Texans TE Brevin Jordan Out For Season
SEPTEMBER 19: This placement will cover the rest of the season. Jordan suffered a torn ACL, according to Wilson. This is a tough blow for the 2021 draftee, as his path toward the 2025 free agent market will now include extensive knee rehab.
SEPTEMBER 18: The Texans will be down a tight end for at least the next four games. The team placed tight end Brevin Jordan on injured reserve today, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Jordan suffered a knee injury at some point during Sunday’s win over the Bears, although he still managed to finish the contest. The veteran was operating as Houston’s TE2 behind Dalton Schultz this season, with Jordan garnering 43 total snaps as a run blocker.
While he’s been called upon as a blocker in 2024, the former fifth-round pick hasn’t been a complete non-factor offensively through his first three-plus seasons in the NFL. The Miami (FL) product averaged 17 catches per season between 2021 and 2023, and he had a notable 73-yard touchdown during last year’s playoffs.
The team added some depth at the position today by signing Irv Smith Jr. to the practice squad, per Wilson. Smith profiles as more of a pass-catcher, with the tight end averaging more than 23 receiving yards per game in 37 appearances with the Vikings. After dealing with injuries between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Smith put together his worst statistical season in 2023, finishing with career-lows in receptions (18), receiving yards (115), and touchdown receptions (one).
Schultz and rookie fourth-round pick Cade Stover are mostly rostered for their pass-catching ability, so there’s a chance the team looks for a blocking option to temporarily replace Jordan. The Texans are also rostering tight end Chris Myarick and fullback Troy Hairston on the practice squad, and both players are probably candidates for promotions for Week 3.
Latest On Chukwuma Okorafor’s Patriots Departure
Following an ugly Week 1 cameo, Patriots offensive lineman Chukwuma Okorafor was placed on the exempt/left squad list after suddenly stepping away from the team. We heard at the time that this was “not a temporary decision,” and ESPN’s Mike Reiss echoes that sources aren’t expecting the veteran to play for the Patriots again this season.
Now, the organization will have to work with the player to determine how much of the guaranteed money he’ll end up receiving. As Reiss notes, Okorafor earned a $2MM signing bonus (of which $600K was deferred until 2025) and a guaranteed $1.125MM base salary. Reiss hints that the two sides may be facing impending negotiations to determine how much of the $3.125MM in guaranteed money Okorafor will ultimately get to keep. Indeed, coach Jerod Mayo revealed that the front office has already had talks with the player’s camp (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald).
The lineman also stepped away from more than $4MM in incentives. Okorafor would have earned $850K for a variety of snap milestones, including appearing from 50 to 90 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. After being “checked out mentally” and leaving the organization, there’s little chance Okorafor will hit most of those milestones even with a sudden return.
Mike Giardi of the Boston Sports Journal provides some more insight into the player’s departure, with the reporter noting that the player is “contemplating his future in football.” Giardi also passed along quotes from Mayo, with the coach noting his own concern for Okorafor the person (vs. the player).
“I called him, and it had everything to do with the man,” Mayo said. “I wanted to make sure that he was good, in a good space and really considering and taking into consideration that this is what he wanted to do.”
After spending the past four years as the Steelers starting right tackle, Okorafor joined the Patriots this offseason to replace Trent Brown on the left side of the line. The acquisition struggled in his Patriots debut, allowing six QB pressures in his six pass-blocking opportunities, leading to him quickly being replaced by Vederian Lowe. The fill-in has already been ruled out for tomorrow, and Giardi notes that Caedan Wallace will likely get the call at LT against the Jets.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/18/24
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Eku Leota, TE Jordan Matthews
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT Dashaun Mallory
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Cornelius Johnson
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Quintez Cephus
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB David Anenih
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: TE Matt Sokol
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Miles Boykin, RB Brittain Brown
- Released: S Marquise Blair, NT Quinton Bohanna
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/16/24
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB DJ James, S Mark Perry
- Released: LB Yvandy Rigby, S AJ Thomas
Mark Perry was cut by the Texans practice squad last week, and Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston notes that the organization wanted him back. Instead, the safety has landed in New England. Perry put himself on the NFL map with two impressive seasons at TCU where he compiled 142 tackles and six passes defended.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/24
Today’s minor moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Waived: TE Peyton Hendershot
New England Patriots
- Signed to active roster: G Michael Jordan
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed to active roster: OL Nick Gates
- Promoted: WR Parris Campbell, TE E.J. Jenkins
- Waived: LB Patrick Johnson
Peyton Hendershot made headlines in Week 1, with the tight end earning a fine after participating in a shoving match in defense of QB Patrick Mahomes. Hendershot wasn’t even active for that contest, but he made his Chiefs debut yesterday and got into seven special teams snaps. The former UDFA out of Indiana was traded by the Cowboys to the Chiefs at the end of August. As DLLS’s Clarence Hill Jr. notes, today’s move means the Cowboys won’t receive the 2026 conditional seventh-round pick from the Chiefs.
