Packers Expected To Place Tyler Ervin On IR
The Packers are expected to place return specialist Tyler Ervin on IR, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Ervin, who had been dealing with wrist and rib injuries, sustained a foot injury in the team’s win over the Eagles on Sunday. Although surgery won’t be required, Ervin is expected to miss at least a month, so his season could be over.
Green Bay claimed the San Jose State product off waivers from Jacksonville last December, and the club re-signed him to a one-year, $1MM contract this offseason. Ervin, a running back by trade, saw his most extensive action on the offensive side of the ball in a Week 9 victory over the 49ers, picking up eight carries for 24 yards and four catches for 48 yards. By and large, though, he has been a return man, taking back five punts for 20 yards and 10 kickoffs for 196 yards in 2020.
In Ervin’s absence, Tavon Austin could get a shot at return duties. Austin, who spent the last two seasons with the Cowboys, has yet to suit up for a game this season. He signed with the 49ers back in August but was placed on injured reserve before the season started. He was released from IR last month, and he has been a free agent ever since.
NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Whitworth, Garoppolo
Cardinals NT Corey Peters is out for the season due to a torn patellar tendon, and as he is in the final year of his contract with Arizona, it’s possible he has already played his last game with the team. But if he has it his way, that won’t be the case.
The 32-year-old said that he would love to spend the rest of his career with the Cardinals, as Mason Kern of SI.com writes, and assuming the price is right, it would make sense for GM Steve Keim to keep him. Peters was named Arizona’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award yesterday, and he has been a team captain for three years running. In addition to his stout defense against the run, he is a highly-respected spiritual and emotional leader, so look for the two sides to discuss a reunion this offseason.
Now for more from the NFC West:
- Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald says he feels much better after testing positive for COVID-19 late last month, though he has yet to regain his senses of taste and smell (Twitter link via Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN.com). Fitz also says he lost nine pounds during his bout with the coronavirus, but he did come off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday, and as Darren Urban of the team’s official website tweets, the 37-year-old will suit up against the Giants this weekend.
- After sinking 88.6% of his field goal tries in 2019, Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez has converted just 72.7% of his attempts this year, prompting some to wonder if the team will seek another option. But Keim will keep rolling with Gonzalez, saying, “I know people question Zane but Zane has a lot of talent. … I think Zane will work through the tough times” (Twitter link via Urban). Gonzalez is playing out the season on his RFA tender, and this is not how he wanted to enter his first offseason as an unrestricted free agent.
- The Rams suddenly find themselves atop the NFC West, and they could be getting their left tackle back soon. Andrew Whitworth has been on the shelf since the middle of November with a torn MCL and PCL, but Jay Glazer of FOX Sports says (via Twitter) that the veteran OT, who turns 39 tomorrow, will test out the knee next week. Whitworth is apparently way ahead of schedule and could return by the end of the regular season.
- Jimmy Garoppolo‘s future with the 49ers is in some doubt, even though HC Kyle Shanahan recently said he expects the dashing signal-caller to be the team’s starter in 2021. That may well be the case, but Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes San Francisco will select a QB in next year’s draft, perhaps as high as the second round. There could be a few intriguing prospects available at that point that Shanahan may be able to turn into a viable starter at the professional level. Players like Florida’s Kyle Trask or Alabama’s Mac Jones could both be options.
- It has now been over a year since Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny last suited up for a game, but as John Boyle of the team’s official website notes, Penny returned to practice this week. Head coach Pete Carroll says he’s excited about what he has seen from Penny in practice (Twitter link via 710 ESPN Seattle), and the ‘Hawks could certainly use a boost to an RB corps that has dealt with a number of injuries this season. Per Boyle, CB Quinton Dunbar, who has been on IR for a few weeks with a knee injury, has also returned to practice.
- The Seahawks signed QB Alex McGough to their practice squad yesterday, and as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the team has put its other PS signal-caller, Danny Etling, in a bubble. The Broncos, of course, recently had to play a game with a practice squad wide receiver at QB because the rest of their quarterbacks were deemed high-risk close contacts of Jeff Driskel, who had tested positive. The Seahawks are keeping Etling in a bubble to guard against just such a situation.
Jason Peters Done For Season
Eagles veteran offensive lineman Jason Peters is done for the season, head coach Doug Pederson announced this morning. Peters has been dealing with a significant toe injury, one that landed him on injured reserve earlier this year, and as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets, the 38-year-old has elected to undergo surgery on the toe.
When Peters re-signed with Philadelphia this summer, the original plan was for him to play right guard in place of the injured Brandon Brooks. Then, projected left tackle Andre Dillard was ruled out for the season with a biceps injury in August, forcing the team to shift Peters back to his long-time LT post while giving him a pay bump in the process.
