Falcons Activate Deion Jones
The Falcons have had awful injury luck this year, but finally got some good news today. Linebacker Deion Jones will be activated off injured reserve, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM (Twitter link).
The team waived offensive lineman Rees Odhiambo in a corresponding roster move. The news couldn’t come at a better time for the Falcons, as their defense was shredded by Baker Mayfield and the Browns this past week. Jones went down with a foot injury all the way back in Week 1, and hasn’t played since.
A 2016 second round pick, Jones had blossomed into one of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL. He was great at covering running backs out of the backfield, and the Falcons have been shredded by opposing backs in the passing game since he went down. In the one game he played this year, Jones had nine tackles, an interception, and two passes defended.
Jones is one of a slew of Falcons defensive players who have had extended absences. Safety Ricardo Allen is done for the year with a torn achilles, and Keanu Neal was lost for the season with a torn ACL he suffered in Week 1. Atlanta is still a ways away from full health, but this is a massive boost to the defense.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/12/18
Here are today’s tryouts:
Buffalo Bills:
- CBs Ashton Lampkin, Denzel Rice
Carolina Panthers:
Cleveland Browns:
- T Chris Durant; DB John Franklin III, CB Josh Thornton
Green Bay Packers:
- WRs K.J. Brent, DeAndrew White
Houston Texans:
- WR Hunter Sharp
Indianapolis Colts:
- G David Bright; LB Kennan Gilchrist; S Terrell Williams
New York Jets:
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/12/18
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Houston Texans:
- Signed: RB Josh Ferguson
- Released: WR Malachi Dupre
Bills Release Nathan Peterman
The Bills have released quarterback Nathan Peterman, the team announced on Twitter. It’s the end of a tumultuous era in Buffalo, as the 2017 fifth round pick became the subject of intense fan and media criticism.
The news comes on the heels of Matt Barkley’s strong performance this past Sunday, and is a sign that rookie Josh Allen will be ready to return once the team returns from their bye week. Peterman won a three-way training camp battle that included Allen and A.J. McCarron, but didn’t make it even a full game as the starter. He was benched in the opener and the team immediately turned to Allen.
Allen injured his elbow against the Texans, and Peterman threw a game-losing pick-six when he came on in relief. After reportedly facing internal pressure from players, the team turned to Derek Anderson as its starter, but Anderson was quickly injured himself.
The team went back to Peterman two weeks ago for their game against the Bears, and it was disastrous. Peterman threw for just 188 yards on 49 attempts, and threw three interceptions. The team was once very high on Peterman, even benching Tyrod Taylor for him at one point last year, but he’ll be looking for a new team now.
Hue Jackson To Join Bengals’ Staff
The firing of defensive coordinator Teryl Austin wasn’t the only coaching staff change for the Bengals today. “Hue Jackson is slated to be in Cincinnati imminently to join the staff of Bengals coach Marvin Lewis”, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
While Rapoport notes the “title is not yet clear”, it will definitely be in some sort of offensive capacity, so it’s not related to Austin’s firing. Jackson was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and was the running backs coach the year before that. He also had a stint as the team’s receivers coach from 2004-2006.
Lewis has always been very fond of Jackson, as has Bengals ownership, so this reunion makes plenty of sense. Jackson’s tenure as head coach of the Browns was disastrous, but before that he was always a highly respected offensive mind.
Jackson helped craft some of the best play of Andy Dalton’s career during his time as coordinator, so he should have an immediate role in the game-planning. Jackson’s reign in Cleveland went so poorly that it led most to forget he was a very highly regarded coach before that. It’s definitely not a bad move for Cincinnati.
Buccaneers Sign K Cairo Santos
The Buccaneers waived Chandler Catanzaro earlier today, and are replacing him by signing kicker Cairo Santos, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Catanzaro was cut earlier today after missing two of his three field goal attempts in the team’s loss to the Redskins yesterday. The Buccaneers are in the midst of a three game losing streak, and their patience with Catanzaro finally wore too thin. Catanzaro has already missed a number of kicks this season, but the team elected to stick with him each time.
Santos spent a few weeks with the Rams earlier this year while Greg Zuerlein nursed a groin injury, and has now found a home in Tampa Bay. Santos was with the Jets earlier this offseason, but was released back in August. Once one of the league’s better kickers, groin injuries derailed Santos’ career.
