NFL Injury Updates: Carr, Kupp, Beckham
After taking a big shot to his throwing shoulder in a Week 3 loss to the Packers, Saints quarterback Derek Carr is reportedly unlikely to appear when New Orleans plays host to the Buccaneers this Sunday, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Backup quarterback Jameis Winston is set to start in his place.
Carr wasn’t necessarily struggling in his debut season playing for any team other than the Raiders, but he wasn’t striving either. After winning the first two games of the season, Carr was only averaging 266.5 passing yards per game with one touchdown and two interceptions. Protection had been a bit of an issue as he had been sacked four times in each of his first two starts with the Saints. This past weekend, that questionable protection led to the shoulder injury that’s expected to hold him out of this week’s game.
Winston will now, once again, take the reins of the Saints’ offense. Over four years with the team, Winston has appeared in 15 games: five coming off the bench and 10 as a starter. In his first season as a full-time starter in New Orleans, Winston started the season 5-2 while throwing 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions before a torn ACL would end his 2021 season early. Last year, Winston started three games despite reports of fractures in his back and went 1-2 with four touchdowns and five interceptions before spending the rest of the season as QB2 behind Andy Dalton.
Winston will get his chance to prove he can still be an effective starter in the NFL this weekend while Carr recovers. According to Nick Underhill of neworleans.football, no consideration has taken place in respect to moving hybrid tight end Taysom Hill to quarterback this week.
Here are some other injury updates from around the league:
- ESPN’s Sarah Barshop provided an update today on the recovery timeline of Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp. She reported that head coach Sean McVay told the media that it is “the hope” that Kupp will be able to come off of injured reserve as soon as he is eligible to in Week 5. Kupp has missed the first three games of the season due to a hamstring injury and will have to miss this weekend, too, due to his stint on IR. McVay was hesitant to make any promises that might pigeonhole his All-Pro wideout, but the update is surely encouraging news for the Rams’ offense.
- The injury woes will continue a little longer for Ravens wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as ESPN’s Dan Graziano tells us that Beckham is likely to miss “another game or two” with the ankle injury that’s dogged him since the offseason. While Baltimore’s offense will have to do without Beckham, Graziano reports that running back Justice Hill has a chance to return this week from the toe injury that held him out of last week’s loss.
Cowboys Add C Billy Price To Practice Squad
The Cowboys have officially added a third center to their practice squad today, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. The team reportedly signed former first-round pick Billy Price to a deal today, joining him with current practice squad centers Sean Harlow and Brock Hoffman. 
Price’s addition has fans concerned about the severity of active roster center Tyler Biadasz‘s recent injury. Biadasz was forced to miss the team’s Week 3 loss to the Cardinals after suffering a hamstring injury in practice last week. With Biadasz sidelined, Hoffman started for Dallas at center in Arizona. It looks like Hoffman will now have some competition if Biadasz continues to miss time.
Price was a first-round pick for Cincinnati back in 2018. After failing to catch on with the Bengals, Price was eventually traded to the Giants in exchange for defensive lineman B.J. Hill. Price started 15 games for New York the following season, but his fifth-year option had already been declined by the Bengals, making him a free agent after his first full year as a starter.
Price would eventually land on the Raiders’ practice squad before being signed off of it to join the Cardinals’ active roster. Price would start the remaining 11 games of the season in Arizona, and after hitting free agency once again, he would sign with the Saints. A non-football injury contributed to Price’s eventual release a month later as he failed to solidify a depth role at center for New Orleans.
Price will now have the opportunity to provide that same depth behind Biadasz in Dallas. If Biadasz is forced to miss extended time, the Cowboys now have a center on the roster with full-time starting experience throughout the past two years. Price will compete with Harlow and Hoffman for the honor of getting called up for regular season action.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/27/23
Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Chris Blair
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Michael Dwumfour
- Released: DT Bruce Hector
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Daniel Arias
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Myles Gaskin
New England Patriots
- Signed: DL Manny Jones
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Mark Evans II, S Daniel Sorensen
- Released: RB Kirk Merritt
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Jalen Camp
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Tre Norwood, CB Kendall Sheffield, TE Jake Tonges
- Released: RB Jeremy McNichols
Gaskin was released from the Vikings’ active roster yesterday, a likely result of the addition of former Rams rusher Cam Akers. It looks like he’ll remain in Minnesota, though, for the time being as a member of the team’s 16-man practice squad.
