Browns Elevate QB P.J. Walker
Finally setting up what has been hinted at all week, the Browns announced this morning that they have officially promoted quarterback P.J. Walker from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation. With starter Deshaun Watson still out with injury and rookie backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson struggling in a Week 4 start against the Ravens, Walker seems primed to start this Sunday under center for Cleveland. 
Watson has been nursing a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the team’s fourth game of the season. He had technically been cleared to play in the divisional matchup but opted instead to rest and allow his shoulder to heal. While a timeline for Watson’s return is unclear to the public, the Browns and their 2022 trade acquisition appear to be on the same page. Time will tell when Watson gets back to the field, but for the time being, Cleveland will have to turn elsewhere for their quarterbacking needs.
Thompson-Robinson, the fifth-round rookie out of UCLA, may not be who they look to moving forward. In his lone NFL start, albeit against a stout Ravens defense, Thompson-Robinson struggled with three interceptions to zero touchdowns. After a bye week of rest and preparation, Cleveland may believe he has a better chance for success in Week 6, but it will likely have to be off the bench.
Instead, it’s become seemingly clear that the Browns will turn to Walker, the former XFL standout passer, until Watson can return. Walker started seven games for the Panthers over the last three years, going 4-3 in those starts. He struggled in his initial transition back to the NFL, throwing only two touchdowns to eight interceptions in his first two seasons back. Last year, though, in five starts, Walker showed improvement.
Walker is surely not a viable long-term option if the Browns are hoping to make a return to the playoffs. Until Watson is able to make his comeback, though, Cleveland will trust Walker’s experience and XFL success over Thompson-Robinson for now. Thompson-Robinson still showed a lot of promise in the preseason and earned a lot of faith from the coaches. He may just need a bit more time to develop his NFL game. For now, expect Walker under center.
Joining Walker as a standard gameday elevation from the practice squad will be Jaelon Darden. Darden has appeared in 23 games so far in his still young NFL career, only making eight catches for 69 yards. While he hasn’t been necessarily effective on offense, he’s averaged 9.4 yards per punt return and has experience returning kickoffs, as well.
Commanders Designate DE Efe Obada To Return From IR
Almost a third of the way through the regular season, the Commanders have to be happy with the performance of their defensive line so far, with 11.5 sacks coming from their starting-four. Even so, Washington will likely be excited to add another pass rusher to the rotation, something they’re soon to do after designating defensive end Efe Obada to return from injured reserve today. 
Obada has come a long way since joining the Cowboys after a London tryout with the team during an NFL international game trip eight years ago. Obada wouldn’t make his NFL debut until three years later in 2018, during his time with the Panthers. He would take a couple years to adjust before breaking out in 2020 with career-highs in sacks (5.5), tackles for loss (4.0), and quarterback hits (15) while recording a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Since then, Obada has continued to impress. He notched 3.5 sacks in only 10 games with the Bills in 2021 before joining the Commanders last year and recording four sacks in his age-30 season. Washington was happy enough with his contributions backing up Montez Sweat and Chase Young that they re-signed him to play for them again at 31 years old.
Unfortunately, though, Obada has spent the first five weeks of the season on IR while dealing with a patella tendon injury. With the Commanders opening the practice window, Obada has three weeks to return to the active roster. If he doesn’t return in that timeframe, he’ll revert to IR and remain there for the rest of the season.
Obada doesn’t present as a game-changing addition coming off the bench in Washington, but he immediately makes an already dangerous Commanders defensive line even more formidable. With 13.0 sacks over his last three campaigns, Obada looks to continue contributing at a high level for a position of strength in DC.
Bills Place LB Matt Milano, DT DaQuan Jones On IR; Sign LB A.J. Klein From PS
The Bills did some housekeeping today, clearing out some roster spots as a result of recent injuries and preparing to refill them. Losing two defensive starters in London was tough, but Buffalo has no choice but to reset and reload from their existing stock of talent. 
After a potentially season-ending injury to veteran linebacker Matt Milano and a pectoral injury to defensive tackle DaQuan Jones that likewise doesn’t look promising, the Bills have placed both players on injured reserve. This now opens up two new spots on the active roster for the staff to fill. To fill Milano’s roster spot, Buffalo is calling up practice squad linebacker A.J. Klein. The veteran, who has become a mainstay in Buffalo over the past few years, will be signed to the active roster.
