Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/19
Here are today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Jalen Davis
- Waived: DL Caraun Reid
Miami Dolphins
- Signed off Seattle’s practice squad: CB Linden Stephens
- Waived: CB Chris Lammons
Washington Redskins
- Placed on IR: S Deshazor Everett
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Darvin Kidsy
5 Key NFL Stories: 11/24/19 – 12/1/19
Jason Garrett not getting fired imminently: Garrett was allowed to enter the final year of his deal without an extension, and his seat has been warm for a while. After an embarrassing lopsided loss to the Bills at home on Thanksgiving, there was initial speculation that could be the end. Garrett isn’t quite done yet however, as we learned that he won’t be fired during the season. Owner Jerry Jones has blasted his coaching staff recently, but he isn’t willing to make an in-season firing with the Cowboys still very much in the thick of things in the NFC East. Still, it looks like Garrett’s days are numbered unless he pulls off a miracle postseason run.
Cardinals DB Josh Shaw suspended: A completely unexpected development came on Friday, when the Cardinals defensive back was suspended for at least the rest of the season for betting on NFL games. The league’s investigation found that he didn’t use inside information, but they are still obviously treating it very seriously. Commissioner Roger Goodell took the added step of issuing a strong statement, which read in part “betting on NFL games, or on any element of a game, puts at risk the integrity of the game, damages public confidence in the NFL, and is forbidden under all circumstances.” Shaw, who started 12 games for the Bengals in 2016, has been on injured reserve since before the start of the season.
Eagles’ Lane Johnson gets paid: Philadelphia gave their starting right tackle a huge payday, inking Johnson to a four-year, $72MM extension. Johnson will get a whopping $54.595MM guaranteed, and his annual average salary makes him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Johnson’s previous deal ran through the 2021 season, so the Eagles elected to take care of him a couple of years early. Philly has made locking up their O-line a priority this season, doling out extensions to interior linemen Brandon Brooks, Jason Kelce and Isaac Seumalo as well.
Redskins could finally make change: Washington fans have been increasingly frustrated with the franchise’s direction in recent years, and it appears owner Dan Snyder might finally be willing to consider a shakeup. A report emerged that indicated front office head Bruce Allen could be on the chopping block at the end of the season. Allen was named team president back in 2014, and is extremely unpopular with the team’s fanbase. Washington fired head coach Jay Gruden earlier this season, and it looks like Snyder might allow a full tear-down.
Terrelle Pryor stabbed: A terrible story broke over the weekend, when it was reported that the free agent wideout had been stabbed in his shoulder and chest and was in critical condition. Word soon leaked that Pryor had been arrested and charged with simple assault. Fortunately Pryor has since been upgraded to stable condition, and is expected to be released from the hospital soon. He reportedly suffered artery damage, and a 24-year-old woman was arrested and charged with attempted homicide.
Extra Points: Rivera, Hodges, Giants, Green
The Panthers suffered an absolutely brutal loss Sunday, losing at home to the Redskins as massive favorites. Carolina is effectively eliminated from the playoff hunt, and Ron Rivera’s seat is starting to heat up. The ugly loss was “likely more than enough to prompt new owner David Tepper to make big changes in January,” writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Rivera was rumored to be close to getting fired after last year, but his staff was given one more season to prove themselves. Tepper only bought the team before last season, so he doesn’t have any particularly deep ties to the coach who guided them to a Super Bowl a handful of years ago.
It might not help or matter much, but the circumstances have been far from ideal for Rivera in 2019. Cam Newton was never healthy and barely played, and he’s had second-year UDFA Kyle Allen under center for most of the year. The Panthers went on a hot streak after Allen was inserted, but have since completely collapsed. For his part, Rivera insisted after the game he wasn’t worrying about his job status per Bill Voth of the team’s official site (Twitter link), although there’s not really much else he can say at this point. Assuming he gets fired it’ll be interesting to see what kind of interest he gets on the market, considering he’s had real success in the past. Notably, offensive coordinator and former NFL head coach Norv Turner would surely become available as well if Rivera is let go.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Steelers benched Mason Rudolph and are rolling with Devlin Hodges at quarterback, and they picked up a crucial win over the Browns on Sunday. Mike Tomlin’s decision to go with Hodges was “was well received throughout the organization,” La Canfora writes in a separate piece. JLC also adds that some people in the building were surprised Tomlin didn’t initially stick with Hodges after he won a game over the Chargers while Rudolph was sidelined with a concussion. He notes that the staff loves Hodges’ scrambling ability, and that he’s been compared to Gardner Minshew by some in the organization. Pittsburgh is apparently pretty high on Hodges and barring injury, it doesn’t sound like we’ll see Rudolph again any time soon.