Unfortunately, the toe injury cropped up in early October, and the Eagles placed Peters on IR as a result. Though he was activated just a few weeks later, the team recently moved him to right guard to compensate for his limited mobility. He played 36 snaps at RG during the team’s loss to the Packers on Sunday, but the pain was apparently too much to continue to push through.
Given his advanced age, this might be the end of the line for Peters. If so, he will end his career with a tremendous resume that includes two First Team All-Pro selections, nine Pro Bowls, and a Super Bowl ring. He is easily one of the best LTs of his generation, and there may be a gold jacket in Canton waiting for him in a few years.
Interestingly, Peters’ last play against Green Bay was also quarterback Carson Wentz‘s last play, at least for the time being. Wentz has been benched in favor of rookie signal-caller Jalen Hurts, who will be playing behind Nate Herbig at right guard.
Leonard Williams Likely To Re-Sign With Giants?
The Giants’ trade for Leonard Williams at the 2019 deadline raised plenty of eyebrows at the time, given New York’s status as a non-contender and Williams’ status as a pending free agent. The team applied the franchise tag on Williams in the offseason, and though player and team were unable to agree to a long-term pact, the former first-round pick is having a breakout year and is a big reason why the Giants are sitting in first place in the NFC East.
The knock on Williams throughout his early career with the Jets is that he was unable to consistently convert his high number of quarterback hits into sacks. That has changed this season, as the USC product has already amassed a career-high 8.5 sacks through 12 games, and Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics consider him the 17th-best interior defender in the league out of 125 qualified players. In addition to his pass-rushing acumen, he continues to excel against the run.
Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv believes Williams and the Giants will ultimately come to terms on a lucrative multi-year contract at season’s end, but as always, money will be the determining factor. Because he is not an edge rusher, Williams is unlikely to hit the $25MM+ AAV that players like Joey Bosa enjoy, and several agents think DeForest Buckner‘s four-year, $84MM pact ($56MM guaranteed) is a reasonable benchmark.
Williams does not have Buckner’s track record, so GMs may be hesitant to pony up that kind of guaranteed cash unless they are confident 2020 is not a peak but is instead a harbinger of things to come. Plus, the market may be depressed in general as a result of the pandemic and the potential for a dramatically reduced salary cap, and a number of talented pass rushers may find themselves looking for a new home in 2021, which would help keep Williams’ price down and increase his chances of staying put.
He has not shown any indication that he wants to leave, and since his potential has finally been unlocked with Big Blue, it makes sense that both sides would want to continue their relationship for the foreseeable future. As one agent said, “A deal with the Giants makes too much sense. They’re not going to be able to get a player like him on the market, and he might not be able to get the money he wants on the market. The Giants can afford to give him $20-22 million per year, maybe with an out in the deal so he gets another shot at free agency in a few years when the cap is back to normal.”
Cam Newton To Remain Patriots’ QB
After picking up back-to-back wins to keep themselves in the AFC playoff picture, the Patriots were pummeled by the Rams in last night’s primetime affair. With New England trailing 24-3 in the fourth quarter, head coach Bill Belichick pulled starting QB Cam Newton in favor of Jarrett Stidham. But even though the loss effectively torpedoed the Pats’ postseason hopes, Belichick is not benching Newton.
When asked about his quarterback situation after the game, the future Hall of Fame HC said, “Great question. Really glad you asked that. Cam’s our quarterback” (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
Newton, 31, signed a very modest one-year pact with the Patriots in late June. Though he has shown flashes of his old self, particularly as a runner, the 2020 campaign has largely been a struggle. Over 12 games, he has thrown for just 2,172 yards and five TDs against 10 interceptions, good for a 78.9 quarterback rating. On the plus side, he has maintained a 4.0 yards-per-carry average over 113 rushing attempts and has found paydirt 11 times on the ground.
He has certainly not had a world-class contingent of skill position talent to work with, and he has been dealing with an abdomen injury that certainly could have impacted his performance in last night’s game (to his credit, Newton denied that his poor play was due to injury). Still, it might make sense for New England to at least give Stidham, a second-year passer who looked as though he would be the club’s starting quarterback before the Newton signing, a chance to show what he can do with a full week of first-team practice reps and an offensive scheme more tailored to his skillset.
Belichick, though, will continue rolling with the 2015 league MVP, whose market value probably won’t be much higher in 2021 than it was in 2020. And as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com said this morning, Newton is unlikely to be back with the Patriots next season, even if the team wanted to re-sign him (video link).