Klein started 11 games for the Bills during his first year with the team back in 2020 before taking a bit of a smaller role the following season. Buffalo released him two years into his three-year deal. Klein signed to the Giants’ practice squad before getting signed off of it three days later to the Ravens’ active roster. Three weeks later, he was shipped to Chicago with a second- and fifth-round pick in exchange for Roquan Smith. He lasted a couple weeks in Chicago before getting waived and picked up by the Bills, who have kept him close ever since.
Buffalo didn’t immediately fill the second roster spot opened by the two IR moves, but they did set a plan in motion for it. Today, the team designated linebacker Baylon Spector to return from IR. After only appearing in six games as a rookie last year, Spector has spent the first five weeks of the season on IR with a hamstring injury. With Spector returning to practice, he’ll enter the 21-day window in which he can return to the active roster.
While Spector doesn’t replace the position slot of Jones, the Bills did add a defensive tackle to the practice squad. Already a bit of a journeyman in his sixth NFL season, new defensive tackle Andrew Brown will be joining his seventh team since getting drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He only has one start in his career and hasn’t appeared in more than five games for a team in a season since his rookie year in Cincinnati.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/23
Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: CB Sam Webb
Denver Broncos
- Released: WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey
Detroit Lions
- Designated to return from IR: CB Khalil Dorsey
Houston Texans
- Designated to return from IR: WR Noah Brown
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed to active roster: G Ike Boettger
Denver releases Humphrey with the intention of adding him back to the team’s practice squad, filling the spot vacated by wide receiver Michael Bandy yesterday. Plus, with young tight end Greg Dulcich expected to return from injured reserve soon, releasing Humphrey opens up a spot on the active roster.
The Colts’ offensive line has been dealing with a couple injuries, so bringing in Boettger will help improve the line’s depth a bit. Boettger, a former undrafted free agent, spent the first five years of his career in Buffalo. He spent much of that time as a backup but did start 17 games in a two-year stretch from 2020-2022. Veteran starting experience is usually an asset worth having on the bench.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/11/23
Here are today’s practice squad adjustments:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Keilahn Harris, LB Andre Smith
- Released: WR C.J. Saunders
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Malik Flowers
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Olakunle Fatukasi
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE J.P. Holtz, WR Jontre Kirklin, G Tommy Kraemer
Colts QB Anthony Richardson Suffers Injury To Throwing Shoulder
OCTOBER 9: Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport reports that Richardson’s injury is indeed believed to be a Grade 3 AC joint sprain, which would come with a recovery timeline of several weeks. Confirmation of that diagnosis via further testing could open the door to an IR stint, a move which would guarantee at least a four-week absence.
Josina Anderson of CBS Sports adds that Richardson is currently seeking three opinions on the injury to determine his next course of action, which could include surgery. Much will depend on the particulars of his sprain, which has seen some quarterbacks briefly sidelined while, most recently, Saints passer Derek Carr managed to avoid missing any time with a similar (albeit seemingly less severe) ailment. In any event, Minshew should be expected to handle starting duties for the time being.
OCTOBER 8: Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson‘s rookie season continues its rocky progression. The rocky start isn’t necessarily reflective of his performance on the field, but it’s more so reflective of his inability to stay on the field. In today’s win over the division-rival Titans, Richardson was forced to leave a game for the second time in the first five weeks of his rookie year, this time due to an injury to his throwing shoulder. 
After losing in his NFL debut, Richardson was forced to exit the second game of his career due to a concussion. He remained in concussion protocols going into a Week 3 matchup with the Ravens, so Indianapolis was forced to rely on Gardner Minshew.
Today, Richardson was forced to leave the game late in the second quarter after suffering a shoulder injury on a rush he kept for himself. Once again, Minshew was able to come into the game in relief of Richardson and help lead the team to victory.
Despite the fact that the Colts have won every game Minshew has played meaningful snaps in, the team renewed their confidence that Richardson was their quarterback moving forward. That likely remains the stance in Indy, as they appreciate the play they get from Richardson, but if the rookie continues to miss time this season, they’ll be thankful to have one of the league’s better backup quarterbacks in their clubhouse.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, the initial diagnosis of Richardson’s newest injury is an AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder. He was in a lot of pain after sustaining the injury, and one has to imagine that pain will keep him from being able perform as a starting passer if the injury is persistent. X-rays taken in the locker room were negative for any breaks or fractures in his shoulder.