- Speaking of embattled coaching staffs, the Giants’ is up against it right now. Rumors of a potential Pat Shurmur firing continue to percolate, and the Giants got routed by the Packers on Sunday as pictures of a mostly empty stadium went viral online. The staff has yet another problem on their hands now, as cornerback Janoris Jenkins publicly blasted the way he’s being used after the game.”You’ve got to use your weapons. I’m the only one in the league that doesn’t travel (w/the opponents top WR). I don’t understand why,” Jenkins said via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter links). “It’s common sense. I’m on the left side of the field all game. I get two passes thrown my way. All the top corners in the league travel. Rabbit doesn’t travel anymore.” Jenkins is apparently clashing with defensive coordinator James Bettcher. Jackrabbit has one year left on his five-year, $62.5 MM deal after this one. He could be cut following this season for only around a $3.5MM penalty, but he’s still by far the best player in their secondary.
- Some slight positive news to pass along in the continuing A.J. Green watch, as the Bengals receiver said “everything’s trending up” with his troublesome ankle, per Ben Baby of ESPN.com. The talented wideout still didn’t give any concrete timetable for a return, saying “when my ankle feels good enough to play, then I’ll play.” Green returned to practice a few weeks ago and appeared to be returning imminently, but then suffered a setback. Even without their top offensive option, Cincy managed to pick up their first win of the season Sunday.
Roger Goodell Consulted With Owners On Kaepernick Workout
There was a lot that was unclear surrounding the circumstances of how the recent Colin Kaepernick workout came to be. We heard a couple of weeks ago that commissioner Roger Goodell made the decision to organize the workout himself, and in an unusual way. He reportedly didn’t seek counsel from his usual group of advisers, and even solicited advice from rapper Jay-Z on multiple occasions about how to proceed with Kaepernick. 
It was also reported at the time that teams and personnel departments were caught off-guard by the hastily organized workout, but at least some clubs apparently had advanced knowledge. That’s because Goodell “spent months building a caucus and lobbying owners in preparation for a possible workout,” sources told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. La Canfora reports that Goodell spent a lot of time talking with Robert Kraft, Stephen Ross, Arthur Blank, Jed York and Jeffrey Lurie, owners of the Patriots, Dolphins, Falcons, 49ers, and Eagles, among others.
La Canfora adds that Goodell would then report back to Jay-Z’s team every few weeks what kind of feedback he was getting from the owners. One source told JLC that Goodell spoke to at least ten owners. The article gives the continued impression that Goodell was extremely motivated to pushback on the criticism he and the league had received in the media for their handling of the Kaepernick situation. The same source said Goodell went into “overdrive” behind the scenes after Kaep’s team issued a statement blasting the league in October for the persistent lack of interest despite numerous quarterback injuries.
All this new reporting would seem to go against the narrative that the workout was a tightly-kept secret in league circles. Obviously the organization of the actual workout itself was haphazard, and it ended up falling apart. Not that this is any surprise, but sources also told JLC that the Nevada product has “yet to receive any feelers” from teams after the workout, which is consistent with everything we’ve heard up to this point.
Cowboys Not Signing Kicker
It appears Brett Maher‘s job is still safe, for now. This morning we heard word that Dallas was working out three kickers, including former Chargers and Redskin kicker Nick Rose. But despite hosting the specialists the Cowboys won’t be signing any of them at this time, a source told veteran Dallas beat writer Clarence Hill Jr. (Twitter link).
The Cowboys lost to the Bills in humiliating fashion on Thanksgiving, and Maher missed two crucial kicks in that game. He’s been struggling all year, and has converted only 67.9 percent of his attempts on the season. Maher finished his college career at Nebraska all the way back in 2013, but didn’t make his regular season NFL debut until last year.
He was pretty solid as a rookie after beating out veteran Dan Bailey in training camp, but the Cowboys might be regretting their decision right about now. While Maher seems to have at least one more week left on his leash, he might not have much longer. There’s a lot of tension in the building right now, and another crucial miss likely won’t be tolerated.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/29/19
One minor move to pass along:
Carolina Panthers:
- Placed on IR: RB Jordan Scarlett
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Brad Lundblade
Scarlett’s rookie season is over. The fifth-round rookie from Florida played sparingly during his time with the team. He’ll be back to compete for a role behind Christian McCaffrey next year.
Extra Points: Ebron, Packers, Guenther
Eric Ebron was recently placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, and it apparently came as a surprise to the Colts. Ebron said in a statement at the time that he had been dealing with severe ankle pain since the beginning of the season, but Indianapolis apparently was caught off-guard. Colts coach Frank Reich said recently he was “not aware there was anything significant” with Ebron’s ankle, per Zak Keefer of The Athletic. Keefer notes that the tight end “missed only one legitimate practice due to ankle pain all season,” and that was back in Week 9.
