NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: G Salesi Uhatafe
- Released: WR Deontez Alexander
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OL Kaleb Johnson
Injury Updates: Allen, Beckham, Jackson, Osemele
The Chargers picked up their biggest win of the season last night against the Chiefs, but they didn’t escape Kansas City unscathed. Already dealing with injuries to running backs Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon, they suffered another blow when star receiver Keenan Allen went down in the first half. Allen never returned to the game, and now we have an update on his status. Allen has been diagnosed with a hip pointer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). While it is a somewhat significant injury, Rapoport notes there is no structural damage to his hip. He writes that it isn’t a longterm injury, and although he says he could “miss some time” it sounds like Allen will be back in time for the playoffs at the absolute latest.
Here are more injury updates from around the league:
- Odell Beckham Jr. will miss a second straight game this week, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur announced today (Twitter link). Beckham is dealing with a quad injury, but the details are murky. He apparently suffered the injury a few weeks ago, and was initially able to play through it, but seemingly it’s taken a turn for the worse. The team has been very tightlipped about what exactly happened, but more details should leak out eventually.
- The Buccaneers are still somewhat alive in the playoff race, but they’ll be playing the Ravens this week without receiver DeSean Jackson. Jackson will be missing his third straight game with a thumb injury. While the Bucs would surely love to have Jackson out there against a stingy Baltimore defense, Chris Godwin has filled in just fine in his place across from Mike Evans. All signs continue to point toward Jackson and Tampa Bay separating at the end of the year.
- The Raiders have suddenly come alive and played some good games the past few weeks, upsetting the Steelers as massive underdogs last week. But they’ll be facing a tough Bengals defensive line without at least one starter on their offensive line. Left guard Kelechi Osemele has been ruled out for the game, and right guard Gabe Jackson is questionable after not practicing all week. If Jackson can’t play either it would be a disaster scenario for the Raiders, as their top reserve guard was just placed on injured reserve.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/18
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Ahmad Thomas
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: LB B.J. Bello
- Placed on IR: T Jordan Mailata
Injury Updates: Ekeler, Roethlisberger, Jackson, Reed
While Week 14 wasn’t nearly as bad as recent weeks in terms of carnage, there were still some significant injuries to big players today. The Chargers are already dealing with the loss of running back Melvin Gordon to an MCL injury, and may now be without his backfield mate Austin Ekeler for a while. Ekeler aggravated the stingers he’s been dealing with in the team’s win over the Bengals today, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Chargers play in Kansas City this Thursday night in a huge game for playoff seeding, and Schefter writes that “the short week will make it tough” for Ekeler to play.
Here are more injury updates from around the league:
- Ben Roethlisberger missed most of the second half in the Steelers‘ loss to the Raiders with a rib injury, but is expected to be fine and play next week against the Patriots, Schefter writes in a separate tweet. Joshua Dobbs filled in for Roethlisberger today, and Big Ben’s absence ended up costing the team the game as they scored zero points with Dobbs under center. The Steelers are just 7-6-1 and in danger of falling out of the playoffs with a very tough upcoming schedule, so they’ll need Roethlisberger at full strength.
- In the same tweet, Schefter notes that X-Rays on Lamar Jackson‘s ankle came back negative and that he’s expected to play next week against the Buccaneers. Jackson missed the final plays of the Ravens’ thrilling overtime loss to the Chiefs today, and Robert Griffin III filled in. If Jackson’s ankle ends up becoming an issue, it would further complicate the murky situation between him and Joe Flacco.
- The Redskins have had some of the worst injury luck in the league, and got even more bad news today. Tight end Jordan Reed sprained his foot, Schefter notes, and will presumably miss some time. Reed has been plagued by injuries the past few years, but had been able to stay healthy so far this year. He’s dealt with foot injuries in the past, so this could very well wind up ending his season. The Redskins are looking to finish strong with new quarterback Josh Johnson, and this will make things significantly more difficult for the offense.
Raiders OL Jon Feliciano Done For The Season
Although the Raiders got a huge win over the Steelers today, they didn’t escape the game unscathed. Left guard Jon Feliciano suffered a calf injury that is believed to be season ending, a source told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal (Twitter link).
Feliciano, 26, was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round back in 2015. He’s bounced between a starting and reserve role during his years with the team, and has started three games this season. Gehlken notes that he “not only finished the go-ahead TD drive but attempted to re-enter game for extra point”, and that “his toughness part of profile that stands to attract teams in March.”
