Commanders Could Be In On USC QB Caleb Williams
While several items concerning the 2024 NFL Draft are still up in the air, the fact that USC quarterback Caleb Williams is considered a top prospect seems to have been set in stone for a little over a year now. With plenty of speculation leading into the new calendar year, Dan Graziano of ESPN reports that “there’s some thought around the league that Washington is very interested in Caleb Williams.” 
Now, Williams is a popular bet to be the first name called in the draft as the No. 1 overall selection, a pick that the Commanders (4-11) are not currently in the position to make. That pick is currently owned by the Bears, who are in possession of the Panthers’ (2-13) first round selection. Carolina does not have the league’s worst record wrapped up, though. The Cardinals (3-12) could lose out and take the top spot should Carolina win a game. If Carolina wins out and Arizona wins a game, the Commanders and Patriots (4-11) could lose out and create a logjam at 4-13.
In the case that all four teams end up with the same record, the first tiebreaker is based on strength of schedule, with the team possessing the weakest strength of schedule getting the highest draft pick. Currently, the Commanders hold the weakest strength of schedule of those four teams, but with remaining games against the 49ers and Cowboys (the strongest remaining schedule in the league), that could change. Still, Washington holds an outside shot at possessing the top draft selection naturally.
If that doesn’t pan out, though, the Commanders could still attempt to acquire the pick in a trade. We saw the Panthers give up a bundle in order to obtain the top draft pick just last year. That bundle included a top player (D.J. Moore), two first-round picks (2023 & 2024), and two second-round picks (2023 & 2025). A similar bundle would be necessary in order for Washington to move up, though trading another top-five pick could help sweeten the pot on its own. The Commanders traded away a couple of top defenders in Montez Sweat and Chase Young before the deadline, so they’ve stocked up a few assets that they could deploy if necessary.
The bigger question comes with the team’s current quarterback situation. It was initially thought that the picks acquired in the above-mentioned trades would be used to build around second-year passer Sam Howell, whom most tabbed as the team’s next franchise quarterback. A month and a half later, though, and Howell has now been benched in two straight contests in favor of veteran Jacoby Brissett.
It’s become the popular opinion that Washington will be pursuing an addition to their quarterbacks room in the offseason. Many have called to watch the final two weeks of the regular season as an indicator for Howell’s future. Well, with Brissett set to start in Week 17, we may be seeing the end of Howell’s opportunity in Washington.
Enter Williams. A native of Washington, D.C., Williams has nearly guaranteed that he will be the top passer off the board, if not the top player off the board. It seems like, given the available options, the Commanders could certainly be all in on Williams given the chance. If Washington is unable to obtain the top pick and Williams is selected before they have a chance to draft him, North Carolina quarterback, and Howell’s former college teammate, Drake Maye would likely be the next top quarterback available in the draft, creating an interesting scenario in its own right.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/23
Friday’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers (from Lions): LB Trevor Nowaske
- Placed on IR: DE Jonathan Ledbetter (story)
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: G Gabe Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: DE Sam Kamara
Detroit Lions
- Signed to active roster: K Michael Badgley
- Waived: FB Jason Cabinda
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: FB Jakob Johnson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed to the active roster: LB Anthony Barr
Badgley has officially been tabbed as the leg to depend on for the remainder of the season as well as for the Lions’ first playoff run since 2016. Detroit waived Riley Patterson two weeks ago, allowing Badgley to stake his claim on the job once again.
The Cabinda departure is a little surprising, considering the Lions just utilized one of their injured reserve activations on the former linebacker yesterday. Because of that investment, it would make sense to see Cabinda return to Detroit on a practice squad deal here in the next few days.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/23
Today’s practice squad moves as we head into the weekend:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Michael Schofield
- Released: DT Chris Smith
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: TE John Samuel Shenker
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Nick Vigil
Cowboys Waive LB Rashaan Evans Following Arrest, Activate T Matt Waletzko Off IR
Needing some depth at offensive tackle, the Cowboys made the choice to activate second-year lineman Matt Waletzko from injured reserve, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. The team also took advantage of the active roster addition to waive veteran linebacker Rashaan Evans, who was arrested for marijuana possession yesterday in Frisco, Texas, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
With starting offensive tackle Tyron Smith and versatile backup lineman Chuma Edoga both on the injury report this week, Waletzko finds his way back to the active roster just in time to provide some necessary depth. His practice window opened exactly 21 days ago, meaning that he may not be ready to return right away and that the move may have been necessary in order to avoid him reverting back to season-ending IR. Regardless, he’s back on the active roster now, and the Cowboys will be counting on him to provide some depth down the stretch of the regular season and beyond.