Drew Brees’ Recovery Progressing Well
Saints QB Drew Brees is making good progress in his recovery from 11 fractured ribs and a collapsed lung, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com details. The 41-year-old passer is eligible to come off injured reserve for New Orleans’ matchup with the Eagles next Sunday, and there is a chance that he will indeed be back in action then.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network also hears that Brees is approaching full health, though he says that the Saints may hold out the future Hall of Famer until the team’s Week 15 bout with the Chiefs (video link). Regardless, head coach Sean Payton will have a critical decision to make soon.
Payton and the Saints have long considered Taysom Hill to be Brees’ successor, and in his first two games as the team’s starting QB, Hill has not disappointed. In a Week 10 win against the Falcons, he threw for 223 yards on an efficient 18-for-23 passing, and he has scored four rushing TDs on nearly five yards-per-carry over the past two weeks. His Week 13 passing effort was nothing to write home about — nine of 16 for 78 yards and a pick — but he didn’t need to do much through the air for the Saints to roll to a 31-3 win over the QB-less Broncos.
Obviously, Brees will be reinserted into the starting lineup soon, but Hill’s performance has given the Saints the option to be patient with Brees’ return. As of now, it continues to look as though Hill, who signed an extension earlier this year keeping him under club control through 2021, will be New Orleans’ permanent QB next season.
Jadeveon Clowney Done For Season
The Titans placed edge defender Jadeveon Clowney on injured reserve a little over two weeks ago, and the team hoped he might be back in time for a playoff push. However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, Clowney underwent surgery on Wednesday to repair his left meniscus and will require several months of rehab. As such, his season is over.
Clowney was perhaps the most-discussed player on the market this year, and his long free agency journey finally culminated in a one-year, $13MM pact with the Titans in August. Tennessee’s return on its investment was underwhelming, to say the least, as Clowney failed to produce a sack in eight games with the team.
Still, as has generally been the case with Clowney, the raw sack totals do not necessarily tell the whole story. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics peg him as the 16th-best edge player in the league, out of 106 qualifiers, and PFF gives him above-average marks in both run defense and as a pass rusher (he grades exceptionally high in pass coverage).
That is perhaps why the Titans still have interest in re-signing Clowney. Rapoport says Tennessee could explore a new deal if the price is right, and given that the former No. 1 overall pick will be coming off a second consecutive disappointing season in terms of surface-level stats, he could very well be had on a modest contract.
The meniscus tear may also depress his market, especially considering his prior injury history. Fortunately, the latest injury was to his left knee, and the surgery was a straightforward affair with no complications. Earlier in his career, Clowney underwent microfracture surgery on his right knee.
He is expected to be fully recovered by the time free agency opens in March.
HC/GM Rumors: Lynn, Harbaugh, Bears
Three head coaches and two GMs have already been fired this season, and there will be more dismissals to come. We learned this morning that Eagles HC Doug Pederson is on the hot seat, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says Chargers HC Anthony Lynn is in danger of losing his job as well.
The Bolts gave Lynn a modest vote of confidence this offseason by handing him a one-year extension through 2021, but despite the emergence of rookie signal-caller Justin Herbert, Lynn’s squad has limped to a 3-8 record. Several of those losses have been of the heartbreaking variety that Chargers fans have become accustomed to, and Lynn’s in-game decisions have been called into question.
The 51-year-old is highly-regarded in the Chargers’ building, and he did lead his club to a 12-4 record two seasons ago. If he does get fired, he probably won’t have a difficult time finding another HC gig.
Now for more from the HC/GM rumor mill:
- Jim Harbaugh‘s days with the University of Michigan appear to be numbered, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says the former 49ers HC is eyeing an NFL return. Florio adds that a number of clubs are already “doing their homework” on Harbaugh, who could be one of a number of prominent college coaches looking to make a leap to the pros.
- A few weeks ago, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports said the Bears “could” move on from HC Matt Nagy at season’s end. Now, La Canfora says it’s more likely than not that Nagy will be ousted and that Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald will be Chicago’s top choice for Nagy’s replacement.
- Although Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has drawn plenty of interest and is expected to get his first HC job this offseason, Kansas City quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Mike Kafka is also a name to watch, per La Canfora. We knew that the Eagles were interested in Kafka as an OC last offseason, and JLC says the 33-year-old former QB also had the opportunity to take a head coaching interview. Kafka declined, as he wanted to continue to learn under Andy Reid, but he will be a top target for HC and OC openings in 2021.
- As far as GM jobs go, former Giants general manager Jerry Reese is expected to draw interest for the Lions‘ GM opening, as La Canfora writes. Reese, who was fired by Big Blue in 2017, wants to return to an NFL front office and has the support from advisors to the Ford family (including Ernie Accorsi, whom Reese succeeded as Giants GM in 2007).
