Lions QB Jared Goff Lands On Reserve/COVID-19 List
After a shocking win over the Cardinals yesterday, the Lions will be looking to carry that momentum into next weekend’s game against the Falcons. Unfortunately, Detroit might have to go for their second-straight win without their starting QB. The Lions announced today that they’ve placed quarterback Jared Goff on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
While things certainly haven’t gone right in Detroit this season, the team’s struggles aren’t entirely Goff’s fault. The 27-year-old has completed 67 percent of his passes this year for 3,007 yards, 17 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He’s also been victim to a career-high 34 sacks for the 2-11-1 Lions.
Goff was forced to miss Week 11 against the Browns, and backup Tim Boyle ended up throwing for only 77 yards and two interceptions in the loss. If Goff isn’t able to play this weekend, there’s a chance Boyle gets another start for Detroit.
The Lions made a handful of additional moves today. Besides Goff, offensive tackle Matt Nelson was also placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, while cornerback Mark Gilbert and running back Jamaal Williams were activated from the list. The team placed linebacker Alex Anzalone on IR, and they signed running back Craig Reynolds to the active roster following a breakout game yesterday.
Chiefs Place TE Travis Kelce On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Chiefs could be without a major offensive weapon this weekend against the Steelers. Kansas City has placed star tight end Travis Kelce on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to veteran reporter Herbie Teope (on Twitter). Kelce will be joined by kicker Harrison Butker and cornerback Charvarius Ward, who also landed on the list.
While Kelce’s placement on the list puts his status in doubt, it doesn’t definitively mean he’ll be sidelined on Sunday. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), Kelce is vaccinated, so he could be good to know this weekend considering the league’s new COVID protocols.
Butker, however, is unvaccinated and will miss Kansas City’s Week 16 game, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Chiefs prepared for a potential Butker absence when they added Elliott Fry to the practice squad last week. Fry, who has bounced around in recent years without seeing much game action (one career appearance, in 2020), will kick against the Steelers.
Kelce is having another incredible season for Kansas City, hauling in 83 receptions for 1,066 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. Despite missing almost all of his rookie season due to a knee injury, Kelce has been remarkably durable throughout his career. He has missed only a pair of regular-season games since 2014. If the veteran is sidelined against Pittsburgh, the team will likely turn to Blake Bell and Noah Gray at tight end.
The Chiefs might not be as prepared for Ward’s potential absence; the 25-year-old has started nine of his 10 games this season.
Buccaneers DL Pat O’Connor Suffered Season-Ending Knee Injury
The injuries keep coming for the Buccaneers. Defensive lineman Pat O’Connor suffered a season-ending knee injury during last night’s loss to the Saints, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Buccaneers’ Chris Godwin Done For Year]
Doctors believe O’Connor suffered a torn PCL and a partially torn MCL. While the core special teamer will get a second opinion before determining his next step, he’ll surely be sidelined for the rest of this season and the better part of the 2022 campaign.
O’Connor was a seventh-round pick by the Lions in 2017, and while he didn’t end up sticking with Detroit, he managed to find a home in Tampa Bay. The defensive lineman has spent the past four-plus seasons with the Buccaneers, appearing in 40 games. He saw time in all 16 games for the Bucs last season, and he made another four postseason appearances en route to a Super Bowl championship.
In 2021, the 28-year-old has appeared in 13 games, collecting four tackles and 0.5 sacks. He’s appeared mostly on special teams, getting into 100 percent of Tampa Bay’s ST snaps in seven games.
Latest On Ravens QB Lamar Jackson
Dec. 19: Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jackson is dealing with a bone bruise in his ankle and not an ankle sprain. Schefter adds that while it might still be difficult for Jackson to suit up for today’s key matchup with Green Bay, the 2019 MVP was at least moving better in practice this weekend and has an outside shot at playing (Twitter links).
Dec. 16: Lamar Jackson didn’t practice again today (per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic on Twitter), and his status isn’t looking good for Sunday’s game against the Packers. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (on Twitter), it’s “looking like an uphill battle” for the QB to play this weekend.
Jackson exited last Sunday’s loss to the Browns after only 10 offensive snaps, completing all four of his passes. We later learned that the former MVP avoided a high ankle sprain and could possibly play this weekend. However, the QB hasn’t practiced all week, and Garafolo notes that the Ravens were hoping that Thursday would be the day that Jackson could start preparing for Green Bay. The 24-year-old obviously did not practice, putting his status in serious doubt.