Sorensen, the nine-year veteran formerly of Kansas City, is back for a second year in New Orleans. Last year, Sorensen appeared in all 17 games for the Saints, making two starts. He recorded two interceptions, three passes defensed, and 17 tackles, including eight stops on special teams.
Colts Willing To Take Less For Jonathan Taylor?
The Jonathan Taylor drama has quieted down a bit since the start of the season, but by no means does that mean it isn’t there. After failing to both 1) reach a long-term agreement with Taylor and 2) find a viable trade partner willing to meet their price for Taylor, the Colts placed him on the physically unable to perform list, where he remains today. After the constant drama and failure to navigate their way out of it, is Indianapolis willing to lower its asking price? ESPN’s Stephen Holder thinks so.
The team’s relationship with Taylor seems fractured beyond repair. The Colts made it very clear that they were not willing to commit to Taylor long-term. And, if they choose to utilize the franchise tag on Taylor after the season to keep him from hitting free agency, it’s hard to see any situation where the relationship is repaired. If they remain uncommitted to signing the former All-Pro to a long-term contract, trading Taylor seems like the best option.
Seemingly, Taylor’s pure talent should be enough to convince the Colts to hold on to him for the long-term. Especially considering what they’ve been working with in his absence. In Week 1, while Zack Moss continued recovering from a broken arm, Indianapolis was forced to turn to a combination of Deon Jackson, Evan Hull, and Jake Funk. The three combined for 25 rushing yards on 16 carries for zero touchdowns and two lost fumbles. Moss made his debut in Week 2, during which he would be the only running back to see snaps on offense, playing 56 of the team’s 57 offensive snaps.
This sends a clear message about the team’s confidence in its depth at the position. The Colts were completely dependent on Moss with Taylor still out, and while it’s nice to be able to depend on Moss and have him deliver, they would likely prefer to have multiple options they can trust. Seeing how little the team feels they can trust their current running backs room, one might think their eyes would be opened to the benefits of signing Taylor long-term. Of course, one might think that a 2021 rushing title and a career 5.1 yards per carry might be enough to open their eyes, but here we are.
So, if the Colts want any return on losing Taylor, they’ll need to find a trade partner for the young rusher. Obviously, they need to aim for teams that have the desire and bandwidth to sign Taylor to a long-term deal. Besides that, the asking price has been their biggest concern. The Dolphins and Packers reportedly showed interest in trading for and signing Taylor, but both teams were unable to match the haul that the Indianapolis was requesting. The Packers are also now believed to be out of the running.
Holder reminds that the team’s asking price was a package of picks that amounted to a first-rounder, but he also claims that the Colts would be willing to “settle for something a bit less.” What exactly that means is yet to be determined as the team will still likely continue to play hardball in an effort to avoid giving him away for pennies on the dollar, but if they’re able to lower their expectations, it could open the door for a new team to come in and add Taylor to their stable.
For now, the Colts will hope to see Taylor back on the field after his stint on the PUP list. Past that, there’s still hope that cooler heads prevail, and the two sides can come to an agreement, but a lower asking price for Taylor may lead to the 24-year-old’s inevitable exit.
RB Jerome Ford To Start In Cleveland Over Kareem Hunt
The Browns had operated with a one-two punch at running back for the past few years in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt and, after Chubb’s season-ending knee injury, the two will share a position room, once again. Cleveland brought Hunt back into the fold after a six-month stay on the free agent market, hoping that he can assist the team in replacing some of Chubb’s lost production. That being said, head coach Kevin Stefanski is adamant that second-year back Jerome Ford will be the Browns’ starter moving forward, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. 
Ford, a fifth-round pick last year out of Cincinnati, surpassed his rookie year yardage total in the first game of his sophomore season, showcasing his increased role in Hunt’s absence. When Chubb went down midway through the team’s loss to the Steelers last week, Stefanski and company turned to Ford. Ford delivered, utilizing a 69-yard rush late in the game to avoid an otherwise pedestrian performance and ending up with 106 rushing yards in the loss. Pierre Strong, drafted a round before Ford last year by the Patriots, took RB2 duties but only had two touches.
