Titans Place Delanie Walker On IR, Sign K Ryan Santoso
The Titans made a pair of roster moves Wednesday. Tennessee is placing tight end Delanie Walker on injured reserve, and signing kicker Ryan Santoso to take his place on the roster, the team announced.
Walker started the season as the Titans’ starting tight end once again, but the 35-year-old was hampered by the ankle that he had surgery on last year. A severe ankle injury cost him all but one game last season, and with the injuries piling up it’s possible this is the end of the road for the longtime veteran. He’ll finish 2019 having played in seven games, with 21 catches for 215 yards and two touchdowns.
Walker has been playing in the league for 14 seasons, and has been with the Titans since 2013. He had at least 800 yards for four straight seasons from 2014 through 2017. He’s under contract for next season, but the Titans can get out of it pretty easily if they want to. He signed a two-year, $17MM extension with $10.5MM guaranteed before last season.
In his absence the team will continue to lean on Jonnu Smith, a third-year player who has flashed a lot of promise. Tennessee also added Santoso, but regular kicker Ryan Succop isn’t going anywhere. The team intends to carry two kickers for now, writes Jim Wyatt of the team’s official site. Santoso is a Minnesota alum who has never kicked in a regular season game. It appears that he’s going to be tasked with handling kickoffs, while Succop continues to kick field goals.
Eagles Designate Cre’von LeBlanc For Return
The Eagles are getting another boost in their secondary. Philly is designating cornerback Cre’von LeBlanc to return from injured reserve, the team announced. 
LeBlanc can now begin practicing with the team, and the Eagles have three weeks to activate him to the 53-man roster. The Eagles’ secondary was in a dire situation earlier this year, with cornerbacks dropping like flies for a while. Corners Avonte Maddox, Ronald Darby, and Jalen Mills have all returned to the lineup in recent weeks, and Philadelphia’s pass-defense has unsurprisingly gotten a lot better.
LeBlanc originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent back in 2016, and he started nine games as a rookie with Chicago. After a short stint in Detroit he latched on with the Eagles for the second half of last season, and ended up starting four regular season games, as well as their playoff loss to the Saints.
The FAU product suffered a foot injury in training camp, but the Eagles thought highly enough of him to carry him through to the initial active roster so they could potentially bring him back. They also thought highly enough of him to give him a one-year extension at the beginning of the season. LeBlanc was the first player Philly designated for return, meaning they can still bring back one more.
Jaguars To Workout DeShawn Shead
The Jaguars don’t look like they’re headed to the playoffs, but they’re still sniffing around the veteran free agent market for help. The team is brining in defensive back DeShawn Shead for a workout today, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Shead came into the league as an undrafted free agent with the Seahawks back in 2012, and he had some real success in Seattle. He ended up spending six seasons with the team, and started 21 games between 2015 and 2016. A torn ACL in the playoffs then derailed his career, and he missed all but two games in 2017. Released after the season, he latched on with Detroit. He then came back home and re-signed with the Seahawks this Summer, but was released at final cuts. He had been playing safety instead of cornerback in an attempt to make the team.
He hasn’t played any football yet this season, but has been making the rounds on the workout circuit. He auditioned for the Lions back in October, and for the Raiders just a couple of weeks ago. There aren’t any major injuries in Jacksonville’s secondary, but their defense has struggled a bit overall. In their most recent loss to the Titans, they gave up a whopping 42 points.
A Portland State alum, Shead won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks. He turned 30 back in June, and teams won’t be beating down his door this offseason. For his career, he has two interceptions and 24 passes defended in 66 games and 23 starts.