As for Evans, the team’s depth at linebacker is not exactly overflowing. That doesn’t exactly mean that the move is a reaction to the 28-year-old’s arrest this week. In fact, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News refuted that exact assertion, claiming that the Cowboys “downplayed the timing” of the two events even seeming to hint that Evans is a candidate to return to the practice squad, should he clear waivers. Though Evans earned a start earlier in the season, his usage as of late has shown that the team has been relying on the veteran linebacker less and less leading up to his placement on waivers, supporting the claim that waiving him may be unrelated to his arrest.
Regardless, Waletzko now holds the spot on the 53-man roster and will make an effort to contribute while he’s there. Evans, on the other hand, will await his fate on waivers with a chance to return to Dallas in a practice squad role.
Jets Place T Duane Brown On IR
The Jets made a few roster moves today, per team reporter Ethan Greenberg, the key move being the placement of offensive tackle Duane Brown on injured reserve. Shortly back from an earlier stint on IR, Brown’s season has officially come to an end. 
New York initially placed Brown on IR due to a hip injury that threatened to keep him out for multiple weeks. Brown had begun the year as a starter after playing a starting role in his first year with the team last season. Despite initial optimism that Brown would be able to return soon, it would take nine weeks before he was officially activated from IR.
While Brown was back on the active roster starting a month ago, his first two game appearances since then saw him coming off the bench. He finally made his third start of the season two weeks ago but only played five offensive snaps in that contest. Since then, Brown has been an inactive member of the roster. Not much will change with his placement on IR except that the Jets will be able to fill his roster spot with another player.
That honor will go to tight end Zack Kuntz. Kuntz is a seventh-round rookie out of Old Dominion who has spent the entire season on the team’s practice squad. With the recent injury troubles of Jeremy Ruckert, Kuntz will add some tight end depth behind Tyler Conklin and Kenny Yeboah.
The team also announced the return of kicker Austin Seibert, who will join the practice squad after a one-week stint with the team back in September. As regular kicker Greg Zuerlein sits on the injury report as questionable with an injury to his right quadriceps muscle, Seibert’s signing could indicate that Zuerlein will not be available for tomorrow’s Thursday night matchup with the Browns.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/23
Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to the active roster: DT Phil Hoskins
- Designated to return from IR: DT Leki Fotu
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: OLB Amare Barno
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed off Bengals’ practice squad: TE Zach Gentry
- Placed on IR: TE Jesper Horsted
- Waived: T Justin Herron
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: TE T.J. Hockenson (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: T Matt Pryor
- Designated to return from IR: WR Danny Gray
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated to return from IR: DL Mike Greene
Washington Commanders
- Designated to return from IR: LB De’Jon Harris
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/27/23
Here are today’s post-holiday practice squad adjustments:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Caleb Johnson, DT Jacob Slade
- Released: TE John Samuel Shenker
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T Ryan Swoboda
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from practice squad IR: RB Tarik Cohen
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DT Domenique Davis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Keidron Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Troy Pride
- Released: WR Davion Davis
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: QB Max Duggan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Nate Meadors
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: T Sebastian Gutierrez, WR Willie Snead
- Released: OL Ilm Manning
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from practice squad IR: LB Levi Bell
NFL Injury Updates: Jacobs, Miller, Vikings, Sutton
To start with, let’s address one of the remaining games of this week. It appears that the Chiefs’ route to an eighth consecutive AFC West title will be a bit easier today as the Raiders will be playing without leading running back Josh Jacobs, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. After starting the first 13 games of the season with Las Vegas, Jacobs is now set to miss a second straight game.
