Trade Rumors: Chiefs, Cooper, Browns, Jefferson, Bills, Eagles
Reminding of the 2010s Patriots, the Chiefs have continued to pile up wins lacking in style points. They are the NFL’s lone unbeaten, though the two-time reigning Super Bowl champs’ plus-43 point differential — thanks to four one-score wins — is tied for seventh in the NFL. Kansas City has lost Rashee Rice for the season, and Marquise Brown is out for at least the full regular season. The team also lost JuJu Smith-Schuster on Sunday; the recently re-signed veteran aggravated a hamstring injury and will miss at least Week 8, Andy Reid said.
While the Chiefs do have an all-time great at tight end in Travis Kelce, albeit a 35-year-old version of the TE/podcast host/actor, they have not seen first-rounder Xavier Worthy develop into a consistent option. The team has used Mecole Hardman more, with Justin Watson and Skyy Moore reprised their 2023 roles as regulars Sunday due to the injuries. Although Kansas City keeps getting by — thanks largely to a stout defense — SI.com’s Albert Breer points to the team still being interested in adding a wideout.
The Chiefs have been linked to DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk recently but have not made a move. It will be interesting to see if an AFC team would be willing to help them construct a better threepeat bid. NFCer Cooper Kupp, however, is available — albeit for a second-round pick. With the deadline moved back a week (to Nov. 5) this year, here is more from the trade market:
- Amari Cooper relocated to Buffalo last week, with the Browns — after having not extended the reliable veteran this offseason — dealing him to the Bills in a pick-swap trade headlined by a 2025 third-rounder. The Browns were planning to hang onto Cooper until closer to the deadline, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot. In addition to Buffalo, two other teams were in on the former top-five pick, per Cabot, who adds the other suitors did not match the Bills’ aggression. Cooper did not expect to be dealt, and the Browns did not anticipate the Bills showing such strong interest. The 30-year-old pass catcher caught four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown in his Bills debut.
- The Bills are not shutting the door on making another move to bolster their enduring Super Bowl quest. Bills GM Brandon Beane said during a Pat McAfee Show interview that Josh Allen‘s presence, despite the team’s cost-cutting moves this offseason, continues to keep the club “all in” toward a Super Bowl push. The eighth-year GM is open to more deals, though The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia indicates a lower-profile trade — potentially for a backup offensive lineman — could be the Cooper encore. Beane added the Browns showing cold feet on Cooper would have prompted the team to keep looking at receiver. Cooper’s presence rounds out Buffalo’s receiving corps, which has seen improvement from Khalil Shakir and some recent growth from rookie Keon Coleman.
- Another Browns player drawing trade interest: veteran D-lineman Quinton Jefferson. Teams have asked about the recent free agent signing, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. A productive but nomadic player, Jefferson has played for five teams over the past five years. The former Seahawks draftee has operated as a Browns backup, playing in five games and registering one sack. The Browns used void years to drop Jefferson’s cap hit to $1.2MM (on a one-year, $4MM deal), giving an acquiring team a minimal prorated sum to take on in the event of a trade. The Browns should be expected to move other pieces not essential to their 2025-and-beyond plans, but Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward are viewed as off the table.
- The Eagles received a bounce-back effort from their pass rush Sunday, preying on Andrew Thomas‘ absence to sack Giants quarterbacks eight times. Jalen Carter and off-ball linebacker Nakobe Dean led the way with two apiece. Defensive ends accounted for the other four, but the edge group has started slowly. Big-ticket FA signing Bryce Huff has 1.5 sacks and just three QB hits in six games. Going into Week 7, Breer added the Eagles — rarely shy about trade talks under Howie Roseman — may be a team to monitor regarding a pass-rushing addition.
Commanders Waive LB Jamin Davis
The Commanders’ new regime cut a host of Ron Rivera draftees after training camp. The Adam Peters-Dan Quinn duo is making a higher-profile move weeks later.
Jamin Davis, a 2021 first-round pick, received his walking papers Tuesday. Washington waived the fourth-year linebacker. Not yet a vested veteran, Davis can be claimed within the next 24 hours. The Commanders declined Davis’ $14.48MM fifth-year option in May and made multiple key moves at linebacker in free agency.
