Saints Place C Erik McCoy On IR
After leaving Monday night’s loss to the Ravens with a calf injury, Saints starting center Erik McCoy was placed on injured reserve yesterday. Since they were able to make the move prior to today’s game against Pittsburgh, this gives McCoy five weeks for a potential return from IR after the Saints late Week 14 bye week. If they waited until after today’s game, the 25-year-old wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 16. 
McCoy is currently in his fourth year out of Texas A&M, serving as the team’s starting center since being drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. This is McCoy’s second encounter with a calf injury after missing five games last year due to calf issues. Before that, McCoy played every game possible in his first two years.
When McCoy left last week’s game, the Saints moved right guard Cesar Ruiz, who had plenty of experience at center from his time in Ann Arbor, to cover for McCoy and brought in Calvin Throckmorton to fill in for Ruiz. Today, though, the Saints started Josh Andrews, whom they had just signed to the active roster from the practice squad yesterday, at center, allowing Ruiz to return to right guard. Throckmorton and undrafted rookie Lewis Kidd split time filling in for an injured Andrus Peat at left guard and, after starting left tackle James Hurst, already filling in for first-round rookie Trevor Penning, left the game with an injury, Landon Young was called into action. The offensive line is currently in tatters with three starters out by the end of today’s game.
If Hurst or Peat are forced to miss any more time, expect more practice squad call ups in the coming weeks. The Saints currently roster Drew Desjarlais, Yasir Durant, and Derrick Kelly on the practice squad and may have to call on one or all of them to cover their battered offensive line in case of any further injuries.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott Out For Week 10
NOVEMBER 13: Unsurprisingly given the team’s moves yesterday, Elliott will be inactive once again. That will leave Pollard with a heavy workload as the undisputed lead back for the second straight week.
NOVEMBER 12: Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is listed as questionable going into this Sunday’s game in Green Bay. The team’s practice squad elevations today may hint at which direction Elliott is trending, though. Dallas is elevating running back Qadree Ollison and guard Dakoda Shepley for tomorrow afternoon’s game. 
Ollison has only been called up for one game this season and appeared sparingly, but Dallas’ season trends make the elevation a decision that we can read into a bit more. The Cowboys have had three running backs active in every game this year. Elliott’s questionable designation means that he could technically be active for the game, but if he is, it will be the first game of the year for the Cowboys that they would have four active running backs available to play.
If Elliott is unable to go, Tony Pollard will take the start and the majority of the work on offense. Rico Dowdle was the third back on the roster for much of the season behind Elliott and Pollard before being placed on injured reserve a month ago. With Dowdle out, undrafted rookie Malik Davis served as the third running back for the following two games. With Elliott out last week, the Cowboys were forced to give Davis his first offensive snaps behind Pollard as Ollison made his first appearance of the season as the third back.
If the trend continues, Ollison’s call up points to an inactive Elliott, leading to a second straight game of Pollard as the lead back with Davis and Ollison backing him up.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/22
Here are the minor roster moves in anticipation for Sunday’s slate of games:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: S Charles Washington
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Rashaad Coward
Chicago Bears
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Gerri Green, CB Harrison Hand
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: T Quinn Bailey, DE Jonathan Harris
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/PUP: FB Jason Cabinda
- Signed to active roster: TE Shane Zylstra
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Stanley Berryhill, LB Jarrad Davis
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted from practice squad: K Ramiz Ahmed, LB Ladarius Hamilton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted from practice squad: S Ugochukwu Amadi
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Kyle Peko
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: RB Larry Rountree
- Promoted from practice squad: K Cameron Dicker, T Foster Sarell
Miami Dolphins
- Signed to active roster: S Verone McKinley III
- Promoted from practice squad: T Kion Smith
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Nick Muse
New Orleans Saints
- Signed to active roster: G Josh Andrews
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Jordan Howard, CB Bryce Thompson
New York Giants
- Activated of reserve/PUP: T Matt Peart
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Lawrence Cager, DL Henry Mondeaux
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted from practice squad: DT T.Y. McGill
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Vi Jones
- Placed on IR: FB/OLB Cullen Gillaspia
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Ulysees Gilbert, CB Ryan Smith
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Larrell Murchison, WR C.J. Board
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick Out With Appendicitis; OLB T.J. Watt Activated
6:00pm: After undergoing an appendectomy to deal with the appendicitis Fitzpatrick suffered through in walkthroughs today, the two-time All-Pro safety is expected to miss multiple weeks in recovery, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Steelers will want Fitzpatrick back on the field as soon as possible, but typically, appendectomies have resulted in missing more than one week. Schefter points at the most recent major player to undergo the procedure as an example. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow underwent the surgery just before training camp and missed two-and-a-half weeks.