An undrafted free agent in 2014 out of Tulane, Santos spent a little over three seasons as the Chiefs’ kicker. After re-aggravating a groin injury early in the 2017 season he was placed on injured reserve and eventually replaced by Harrison Butker, who ended up taking his job in Kansas City.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/18
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: C Gino Gradkowski
Detroit Lions:
- Waived: CB Lenzy Pipkins
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Ben Koyack
- Waived: TE David Grinnage
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Matthew Dayes
- Waived: S Tyvis Powell
Panthers Sign RB Travaris Cadet
After waiving C.J. Anderson earlier today, the Panthers decided to add some backfield help by signing veteran Travaris Cadet, a source told Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). 
Christian McCaffrey has completely monopolized the backfield touches for the Panthers, so there wasn’t much of a need for Anderson anymore. The moves today signal that the team has complete confidence in McCaffrey, and will continue feeding him a large volume of touches. Anderson had reportedly been expecting a larger role, so the team released him when he wasn’t getting much playing time. There will be no such expectation from Cadet, and he should slide in immediately as the number two.
Cameron Artis-Payne was the only running back left behind McCaffrey after the waiving of Anderson, so it makes sense why they’d be looking for help. Cadet spent the first five seasons of his career with the Saints, before latching on with the Bills in 2017. The Bills released him at final cuts this year, and he recently worked out for the Raiders.
Cadet is more of a passing-downs back than a between the tackles runner, and he had a couple of productive seasons catching the ball in New Orleans. In 2016 he caught 40 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns, and also contributes on special teams.
Extra Points: Bucs, Koetter, Bears, Parkey, Bengals, Kirkpatrick
After a promising start, the Buccaneers have spiraled downward. The team is now 3-6, they’ve shuffled between Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick multiple times, and the offense is completely in the tank. The defense has been historically bad, and coach Dirk Koetter is firmly on the hot seat.
In a move seemingly made out of desperation, Koetter took back play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Todd Monken for the team’s loss to the Redskins, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Monken had been calling plays all season, and had been widely praised for the Bucs’ initial offensive success. Whatever Koetter was trying to accomplish clearly didn’t work, as the Buccaneers scored just three points today. A move might not be made until the end of the season, but it seems pretty clear Koetter’s time with the organization is coming to an end.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Bears kicker Cody Parkey missed two field goals and two extra points today against Detroit, but Chicago coach Matt Nagy ruled out replacing him after the game, according to ESPN.com. Parkey has now missed five field goals this season, but Nagy flat-out rejected the notion the team would look for a new kicker. Parkey missed a potential game-winner in overtime against the Dolphins a few weeks back.
- The Bengals were demolished by the Saints at home today, and their already injury depleted defense got even more bad news. Starting cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick was ruled out for the game with a concussion and is currently in the concussion protocol, according to Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Bengals are already down multiple starters on defense, so they can’t afford to be without Kirkpatrick.
- In case you missed it, the Steelers are expected to place the transition tag on Le’Veon Bell this offseason.
Brandon Marshall To Visit Saints Monday
Right after Dez Bryant tore his achilles, it was reported that the Saints were interested in going after Brandon Marshall. Things appear to be progressing toward a signing, as Marshall will visit the team in New Orleans tomorrow and the Saints hope to sign him, a source told Nick Underhill of the Advocate.
After an injury-ruined 2017 season with the Giants, Marshall latched on with the Seahawks this offseason. He showed flashes, but ultimately lasted only seven games in Seattle, where he caught 11 passes for 136 yards and one touchdown. He’s been plagued by injuries the last few seasons, but as recently as 2015 he was one of the best receivers in football. In 2015 he caught 109 passes for 1502 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Marhsall also auditioned for the Lions after the Seahawks cut him loose, and apparently the Saints — who now have five receivers on IR — were considering bringing Marshall aboard even if Bryant had not gotten hurt. Given the state of New Orleans’ wide receiver depth chart, Marshall would likely see a fair amount of playing time if he ends up signing with the Saints.
It sounds like Marshall could be signed within the next day, and although it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank at age 34, should provide an instant boost to the New Orleans passing game. Seemingly every receiver the Saints have other than Michael Thomas has been seriously injured at some point, and it can’t hurt to bring Marshall in.