Under Quinn, Davis has seen his defensive snap share plummet from 86% down to 30%. Washington, which signed Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu in March, has used Davis strictly as a backup this season. He has been a healthy scratch twice, including in Week 6. Davis played 16 defensive snaps in Washington’s rout of Carolina on Sunday. Barring a return on a practice squad deal, the Kentucky alum appears done in Washington.
Davis, 25, was not alone among ILBs in seeing his option declined recently. The Ravens passed on Patrick Queen‘s last year, with fellow 2024 free agent signees Jordyn Brooks and Kenneth Murray seeing theirs declined as well. Davis being cut before becoming an unrestricted free agent naturally dings his stock, which had already trended downward since he came off the 2021 draft board 19th overall.
Although Davis bounced back from a bad rookie year by posting 104 tackles and three sacks in 2022 (before an 89-tackle, three-sack 2023 season), he was drafted to play in Jack Del Rio‘s defense. Davis did not see much of a look from Quinn, who brought in a host of his former players this offseason. Wagner is among them, and Luvu, while having no experience under Quinn, was one of the top free agent LBs available in free agency.
Davis, however, logged edge reps this offseason and has seen time in that role as well. Pro Football Focus even rates the recent hybrid performer, albeit on a limited snap count, inside the top 40 at the position. A team taking on his first-round salary might be a stretch, a claim should not be considered entirely out of the question. Davis’ recent versatility may help that cause — even if it did not help his Commanders standing.
The Commanders will eat a bit of dead money by cutting Davis, though his fully guaranteed rookie contract has seen most of the money paid out. The former high-end prospect will look to reestablish some momentum elsewhere — be it via waiver claim or a free agent signing at a lower rate.
Buccaneers Not Expected To Place Mike Evans On IR; WR To Miss Time
Monday night did not go well for the Buccaneers, who are now facing an immediate future without both their long-running wide receivers. Chris Godwin is set to undergo ankle surgery, and Mike Evans likely needs time off as well.
While not in jeopardy of missing the rest of the season like his longtime sidekick, Evans is expected to miss time. Entering the game with a hamstring injury, Evans aggravated it during Tampa Bay’s loss to Baltimore. The Bucs are not planning to place Evans on IR, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, but he should be considered likely to miss three games.
[RELATED: Bucs Place CB Jamel Dean On IR]
Todd Bowles has since said he does not expect Evans back until after the bye, even while the third-year Tampa Bay HC labeled the injury “moderate.” Bucs’ bye comes in Week 11. This would give Evans a month off without needing to miss the required four games.
Evans, 31, has proven remarkably durable during his career; he has missed more than two games in a season on just one occasion (2019). Even then, the impact wideout only missed three games. With Godwin also out, the Bucs will face a considerable challenge after a solid start to the season. Godwin sustained a dislocated ankle Monday night and is set for surgery; he is not expected back this season. While that deals a blow to the Bucs, they would be in rarely explored territory if both Evans and Godwin were out.
For the most part, the Bucs have been able to rely on at least one of these two since Godwin moved into the starting lineup during the 2019 season. Both Evans and Godwin did miss the 2019 season’s final two games, and Godwin’s ACL tear in Week 15 of the 2021 season preceded Evans’ one-game absence in Week 16 that year. The team still had Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski at that point, however. Brown’s final completed game as a Buccaneer involved neither Evans nor Godwin. Beyond that, one member of the Bucs’ homegrown pair has been available.
Evans missed two practices last week and logged a limited session to close out the Bucs’ Ravens preparation stretch, but he did not make it through the Baltimore contest. This calls into question the team’s risk management, as hamstring injuries are known to linger. The Bucs face the Falcons, Chiefs and 49ers over the next three weeks. The Atlanta matchup will be critical, as Tampa Bay lost a recent shootout to the Falcons and the rivals are tied atop the NFC South at 4-3.
Evans, 31, re-signed on a frontloaded two-year, $41MM deal just before free agency. While Godwin was off to the better start in sitting second in the NFL in receiving yardage, Evans is still playing well. Last year’s receiving TDs leader stands atop the NFL, with six, this season. Evans has caught 26 passes for 335 yards. Evans is famously 10-for-10 in 1,000-yard seasons. While that is not the NFL record for 1,000-yard slates, no one is close to Evans in terms of four-digit seasons out of the gate. This will hinder a quest for No. 11.
