WFT DE Montez Sweat Suffered Fractured Jaw
Washington Football Team will be without Montez Sweat for at least a handful of games. The defensive end suffered a fractured jaw on Sunday, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Grant Paulsen of The Athletic was first with the news (on Twitter).
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Sweat’s fracture won’t require surgery, so it will just be a waiting game for the 25-year-old. However, Sweat has been told “no physical contact for a month,” so it’s unlikely we’ll see him back on the field before December.
The 2019 first-round pick has been a force since entering the NFL. After collecting 16 sacks through his first two seasons, Sweat compiled another four sacks in eight starts this season. The defensive end also has 19 tackles, two forced fumbles, 12 QB hits, and three tackles for loss.
WFT let Ryan Kerrigan walk this offseason, so the organization has some inexperienced options to replace Sweat. The team will likely turn to James Smith-Williams, although they’re also rostering Casey Toohill and rookie Shaka Toney.
Teams Showing Interest In Jets WRs Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, teams are looking toward New York for some receiver help. According to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv, Jets wideouts Jamison Crowder and Denzel Mims “have emerged as hot names on the market.” The Saints and Packers are among the teams seeking help at the position, per the report.
However, while teams may have interest in the two receivers, they’re also skeptical if the Jets will be willing to trade the duo. While Zach Wilson is currently out of the lineup, the team is still looking to put him in a position to succeed, and removing two wideouts certainly wouldn’t help that cause.
Mims has been mentioned as a potential target for some time. He was a second-round pick by the Jets in 2020, but he’s been limited to only 14 games through one-plus season. He’s been buried on the depth chart in 2021, although he got his first start during yesterday’s win over the Bengals, hauling in a pair of receptions. Considering Mims’ draft stock, it’d be surprising to see the organization bail on the player this early in his career.
Crowder, 28, makes a bit more sense as a trade piece. The veteran missed the first four games of the season, but he’s been productive since returning to the field, hauling in 23 catches for 203 yards. Crowder is set to hit free agency following the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, it sounds like the Jets will continue to hear offers on safety Marcus Maye. ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes that the Jets want a second- or third-round pick in return, but the team is struggling to find a team that will give up those assets. Some suitors want the Jets to eat part of Maye’s salary, which could end up holding up a trade.
Latest On Rams WR DeSean Jackson
It sounds like DeSean Jackson‘s stint in Los Angeles has come to an end, even if the Rams are unable to find a taker via trade. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that if Jackson isn’t traded, it’s expected that the veteran wideout will be released (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter).
Jackson inked a one-year, $4.5MM deal with the Rams this past offseason. That deal included a $2.75MM base salary, and a release would mean the Rams would be left with a prorated part of that guarantee on their cap sheet.
The 34-year-old didn’t see more than 32 percent of his team’s offensive snaps through the first seven weeks of the season, culminating in only four offensive snaps during his team’s Week 7 win. The Rams recently gave Jackson permission to seek a trade elsewhere, and he was inactive during yesterday’s win over the Texans.
Jackson was limited to only eight games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and he’s hauled in only eight catches this year. However, considering the veteran’s track record, there’s a good chance Jackson will find a landing spot. However, it remains to be seen if a suitor will be willing to give up any assets to the Rams before tomorrow’s deadline.
Latest On Potential Deshaun Watson Trade
We heard last week that the Dolphins and Texans had agreed on compensation for a Deshaun Watson trade. Days later, and the move still hasn’t been made. Miami reportedly wanted a bit more clarity on the passer’s legal situation before green-lighting a trade. However, there may be another explanation for why negotiations have stalled.
Per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Texans have “caught wind of the growing possibility that the 22 civil lawsuits” against Watson would be settled. Since there would be no legal uncertainty, the Texans front office raised their asking price. According to Florio, “the increased demands caused the talks to crater.”
The Texans have continually been seeking at least three first-round picks for Watson, and last week’s report indicated that Miami was willing to meet that part of the deal. However, the two sides were still negotiating the other pieces in the trade; Houston reportedly is also seeking multiple second-round selections. It’s uncertain if Watson’s legal clarity forced the Texans to double down on their asking price…or perhaps request even more.