A similar-length absence would see Fitzpatrick miss tomorrow’s game and next weekend’s matchup vs the Bengals. An extra day means that he could return in time for the team’s Monday night game in Indianapolis the week after, but that’s an extremely optimistic timeline.
Behind Norwood, whom we mentioned below as the likely replacement, Pittsburgh recently returned Damontae Kazee from IR. They’ll also have Miles Killebrew and the practice squad elevation, Riley.
2:09pm: The Steelers have been looking forward to the return of star pass rusher T.J. Watt from injured reserve this week but are now expected to be without safety Minkah Fitzpatrick who is reportedly dealing with appendicitis, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The team has also officially activated Watt from IR and placed cornerback William Jackson III on IR. 
Fitzpatrick is set to miss his first game of the season and just the second game of his career. Despite the team’s struggles this year, Fitzpatrick has maintained a high level of play. He has been all over the defensive backfield this year racking up six passes defensed along with three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown. Being only halfway through the season, Fitzpatrick is on track for career highs in both numbers, assuming he can make a quick return from his appendicitis.
In the lone game Fitzpatrick has missed before this, which occurred last season, the Steelers started then-rookie seventh-round pick Tre Norwood in his place. Norwood had already made two starts at the time, being one of the first defensive backs off the bench in packages that called for five or six defensive backs, but that was his first game playing 100% of the team’s defensive snaps and playing specifically in Fitzpatrick’s role. The Steelers’ pass defense struggled that day in a loss to the Chargers in which quarterback Justin Herbert passed for nearly 400 yards. It’s hard to blame the loss on Norwood’s stand-in performance, but considering the Steelers finished 2021 as a top-10 passing defense, one can infer some importance concerning Fitzpatrick’s absence. This year, Norwood started in place of an injured Terrell Edmunds in a Week 5 matchup against the Bills. Again, correlation does not exactly equal causation, but the team’s pass defense once again struggled as quarterback Josh Allen passed for 424 yards and four touchdowns on only 20 completions.
The return of Watt should be heralded in the Steel City as a giant addition to the defense. Outside of outside linebacker Alex Highsmith and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, the Steelers have struggled to produce an effective pass rush. Pittsburgh will gladly welcome pack their star defender who produced 22.5 sacks in only 15 games last season. Returning the reigning Defensive Player of the Year back to the field may not totally make up for the absence of Fitzpatrick, but it sure helps.
Jackson has yet to make his Steelers debut after being traded from the Commanders 11 days ago, and his debut will have to wait at least four more games after being placed on IR. Jackson had already missed the past three games for Washington while dealing with a back injury. Even though the season is only half over, the Steelers are far enough back in the division race that there is no sense in rushing Jackson to return from a back injury before he’s ready.
Lastly, in response to Fitzpatrick’s absence, the Steelers have elevated safety Elijah Riley from the practice squad for this weekend’s game against the Saints.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/12/22
Today’s only practice squad transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: TE Jake Tonges
- Released: CB Davontae Harris
Bills Elevate CB Xavier Rhodes, RB Duke Johnson From Practice Squad; No QB Elevated
Two veterans that have been stashed on the Bills practice squad are set to make their season debuts for the team this week. Buffalo has elevated cornerback Xavier Rhodes and running back Duke Johnson for this weekend’s matchup against the Vikings. 
The Bills are extremely deep at cornerback, but an injury to first-round rookie Kaiir Elam has him currently listed as doubtful going into Sunday. With Elam out, Dane Jackson would be expected to start opposite Tre’Davious White at cornerback, with Taron Johnson and Siran Neal providing key snaps off the bench. That’s still a reliable amount of depth but adding the veteran Rhodes will provide the Bills with just a bit more security if Elam can’t play.
This has been an interestingly quiet season for Rhodes, who started at least 13 games in every season dating back to his sophomore season before this year. The longtime shutdown cornerback for the Vikings spent two years doing more of the same in Indianapolis before signing to the Bills practice squad in the offseason. After eight years as a fulltime starter, coming in off the practice squad is an unfamiliar role for the 32-year-old.
The Bills traded for another former Colt in running back Nyheim Hines at the deadline in an attempt to bring in a back who can catch passes out of the backfield, something that the team was lacking with Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, and James Cook. The elevation of Johnson from the practice squad may indicate that Hines is not totally comfortable enough with the playbook to take hold of that role yet.
