Titans OL Taylor Lewan Out For Season
Taylor Lewan‘s poor injury luck continues. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the Titans offensive lineman will be out for the season after suffering a knee injury. The news was first reported by Lewan’s podcast, Bussin’ With The Boys, on Twitter.
Lewan went down with a knee injury on the first play of Monday night’s loss to the Bills, but coach Mike Vrabel later suggested it would only be a short-term absence. Instead, it sounds like the Pro Bowl lineman will end up missing the rest of the campaign, making it the second time in three years that he’s appeared in fewer than five games.
The 31-year-old missed 11 games in 2020 thanks to an ACL tear, and he later underwent surgery. Lewan’s latest injury is to the same knee, and considering today’s development, this injury probably doesn’t bode well for the veteran’s ability to return to his Pro Bowl status.
The 2014 first-round pick has spent his entire career in Tennessee. After displaying some remarkable health through his first five seasons in the NFL, Lewan has seemingly been snake bitten in recent years. When the 2022 season concludes, Lewan would have missed 34 of the Titans’ 66 regular season games over the past four years.
Dennis Daley was forced into the lineup last week and ended up appearing in 98 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. The former sixth-round pick started 21 games across three seasons with the Panthers, so there’s a good chance he retains the gig through the year. The team will surely promote someone from the practice squad to provide depth behind Daley and rookie right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere, with practice squad tackles Andrew Rupcich and Christian DiLauro candidates for promotion.
Buccaneers Promote WR Cole Beasley
Only a few days after joining the Buccaneers practice squad, Cole Beasley has been promoted to the active roster. The Buccaneers announced that they’ve elevated the veteran wideout to the game-day roster. Rookie offensive guard John Molchon was also promoted from the taxi squad.
[RELATED: Buccaneers To Sign WR Cole Beasley To PS]
After going unsigned through training camp, preseason, and the first couple of weeks of the regular season, Beasley finally landed on Tampa Bay’s practice squad on Tuesday. The 33-year-old started to show signs of age during his final season in Buffalo in 2021, with his 693 yards and one touchdown serving as his lowest marks during his tenure with the Bills.
Still, he managed to tie a career-high with 82 receptions. With a career catch rate of 71 percent, he’ll at least provide Tom Brady with a sure-handed option this weekend against the Packers. Plus, for what it’s worth, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that Beasley joined the Buccaneers in excellent shape and has already established a connection with his QB.
Beasley’s presence will be sorely needed tomorrow, as the team is eyeing a questionable WR grouping for the second-straight weekend. We know for sure that Brady’s top two wideouts will be out on Sunday, with Mike Evans serving a one-game suspension and Chris Godwin still sidelined with a hamstring injury. Julio Jones is a game-time decision with a knee injury, and Russell Gage is questionable while dealing with a hamstring issue. With such a depleted WR corps, Beasley could end up leading a depth chart that also consists of Breshad Perriman, Scotty Miller, Jaelon Darden, and Kaylon Geiger.
Molchon was undrafted out of Boise State in 2020. He’s spent much of his professional career on Tampa Bay’s practice squad.
49ers OT Trent Williams Reworks Contract
The 49ers have opened up a chunk of cap space this morning. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), left tackle Trent Williams has converted a part of his base contract into a signing bonus.
Specifically, the team took $5.45MM of Williams’ base salary and turned it into a signing bonus. This move ended up saving the front office about $4.36MM against the cap.
Williams joined the 49ers prior to the 2020 campaign, and following a season where he earned Pro Football Focus’ top grade among offensive tackles, San Francisco handed him a whopping six-year, $138.06MM deal, making him the highest-paid OL in NFL history. The contract included more than $55MM in guaranteed money and a $30MM signing bonus.
The veteran started all 15 games for the 49ers in 2021, and he earned his first career first-team All-Pro nod as a result of his performance (Williams earned second-team honors in 2015). He once again graded as PFF’s top offensive tackle, and through two games this season, he current sits 12th on the site’s list among 66 qualifying OTs.
Giants LB Azeez Ojulari Expects To Play Monday Night
It sounds like Azeez Ojulari will make his season debut on Monday night. The Giants linebacker told reporters that he’ll play against the Cowboys, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter).