Extra Points: Chickillo, Packers, XFL
The Steelers aren’t going to have to worry about an Anthony Chickillo suspension. The linebacker was arrested last month on charges of assaulting his girlfriend, but the charges were later dropped. The NFL conducted their own inquiry, and determined there was “insufficient evidence and the investigation is now closed with no punishment,” a source told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic (Twitter link). Chickillo was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list after the arrest, but was removed from it a few weeks back. He ended up only missing one game, a win over the Dolphins, due to the incident. He plays a rotational role on defense while also playing heavy snaps on special teams.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Tough blow for Cole Madison, as the young Packers offensive lineman suffered a torn ACL during practice earlier this week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s an especially brutal setback for Madison, who has had a rough start to his NFL career. A fifth-round pick out of Washington State back in 2018, he missed his entire rookie season with a personal issue. There were reports that Madison might never play football again, and that his decision to step away was connected to the suicide of college teammate Tyler Hilinski. Madison had yet to play this season as he was working his way back from a separate injury. Hopefully he can return for a healthy 2020.
- The XFL is getting another relative big name. Former Steelers receiver Eli Rogers will be playing in the upstart league when it kicks off next year, he announced on Twitter. A former undrafted free agent from Louisville, Rogers had a breakout year in his first season of action back in 2016. He developed a rapport with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and ended up starting eight games while finishing 594 yards and three touchdowns. A torn ACL the following year derailed his once-promising career, and Rogers was waived at final cuts this past August. Since then he’s been making the rounds with workouts, but has been unable to latch on with an NFL team.
- In case you missed it, quarterbacks Josh Johnson, Chase Litton, and Taylor Heinicke are also joining the XFL.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/19
A couple of practice squad moves to pass along:
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Ricky Ortiz
New York Jets
- Released: FB Valentine Holmes
Holmes is a former rugby star who came over as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. Interestingly, he is expected to “return to his native Australia to rejoin the National Rugby League,” reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Ortiz had worked out for the Saints about a month ago, so the signing isn’t surprising.
Earl Thomas On Free Agency, Call With Bill O’Brien
Earl Thomas ended up landing a massive payday from the Ravens, but he was apparently disappointed with the offers he was getting. We heard that Thomas nearly signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs before Baltimore came through, and that the Texans were interested at one point, but Thomas pulled back the curtain on the whole process in a recent interview with Dan Pompei of The Athletic.
Thomas was coming off a season-ending leg injury when he entered free agency this past March, and three other safeties got signed before he did. “I thought I’d come off the board first,” Thomas said. “I thought I’d be the highest-paid safety. … It made me kind of reevaluate. You give your all for the game, and they still devalue you. I got hurt going full speed for my team.”
Thomas even revealed that he personally called Texans head coach Bill O’Brien at the urging of quarterback Deshaun Watson. “He was at the rodeo at the time,” Thomas said. “Our conversation was not what I thought it was going to be. It was him not believing I still wanted to play football.”
He also talked about his decision to sign with Baltimore, saying that he didn’t speak to a single member of the coaching staff or go to visit the facility. “You know what that means?” he said. “It was a big enough offer. The money was really good, bro. They really saw my value. And then I started to think about the greats that played before me like Ray (Lewis) and Ed (Reed). I definitely wanted to bring that type of leadership and playmaking ability to the team.”
Thomas said he had agreed a one-year deal worth around $12MM with Kansas City before Ravens GM Eric DeCosta placed a last-minute call to his agent. Thomas ended up getting $55MM over four-years with $32MM guaranteed, so it’d be hard to say it didn’t work out in the end. That being said, he didn’t achieve his goal of becoming the league’s highest-paid safety. Tyrann Mathieu and Landon Collins received slightly higher average salaries from the Chiefs and Redskins respectively.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Sean Harlow
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Brandin Bryant, DE Porter Gustin
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Ahmad Gooden
- Waived: TE Orson Charles
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Joel Heath, WR Steven Mitchell
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jason Vander Laan
- Placed on IR: WR Austin Carr
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from the practice squad: TE Tyrone Swoopes
Mark Walton Arrested For Domestic Violence
The Dolphins cut running back Mark Walton earlier this morning, and now we know why. Miami alluded to a new legal issue in their brief statement announcing the waiving, and it turns out it’s quite serious.