In order to determine the severity and exact diagnosis of his shoulder sprain, Richardson went directly to the hospital to get an MRI on the area of injury, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. The results of the scan are expected to be made public later tonight, revealing just what the situation will be for the Colts at quarterback in the near future. If Richardson is forced to miss more time, Minshew will continue to play in his place.
AFC North Notes: Burrow, Lamar, Ravens
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took a big step towards a return to normalcy with a strong performance in today’s win over the Cardinals. Still, he is not back to 100 percent and, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, he’s likely still a few weeks away from that.
Cincinnati has been working with the understanding that Burrow’s calf injury is continually improving with time, as long as he doesn’t tweak it, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. They’re risking reinjury by continuing to put him on the field, but they aren’t hindering his recovery, and they likely feel his presence, even if not fully healthy, is more impactful than the QB2, Jake Browning‘s.
With one more game standing between them and a bye week, the Bengals will be counting on Burrow to avoid reaggravating his calf for one more week in order to get to a two-week rest that should really help him get back to full-strength.
Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC North, starting with another injured Bengal:
- Cincinnati rookie return man Charlie Jones was placed on injured reserve a little over a week ago after sustaining a thumb injury. Jones underwent surgery a few days ago, per Jay Morrison of Pro Football Network, and expects to make a return as soon as he is eligible after the four-week period. This should put Jones back on the active roster in time for the team’s Week 9 matchup against the Bills.
- Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has remained healthy through five weeks this season, but it sounds like Baltimore isn’t taking any chances. According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, head coach John Harbaugh reiterated that the team is committed to keeping three quarterbacks on their roster. With the injuries in recent years to Jackson, and subsequently to the backup quarterbacks, having multiple backup options has likely become a necessity.
- Baltimore long snapper Nick Moore was set to play out a contract year in 2023 before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in offseason training. Since Moore will be spending the entire season on the team’s reserve/non-football injury list, the Ravens decided to sign him to a one-year extension, pushing his free agency until after the 2024 season.
NFC Injury Updates: Zavala, Jefferson, Jones
The Panthers experienced a scare when starting left guard Chandler Zavala collapsed on the field and remained facedown after experiencing a neck injury in today’s loss to the Lions. The team’s medical staff placed him on a backboard, and as he was carted off the field, Zavala gave the stadium a thumbs-up.
The rookie fourth-round starter was taken immediately to a hospital where he was alert, responsive, and had movement in all his extremities. He underwent several tests, all of which came back well, was released from the hospital, and rejoined his teammates at the airport to return to Charlotte with the team, according to Panthers staff writer Darin Gantt.
In Zavala’s absence, second-year guard Cade Mays finished out the game at left guard. If Zavala’s neck injury forces him to miss any additional time, Mays will likely have an opportunity to prove his worth as a consistent starter after only starting two games his rookie year.
Here are a few other injury updates from today:
- Early in the fourth quarter of today’s loss to the Dolphins, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was knocked out of the game with a neck injury. This was cause for concern in New York, knowing that Jones missed the final six weeks of the 2021 season with a neck injury. While not an official diagnosis, head coach Brian Daboll relayed that Jones had told him after the game that he would be okay, per Dan Duggan of The Athletic. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan informed that Jones had negative X-rays at the stadium and would undergo an MRI tomorrow for an accurate diagnosis.
- Late in the Vikings loss to the Chiefs, star wide receiver Justin Jefferson exited the game with a hamstring injury after slipping on the field. After what appeared to be a pep talk with his young wideout, head coach Kevin O’Connell told the media that it’s “still very early” to establish a timeline for Jefferson’s return, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, seemingly putting some doubt on the All-Pro’s status moving forward.