Johnson spent the majority of his career as one of the league’s premier pass-catching running backs. Over his career, Johnson has more receiving yards (2,870) than rushing yards (2,261). He’s an effective weapon, even at 29-years-old, that the Bills have kept stashed on the practice squad all year. Johnson was given an opportunity to start for a depleted Dolphins team last year and rewarded them with two 100-yard rushing performances and three touchdowns in four starts.
Many, including NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, noted that Buffalo was not elevating quarterback Matt Barkley, indicating that the team is confident that starter Josh Allen will be able to play after sustaining an elbow sprain last week. Allen had been limited in practice this week but was able to grip the ball and provide enough for the Bills staff to show that he can start.
Rams Activate Three From Injured Lists, Waive RB Malcolm Brown
The Rams remain one of the most active teams in the league with their activations from the injured lists, continuing that trend today with two activations from injured reserve and one from the physically unable to perform list. After the three activations, the team will have two remaining, the second lowest in the league after only their division rivals in San Francisco. In order to free up some space on the roster, Los Angeles waived veteran running back Malcolm Brown. 
The biggest return for the Rams is interior offensive lineman Coleman Shelton, who started four games for the Rams before being placed on IR. Coleman initially started at right guard for Los Angeles before moving to center to help replace an injured Brian Allen. Alaric Jackson was filling in for Coleman until being asked to cover the left tackle spot left vacant when Joseph Noteboom was placed on IR. Since then, some spot starts from Oday Aboushi and Chandler Brewer have contributed to an extremely injured offensive line.
The other two activations were rookie running back Kyren Williams from IR and rookie safety Quentin Lake from the PUP list. Williams was a fifth-round draft pick out of Notre Dame and is expected to have enough of an impact as a rookie that the team felt comfortable letting go of Brown. The shorter, stocky back should provide a complimentary skillset alongside Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers. Lake, a sixth-round pick out of nearby UCLA, should provide some key depth behind Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp at safety with Jordan Fuller still on IR.
Brown’s return to Los Angeles, after a one-year stay in Miami, was fairly short-lived and unproductive. In five games this year, Brown has only touched the ball 16 times for 57 total scrimmage yards, despite all the drama keeping Akers off the field. It appears that, after seven of eight years with the team, the Rams have seen enough of what Brown can provide in their running backs room and will allow the 29-year-old to test the waiver wire.
Lastly, in anticipation of their matchup with the Cardinals this weekend, the team has elevated tight end Jared Pinkney from the practice squad. The former Vanderbilt tight end made his Rams debut last week, playing solely on special teams.
Cowboys Executive Speaks On Free Agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.
As free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. continues to work his way back from the ACL injury that ended his first appearance in the Super Bowl after only a quarter and a half, rumors have run rampant on where his next destination will be. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones spoke recently on the NFL’s Sirius XM channel about the desire he has to bring Beckham to Dallas, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic. 
Jones, much like his father, Cowboys owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones, double dips in his duties serving not only as vice president but as CEO and director of player personnel for the team, as well. Therefore, the younger Jones’ comments on Beckham hold some weight, as he does have input on the team’s personnel decisions. “It’s hard not to imagine how a healthy OBJ could really help us out,” Jones told the show. “He did that for the Rams last year.”
Jones is referring to the impact Beckham made for Los Angeles after signing with the Rams at this point in the season (on this exact day, to be specific) last year. After six fairly unproductive games with the Browns to start the 2021 season, Beckham was excused from two practices before the two parties agreed to separate, leading Cleveland to eventually waive the three-time Pro Bowler.
Beckham took some time deciding where he would sign before eventually joining the Rams. After failing to amass a single touchdown and only gaining 232 yards through six weeks with the Browns, Beckham found a role with the Rams, who had just lost Robert Woods for the season to an ACL tear of his own. In the final eight games of the season, Beckham caught 27 balls for 305 yards and five touchdowns.
Beckham’s effectiveness continued in the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl, catching 19 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown in the three games leading up to the season finale. Beckham even left his mark in the Super Bowl, opening the game’s scoring with a 17-yard touchdown catch before being forced to exit the game with two receptions for 52 yards and the lone touchdown.