“Jerome is the lead back,” Stefanski told reporters yesterday, “but we have to work through all of those types of things and what Kareem’s ready to do this week if he’s ready to go this week, and what type of load he can carry and Pierre Strong’s role. So, I think we need to work through all of that, but yes, Jerome is the starter.”
Stefanski later informed reporters that Hunt will be available to play this Sunday, according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, meaning the team intends to figure out how much Hunt can handle this weekend. While the team reportedly explored other running back options like then-Rams rusher Cam Akers, Hunt’s familiarity with Cleveland and his ability to work his way back into the offense fairly easily was a major factor in his signing.
A source had told Cabot that Hunt is down 10 pounds from his playing weight in 2022. His apparent loss of explosiveness last year was one of the reasons the Browns allowed him to walk, so perhaps he’s leaned up in an effort to gain back another step.
While his familiarity allowed him to slip back into the Browns’ offense, Hunt still has some things to learn before he becomes a regular contributor once again. He may end up eventually taking a lead role in the team’s offense if he can outperform Ford, but for now, he’ll fall back into the RB2 role he held behind Chubb for the past four years.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/22/23
Today’s minor transactions heading into the weekend:
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Anthony Brown
- Waived: CB Tre Swilling
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: LB Chance Campbell, WR Mason Kinsey
- Placed on IR: WR Kearis Jackson
- Waived: LB Otis Reese
The 49ers are essentially reversing transactions made this week. Brown was released this week in order to make room for Swilling on the active roster. Now, Brown will rejoin the roster with Swilling making room for him. Swilling will likely find his way back to the Niners’ practice squad if he clears waivers.
With Jackson going on injured reserve, the Titans need to turn to someone else in the return game. Chris Moore has some kickoff return experience from his time in Baltimore. Kyle Phillips had five punt returns for the team last year, but he remains on IR, as well.
Reese made the initial 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss. He will likely get a lot of bites on the waiver wire.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/22/23
The league’s practice squad transactions heading into the weekend:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from practice squad IR with injury settlement: S Jovante Moffatt
Carolina Panthers
- Released from practice squad IR: CB Stantley Thomas-Oliver
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Reid Sinnett
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Ryan Hayes
- Released: T James Tunstall
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Chris Glaser
- Released: RB Xazavian Valladay
With starting quarterback Joe Burrow still nursing a calf injury that has hampered him throughout the first two weeks of the season, the signing of Sinnett becomes significant. Burrow’s status is reportedly still up in the air for this Sunday, and with practice squad quarterback Will Grier getting signed away to the Patriots’ active roster yesterday, Sinnett would now serve as QB2 to Jake Browning if Burrow can’t go.
Patrick Mahomes Addresses Chiefs Contract Rework
Two days ago, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes agreed to a new, restructured contract that gave him a significant raise for the short- and medium-term future while not requiring a completely new extension. It was noted that, while the overall value of his ten-year, $450MM contract didn’t change thus ensuring that his average annual salary didn’t change, Mahomes new deal set him up to potentially make $210.6MM over the next four years, the highest amount for that period of time in NFL history. It also sets him up to receive $56.8MM in cash for the 2023 NFL season, second only to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Spotrac. 
This restructure was a nice reward for Mahomes, who, since receiving the original contract as a reward for winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the moon landing, has taken the team to two more Super Bowls, winning one of them, and has won a second league MVP award. But the new deal also serves a more magnanimous purpose.
“You’ve got to keep the bar going; you got to keep it moving,” Mahomes told Adam Teicher of ESPN. “I don’t want people to be negotiated against me, and so that’s the reason that you do something like I did…just trying to keep the market moving in the right direction…so not only me but other quarterbacks in other positions can get paid the money they deserve.”
That’s right. As odd as it may sound, Mahomes took a raise for the other quarterbacks in the league. He soundly reasoned that, as long as he continues to be one of the paradigms of the football world, anytime a young quarterback is up for a new contract, their accomplishments will be held in comparison to his.