AFC East Rumors: Jones, Jackson, Jets
The NFL’s franchise in New England had been spoiled with their consistency at the quarterback position over the 20-year reign of Tom Brady. This season, though, many are wondering if Brady’s eventual successor, Mac Jones, has what it takes to retain his seat atop the depth chart. According to several different sources, his starting job as the Patriots‘ quarterback is safe for now.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was the first to report this morning that the Patriots would be sticking with Jones at quarterback for today’s game against the Saints and that “no change was imminent.” He did mention that second-year quarterback Bailey Zappe, who got about a quarter of the team’s offensive snaps is last week’s blowout loss to the Cowboys, got more practice snaps than usual throughout the week.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated detailed that a lot of the struggles seen with Jones last week were things that have been noticed at practice in New England. He asserts that Jones still has a bit of leeway with the coaching staff, but Jones is going to need to remedy those issues in order to keep it that way.
Even after another blowout loss today that saw Jones pulled from the game in the fourth quarter, head coach Bill Belichick confirmed that Jones will remain the team’s starter, according to Josh Alper of NBC Sports. Belichick reportedly said that “the team will be ‘starting over’ as they move toward next Sunday’s game against the Raiders, but the new start won’t include a new” starter.
Here are a few other rumors out of the AFC East, starting with a new familiar face who recently returned to Massachusetts:
- Recent trade acquisition from the Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson was once a prized free agent addition in Los Angeles after his original stint with the Patriots. But things this year deteriorated to the point that Jackson, who was a healthy scratch for the Chargers in Week 3, was asked to enter the game to fill in for an injured Michael Davis, and he refused to do so, per a joint report from Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Jackson, who had already sustained a serious injury during his time in Los Angeles, knew he had no future with the team and didn’t feel comfortable risking further injury. Additionally, the arrest warrant issued for Jackson in late September for reckless driving has reportedly been lifted, according to David Linton of The Sun Chronicle. Jackson paid the fine and agreed to probation in order to avoid arrest.
- Along with Aaron Rodgers‘ former Green Bay teammates, wide receiver Mecole Hardman was considered a big addition to the Jets‘ receiving corps in the offseason. And despite his once prominent role on the perennial contender in Kansas City, Hardman has been a non-factor in the first five weeks of the season, including his status as a healthy scratch today. Hardman voiced his frustration to ESPN’s Rich Cimini saying, “I’m probably the best in the league in space. Maybe (the coaches) see something different. I’m just waiting for the opportunity to present itself. I think when I was in K.C., I proved that I was probably the most dangerous guy on the jet sweep, or whether it be on the end-around or on the screen, I think I proved year-out that I was that guy you had to worry about doing that.”
- Sticking with the Jets, many expected a change to the composition of the quarterbacks room coming into the week. Cimini relayed head coach Robert Saleh‘s assessment that the room was “status quo” today. Tim Boyle remained as Zach Wilson‘s primary backup, while Trevor Siemian stayed down on the practice squad today.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/7/23
Here are the day’s minor transactions heading into Week 5:
Arizona Cardinals
- Elevated: RB Corey Clement, DL Ben Stille
Atlanta Falcons
- Elevated: WR Xavier Malone
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: RB Kenyan Drake, WR Laquon Treadwell
- Placed on IR: DB Daryl Worley
Buffalo Bills
- Elevated: CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, DT Kendal Vickers
- Placed on IR: CB Tre’Davious White (story)
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: CB Dicaprio Bootle
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: WR Kwamie Lassiter
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: S P.J. Locke
Detroit Lions
- Activated from IR: OLB Julian Okwara
- Activated from exempt/commissioner permission: WR Jameson Williams
- Elevated: WR Dylan Drummond
- Placed on IR: FB Jason Cabinda
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: WR Parker Washington
- Activated from exempt/commissioner permission: T Cam Robinson
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: DE Chase Winovich
Minnesota Vikings
- Elevated: WR N’Keal Harry
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: G Tommy Kraemer
- Elevated: S Johnathan Abram, S Daniel Sorensen
- Waived: RB Tony Jones Jr.
New York Giants
- Elevated: G Jalen Mayfield, T Jaylon Thomas
New York Jets
- Elevated: WR Irvin Charles, CB Craig James
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: P Braden Mann, CB Bradley Roby
- Placed on IR: G Cam Jurgens (story)
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Elevated: OL Ryan McCollum, P Brad Wing
San Francisco 49ers
- Elevated: DE Austin Bryant, CB Kendall Sheffield
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: WR Kyle Philips
- Elevated: S Dane Cruikshank, DT Jaleel Johnson