Jacobs was held out of last week’s contest after suffering a quad injury in the previous week. He hadn’t been able to practice during a short week and the team had decided it better to act out of an abundance of caution so as to not risk further damage. The Raiders had been holding out hope that Jacobs would be able to find his way back to the field this week, but an illness combined with the healing quad to ensure that Jacobs would not be able to make an appearance in Week 16. If his absence last week, backup Zamir White earned his first career start, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown in place of Jacobs.
After a promising start to his career, the last few years have been a bit inconsistent for Jacobs. He followed up two seasons in which he rushed for a combined 2,215 yards and 19 touchdowns with only an 872-yard campaign, though he was still breaching the endzone often with nine touchdowns. After a down year that led to the Raiders choosing not to pick up his fifth-year option, Jacobs exploding into a rushing title with 1,653 yards and 12 touchdowns. This year, Jacobs is at 805 rushing yards on a career-worst 3.5 yards per attempt and six touchdowns.
Jacobs had avoided playing out this season on the franchise tag, after coming to a one-year agreement with the Raiders, but a long-term deal remained elusive. Missing time due to injury at the tail end of disappointing season is unfortunately not going to help matters much when Jacobs enters the offseason at the end of the year.
Here are a few other injury updates from around the NFL:
- In addition to Jacobs, while Las Vegas will reportedly have left tackle Kolton Miller return today as an active player, it appears that he may only be available as an emergency option on the offensive line, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Miller has missed four of the team’s last five contests. In his absence the Raiders have experimented with moving usual starting right tackle Thayer Munford to the left side while having backup lineman Jermaine Eluemunor start on the opposite side of wherever they line up Munford. That trend should continue into Week 16.
- We already reported on the situation with Vikings pass rusher D.J. Wonnum, but the team lost three other significant contributors to injury during yesterday’s game. Budding tight end T.J. Hockenson, rookie first-round wide receiver Jordan Addison, and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon were all forced out of Sunday’s game early. Fowler of ESPN reported this morning that the outlook for Hockenson is “not good.” While Minnesota is still holding out hope that his MRI will tell a different story, the team is bracing for bad news on the subject. As for Addison, an ankle sprain is projected to have him on a week-to-week status, and the Vikings will hope to glean a bit more information after further testing today, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
- Lastly, the Broncos played much of yesterday’s loss to the Patriots without their leading receiver after Courtland Sutton left the game with a concussion, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Sutton has struggled over the years to find the yardage success he had in 2019 but has rediscovered his redzone proficiency in 2023. The big-bodied receiver leads the team in receptions (58), receiving yards (770), and receiving touchdowns (10) this season. Sutton will have to pass through concussion protocol to return next week in time to help his team in what has become a bit more difficult race for a Wild Card spot.
Teams Considering Trading For Steelers HC Mike Tomlin
Blood has already been drawn in the realm of NFL head coaches. So far, three vacancies have been created with the head coach firings in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Carolina, and two of those teams also fired their general managers. According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, there’s an expectation that four or more jobs could be open by the start of the playoffs. 
The Raiders have parted ways with Josh McDaniels and Dave Ziegler, while Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were let go by the Chargers. These moves sandwiched the Panthers firing Frank Reich. There is growing unease in Chicago, where Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has amassed a 9-23 record over his first two years with the team. Dennis Allen has also failed to reach a winning record after nearly two seasons with the Saints. Nobody’s seat is as hot as Falcons head coach Arthur Smith. Even a head coaching legend like Bill Belichick may be parting ways with the Patriots this offseason.
Yet, in all this mess, one head coach who may be redeeming his reputation is Mike Tomlin. After losing four of five games before this weekend, Pittsburgh was finally able deliver a convincing win, its first of the year by more than a single possession. When Tomlin was headed toward his first season as a head coach with a losing record, there were many who thought he may be out of a job in Pittsburgh. Instead, his ability to take some of his worst rosters and still deliver more wins than losses has the Steelers considering yet another contract extension.