Feliciano is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this spring, and could land a decent deal as the open market value for interior offensive linemen has sky-rocketed in recent years. Feliciano, a Miami product, has received below average but not poor marks from Pro Football Focus this year, but was graded better last year.
Extra Points: Panthers, Rivera, Martin, Cowboys, Kaepernick
A lot of high profile coaches have been rumored to be on the hot seat this year, and while Ron Rivera’s name has certainly been mentioned, his job status has mostly flown under-the-radar. There was a report last week that new Panthers owner David Tepper could consider making “major changes” after the season, but other than that it’s been pretty quiet. Rivera let a couple of his assistant coaches go last week in an effort to help stabilize the crumbling defense, but his own job could very well be in danger.
The Panthers started the season 6-2 and were the toast of the league for a while, but have since lost five straight games. While Tepper is patient and has a good relationship with Rivera, if the losing streak continues Rivera very well may be fired after eight years with the team, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. The team lost to the Browns today, and Cam Newton‘s play has declined sharply after a hot start. Reports this week have indicated he’s been dealing with lingering shoulder pain, which has undoubtedly contributed to the team’s struggles.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Cowboys guard Zack Martin suffered a scary looking knee injury in their overtime win over the Eagles, but it looks like he escaped major injury. Owner Jerry Jones said after the game that the team is “concerned” about the injury but that there doesn’t “appear to be any structural damage.” While it’s good news that his ligaments are alright, it sounds like he could still miss some games. Being without Martin for any period of time would be a major blow for Dallas, as Martin is one of the league’s best guards.
- Colin Kaepernick would be very interested in joining the Redskins, sources told Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Kaepernick has been working out and the sources told Robinson that he’s in the “best shape of his life.” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said the team “discussed” Kaepernick, but wanted someone with more experience in their system. After Mark Sanchez melted down today and the team had to insert Josh Johnson it’s possible they reconsider, but still very unlikely.
- In case you missed it, the Ravens could move on from John Harbaugh even if Baltimore makes the playoffs.
Josh Johnson Will Start For Redskins Moving Forward
The Redskins are making a quarterback change. The Mark Sanchez-era is over just after it got started, as the team will start Josh Johnson moving forward, coach Jay Gruden announced after the game (link via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk).
Sanchez played awfully and put up zero points by the time he was benched, tossing two interceptions. Johnson came into the game and immediately provided a spark, leading two scoring drives and putting 16 points on the board to make the loss slightly less lopsided. Redskins players immediately responded to and rallied around Johnson, so the permanent switch to him isn’t a surprise.
Incredibly, Johnson hadn’t thrown a regular season pass since 2011 when he was suddenly thrust into the game. Johnson was only signed off the street less than two weeks ago after Colt McCoy‘s season ending injury, so his play was impressive. Johnson, who had been all set to join the San Diego Fleet of the upstart AAF league before getting the call from the Redskins, completed 11 of 16 passes for 195 yards, one touchdown and an interception, good for 12.2 yards per attempt.
Sanchez was six of 14 for 38 yards and two interceptions, including a pick-six, before exiting. He also struggled mightily last week when he came on in relief of McCoy on Monday Night Football. The Redskins’ season is quickly circling the drain after a surprising 6-3 start as they’ve been crippled by injuries. While still technically alive in the NFC East race, their playoff hopes have rapidly diminished, but perhaps inserting Johnson into the lineup can create some momentum and help them finish strong.
Extra Points: Referee, Saints, Ingram, Colts, Receivers
A strange incident happened last week when Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes got into an altercation with an official. Hughes accused the official of cursing at him, which provoked his response. The NFL launched an investigation, and fined Hughes a hefty $53,482. The league placed the official, Roy Ellison, on administrative leave. Apparently the investigation remains open, as Ellison will not officiate a game this Sunday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The situation is relatively unprecedented, and it will be fascinating to see what the league does. The NFL already has drawn the ire of the referees union by making the rare move of firing an official in-season earlier this year, so what they decide to do with Ellison could cause major headaches.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The odds that Mark Ingram is a member of the Saints beyond this season are not high, according to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Katzenstein thinks there’s a roughly one in three chance that Ingram is back next year, and writes “it’s sensible business not to pay an aging running back when there’s a young stud already on the roster”, meaning Alvin Kamara. Katzenstein thinks Ingram’s four game suspension to start the year also hurt his relationship with the team, and the Saints will look for a cheaper option next year to split time with Kamara.