“The plans are right now, in my mind, for Lamar to be out there,” head coach John Harbaugh said earlier this week. “So we’ll see where it goes this week. If he can go, he’ll go. If not, Tyler [Huntley] will be the quarterback. That’s where we’re at.”
Fortunately, assuming Jackson is out this weekend, he should be back sooner than later. Still, an absence for Jackson couldn’t come at a worse time as the Ravens battle for playoff positioning in the AFC. In 12 starts this season, the QB has completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,882 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He’s also added 767 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Titans Activate LB Bud Dupree From IR
The Titans defense will be getting some reinforcement. The team activated linebacker Bud Dupree from injured reserve today. The team also placed fullback Tory Carter on injured reserve.
Dupree has missed the last three games with an abdominal injury. Although it was a less serious malady that the ACL tear that capped his 2020 season, it was frustrating nonetheless. Dupree, who tallied 19.5 sacks between 2019 and 2020, has collected just seven stops and one sack through seven games for the Titans this year. Still, he should provide a significant boost to a defense that’s currently fighting for playoff positioning, especially when he gets an opportunity to play against his former team, the Steelers, tomorrow.
Carter is an undrafted rookie out of LSU, but he’s managed to see time in eight games (two starts) this season. The majority of his snaps have come on special teams, although he did see time in a season-high 20 offensive snaps during the Titans’ Week 12 loss to the Patriots.
As Tennessee gets ready for their showdown with the Steelers tomorrow, the team made some additional moves to their roster. The team promoted wideout Cody Hollister, offensive lineman Daniel Munyer, and defensive lineman Kevin Strong from their practice squad.
Bengals Activate CB Trae Waynes From IR
Trae Waynes is back. The Bengals activated their starting cornerback from injured reserve today, reports Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (via Twitter). Offensive lineman D’Ante Smith has also been activated from IR (per ESPN’s Ben Baby on Twitter).
The Bengals signed Waynes to a three-year, $42MM deal in March 2020, but the organization has only gotten two games out of their investment. Waynes missed all of 2020 because of a torn pec, and a hamstring injury forced him to miss the start of this season. The 29-year-old managed to get into Week 4 and Week 5, starting both games while collecting five tackles. However, he aggravated his hamstring injury in that latter game, and he hasn’t seen the field since.
Waynes is attached to an $8.4MM base salary this season; that number climbs to $10.4MM in 2022. The Bengals are on the hook for Waynes’ prorated signing bonus ($5MM) next year but could save $11MM by making the seven-year vet a cap casualty. The veteran’s performance down the stretch will likely determine his future with the organization.
Smith is a fourth-round rookie out of East Carolina. He didn’t see the field during the first month of the season, and he was stashed on IR with a knee injury in mid-October.
The Bengals made a handful of additional moves in anticipation of their game against the Broncos tomorrow, promoting linebacker Austin Calitro, wide receiver Trent Taylor, and linebacker Keandre Jones from the practice squad.
More On Jaguars, Urban Meyer Fallout
The fallout from Urban Meyer‘s firing in Jacksonville continues. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington write that the Jaguars fired their now-former head coach for cause and don’t intend on paying him the remaining money on his contract.
Jacksonville is withholding the guaranteed money from the remaining four years of Meyer’s contract. As the writers note, we’ve seen organizations and former coaches negotiate a settlement to avoid a legal situation, and there’s a chance that lawyers for Meyer and the Jaguars could end up resolving the situation. If not, there’s a good chance the former HC will push back against the Jaguars’ decision to fire him for cause.
Meyer dealt with plenty of controversy during his stint with the organization. It started with that whole flight fiasco earlier this season, which was followed by a notorious viral video that showed Meyer at a bar dancing with a woman. Last weekend, we got a damning report that detailed turmoil surrounding the then-HC. Meyer reportedly belittled his fellow coaches, caused respected veteran wideout Marvin Jones to leave practice, and buried James Robinson on the depth chart. This week, kicker Josh Lambo spoke about a preseason incident in which the Jaguars’ coach kicked Lambo while he was stretching. Hours later, Meyer was canned.