The NFL has not interviewed Watson, and his deposition in the civil suit is not slated to occur until after Super Bowl LVI. This has created a gray area, one that sets up the unusual and optically problematic prospect of Watson playing for another team this season before facing a lengthy suspension in 2022. Watson is not expected to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, and Roger Goodell confirmed Tuesday night the NFL does not have enough information on these cases to place Watson on the list, via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
We’ll have a resolution on a trade (or non-trade) by tomorrow afternoon. It sounds like both owners are in favor of a deal; Texans owner Cal McNair wants to put the matter behind him, while Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has been one of the organization’s main proponents for a Watson trade. Meanwhile, Texans GM Nick Casersio is unwilling to trade Watson for anything less than what he perceives to be maximum value, and that could end up being the factor that prevents a trade from taking place by the deadline.
Injury Notes: Murray, Ravens, WFT, Rams
Ravens linebacker Malik Harrison landed on the reserve/non-football Injury list today after being shot in the leg by a stray bullet, per ESPN’s Jamison Hensley.
The 23-year-old was shot outside of a Cleveland nightclub on Sunday night. According to the report, Harrison was struck by a stray bullet; four men were arrested following the shooting, and it sounds like Harrison was an innocent bystander. The linebacker suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was treated at a Cleveland hospital. The Ravens were on their bye week, and Harrison was scheduled to return to Baltimore today.
“I don’t think it’s severe at all,” said coach John Harbaugh. “I’m optimistic that it’s going to be OK … Happy that he’s OK and very grateful that he’s OK and not hurt worse. Anything can happen. It’s just a tough situation.”
Harrison was placed on NFI, meaning he’ll have to sit out three games before he can return to practice.
More injury notes from around the NFL:
- Kyler Murray was seen limping after tossing a game-deciding interception late during the Cardinals loss to the Packers. Fortunately, it doesn’t sound like the quarterback suffered a serious injury. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Murray suffered a sprained ankle that could take one to three weeks to get better (h/t to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). However, if swelling goes down, the QB could be good to go for Sunday’s game against the 49ers.
- Washington Football Team starting center Chase Roullier suffered a fractured left fibula during yesterday’s loss to the Broncos, reports Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Roullier is set to get a second opinion on Tuesday, but the initial diagnosis could be hinting at a season-ending injury. The 2017 sixth-round pick has spent his entire career with Washington, and he’s started all 54 of his appearances over the past three-plus seasons.
- Rams rookie receiver Tutu Atwell will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, head coach Sean McVay told reporters (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry on Twitter). The second-round pick has seen time in seven games this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He’s returned 10 punts for 54 yards and five kicks for 87 yards.
- The Buccaneers are getting healthier. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that wideout Antonio Brown will likely return after the team’s bye. The veteran has missed the past two games while dealing with foot and heel injuries. Meanwhile, cornerbacks Carlton Davis and Sean Murphy-Bunting are also recovering well from their respect injuries and could be back on the field for Week 10.
Vikings DE Danielle Hunter To Miss Rest Of Season
Danielle Hunter is done for the season. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer confirmed that the veteran defensive end suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter).
Hunter suffered the injury during the second quarter of last night’s loss to the Cowboys. The 27-year-old had an MRI this morning that confirmed the season-ending tear.
After missing the entire 2020 season due to a neck injury, the two-time Pro Bowler seemed to be back to his pass-rushing ways in 2021. Through the first seven games, Hunter had collected six sacks, six tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. The former third-round pick had previously established himself as one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, averaging more than 12 sacks per season between 2016 and 2019.
Hunter skipped Vikings OTAs this past year because of his contract, but the team ultimately appeased their top sack artist, converting $5.6MM of $12.2MM 2021 base salary into a signing bonus while bumping his 2022 earnings by around $8MM. It was speculated that Hunter’s expected $20MM base salary for 2022 was going to be a placeholder while the two sides hammered out a long-term deal. A second-straight season-ending injury will certainly complicate those negotiations. Hunter’s five-year, $72MM extension runs through 2023.
This is tough timing for a Vikings squad that dealt defensive end Stephen Weatherly to the Broncos during their recent bye week. Everson Griffen and D.J. Wonnum had swapped starts opposite Hunter, and the duo will presumably take over the lion’s share of the reps at defensive end going forward.
Bears’ Matt Nagy Won’t Coach Sunday
Matt Nagy won’t be on the sideline tomorrow vs. the 49ers. The Bears announced that their head coach is still quarantining after testing positive for COVID-19 and won’t coach Sunday’s game.