The absences of he and Godwin will certainly present a challenge for Baker Mayfield, who has started well after re-signing on a three-year, $100MM deal a day before the legal tampering period opened. The Bucs used a third-round pick on Jalen McMillan and have 2023 sixth-rounder Trey Palmer as a depth piece as well. Ex-Mayfield college teammate Sterling Shepard, however, leads all non-Evans and Godwin Bucs wideouts with 93 receiving yards. Shepard, who did not factor into the 2023 Giants’ offense prominently, will soon be in for a throwback role.
Rams Designate Puka Nacua For Return
Puka Nacua continues to make his way back from the knee injury that has defined his second NFL season. The Rams wide receiver made a big step toward a return Tuesday.
The Rams have Nacua back at practice, with the team announcing he has been designated for return. The rookie-year standout now has 21 days to be activated. Of course, this comes as the Rams look into trading Cooper Kupp. But Nacua, who is signed through 2026, remains a key part of the team’s future.
[RELATED: Injured Reserve Return Tracker]
After seeing Nacua’s breakout begin while Kupp was on the mend with a hamstring injury, the Rams have been without both their top guns in the passing game for most of this slate. Nacua aggravated a knee injury sustained during training camp. He made it back for Week 1 but went down in that Lions matchup with a PCL sprain. A recent report (from ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler) indicated the Rams were targeting November for a Nacua return. This would point to a lengthier ramp-up period.
The Rams continue their season Thursday against the Vikings; they are unlikely to have Nacua available, and Kupp’s status will be a key storyline to monitor ahead of that contest. Los Angeles rebuffed Kupp trade inquiries last season, but at 2-4 and having seen Kupp battle injury issues since signing his second extension, the team is gauging the market for the former All-Pro. A trade coming to fruition would cut short the Kupp-Nacua partnership, which showed promise last season.
A fifth-round gem, Nacua set a rookie record with 1,486 receiving yards while adding six touchdowns during a 105-catch season. The BYU product played in every Rams game last season, displaying a physical style that paired well with Kupp’s finesse game in the slot. Nacua, 23, will be expected to reprise his role as a top Matthew Stafford target. There will be no debating Nacua’s place in the Rams’ WR hierarchy if they move on from Kupp before the November 5 deadline.
Nacua and Kupp played 12 games together last season. None of the contests involved both receivers clearing 100 yards, but the two combined for eight 100-yard efforts during their time together. It does not seem like the Rams are committed to moving Kupp, but if they receive a strong enough offer, the team will be looking for a receiver to complement Nacua. The latter’s health the rest of the way stands to shape how the Rams approach this position in the offseason as well.
Cardinals’ Dennis Gardeck Tears ACL
Working his way up from primary special-teamer to defensive regular, Dennis Gardeck had found a role in Jonathan Gannon‘s defense. But the veteran’s progress will stop as a result of the injury he sustained Monday night.
Gardeck left the Cardinals’ Week 7 matchup, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports the seventh-year vet sustained a torn ACL. The edge rusher is in the final season of a three-year, $10MM contact.
Although Gardeck had worked as a special-teamer in Vance Joseph‘s defense, Gannon and DC Nick Rallis — as the team cut costs to start a rebuild — moved him into a regular rush role. The effort produced a team-high six sacks last season, and Gardeck had tallied a Cards-leading three early in this campaign. Gardeck has also forced a fumble and intercepted a pass for the 3-4 team.
While Gardeck did well to land the $10MM deal as a special-teamer, this setback could be a crusher as he attempted to make his case for better terms ahead of free agency. The former UDFA turned 30 this year and could have continued building a case for a starter-level contract. With the tear occurring near the midseason point, Gardeck’s value will undoubtedly take a hit.
The Cardinals used Gardeck as a three-game starter, giving him a 45% snap share on defense. He logged a 46% defensive snap rate under Gannon last season. The Cardinals have also been without BJ Ojulari this season; the 2023 second-rounder is out for the year. That will make the Gardeck injury tougher to overcome. Arizona still has former first-round pick Zaven Collins on the edge, but none of the team’s non-Gardeck OLBs have tallied a sack this season. A defense already ranking in the bottom quartile in points and yards allowed will continue an uphill battle.
Buccaneers Fear Chris Godwin Sustained Dislocated Ankle
As the Buccaneers attempted to crawl back into their Monday-night matchup with the Ravens, they lost one of their long-running wide receiver starters. The team fears Chris Godwin suffered a serious injury.
The team is concerned Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle, Todd Bowles said postgame. This will stall a bounce-back season for the eighth-year veteran, who has an extensive injury history. Godwin exited the field with an air cast on his injured ankle.