However, according to ESPN, there wasn’t a specific incident that caused the Jaguars to withhold the guaranteed money. Rather, the organization believes that “culmination of instances” justified the decision to fire for cause. Meanwhile, while the decision to fire Meyer immediately followed Lambo’s story, owner Shad Khan had reportedly made up his mind following Sunday’s shutout loss to the Titans. According to ESPN, Meyer didn’t have an explanation for the team’s struggles when pressed on it by the owner.
WFT Designates DE Montez Sweat To Return
WFT will have most of their defensive line when they take on the Eagles on Tuesday night. Washington Football Team announced that they’ve activated the following four players from the reserve/COVID-19 list:
DT Jonathan Allen- DE James Smith-Williams
- DE Montez Sweat
- DE Casey Toohill
Sweat, who is currently on injured reserve, was also designated for return, meaning his return to the field is imminent. Washington has been without Sweat since Week 8. The first-string defensive end had been recovering from a fractured jaw, and he intended to return to practice on Wednesday. A first-round Washington draftee, Sweat has registered four sacks this season and has 20 for his career. The Mississippi State product has forced two fumbles in each of his three seasons.
When fully healthy, Allen and Sweat should sit atop the depth chart. Smith-Williams and Toohill, who have both been forced into significant roles on the defensive line following injuries to Sweat and Chase Young, will be able to settle back into their backup/special teams roles.
We learned yesterday that the NFL was pushing Sunday’s WFT/Eagles game to Tuesday.
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett To Skip Bowl Game, Prepare For Draft
As expected, one of the top QB prospects will declare for the NFL Draft. Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett announced on Twitter that he won’t be playing in his upcoming bowl game as he prepares for the 2022 draft.
“I am incredibly proud to say I was a part of the team that brought back another trophy to the City of Champions,” Pickett said in his statement. “With love and gratitude, I have decided to forgo the Peach Bowl and begin training for the 2022 NFL Draft.”
Pickett put himself on the NFL map with a breakout season for the Panthers, completing 67.2 percent of his passes for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. The 23-year-old finished the season as a Heisman Trophy finalist, and he earned a number of accolades like the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and ACC Player of the Year.
This year’s draft class hasn’t been touted for its quarterbacks, but Pickett is a popular pick to be the first signal-caller off the board. Dane Brugler of The Athletic recently had Pickett as the first QB taken, as did ESPN’s Todd McShay. Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus had the prospect behind Matt Corral of Ole Miss. The Steelers are a popular landing spot in mock drafts for the Pitt product, and Pickett has also been listed as a potential option for WFT and the Panthers.
QB Nick Mullens Expected To Start For Browns On Saturday
7:52pm: Cornerback A.J. Green and linebacker Jacob Phillips have also tested positive for COVID-19, reports Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal (via Twitter).
4:59pm: The Browns will likely have to turn to their third-string QB for Saturday’s matchup against the Raiders. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), quarterback Case Keenum has tested positive for COVID-19. With Baker Mayfield already on the reserve/COVID-19 list, this means Nick Mullens is in line to start.
[RELATED: Browns’ Baker Mayfield Tests Positive For COVID-19]
The Browns are facing at least five more positive tests in addition to Keenum, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones (on Twitter). This would bring the total to 20 players on the Browns who have tested positive for COVID-19 this week. One of those players is Grant Delpit, as Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal tweets that the safety tested positive. While the Browns are eyeing a handful of absences, coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t rule out any players following the NFL’s changes to COVID protocols.
“Certainly when they tell me we have run out of days in terms of negative tests and those type of things, then it will be official, but I don’t know that we’re ruling any of those guys out just yet,” Stefanski said (via Ulrich).
Either way, it’s looking like Mullens will be forced into the lineup for a crucial start. The 26-year-old has spent the majority of the 2021 campaign on Cleveland’s practice squad, although he is coming off a 2020 campaign where he started eight games for the 49ers. Mullens is 5-11 in his 16 career starts, and his 4,405 passing yards are the second most by any quarterback in their first 16 career starts in NFL history (behind Patrick Mahomes (h/t to ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter)). Mullens also has 25 career touchdowns vs. 22 interceptions.
Keenum started one game for the Browns this season, completing 21 of his 33 pass attempts in a win over the Broncos. In total, the 33-year-old has seen time in six games for Cleveland this season, tossing one touchdown vs. zero interceptions.