- The Texans are expected to interview former Chiefs and Browns GM John Dorsey, according to La Canfora. Dorsey was fired by Cleveland at the end of last season, but it would be fair to blame more of the Browns’ disappointing 2019 campaign on former head coach Freddie Kitchens than on Dorsey. After all, Cleveland is now poised for a playoff berth with a roster that Dorsey largely constructed, and Dorsey also has ties to Bieniemy, who has been heavily connected to Houston’s HC job.
- An unfortunate neck injury may have brought an end to A.Q. Shipley‘s playing career, but he will get the chance to join the Buccaneers‘ coaching staff, as Carmen Vitali of the team’s official website writes. Shipley has long been a favorite of Tampa HC Bruce Arians, who believes the veteran center has all the makings of an excellent coach.
Lamar Jackson Expected To Return This Week
The Ravens are slowly getting healthier. After a COVID-19 outbreak decimated Baltimore’s roster and forced the team to field a JV squad against the Steelers on Wednesday — a game that was postponed multiple times — the Ravens activated several key players yesterday. And Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that quarterback Lamar Jackson is expected to come off the reserve/COVID-19 list and start against the Cowboys on Tuesday.
Jackson tested positive for the coronavirus on Thanksgiving and has now completed his 10-day quarantine. He can practice today and participate in Monday’s walkthrough in preparation for the matchup with Dallas.
The reigning league MVP has not been nearly as successful this season as he was in his 2019 coming-out party, but he remains a dynamic talent whose presence makes Baltimore a difficult out, regardless of opponent. Though the Ravens have fallen to 6-5 after a 5-1 start to the season, all but one of their defeats have come by less than a score.
Baltimore has a manageable schedule the rest of the way, with games against the Cowboys, Jaguars, Giants, and Bengals upcoming. As such, the Ravens still have a good chance at securing a playoff berth, and having Jackson under center will go a long way towards achieving that goal.
Meanwhile, the NFL-NFLPA investigation into the Ravens’ violation of COVID-19 protocols will take weeks to wrap up, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. We have learned that the coronavirus outbreak was largely transmitted by a strength coach who reportedly came into the team’s facility despite being ill and who did not adhere to facemask protocols. That coach has since been suspended, but several players told their agents and the union that they are also concerned about chaplains and nutritionists not following all facemask and social distancing requirements.
The league has made it clear that the Ravens have been extremely cooperative and forthcoming in the investigation, and the belief is that the outbreak is contained. Nonetheless, Baltimore will likely face at least a heavy fine as punishment for the protocol violations.
Eagles HC Doug Pederson On Hot Seat
A little less than three years ago, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson was on top of the world. He and backup quarterback Nick Foles had just guided their club through a memorable playoff run that culminated in a Super Bowl victory over the Patriots, thereby bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Philadelphia for the first time and solidifying Pederson’s status in franchise lore. But things change quickly in the NFL.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Pederson is on the hot seat. The Eagles have lost three in a row and now sit at 3-7-1, good for third place in the dismal NFC East. After the club’s loss to the Seahawks on Monday night, prominent players like Carson Wentz, Brandon Graham, and Jason Kelce held a meeting, for which Pederson was also present. Accountability and responsibility were among the items on the agenda, and it’s never a good sign when such conversations become necessary.
Team leaders also organized a players-only meeting on Wednesday, and while this past week of practice was described as lively and spirited, the Eagles are heavy underdogs in their matchup with the Packers this afternoon. If they cannot squeeze a postseason appearance out of a historically-bad division and an expanded playoff field, Pederson may very well be looking for new employment in 2021.
Indeed, Rapoport says that the 52-year-old head coach has not received any assurances about his future from owner Jeffrey Lurie, and there is speculation in the team’s facility that Pederson’s job is on the line. The tension and frustration in the building is said to be palpable.
Pederson has ceded some play-calling duties, but Wentz’s struggles and Pederson’s inability to find answers for those struggles has been a major theme of the season. In each of the past two seasons, though, Pederson’s troops have rallied in the final weeks of the campaign to secure a playoff berth, and they hope that 2020 will have a similar ending.
If Lurie does elect to part ways with Pederson, the Jets are one team that could have interest, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. New York is expected to fire Adam Gase at season’s end, if not sooner, and GM Joe Douglas worked with Pederson for three years as Philadelphia’s vice president of player personnel.
In his four-plus seasons as the Eagles’ head coach, Pederson has compiled a 41-33-1 regular season record, along with a 4-2 postseason mark. The team has won two division titles (and, of course, a Super Bowl) in that time.