- The Colts will make major moves at wide receiver this offseason, predicts Stephen Holder of The Athletic. Holder points out the team has very little at receiver for 2019 behind T.Y. Hilton, and that the “unit is mostly a bare cupboard” for next year. Holder notes that the lack of playmakers behind Hilton was made very noticeable in their shutout loss to the Jaguars last year, and GM Chris Ballard will surely be working hard this offseason to acquire a number two option, either through free agency or the draft.
- In case you missed it, breakout Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd is open to signing an extension with Cincinnati.
POLL: Most Important Game Of Week 14?
Only four weeks are left in the 2018 NFL regular season, and Week 14 offers a number of intriguing matchups that could impact the playoff race. With so much on the line, which game is the most important?
For some context, we’ll use Brian Burke of ESPN’s Playoff Probability Leverage, which Burke tweets out weekly. In short, playoff probability leverage indicates the change in chance of making the playoffs based on the results of the selected game. For example, the Rams, Patriots, Saints, and Chiefs are so assured of earning a postseason appearance that this week’s contests have limited meaning for them (less than 1% playoff leverage). Teams like the Lions, Giants, 49ers, Cardinals, Bills, Jets, and Raiders etc. will also face low playoff leverages because they have virtually no chance of making the postseason.
But for some clubs, Week 14 means everything. And by combining the playoff probability leverages of the two teams involved in a selected game, we can determine which contests will most determine the postseason entrants:
- Philadelphia Eagles (47%) @ Dallas Cowboys (42%) = 89%
- Minnesota Vikings (33%) @ Seattle Seahawks (16%) = 49%
- Baltimore Ravens (34%) @ Kansas City Chiefs (0%) = 34%
- Indianapolis Colts (28%) @ Houston Texans (2%) = 30%
- Denver Broncos (20%) @ San Francisco 49ers (0%) = 20%
- Carolina Panthers (17%) @ Cleveland Browns (1%) = 18%
Of course, there are other factors at play here as well. It’s not just playoff bids that are on the line here, many coaches are coaching for their jobs as well. Ron Rivera, John Harbaugh, and Vance Joseph are all in grave danger of being fired if their respective teams miss the playoffs, so perhaps those games have a little added meaning. There’s also a bunch of games with seeding relevance, as the number one seed in the AFC and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is still wide open with four teams in contention.
So So, what do you think? Are the numbers right — is Eagles/Cowboys the most critical game of the weekend because it’ll go a long way toward determining the winner of the NFC East? Or does a contest farther down the playoff probability leverage spectrum, such as Panthers/Browns mean more because of the coaching implications? Vote below (link for app users), and add your thoughts in the comments section!
Extra Points: Redskins, Cook, Vikings, Patriots, Gillmore
Alex Smith‘s done for the season, and as he continues to battle an infection cause by his devastating leg injury, it’s no guarantee he’s back in 2019. As such, the Redskins could be in the market for a new starting quarterback next year, and will need to make some tough decisions soon. With the latest developments on Smith’s health, his “return in 2019 does not seem like a realistic option” according to JP Finlay of NBC Washington, who took a look at some options for Washington.
Finlay thinks the Redskins will consider the likes of Tyrod Taylor, Teddy Bridgewater, and Nick Foles, but that their best path is ultimately through the draft. He notes that the team doesn’t have a ton of cap flexibility, and with the limited number of free agent quarterbacks available, will likely get priced out. That being said, the team has already won six games and won’t have a top pick in the 2019 draft, so they might miss out on the top couple of draft prospects as well.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Dalvin Cook had his best game as a runner this season last week against the Patriots, but the Vikings only gave him one carry in the fourth quarter. The lack of late game opportunities for Cook cause “a little frustration” within the organization, a Minnesota team source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo said he “absolutely” plans to give Cook more carries moving forward, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, so it doesn’t seem like it’ll be much of an issue.
- Stephon Gilmore was a late add to the injury report for the Patriots, seemingly indicating he suffered an injury in practice and sparking worries about his status for tomorrow’s game. But despite the brief scare, Gillmore did in fact travel with the team to Miami for the game against the Dolphins, a source told Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Patriots have had a really tough time in Miami in recent years, so it would’ve been a huge blow to be without their top corner. Gilmore has been much better in his second season in New England, earning Pro Football Focus’ second highest grade among all cornerbacks.
- In case you missed it, Richard Sherman is open to making a move to safety at some point in the future as his career reaches a new phase.