Eagles WR A.J. Brown Expects To Miss Several Weeks
A.J. Brown suffered a hamstring injury during Friday’s practice that sidelined him for tonight’s matchup with the Falcons. However, it’s sounding like the wide receiver may face more than a one-week absence.
Brown told ESPN’s Lisa Salters that he expects to miss a couple of weeks while dealing with his hamstring issue (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The receiver clarified that the injury isn’t “too serious,” and it sounds like Brown isn’t expecting an IR stint.
The wideout didn’t miss a regular season game through his first two seasons in Philly, although he did miss last year’s playoff loss while dealing with a knee injury. The former Titans second-round pick has taken his game to another level with the Eagles, with Brown averaging 97 catches for 2,952 yards and nine touchdowns between his two campaigns.
DeVonta Smith will leap to the top of the depth chart with Brown sidelined, but the rest of the team’s receiving corps remains questionable. Jahan Dotson is expected to be the main beneficiary of Brown’s absence, but the Eagles could also look to the likes of Parris Campbell, Britain Covey, and sixth-round rookie Johnny Wilson.
Patriots LB Ja’Whaun Bentley Out For Season
The Patriots will be without a defensive captain for the rest of the season. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Ja’Whaun Bentley is out for the year with a torn pectoral muscle.
The former fifth-round pick has turned into one of New England’s most dependable defenders, topping 100 tackles in each of the past three seasons. Bentley has also shown some pass rush ability in recent years, collecting a combined 7.5 sacks between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns.
Bentley started each of the Patriots two games this season. The linebacker appeared to have suffered his injury while trying to get around Seahawks OL Anthony Bradford late in the first quarter of Sunday’s contest. He stayed in the game for one more snap before exiting, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. Raekwon McMillan soaked up all of Bentley’s snaps in the eventual loss, and the former second-round pick could be in line for an expanded role moving forward.
The Patriots could also get creative with their linebacker grouping. Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche have generally been used as pass-rushing weakside linebackers, but that duo could be called upon in the middle. The team also has UDFA Curtis Jacobs, who is the current strongside option behind Jahlani Tavai.
Either way, the Patriots will be hard pressed to replicate Bentley’s production. With Christian Barmore also expected to miss the 2024 campaign, the organization is stressing their defensive depth early on.
Falcons Place LB Nate Landman On IR
The Falcons got some bad news ahead of tonight’s showdown with the Eagles. The team announced that linebacker Nate Landman has been placed on injured reserve. The team also announced that they signed cornerback Kevin King to the active roster and elevated safety Dane Cruikshank from the practice squad.
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Landman had already been ruled out for Monday Night Football after being sidelined with a calf injury throughout the week. It’s uncertain if this is related to the quad injury that the linebacker was fighting towards the end of the preseason. Landman started Atlanta’s season opener, appearing in about half of his team’s defensive snaps while contributing seven total tackles.
The former UDFA saw a limited role as a rookie before breaking out in 2023. Landman was inserted into the starting lineup following Troy Andersen‘s season-ending injury, and the fill-in proceeded to start 14 of his 16 appearances. The Colorado product finished the campaign with 110 tackles, two sacks, and three forced fumbles.
Fortunately for the Falcons, there’s still plenty of ILB depth on the roster. Kaden Elliss obviously leads the depth chart, and Andersen got into 31 defensive snaps during his return in Week 1. The Falcons are also rostering fifth-round rookie JD Bertrand. Still, that didn’t stop the organization from at least exploring some outside help. We learned late last week that the team hosted free agent linebackers Kwon Alexander, Rashaan Evans, and Josh Woods.