This would be both a significant blow to Tampa Bay’s offense and a poorly timed setback for Mike Evans‘ longtime sidekick. Godwin is in the final season of a three-year, $60MM deal. The former Super Bowl starter has four 1,000-yard seasons on his resume, but he was on pace for a career-best total this year. Godwin caught three passes for 65 yards in the Bucs’ loss tonight, elevating him to 576 on the season. Only Ja’Marr Chase (620) has that beat.
The Bucs gave Evans a third contract this offseason, moving their longtime No. 1 target back in front of Godwin, who is playing on a deal he signed after the team franchise-tagged him for a second straight year. Tampa Bay tagged Godwin in 2021 and ’22; the second stint on the tag did not last long, leading to the $20MM-per-year agreement days later. While Godwin has done quite well for himself as a pro, the former third-round pick was poised to be a high-end free agent at season’s end.
Tampa Bay has established a pattern of letting free agents play out their contract years and convincing them to re-sign. The team went heavy in this direction this year, re-signing Evans, Baker Mayfield and Lavonte David — before tagging and extending Antoine Winfield Jr. The team has also taken this route with cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis, along with center Ryan Jensen. The recently retired center had secured a third contract when he suffered what turned out to be a career-ending knee injury; Godwin’s value for a third contract will likely take a hit as a result of Monday’s development.
In May, an update emerged indicating the Bucs, true to form, had not discussed an extension with Godwin. The productive WR had suffered a torn ACL late in the 2021 season, leaving the team shorthanded (especially after Antonio Brown‘s subsequent meltdown). Godwin, 28, did re-emerge with 1,000-yard slates in 2022 and ’23; though, he was not quite in top form in either year. Godwin posted 1,023 yards in Tom Brady‘s 2022 finale and 1,024 in Mayfield’s Tampa debut, combining for just five touchdowns in that span. He had already matched that total entering Monday night.
The Bucs have trotted out Evans and Godwin together for eight years now. While the younger receiver did not move directly into the starting lineup as a rookie, he soon became Evans’ top complementary piece, helping the likes of Mayfield, Brady and Jameis Winston. Mayfield’s second Tampa Bay arsenal will take a hit as a result, raising the stakes for the likes of Trey Palmer and third-round rookie Jalen McMillan.
Although Brown interfered with Godwin’s unquestioned role as Tampa Bay’s WR2 for a short spell, the Bucs’ pass-game hierarchy has run through Evans and Godwin for many years now. Godwin sits behind only Evans on the team’s all-time receiving list. The Penn State alum’s 7,266 yards are more than 2,000 clear of third-place Mark Carrier, illustrating the value the Bucs have coaxed from their top WRs. If Godwin is unable to come back, this will be a test to the team’s receiver development — both this season and potentially into 2025, considering the veteran’s contract status.
Chargers, Saints, Steelers Inquire About Jets’ Mike Williams
OCTOBER 19: For the time being, at least, talks between the Jets and Steelers about Williams are on hold. Negotiations will be paused until after the teams play each other tomorrow, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Rich Cimini report. Depending on how that contest – which Williams is set to take part in – plays out, it will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh and New York proceed.
OCTOBER 17: For the second time this year, Mike Williams has generated trade discussions. Months after talks in March, he is not attached to a high-end contract a team is desperate to move. Though, the team that authorized Williams’ 2022 deal is back in on the suddenly available wide receiver.
The Chargers are among the teams to have inquired with the Jets on Williams, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who reports the Saints and Steelers have reached out on the eighth-year veteran as well. Following their Davante Adams acquisition, the Jets are prepared to move on from Williams.
No move is expected this week, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds Williams would be open with being moved out of New York. Although he has not assimilated too well into the Jets’ Aaron Rodgers-orchestrated offense — to the point the four-time MVP was critical of his route on a late-game interception — enough teams are still in need at the position that a deal should be made eventually. The Jets have until Nov. 5 to move on via trade.
The Bolts dangled Williams in trades just before the 2024 league year began, attempting to move his $20MM-per-year contract to reach cap compliance. They ended up doing so via release, cutting the Clemson alum before trading Keenan Allen to the Bears. The Patriots were linked to Williams at the time, before becoming tied to a few other receivers, but it is not known if New England is back in on the former top-10 pick. Williams, 30, however, is generating interest from other clubs who have been linked to WRs this year.
