Dolphins To Start QB Tyler Huntley In Week 4
The Dolphins will have a new QB under center on Monday night. Coach Mike McDaniel told reporters (including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) that Tyler Huntley will start at quarterback vs. the Titans.
[RELATED: Tua Tagovailoa Making Strides In Recovery]
Huntley’s promotion to QB1 seemed increasingly likely as Skylar Thompson was limited at practice all week with a rib injury. McDaniel acknowledged as much to reporters, noting that it was “supremely obvious” that Huntley “had what it takes” to guide the offense (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques).
Thompson got the first chance to fill in for Tua Tagovailoa, but the former seventh-round pick was knocked out of the team’s Week 3 loss with a rib injury. Tim Boyle ended up finishing that contest, but the veteran will revert to his standard backup role in Week 4 (per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe).
While Tagovailoa is showing positive signs in his recovery from yet another concussion, the starter doesn’t have a definitive return timeline. The team snagged Huntley off Baltimore’s practice squad following Tagovailoa’s Week 2 head injury, but with less than a week of practice time before Week 3, it seemed inevitable that Thompson would get the Week 3 nod. Following Thompson’s ugly performance last weekend, the Dolphins staff continued to give the third-year pro a vote of confidence (per Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald), a sign that he could be inserted back into the starting lineup when he’s healthy.
For the time being, Huntley will have a chance to run with the job during Tagovailoa’s absence. The former UDFA spent the majority of his career in Baltimore serving as Lamar Jackson‘s backup. Huntley went 3-6 as a starter between the 2021 and 2023 campaigns. That included an infamous 2022 season where he earned a Pro Bowl nod despite starting only four games. In total, the 26-year-old has completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 1,957 yards, eight touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He’s also collected 509 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 115 attempts.
Huntley hit free agency this offseason and caught on with the Browns. Cleveland unsuccessfully shopped the backup before releasing him during final cuts. He was quickly added to the Ravens practice squad to serve as the third QB behind Jackson and Josh Johnson.
Steelers Monitoring WR Market?
The Steelers struck out in their offseason pursuit of a top-end wide receiver, and it sounds like the team continues to explore the trade market at the position. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the Steelers are expected to monitor the WR market ahead of the trade deadline.
The organization subtracted from their wide receiver corps when they traded Diontae Johnson during the offseason. The team didn’t do a whole lot to replenish their depth, adding Van Jefferson and rookie third-round pick Roman Wilson to a receivers room that included the likes of George Pickens and Calvin Austin. The Steelers showed they were considering reinforcement when they were deeply involved in the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes, but the 49ers WR ended up rejecting the Steelers to sign an extension with San Francisco.
Pickens has averaged 57 yards per game through the first three weeks of the season, but the only other Steelers pass catchers to average more than 30 yards are Austin (36) and tight end Pat Freiermuth (33). With Justin Fields (or potentially Russell Wilson) guiding the offense, the receiving numbers will naturally be capped, but the organization’s lack of top-end depth makes them a natural suitor for a WR.
Graziano points to DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk as potential trade targets depending on how the next few weeks go. The team’s QB play will also likely determine the team’s trade-deadline strategy, but as long as the Steelers remain competitive, there’s no doubt the front office will be looking to improve any spot on the roster.
Bills LB Terrel Bernard Expected To Avoid IR
SEPTEMBER 28: Bernard expressed a desire to return to action in time for Week 5 (h/t Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). He has already been ruled out for tomorrow’s contest, but by not going on IR he is eligible to suit up at any time. Bernard’s status over the coming days will be worth monitoring.
SEPTEMBER 21: Some good news on the Terrel Bernard front. The Bills linebacker isn’t expected to land on injured reserve, according to Sean McDermott (per Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). While the head coach admitted that he can’t say anything definitive, he felt the Bills wouldn’t have “to go in that direction.”
[RELATED: Bills LB Terrel Bernard Suffers Pec Strain]
“Don’t know anything else right now,” McDermott said when asked about a potential IR stint for Bernard (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg). “I don’t think so, but still I can’t make that statement with 100% certainty right now. But I feel like we won’t have to go that direction.”
Bernard exited Buffalo’s Week 2 win over Miami after getting into only 14 defensive snaps. The linebacker fortunately avoided the worst-case scenario, with his pectoral injury proving to be a strain vs. a full tear. McDermott later confirmed that Bernard would miss multiple weeks. The team was afforded some extra time to determine any IR machinations considering their 11-day break between Week 2 and Week 3. Before today’s encouraging news, Bernard had already been ruled out for Monday night.