The 2021 Rams were already seeing success before Beckham arrived with a 7-2 start to the season. After he arrived, they finished the season 5-3 in the last eight games, including a five-game win streak, before going undefeated in the postseason. The 2022 Cowboys are similarly seeing success at 6-2 so far this year despite only seeing three games from starting quarterback Dak Prescott. The rest of their schedule holds some challenges that adding Beckham could assist with. After their bye week, the Cowboys head to Green Bay to face a down Packers team, but the Packers always seem to find a way to break Dallas hearts. After that they’ll face a strong Vikings squad before finishing out their division race which includes games against the surprising Giants and undefeated Eagles.
The Cowboys defense and rushing offense have really helped the team succeed so far this year. One of the biggest perceived holes on the team has been the presence of receiving options behind top pass-catcher CeeDee Lamb. Lamb leads the team with 42 catches for 556 yards and three touchdowns. With the departure of Amari Cooper, free agent addition James Washington on injured reserve, and Michael Gallup still getting back to 100% after his own ACL tear from late last season, the Cowboys have turned to former seventh-round pick Noah Brown as their second option at wide receiver. Brown has certainly contributed with 25 receptions for 339 yards and a touchdown, but his 39 targets are fewer that Lamb’s receptions-total and nearly half of Lamb’s target-share.
Dallas can depend on Lamb to lead the pass-catching group. The tight ends contribute with Dalton Schultz as a provider of production in the offense and Jake Ferguson proving effective in the red zone with two touchdown receptions this season. Running back Tony Pollard provides an effective pass-catching option out of the backfield with 12 catches and 121 receiving yards of his own. Adding Beckham to this group as the second receiver opposite Lamb could pay huge dividends for this offense that recently got Prescott back behind center.
Realistically, the odds of landing Beckham were something that Jones put into perspective. “(Beckham) can go wherever he wants, but we want to make our compelling case,” Jones said. He didn’t dismiss the idea of offering Beckham a multi-year deal, a larger commitment than the one-year contract the Rams gave Beckham last year. “At the end of the day, it’s about business, as well, so we’ll just roll up our sleeves and see if there’s an opportunity to put a star on Odell’s helmet.”
Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr. Clears Concussion Protocol
Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. is set to return to the field after missing the past two weeks with a concussion, according to Buccaneers senior writer Scott Smith. Tampa Bay will have its third-year starting safety back in time for a home matchup with the Seahawks. 
Winfield is coming back from the second multi-week absence of his career due to a concussion. The Pro Bowler missed two games last year after getting knocked out of a Week 4 win over the Patriots. He missed two games later in that season with a foot injury.
Since intercepting Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 1, Winfield has been quiet in terms of playmaking, but he has a penchant for making plays over his career with four interceptions, 14 passes defensed, five forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries over the first two and half years of his NFL career. Winfield is also a presence in the team’s pass rush with eight sacks and 10 quarterback hits so far in his career.
The return of Winfield to the secondary should equal backup safety Keanu Neal‘s return to the bench. Neal has started the last four games for the Buccaneers filling in for both Winfield and free safety Mike Edwards, who missed some time with an elbow injury. Neal filled in for Edwards in Week 6 and subbed in for Winfield after he left the team’s loss to the Panthers in Week 7. Neal started the next two games, as well, as Winfield worked to clear concussion protocols.
At this point, Winfield has been a full participant in practice for most of the week and will be full go against the Seahawks.
Broncos WR KJ Hamler Ruled Out With Hamstring Injury
After injuring his hamstring this Wednesday in practice, Broncos slot receiver KJ Hamler will not be available this Sunday when the team travels to Nashville, according to Troy Renck of Denver7. This leaves Denver’s receiving corps down two men as Tim Patrick remains on injured reserve after a preseason ACL tear. 
Renck points out that the absence of Hamler is especially damaging as the Titans have struggled to defend the middle of the field against slot receivers this season. The natural replacement for Hamler in the slot would this year’s fifth-round pick Montrell Washington. The rookie out of Samford has only amassed three catches for five yards this year in limited time but physically represents the best matchup in the slot.
Whoever the Broncos line up in the slot should get plenty of opportunities with wideouts Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy drawing attention on the perimeter. The Broncos could also see plenty of production from tight ends Greg Dulcich, Eric Saubert, and Albert Okwuegbunam across the middle.
The Broncos haven’t quite had the season they were hoping for after acquiring quarterback Russell Wilson in a trade with Seattle this offseason. Denver is hoping that the offensive momentum from the team’s win over Jacksonville two weeks ago will carry through the bye week into this week’s matchup with the Titans. Losing Hamler as a target in the middle of the field hurts, but Wilson and company can still capitalize against the Titans’ perceived weakness.