Ebron’s statement on Twitter read, in part, “up to this point, the team and I have done everything in our power to manage the pain and get me out there each and every week.” That seems to be at odds with the Colts’ recollection. The team wasn’t happy “about how it went down,” tweets Stephen Holder of The Athletic. Keefer notes that Ebron is set to be a free agent in March, and the implication from the team seems to be that Ebron wanted to save himself for free agency, even if they aren’t saying it directly. Reich did say that Ebron had a scan on his ankle during training camp, but that “to the best of [his] knowledge, the scan was fine.” If the reports that Indy isn’t happy are true, then it’s probably safe to say Ebron will be finding a new home this spring.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Jared Veldheer is officially a member of the Packers. The offensive tackle retired with the Patriots during training camp as he battled a lingering hip injury, and was released off their reserve/retired list after expressing interest in a comeback. Green Bay claimed Veldheer, and there was apparently some concern he wouldn’t be able to pass a physical. Those fears were unwarranted, as Veldheer indeed passed his physical and practiced with the team Friday, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- Oakland’s defense has struggled mightily at times this season, and it was terrible last year, but don’t expect Raiders defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s job to be in jeopardy anytime soon. Guenther’s seat is “ice cold” writes Vic Tafur of the Athletic, who notes that head coach Jon Gruden “loves him.” Gruden himself has been given a seemingly endless leash from owner Mark Davis, and that apparently extends to his assistants as well. Interestingly, Tafur writes that “everything has always been directed toward Las Vegas with this staff” and that nobodies jobs will be in danger “until they are all sitting in a meeting room in the desert.”
- In case you missed it, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett won’t be fired during the season.
Jets Designate Two For Return
The Jets are getting some reinforcements in the trenches. The team is getting back a member of the offensive and defensive lines, as defensive end John Franklin-Myers and offensive tackle Brent Qvale have both been designated for return from injured reserve.
Both can now begin practicing with the team, and this starts a three-week window for them to be activated. Franklin-Myers was a fourth-round pick of the Rams in 2018, and had a solid rookie season in Los Angeles. He appeared in all 16 games as a situational pass-rusher, and notably had a strip-sack of Tom Brady in the Super Bowl. Because of a numbers game on the Rams’ defensive line he was surprisingly released at final cuts, and was quickly scooped up by the Jets.
It was a nice under the radar acquisition for New York, and he should have the chance to earn some playing time assuming he’s activated. Qvale was undrafted out of Nebraska in 2014, and has been with the Jets ever since. After spending his rookie season on the practice squad he made the team in 2015, and has started multiple games in each of the past three seasons. He was carted off with a knee injury during training camp, and then placed on IR. The Jets have been banged up on the offensive line and starting right tackle Chuma Edoga was recently ruled out with a knee injury, so they could use some added depth.
Falcons Activate Matt Bosher, Cut Ryan Allen
The Falcons made a couple of roster moves on Black Friday. The team announced they’ve waived punter Ryan Allen and linebacker Jermaine Grace. They’re activating punter Matt Bosher off injured reserve, who had been designated as one of their return players.
Bosher was the punter to start the season, but went down with a groin injury after just a few games. Bosher has been Atlanta’s punter since 2011, so it’s not surprising that the former sixth-round pick had his job waiting for him when he got healthy. The Falcons have used four different punters this season, and hopefully the cycling through can stop now. Allen had been the Patriots’ punter for six seasons up until he was cut this past August in favor of rookie Jake Bailey.
Allen latched on with Atlanta just a few weeks ago, after Matt Wile and Kasey Redfern had previously filled in. Grace entered the league as an UDFA back in 2017, and has already spent time with four different teams. Grace had played only a handful of defensive snaps, but had been a key special teamer all year, playing almost 70 percent of special teams snaps. Grace missed the block on Taysom Hill‘s punt block during last night’s loss to the Saints, which apparently sealed his fate.
Texans Workout RB Kenneth Dixon
Could Kenneth Dixon resurface soon? The running back had a workout with the Texans this week, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. 
Dixon was originally drafted by the Ravens as a fourth-round pick back in 2016, and he received a ton of buzz early on in his career. He showed plenty of flashes as a rookie and many thought he would soon take over as Baltimore’s lead back, before injuries and off-field issues derailed his progress. He was suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season due to a PED violation, and then suffered a torn meniscus which knocked him out for the season. Last season he went down with a knee injury, and was placed on injured reserve.
He was activated late in the year, and ended up finishing with a very solid 333 yards in only six games while averaging 5.6 yards per attempt. Unfortunately he couldn’t carry the momentum over into 2019, as he suffered yet another knee injury during the preseason. After fracturing his kneecap, the Ravens released him with an injury settlement. He’s apparently healthy now, and he worked out for the Jets last week.
The Texans’ ground game has been surprisingly strong with Carlos Hyde leading the way, but they apparently aren’t completely satisfied. Dixon is still only 25, so he could make sense as a flyer to keep around for the 2020 offseason and potentially beyond.