The former third-round pick had a breakout campaign in 2023, finishing with 143 tackles and 6.5 sacks. The Bills intended to be especially reliant on the third-year pro in 2024, as Matt Milano is sidelined indefinitely with a biceps tear. A four-week absence for Bernard would stress the team’s LB depth, although it sounds like they’ll only have to temporarily deal with a depleted depth chart.
Former seventh-round pick Baylon Spector stepped in for Bernard last Thursday and ended up playing a position-high 62 snaps while compiling 10 tackles. Dorian Williams will also help to soak up many of the snaps at linebacker, with the likes of Nicholas Morrow and Joe Andreessen representing the team’s depth at the position.
Jaguars TE Evan Engram Not A Candidate For IR
Evan Engram is set to miss his third consecutive game while he continues to nurse a hamstring injury, as the Jaguars have already ruled out their tight end for tomorrow’s game against the Texans. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the player will be sidelined for much longer. Speaking to reporters yesterday, coach Doug Pederson said “next week looks promising” regarding Engram’s potential return (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco).
Considering the optimistic outlook, Engram also isn’t a candidate for injured reserve, according to Pederson (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones). That move would keep Engram off the field until at least Week 8.
Engram suffered his injury while warming up for Jacksonville’s Week 2 matchup with the Browns. The veteran tight end proceeded to miss both Week 2 and Week 3, marking his first absences since he joined the Jaguars ahead of the 2022 campaign. The former Giants first-round pick was limited to only a five-yard catch during the season opener, but the Jaguars are surely hoping he can eventually provide a spark to the offense. Engram is coming off a career year in 2023 where he hauled in 114 catches for 963 yards and four touchdowns.
With Engram out of the lineup, Brenton Strange has stepped up as the team’s TE1. The 2023 second-round pick has collected five receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown this season. Luke Farrell has climbed the depth chart to the TE2 role, while Josiah Deguara had a brief Week 3 cameo as the team’s third tight end.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/24
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed to active roster: OT Germain Ifedi
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: LB Ja’Whaun Bentley (story)
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: LB Ty Summers
After suffering a pectoral injury in Week 2, Ja’Whaun Bentley officially landed on injured reserve today. With the linebacker expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season, the player willingly gave up his captaincy to safety Kyle Dugger, per Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.
Ty Summers was promoted from the practice squad for each of the Giants’ first three games, so the team had no choice but to sign the linebacker to the active roster. The former seventh-round pick has exclusively played on special teams for the Giants this season, and he hasn’t seen the field for a defensive snap since he was with the Packers in 2021.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/24
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Austen Pleasants
- Placed on IR: OT Jackson Barton
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Sam Pinckney
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Ameer Speed
- Released: DB Ro Torrence
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Sebastian Gutierrez, OT Ricky Lee III, DE Elerson Smith
- Released: LB Luiji Vilain
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OT Gottlieb Ayedze
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR John Jiles
New York Giants
- Signed: FB Jakob Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DT Shakel Brown
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: P Trenton Gill
Trenton Gill has caught on with the Buccaneers practice squad after getting cut by the Broncos back in August. Gill spent the previous two seasons as the Bears full-time punter, with the 25-year-old averaging 46 yards per punt while landing 28.6 percent of his punts inside the 20. As Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times notes, this addition is a sign that Bucs punter Jake Camarda may be on the hot seat. The former fourth-round pick is averaging a career-low 39.8 net yards per punt.
Steelers Add CB C.J. Henderson To Practice Squad
The Steelers have added a former first-round pick to their secondary. The team announced that they’ve signed defensive back C.J. Henderson to the practice squad.
The Jaguars selected Henderson with the ninth-overall pick in the 2020 draft. The Florida product showed flashes of his first-round pedigree as a rookie, finishing with 36 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble in eight games before landing on injured reserve with a groin injury.
Henderson was dealt to the Panthers during his sophomore campaign and proceeded to spend two-plus seasons in Carolina, starting 22 of his 39 appearances. The cornerback occasionally filled up the stat sheet, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with tw0 interceptions and six passes defended. However, Pro Football Focus was never especially fond of Henderson’s performance, often giving him one of the worst positional grades in pass coverage.
The 25-year-old caught on with the Texans this offseason but didn’t make it through final cuts with his new squad. After remaining unsigned through the first few weeks of the regular season, Henderson has now found a new home in Pittsburgh. The veteran will still face an uphill battle to earn a promotion, as he joins a Steelers practice squad that already includes cornerbacks Anthony Averett, D’Shawn Jamison, and Thomas Graham Jr..