According to Glazer, though, Pittsburgh isn’t the only team thinking about him as a potential head coach of the future. While many teams seem to have been hoping for a stumble down the stretch that would make Tomlin available after the 2023 season, with a contract extension on the horizon in Pittsburgh, some teams have yet to give up hope of acquiring the tenured head coach. Glazer drops that a number of teams have considered trading for Tomlin.
It hasn’t been long since we last saw a franchise acquire a head coach through trade. Eleven months ago, we saw the Broncos and Saints exchange a few picks with the end result sending the rights to Sean Payton‘s contract to Denver. Bruce Arians required a small trade package from the Buccaneers in 2019. Before that, we have to go back to the 2000s and before, when names like Jon Gruden, Herm Edwards, Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren, and Belichick were all getting dealt for draft picks. If a team was hoping to lure Pittsburgh into a trade that would relinquish Tomlin, they’re likely going to have to build quite the haul, especially now that he is a win away from extending his streak of never having had a losing season to 17 years.
If a team is going to attempt to trade for Tomlin, it’s likely going to be a team that already has a lot of strong pieces. For instance, the Chargers have a lot of working pieces but have struggled to find success. They’ve recently invested in a franchise quarterback, they have a duo of strong, veteran receivers, and a versatile running back on offense. The defense, despite laying claims to stars like Derwin James and Khalil Mack and strong contributors in Asante Samuel Jr., Eric Kendricks, and Kenneth Murray, has been one of the league’s worst units in 2023. Trading for a coach like Tomlin, who has a strong history of building defensive legends in Pittsburgh, could be the move that gets Los Angeles over a recent losing hump.
There’s even been slight chatter about the Bills organization having a bad taste in their mouths from a lack of playoff success. It seems like a long shot, especially after the Bills improved their playoff odds this weekend with their third straight win, but if Buffalo executives feel that it’s coaching that is holding the team back from a Super Bowl appearance, a trade for Tomlin may be in play.
Regardless, this post simply cracks open the seal for what is sure to be an active offseason. A potential of seven or eight job openings leaves plenty of room for such speculation. A number of impressive coordinators are sure to stake their claims on new jobs, but don’t be too surprised if the NFL’s two longest-tenured head coaches find their way to new franchises in the offseason.
Vikings OLB D.J. Wonnum Likely Out For Remainder Of Season
Unfortunately, it looks like the contract year for Vikings outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum has come to an early end. Luckily, Wonnum has done plenty this season to set himself up well for his pending free agency. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, though, Wonnum has suffered a partially torn quadriceps muscle that will likely hold him out of the remainder of the 2023 NFL season. 
Wonnum, a fourth-round draft pick for Minnesota in 2020, has seen his role wax and wane over the years of his rookie contract. After a rookie campaign in which Wonnum would come off the bench for most of the year behind Ifeadi Odenigbo, Jalyn Holmes, and Yannick Ngakoue, the South Carolina product would lead the team in sacks (8.0) as a full time starter in his sophomore year across from Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen. Last year saw Wonnum’s role decrease again with the arrival of Za’Darius Smith, who would combine with Hunter for 20.5 sacks, but with Smith out of Minnestoa, Wonnum has retaken his starting place this year, now alongside Hunter.
In the final year of his rookie deal, Wonnum has put up career numbers, setting himself up well for his impending free agency. He has matched his career-high totals for sacks (8.0), tackles for loss (7), and quarterback hits (15), while setting new highs in total tackles (62) and passes defensed (6). Adding to an already impressive season, Wonnum has also freed up Hunter, taking enough focus away from Hunter’s side of the ball to allow the veteran to reach a new career-high sack total himself (15.5).
While the injury is likely bad news that indicates he’s is done putting together his free agent resume, there’s still a bright side to the injury. A partial tear in the muscle should likely keep him out of play for a bit of time, but it’s minor enough that it shouldn’t affect how prospective teams view his free agency in the months to come. Wonnum has proven he can be an effective counterpart for a star pass rusher while providing some quarterback pressure himself, as well. If evidence points to a clean recovery, there should be a number of teams looking to add him to their pass rush.