The biggest downside of Mahomes’ incredibly long extension is that we have seen quarterback contracts more than double in value over the last ten years. Who’s to say how much they will continue to grow over the next ten? Perhaps, exponentially! If every young QB is being compared to Mahomes and their stats and accomplishments pale in comparison, they’ll constantly be dragged down to the level of his contract, fighting the natural inflation of player values.
Instead, Mahomes agreed to devise a way to raise the bar within the bounds of his current deal. As Jackson, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow all have signed four- to six-year deals over the past couple of years, Mahomes decided to set a new precedent for deals ranging that amount of time. Mahomes has seen the value of the quarterback position continue to rise. As the reigning MVP and Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes took it upon himself to set a new bar that will continue to rise as quarterbacks earn new deals.
While Mahomes wanted to take care of himself and his fellow quarterbacks, he also didn’t want to hamper his team’s ability to win by bogarting all of Kansas City’s cap space. He wanted to make sure that general manager Brett Veach would still be able to surround him with the talent necessary for winning a third Super Bowl.
“You have to watch and see what’s going on around the league and find that right spot,” Mahomes said, “and I thought we found a good one in this negotiation…(in) that we will be able to still keep cap space for other guys to get signed.”
So, yes, Mahomes’ new contract makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history over the next four years, a just reward for his recent accolades, but it also raises the bar for what quarterbacks will be able to make in the future while preserving enough cap space to sign a talented crew around him. Who knew that becoming one of the richest players in NFL history could have such a selfless impact?
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/23
Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Jeff Smith
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Carlos Washington Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Robert Rochell
- Released: CB Mark Milton
Chicago Bears
- Signed: T Austen Pleasants
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OLB Mitchell Agude, RB Devine Ozigbo, CB Darius Phillips, T Dan Skipper
- Released: DE Chris Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Cameron Dantzler
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Irvin Charles
- Released: DT Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Kyron Johnson, RB Bryant Koback
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Duece Watts
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Carl Davis, WR Tyjon Lindsey, CB Teez Tabor
- Released: WR Matt Landers, CB Robert Rochell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DT Deadrin Senat
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Jaleel Johnson
Packers G Elgton Jenkins Suffers MCL Sprain
SEPTEMBER 18: When speaking to the media, Jenkins confirmed he has indeed suffered an MCL sprain. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes the 27-year-old is wearing a brace on his left knee, though Jenkins expressed optimism he will be able to return at some point this season. In spite of that, an IR stint is likely in his case as the Packers continue to battle injury troubles with their top O-linemen.
SEPTEMBER 17: The injury woes for the left side of the Packers’ offensive line continued today. With left tackle David Bakhtiari already out for the game under an injury report label of “not injury related – rest,” Green Bay also needed to rely today on a backup at left guard, as well, after Elgton Jenkins left the game with a knee injury. 
Jenkins was injured on a running play during which bruising running back A.J. Dillon crashed into the outside of Jenkins’ leg on his way to the ground. Jenkins had to leave the game and failed to make a return during the contest. The Packers don’t quite fear the worst for the ligament at the moment as, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the team believes he has suffered an MCL sprain.
If Jenkins is forced to miss some extended time, it won’t be the first time he has had to do so. The year after his first Pro Bowl season, Jenkins missed the final six games of the year with a torn ACL. He made a strong return the following season, though, starting 15 games and returning to the Pro Bowl, earning himself a four-year, $68MM contract extension.
When Jenkins exited the game today, backup guard Royce Newman subbed in and took his place. Newman does have experience starting for the Packers. As a fourth-round rookie in 2021, Newman started all but one game of the season at right guard. He didn’t quite retain his full-time starting gig in 2022 with Jenkins and Jon Runyan manning the guard spots once again, but Newman did find his way into the starting lineup in six games last year.
Newman has never graded out as an elite lineman, but the Packers will likely be satisfied to have an experienced starter in place until they know the severity of Jenkins’ knee sprain. MCL sprain recoveries can span from as little as three weeks to as many as 12 or more, depending on the severity. Jenkins will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine that severity and give the team a better idea of where they stand for the next stretch of the season.
Green Bay will hope to see their newly paid guard back out on the field soon, alongside Bakhtiari. In the meantime, the Packers will continue to rely on the likes of Newman and Bakhtiari’s backup, Rasheed Walker.