Walton was arrested early this morning and accused of “punching a woman ‘several times in the face and head,’” according to Andy Slate of Fox Sports Radio (Twitter link). Slater reports that the woman is pregnant and that Walton is the father. Walton was officially charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, tweets Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com. Walton just found out he was the father on Sunday, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. This is far from Walton’s first off-field incident, as he was arrested three times in a span of just a few months earlier this year.
Walton is currently serving a four-game suspension as a result of those arrests. Miami knew Walton was facing a suspension when they signed him, and they issued a statement sticking by him when he was hit with the ban. Walton’s previous arrests were relatively minor, and obviously this is by far the most serious.
If the initial charges prove to be true, Walton is certainly looking at a lengthy suspension and it’s quite possible his NFL career is over. The former University of Miami star had become the Dolphins’ unquestioned starter in the wake of the Kenyan Drake trade, and that might turn out to be the only significant action of his briefly promising career. Walton was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth-round back in 2018, and was released after his string of arrests. More details will likely trickle out soon, and we’ll keep you posted.
Dolphins Cut Mark Walton
The Dolphins are moving on from running back Mark Walton, they announced on Twitter. Walton was apparently involved in another as of yet undisclosed legal incident.
“We were made aware of a police matter earlier this morning regarding Mark Walton. We hold our players to a high standard and take these matters very seriously. We will have no further comment at this time,” GM Chris Grier said in a brief statement. Walton has had a ton of off-field issues during his short career, so this isn’t the most shocking news. Walton was recently suspended four games for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Walton had been arrested three times in a span of just a few months earlier this year, which ultimately led to the suspension. The Dolphins issued a statement sticking by him and saying he’d be welcomed back to the team after serving the suspension, but obviously something new happened while he was away from the franchise. Walton was drafted in the fourth-round by the Bengals back in 2018, but was cut after just one season in Cincinnati following his arrests.
The former University of Miami star came home to play for the Dolphins, and looked pretty good. He started to get more and more touches, and was for a brief period the undisputed starter after they traded away Kenyan Drake. Walton will likely get another shot from someone depending on how serious this new issue is, but he might have to wait until 2020. He still has two games left on his suspension. Second-year player Kalen Ballage will continue to filling in as the starter, with rookies Patrick Laird and Myles Gaskin filling in behind him. Ballage has struggled mightily, so he might start to lose playing time soon.
Injury Updates: Mack, Tagovailoa, Winston
The latest key injury updates:
- The Colts picked up a big win over the Jaguars on Sunday, but they’ll be without a key part of their offense for at least a little while. Running back Marlon Mack fractured his hand in the win over Jacksonville, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport says that Mack won’t play on Thursday night in a key divisional game against the Texans, and that “it’s up in the air beyond that.” Mack had been the team’s workhorse on offense, regularly garnering 20+ carries. Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins will both see an uptick in work in the meantime.
- Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is done for the year with a hip injury, and there were instant fears that it could put his career in jeopardy. It’ll be a while before we know one way or the other, but the program released a new statement Sunday night that again expressed optimism. Tagovailoa is being transported to Houston to undergo surgery on his hip Monday, team surgeon Lyle Cain said in a statement, via Cecil Hurt of the Tuscaloosa News (Twitter link). Cain said that they “anticipate a full recovery,” which is great news.
- Bengals receiver Auden Tate went down with a scary neck injury and had to be carted off the field, but fortunately it looks like he’s going to be alright. Tate had rejoined to team and was on their flight back from Oakland, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Pelissero said all tests were negative and that while he’ll be evaluated again tomorrow, “all signed” indicated that he “avoided major injury.” With A.J. Green still sidelined, Tate has been playing a huge role on offense for Cincy as they still search for their first win of the season.
- Jameis Winston picked up a left ankle injury in the Buccaneers’ loss to the Saints, and he was limping pretty badly toward the end of the game. Speaking to the media after the loss, head coach Bruce Arians said that he was about to go to backup Ryan Griffin, and that he should’ve, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Winston was able to convince Arians to let him go back in, but the head coach apparently regretted the decision. Winston told reporters after the game that he’ll be alright moving forward.