The 2021 second-round pick injured his calf during a practice in late August. The team avoided placing him on injured reserve with the hope that he’d return within the first four games. It sounds like the gamble worked out, as Ojulari will have ultimately missed only a pair of games.
Ojulari had a productive rookie season in New York, finishing with 49 tackles, eight sacks, and 13 QB hits. Pro Football Focus graded him as a below-average edge defender, but despite an especially low pass-rushing score, he still managed to put up solid numbers for a rookie.
The 22-year-old won’t be the only pass rusher aiming to take the field this weekend. Kayvon Thibodeaux is hoping to make his NFL debut on Monday after nursing a knee injury suffered during the preseason.
“Thibs and Azeez, they’re getting close,” coach Brian Daboll told reporters (via Michael Eisen of the team’s website). “They’re going to take some team reps today. I think they took a little bit last week, but they’re going to take more this week. They’re getting close, so we’ll see with them. I’d say they’re still day-to-day even though they’re on the close side.”
When the two players return, Jihad Ward and Oshane Ximines will likely be demoted to secondary roles on the edge.
Latest On Josh McCown’s Coaching Future
Former NFL quarterback Josh McCown has twice interviewed for the Texans head coaching gig, but that’s not the only interest he’s generated around the NFL. In a profile of the 43-year-old, Dan Pompei of The Athletic writes that the Colts, Eagles, and Vikings have reached out to McCown about joining their coaching staffs, with the writer suggesting there have probably been other suitors for the retired player’s services.
McCown got into 102 games after entering the NFL in 2002. He saw time in three games for the Eagles in 2019 (plus a playoff loss where he attempted 24 passes), and after briefly joining Houston’s practice squad, he was asked to interview for their head coaching job after the 2020 campaign. That gig ultimately went to David Culley, but McCown was asked to join the staff as associate head coach.
Instead, McCown joined the staff at Rusk High School in Texas, where he’s coached his sons over the past two years. He was brought in this past offseason to once again interview for Houston’s head coaching gig, with some reports suggesting he was the favorite for the position. The Texans ended up promoting defensive coordinator Lovie Smith to head coach, but McCown clearly made a good impression during his time with the Texans.
After spending time with 12 different organizations during his playing career, McCown has many connections throughout the league. As a result, Pompei writes that “there is a chance” the former QB could be hired somewhere as a head coach, a feat that would make him the first individual to go directly from the NFL to a HC gig since Norm Van Brocklin in 1961.
“Life takes you a bunch of places, and those experiences develop skill sets that you can sit on, or you can pass on and maybe try to bring more good into the world that way,” he says. “Coaching in the game of football is a way for me to do that, to pass that forward and have an influence the way some of these good men have had in my life.”
While it’d certainly be strange for McCown to jump right into a head coaching job, he has earned endorsements from a number of former coaches and executives, including Bill Parcells. While he rejected previous overtures to join coaching staffs, he made it clear that he wouldn’t solely look for a head coaching job next offseason and would consider a variety of roles.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/22/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Dennis Houston, DE Mika Tafua
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Travis Fulgham
- Released: S Mike Brown
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Wyatt Ray
Rams Sign RB Malcolm Brown To Practice Squad
The Rams have added a familiar face to their practice squad. The team announced that they’ve signed running back Malcolm Brown to the taxi squad.
A former undrafted free agent out of Texas, Brown spent the first six seasons of his career with the Rams. He mostly served as Todd Gurley‘s backup during much of his time with the organization, but he did see a larger role on offense in 2020, finishing with a career-high 581 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns on 124 touches.
He inked a one-year deal with the Dolphins last offseason, collecting 125 rushing yards in seven games (three starts). He landed on injured reserve in October and didn’t see the field again in 2021. He joined the Saints earlier this offseason but was cut by the team in early August.
The Rams have barely gotten any production out of Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson, and the team currently has the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL with 117. Brown will provide the organization with another veteran option if their current duo continues to struggle, although 2021 seventh-round pick Jake Funk will likely continue to stick around the roster for the time being. The organization also has rookie Ronnie Rivers on the practice squad, and the Rams moved on from running back Trey Ragas earlier today.
Browns Promote WR Chester Rogers
The Browns have promoted two players for tonight’s game against the Steelers. The team announced that receiver Chester Rogers and tight end Miller Forristall have been elevated from the practice squad.
