Bears Request To Interview Chargers’ Wooden
Do not be surprised if you start getting calls from Chicago because the Bears are searching far and wide to fill their vacant general manager position and they are interviewing EVERYBODY! The newest candidate to add to the list is Chargers’ director of player personnel, JoJo Wooden, according to a tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Wooden has been with the Chargers since 2013 overseeing the pro and college scouting department for the Chargers. He got his start with the Jets in 1997 and spent 10 seasons working his way up from pro personnel assistant to the assistant director, player personnel, a position he held for six more years.
What makes Wooden an interesting candidate for the Bears’ job is the connections he has to the search committee. Bears Senior Writer Larry Mayer reported a couple days ago that Bill Polian, who has spent time as a general manager for the Bills, Panthers, and, most notably, the Colts, will be a resource to the Bears as they go through the process of hiring a new head coach and general manager. Wooden is known as a key lieutenant for the Chargers’ current general manager Tom Telesco, and Telesco worked under Polian during Polian’s entire tenure in Indianapolis.
To date, the Bears have already interviewed the Browns’ Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Glenn Cook and their own assistant director of player personnel, Champ Kelly. They’ve also requested interviews with the Colts’ Morocco Brown and Ed Dodds, the 49ers’ Ran Carthon, the Saints’ Jeff Ireland, the Steelers’ Omar Khan, the Giants’ Joe Schoen, and the Patriots’ Eliot Wolf. Texans’ former general manager Rick Smith has also been identified as a candidate.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/13/22
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Designated for return: DE Whitney Mercilus
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Designated for return: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/13/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Joe Walker
- Released: LB Tahir Whitehead
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR John Brown
- Released: RB Darwin Thompson
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/13/22
Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Justin Fields
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Malcolm Smith, CB Denzel Ward
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DE Joe Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Jayron Kearse
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB C.J. Beathard
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Caleb Benenoch
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR James Washington
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Buddy Johnson
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Alamaba WR Jameson Williams Declares For Draft
Jameson Williams is going pro. The junior wide receiver made the announcement on his Instagram account early this afternoon, joining Evan Neal as the second Crimson Tide underclassman so far to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft.
Williams leaves the ranks of college football having lost two consecutive national championship games: one as a Buckeye in the 2020 season and one as a member of the Crimson Tide this year. Williams initially signed with Ohio State in 2019 but was starved for targets behind fellow first-round hopefuls Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
The change of scenery was a smart move for Williams as he went on the have the second-best receiving season for an Alabama receiver since Amari Cooper, behind only Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith. Williams finished fifth in the nation with 1,572 receiving yards and tied for third in the nation with 15 receiving touchdowns. Williams has length and speed to dominate at the next level.
There is a bit of a hurdle for Williams as he tore his ACL in the Tide’s National Championship Game versus Georgia. The injury rang a familiar unpleasant tone with Alabama fans as they saw a similarly timed injury sideline their number-two receiver John Metchie III in the team’s SEC Championship Game against Georgia.
Williams was projected as an extremely high draft pick before the injury. While the potential threat of having to sit out his entire rookie season won’t do anything to help the 20-year old’s draft stock, whichever team takes a chance on Williams will have a do-it-all receiver who can win the jump balls, go deep, and return kicks. We shouldn’t be waiting too long to hear his name.
Culley’s Departure Doesn’t Affect Watson
According to multiple sources, the departure of former Texans’ head coach David Culley has no effect on where the franchise stands with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Watson’s issue was never with the coaching staff and Culley, Watson’s issue was with the ownership. 
The Texans are hoping to trade the 3-time Pro Bowler before the new league year starts on March 16. Watson holds a bit of power in the decision-making for the trade, as he holds a no-trade clause in his contract. Watson, in theory, must approve of his trade location and waive his no-trade clause for the chosen team, as he did with the Dolphins.
The Dolphins’ deal, which valued Watson at multiple first-round picks plus some ancillary picks, ended up falling through as Miami erred on the side of caution when they weren’t able to secure conditions attached to the picks as a safeguard against Watson’s possible discipline. Watson’s deposition is set to take place on February 22, with Watson not due in court until May 2. This makes Texans’ general manager Nick Caserio‘s job a bit more challenging, as the case on Watson will still loom over any potential deals.
Regardless, any head coach or offensive coordinator interviewing for Houston’s open positions should be aware that Watson is not part of the deal. Any coaching candidates will have to do their homework on Davis Mills instead.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/12/22
A number of players continue to sign reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
- QB Ryan Willis
Denver Broncos
- DE Jonathan Kongbo
Detroit Lions
- TE Matt Sokol
Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints
- QB Blake Bortles, C Cohl Cabral, DL Malcolm Roach, DB Bryce Thompson, WR Kevin White, TE Ethan Wolf
Minnesota Vikings
- G Kyle Hinton
New York Jets
Washington Football Team
- DT David Bada
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/12/22
Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Maxx Williams (remains on IR)
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Jonathan Bullard, T Jason Spriggs
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Nick Boyle, FB Patrick Ricard (remains on IR)
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DB Mazzi Wilkins
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Stephon Gilmore, WR Shi Smith
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Francis Bernard, LB Micah Parsons, T Tyron Smith, T Josh Ball (remains on IR/Designated to Return)
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT Josiah Bronson
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Lucas Patrick
Houston Texans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Justin Reid, QB Jeff Driskel (remains on IR)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: TE Mark Vital
New England Patriots
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Yodny Cajuste
San Francisco 49ers
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Tyler Bray
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Ryan Neal, DE Alton Robinson, DT Al Woods, DB Gavin Heslop (remains on IR)
Washington Football Team
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT David Bada
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/12/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Zach Kerr
- Released: DT Matt Dickerson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Austin Calitro
- Injured: K Elliott Fry
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: G Ben Braden
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Blake Countess, DB Sharrod Neasman, DB Eric Weddle (story)
New England Patriots
- Signed: DB Cre’von LeBlanc
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: P Ryan Winslow
- Restored from Injured: DB Doug Middleton
Vikings Request Interview With Bucs’ John Spytek
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, in their search to make their first general manager outside hire in over a decade, the Vikings have requested an interview with Buccaneers’ executive John Spytek (Twitter). Spytek is the current vice president of player personnel in Tampa Bay.
A Midwest-native, Spytek got his start as an operations intern for the Lions in 2004. He became a player personnel intern for the Eagles in 2005, taking only a year to earn a full-time college scouting assistant position. From Philadelphia, he moved to Cleveland to become their director of college scouting. After three seasons in the Browns’ organization, he spent about three more years in Denver before taking a position in the Buccaneers’ front office. He’s currently in his sixth season with Tampa Bay and his 18th in the NFL.
The connection to Minnesota is interesting due to Spytek’s connection to the Kubiak family from his time in Denver. Be sure to track the Vikings’ interest in Spytek and other candidates to replace Rick Spielman here.