Chargers S Derwin James Suspended One Game
SEPTEMBER 24: James appealed the suspension on Tuesday, but hearing officer Derrick Brooks upheld the ban. James will officially be out of the lineup for Week 4, the Chargers’ final game before their bye week.
SEPTEMBER 23: Derwin James will be sidelined for Week 4 after being hit with a suspension today. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Chargers safety has been suspended one game without pay for “repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players.”
This sentiment includes this past weekend’s game against the Steelers. During the third quarter, James’ hit on Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth caught the attention of the league, with NFL vice president of Football Operations Jon Runyan citing the defender’s “continued disregard for NFL playing rules.”
“During the third quarter of Sunday’s Chargers-Steelers game, you were involved in a play that the League considers a serious violation of the playing rules,” Runyan wrote in his letter to James (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). “The video of the play shows that you lowered your head and made forcible contact to Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth. You had an unobstructed path to your opponent and the illegal contact could have been avoided.
“Your continued disregard for NFL playing rules will not be tolerated. Substantiated penalties are warranted when players violate the rules intended to protect player safety on a repeated basis, particularly when the violations carry with them a significant risk of injury to an opposing player.”
James intends to appeal the suspension, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. The veteran safety has been fined a number of times throughout his career for unnecessary roughness, including a $43K fine last season for a hit on then-Lions WR Josh Reynolds. Following that most-recent fine, James said he thinks he draws more scrutiny than other NFL players.
“I think I am a little bit,” James said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “I’m not here to referee what they need to call. I’m here to play football and help my team win games.”
The former first-round pick has spent his entire career with the Chargers, earning three All-Pro nods and a pair of Walter Payton Man of the Year award nominees. Since missing the 2020 campaign with a knee injury, James has collected five forced fumbles, nine QB hits, and 240 tackles over the past three years.
Javon Hargrave Expected To Miss Rest Of Season; Christian McCaffrey Seeing Specialist In Germany
The 49ers continue to get hit with injuries. Defensive tackle Javon Hargrave suffered a partially torn triceps during yesterday’s loss to the Rams, coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters (per ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). Hargrave is expected to miss the rest of the season.
“It’s a big one and I thought he had his best game yesterday,” Shanahan said of the injury (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). “I thought he was a huge factor.”
Hargrave actually got into a season-high 39 defensive snaps yesterday. The defensive tackle collected his first sack of the season on Matthew Stafford, adding to the 44.5 sacks he’s complied throughout his career.
Following a two-year stretch with the Eagles where he collected 18.5 sacks, Hargrave caught on with the 49ers last offseason. He proceeded to start all 16 of his appearances with San Francisco, compiling 44 tackles and seven sacks en route to his second career Pro Bowl nod. Hargrave also started each of the team’s three playoff games. The 31-year-old started each of the team’s first three games in 2024.
The 49ers do have a bit of depth at defensive tackle, with Maliek Collins already rotating (or often playing alongside) Hargrave. Jordan Elliott and/or Kevin Givens could be in line for more snaps, and the 49ers could also turn to the likes of Sam Okuayinonu and practice squad DT T.Y. McGill.
Elsewhere on the injury front, Shanahan told reporters that Christian McCaffrey will travel to Germany this weekend to visit with a foot specialist (via Wagoner). The star running back has been sidelined with a pesky Achilles injury, and Wagoner says the player is expected to spend a few days in Germany hoping to get some kind of resolution.
Chargers Add WR Jalen Reagor To Practice Squad
Jalen Reagor has found a new gig. The wide receiver is signing with the Chargers practice squad, according to SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan. Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz adds that the eventual plan will see Reagor working his way to the active roster.
The receiver spent the past year-plus in New England, with Reagor basically splitting time between the active roster and practice squad. After getting into 11 games in 2023, he once again found himself on New England’s practice squad to begin the 2024 campaign. He was cut by the Patriots last week after posting a cryptic (and potentially critical) social media post (via NBC Sports Boston).
The 21st-overall pick in the 2020 draft, Reagor has struggled to live up to his draft pedigree. The receiver only lasted two seasons with the Eagles, hauling in 64 catches while also returning 35 punts and 12 kickoffs. He got into 17 games with the Vikings in 2022 but was limited to only eight catches, and he finished his Patriots tenure with seven total receptions.
He’ll have a chance to revive his career in Los Angeles. Josh Palmer has been dealing with elbow and calf injuries, and after gutting through his issues in Week 2, he was inactive for Week 3. Both Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey have already shown promise this season, but if Palmer is forced to miss more time, Reagor could step up ahead of the likes of Simi Fehoko, Derius Davis, and Brenden Rice. The team also has DJ Chark stashed on injured reserve; the wide receiver is eligible to return to practice after Week 4.