After failing to see the field for a regular season game during the 2020 campaign, Rogers got into 16 contests for the Titans in 2021. He finished the season with 30 receptions, his highest total since the 2017 campaign. He also continued to produce on special teams, setting career-highs in kick returns (30) and punt returns (14).
The 28-year-old landed with the Texans in late August, but after being placed on IR, he settled with the organization and earned his release. He caught on with Cleveland’s practice squad shortly thereafter. He should see a role immediately; the Browns deactivated Demetric Felton for tonight’s game, meaning Rogers should be the primary punt returner against Pittsburgh. It remains to be seen if he’ll seen any role in a WR grouping that is currently led by Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell, and Anthony Schwartz.
Forristall earned a pair of championships during his time at Alabama, but after finishing with only 44 receptions in parts of five seasons, he went undrafted in the 2021 draft. He spent most of the 2021 campaign in Cleveland, and he could make his debut tonight behind David Njoku and Harrison Bryant.
Ravens Worked Out LB Blake Martinez
Jason Pierre-Paul wasn’t the only big-name linebacker to visit the Ravens yesterday. Baltimore also worked out linebacker Blake Martinez, according to Clifton Brown of the team’s website.
[RELATED: Ravens Meet With OLB Jason Pierre-Paul]
Steven Means suffered a season-ending Achilles tear on Sunday, and with Tyus Bowser and David Ojabo both sidelined with their own Achilles injuries, Baltimore is down to only two outside linebackers in Odafe Oweh and Justin Houston. With limited depth, the Ravens decided to bring in a pair of veterans for auditions, and while no deal has been announced as of Wednesday night, coach John Harbaugh made it clear that he’d appreciate some reinforcement.
“That would be great,” Harbaugh replied when asked if the team has plans to sign an OLB. “I’ve already asked them once, and I’ll ask them again, ‘Are you in shape? Are you ready to go play? Are you ready to run around and help us win?’ Because that’s what I care about; we’re not trying to do anyone any favors here. We want guys who will come in and help us win right now. If you’re ready to do that – that’s really for any player – come on.”
Martinez led the NFL in tackles between 2017 and 2020, compiling 594 with the Packers and Giants. He collected another 23 tackles through the first three games of the 2021 season, but a torn ACL ended his season prematurely. He was cut by New York at the end of the 2022 preseason.
The Ravens did add some LB depth to their practice squad earlier today when they signed Brandon Copeland. The 31-year-old has seen time in 82 games since debuting in 2015, including 16 games with the Falcons in 2021.
Latest On Giants WR Kenny Golladay
After being limited to two catches in Week 1, Giants wideout Kenny Golladay only saw two snaps during Sunday’s win over the Panthers. Naturally, the veteran revealed today that he’s not satisfied with his limited role.
“Of course I don’t really agree with it. Or like it,” Golladay told reporters (via ESPN’s Jordan Raanan). “But I can only control what I can control, which is to come to work every day.”
Things haven’t gone as planned for Golladay during his time in New York. He inked a four-year, $72MM deal last offseason, but he finished the campaign with 521 receiving yards and zero touchdowns. With a new regime in place, Golladay found himself on the outside looking in throughout this year’s training camp and preseason. As Raanan notes, the writing was on the wall when Golladay was one of the few veterans to play in the team’s preseason finale.
While the 28-year-old appears to be buried on the depth chart, coach Brian Daboll and several Giants teammates told Raanan that Golladay has handled the situation “like a pro.” However, the receiver did hint that he may look to get out of New York if his situation doesn’t improve.
“We’re going to see how it goes. Yeah, we’re going to see how it goes,” Golladay said. “I came here to play. I’m pretty sure they’re also paying me to play. I guess they want to see more or get whatever situated on their end. I just keep doing what I got to do as far as coming in each day.”
Of course, moving Golladay is easier said than done. He’s still owed more than $11MM this year, and the Giants are on the hook for $4.5MM in 2023. It wasn’t too long ago that Golladay led all NFL receivers in touchdowns, and Daboll has continually stated that the WR depth chart is fluid. If the veteran doesn’t start acting out, he could end up seeing a role sooner than later.