injury “likely knocks him out for the season,” Rapoport writes. It’s a tough blow for a Jets secondary that already profiled as one of the team’s weaknesses. Their group of corners are quite young and inexperienced, and now they’ll be forced to move things around at safety.
Joyner entered the league as a second-round pick of the Rams back in 2014. After his rookie contract expired, he played 2018 under the franchise tag with the Rams. The Florida State product earned a big four-year, $42MM contract from the Raiders the following free agency but was released back in March just two years into that pact.
Shortly after getting cut by Vegas he inked a one-year deal with the Jets worth up to $4.5MM with $2.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM of that was in playing time incentives that it now appears he won’t be able to meet. Joyner turns 31 in November, so he probably won’t be able to count on a huge payday next spring.
WFT To Place Ryan Fitzpatrick On IR
It was the fear yesterday, but now it’s official. Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip subluxation during the team’s loss to the Chargers on Sunday, head coach Ron Rivera confirmed. The veteran is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Rivera announced that Fitzpatrick will be placed on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least the next three games. That means that it’ll be Taylor Heinicke under center when Washington takes the field in just a few days for a Thursday Night Football game against the Giants. It also means it’ll be Heinicke leading the team for the foreseeable future. If there’s any good news, it’s that Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that there’s “no indication yet that it’s season ending.”
Rivera said Fitzmagic is getting second opinions to determine the severity. For now it’ll be Kyle Allen backing up Heinicke. Washington is coming off a division title and had high expectations for this season, leading many to speculate they could look to add a veteran signal-caller.
Recently release Cam Newton, of course, is very well acquainted with Rivera from their days in Carolina together, although it looks like for now the plan is to roll with Heinicke and see how he fares. Beat reporters at the press conference say Rivera was firm about staying in-house for now. If the former UDFA struggles, then it wouldn’t be surprising for Washington to look outside the building.
It’s a tough blow for Fitz, who was injured in the first half of the first game with his new team. He’ll turn 39 in November, so it’s fair to wonder how easy of a recovery this will be for him. Here’s to hoping he gets back as soon as possible.