Nagy tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, so it’s not a surprise that he remains in COVID protocol. If everything goes as planned, we can assume that Nagy will be ready to go for next weekend’s matchup against the Steelers.
Nagy has spent three-plus seasons in Chicago, but he hasn’t come close to matching the 12 wins he collected during his first season at the helm. Despite a talented roster, the Bears went 8-8 in both 2019 and 2020, and the team currently sits at 3-4 heading into this weekend’s game.
Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will assume head-coaching duties for tomorrow’s game. Per the team’s release, Tabor was responsible for running practices this past week. He started his NFL coaching career with the Bears back in 2008, and after serving as the Browns special teams coordinator for seven seasons, he joined Nagy’s staff in the same role in 2018.
Jets QB Zach Wilson To Avoid IR Stint
The Jets are optimistic that Zach Wilson can be back on the field for the team’s November 14th game against the Bills. As a result, Wilson won’t be hitting the shelf. Per Connor Hughes of The Athletic (via Twitter), the Jets have decided to not place their rookie quarterback on injured reserve. An IR stint would have caused Wilson to miss the next three games.
[RELATED: Eagles Trade QB Joe Flacco To Jets]
Wilson suffered a knee injury during last weekend’s loss to the Patriots, and he’s expected to be sidelined for two to four weeks. The second-overall pick completed 6-of-10 passes for 51 yards before his second quarter exit against New England, and for the season, Wilson has completed 57.5% of his throws for four touchdowns against nine interceptions.
Mike White, who filled in for Wilson last Sunday, will get the first crack at the starting nod. The Jets will use Sunday’s game against the Bengals to help make a determination on next Thursday’s game against the Colts. White could end up starting both contests, but the team will be ready to pivot to Joe Flacco if necessary. The Jets acquired Flacco from the Eagles earlier this week.
The Jets are hoping that Wilson be able to return after those next two games.
Latest On Seahawks RB Chris Carson
The Seahawks are still hoping that Chris Carson will return this season, but head coach Pete Carroll cautioned that the organization will soon have to make a decision about his starting running back’s availability for the rest of the 2021 campaign.
“He’s got to make a turn here, show us that he is feeling better and good enough to really go for it,” Carroll said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). “He hasn’t been able to come out to practice yet and go.
“Pretty soon you will be saying, ‘Is he going to make it back?’ just like you are asking, and I’m not ready to do that yet. I’m really keeping my fingers crossed for him that he gets a chance to come back and play. He’s working out hard, but he’s not ready to practice football yet.”
Carson landed on injured reserve in mid-October with a neck injury. Per Condotta, Carson had been dealing with the injury since the preseason, with Carroll previously describing it as a “lingering” ailment. The 27-year-old managed to play through the discomfort for the first four games of the season, collecting 261 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown.
The former seventh-round pick has dealt with his fair share of injuries throughout his career; he missed most of his rookie year with a broken leg, missed the end of the 2019 season with an arm injury, and was down for four games in 2020 with a foot issue. Still, he was able to secure a two-year, $10.4MM deal this offseason.
At the earliest, Carson won’t be able to return from injured reserve until Week 10, which happens to follow Seattle’s bye week. For the time being, the Seahawks will continue rolling with a running back corps that’s led by Alex Collins and Rashaad Penny.
Panthers Expected To Activate CB Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore is set to make his Panthers debut. The team is planning to activate the All-Pro cornerback off the PUP for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).
Per Fowler (on Twitter), Gilmore had been “trending” towards playing this weekend. The team practiced today, and the cornerback apparently showed enough to justify his activation. The Panthers opened Gilmore’s practice window earlier this month, so the player’s season debut was always going to come sooner than later.
At the beginning of the month, the Panthers sent the Pats a sixth-round pick and took on the contract-year corner’s remaining $5.8MM in base salary. While the organization will still have to figure out a long-term pact for the former Defensive Player of the Year, the move was a worthy risk. At his best, Gilmore was one of the best defenders in the NFL during his first few seasons in New England. 2020 was a down year for the veteran, although a quad injury likely played a role in his reduced production.
The 31-year-old will now help replace first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot. Gilmore now headlines a Panthers CB group with Donte Jackson, former top-10 pick C.J. Henderson, A.J. Bouye, and Rashaan Melvin.