King got into a handful of snaps for the Falcons in Week 1, the first time he’s seen the field for a regular season game since the 2021 campaign. The former Packers starter is one of six CBs on the active roster, although Antonio Hamilton will be sidelined again tonight as he recovers from a groin injury. Cruikshank has bounced around the NFL in recent seasons and could make his 2024 debut tonight.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp Candidate For IR
The injury issues keep piling up for the Rams. Days after placing wideout Puka Nacua on injured reserve, coach Sean McVay revealed that fellow star receiver Cooper Kupp will also miss “an extended period of time” (per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop).
[RELATED: Rams To Place WR Puka Nacua On IR]
Kupp missed the second half of yesterday’s loss to the Cardinals following a second-quarter ankle injury. The receiver was spotted wearing a boot after the game, and McVay has since acknowledged that the veteran may land on injured reserve.
This is a tough break for Kupp, who has missed time in each of the past two seasons. His 2022 season ended prematurely following a high ankle sprain that required surgery, and he missed the beginning of the 2023 campaign while nursing a hamstring issue. Kupp’s latter absence allowed Nacua to establish himself atop the depth chart, and there was plenty of optimism that the duo would emerge as one of the league’s top WR tandems in 2024.
Instead, Matthew Stafford will likely have to navigate the next month with the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, Tutu Atwell, and sixth-round rookie Jordan Whittington. We already got a preview of the Rams’ offensive struggles during yesterday’s game. Per Barshop, yesterday marked the first time Stafford failed to toss a touchdown since Week 1 of the 2023 campaign. That ended the second-longest active streak in the NFL (behind Kirk Cousins).
The injury news doesn’t stop there. Guard Jonah Jackson re-aggravated his shoulder injury and could also land on IR, per Barshop. The offseason acquisition dealt with a shoulder injury for much of training camp and the preseason but was able to make his way into the lineup for Week 1. Jackson’s injury will stress an already depleted OL depth chart that’s without Steve Avila and Joe Noteboom.
The injuries also extend to the defensive side of the ball, as Barshop reports that safety John Johnson III is also a candidate for IR while dealing with a shoulder injury. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Johnson suffered a hairline fracture in his scapula and is expected to miss four to six weeks. The veteran defensive back started eight of his 17 appearances during his first season in Los Angeles in 2023.
Rams To Place WR Puka Nacua On IR; Nacua To Miss Five To Seven Weeks
SEPTEMBER 15: Nacua is expected to miss five to seven weeks, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. While the wideout could still return as early as Week 7, this timeframe puts him in danger of missing that Week 7 bout with the Raiders as well as the Rams’ Week 8 contest against the Vikings (which is a Thursday night game).
SEPTEMBER 9: Puka Nacua‘s knee injury will keep him off the field for the next four weeks. Coach Sean McVay told reporters that the wideout will be placed on injured reserve. The Rams have a bye during Week 6, so the earliest Nacua can return to the field is Week 7.
McVay also revealed that Nacua’s latest injury is a continuation of a nagging knee issue that forced him to miss several weeks during training camp. McVay said Nacua aggravated his knee injury in a “more significant” manner (per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic), and the wideout was officially diagnosed with a PCL sprain. The second-year wideout hauled in four catches last night before limping off the field during the second quarter. He briefly returned to the contest before exiting for good.
The 2023 fifth-round pick set the NFL rookie records for receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486), earning him All-Pro and All-Rookie team honors. He only got into 12 games alongside Cooper Kupp in 2023, and the Rams will now be extra reliant on the 31-year-old wideout over the next month. Both Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson saw increased roles following Puka’s exit on Sunday night, and tight end Colby Parkinson also contributed four receptions.
The Rams’ injury issues don’t end there. Offensive lineman Steve Avila suffered an MCL sprain and is also a candidate for injured reserve, per Rodrigue. Avila is also on track to miss at least four games, Rodrigue adds, even though the team has not yet placed him on IR yet.
The 2023 second-round pick earned All-Rookie team honors after starting all 17 games as a rookie, but he could end up missing a handful of weeks during his sophomore campaign. Avila started at left guard last night and was later replaced by sixth-round rookie Beaux Limmer, who bumped Jonah Jackson from center to left guard. Jackson will move back to LG, McVay said. The Rams signed Jackson to play left guard but shuttled him to center recently; a four-year Lions starter, Jackson played LG for nearly his entire time in Detroit.
Left tackle Joe Noteboom is week-to-week with an ankle injury. The lineman was limited to 27 snaps before being replaced by practice squad callup AJ Arcuri. Starting right guard Kevin Dotson didn’t miss a snap last night, but McVay said the lineman is day-to-day while recovering from a lateral ankle sprain.