Pittsburgh joined New England in the Brandon Aiyuk market, beating out other suitors in agreeing to trade framework with San Francisco. Although the Steelers waited out that situation for weeks, Aiyuk signed a 49ers extension. This left Pittsburgh thin at receiver, with no clear complement to George Pickens emerging through six games. Known more for trading wideouts for draft picks rather than acquiring them, the Steelers have been scouring the market since Aiyuk ultimately passed. Omar Khan‘s team, however, was in on Adams. Though, the three-year Raiders wideout had been more interested in reuniting with Rodgers or Derek Carr.
Lacking the cap space to take on Adams’ contract without significant payroll adjustments, the Saints ended up seeing the Jets do so. After starting 2-0, New Orleans has lost four straight. The team is also heading into its Thursday-night matchup with Denver down both its top pass catchers. Chris Olave is in concussion protocol, and Rashid Shaheed is undergoing an exploratory meniscus surgery that leaves the rest of his season in doubt. With HC Dennis Allen‘s job on the line and GM Mickey Loomis 0-for-7 in playoff appearances without Sean Payton (the first four misses coming during the Aaron Brooks years), it makes sense the Saints are looking into available wideouts.
Jim Harbaugh‘s new Bolts regime bailed on Williams, doing so as he was rehabbing a torn ACL. The 6-foot-4 playmaker had battled injuries in Los Angeles but was available enough to post two 1,000-yard seasons alongside Allen. The younger of Justin Herbert‘s two long-running targets, Williams also totaled 895 receiving yards in 13 games in 2022. A back injury sustained in a meaningless Week 18 game in Denver sidelined Williams for the Chargers’ wild-card game in Jacksonville, which turned into a historic collapse. He then suffered the ACL injury in Week 3 of last season.
Harbaugh’s squad looked into other veteran receivers following Allen and Williams’ exits, eventually drafting Ladd McConkey early in the second round. Herbert has gone from a high-octane passer to a carefully managed option in Greg Roman‘s run-oriented offense. A familiar face returning could jumpstart the standout quarterback, but it is unclear if the Bolts are prepared to pay the roughly $3MM remaining of Williams’ 2024 salary. The rest of Williams’ money on a one-year, $10MM Jets deal has either been paid out in salary or is tied up in void years that will create a bit of dead money if/when the wideout is traded.
Williams was listed as a non-practice participant for a personal reason Wednesday. This presumably pertains to his status on the trade block. The trade candidate did resurface at the Jets’ facility Thursday, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets, though the veteran reporter adds Williams is again not practicing. This would point to the in-limbo receiver not playing in Week 7.
Before Williams slipped on the MetLife Stadium turf, leading to a crucial Taron Johnson INT, he had caught only 10 passes for 145 yards in six Jets games. He may well be done in a Jets uniform, but the team would technically still have the option of playing him after Adams debuts (which is expected this weekend). That said, it would surprise if Williams remained a Jet for too much longer.
Jets Restructure Davante Adams’ Deal
OCTOBER 18: Providing further details on the restructure, ESPN’s Rich Cimini notes nearly all of Adams’ 2024 salary ($10.45MM) was converted into a signing bonus to create the immediate cap savings. While void years are now present, no changes have been made to the 2025 and ’26 salaries at this point. Further work to the pact – including the infusion of new guarantees – will no doubt be coming this offseason if Adams is to meet his goal of remaining in New York for years to come.
OCTOBER 15: The Raiders found a team willing to pay Davante Adams‘ full remaining salary. Undoubtedly lowering the trade price, the Jets are absorbing the $10.9MM left on the All-Pro receiver’s base salary this year. As was the case with the Aaron Rodgers trade, the Jets are making a change to give themselves more breathing room.
A restructure will take place, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who indicates the revised agreement will reduce Adams’ 2024 base salary. That number stood at $16.89MM coming into the season, but with six games passing, it dropped below $11MM. While the new number is not yet known, the Jets are pushing money into the future to help defray some of the immediate cost.
Base-to-bonus restructures and the introduction of void years can help cut cap numbers, and Rapoport adds the Jets appear likely to adjust the talented wide receiver’s deal for 2025 and ’26 (no void years are on Adams’ deal prior to this restructure). Void years will now be included, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who reports the Jets have dropped Adams’ cap number to $3.21MM by adding two void years. Adams’ deal still runs through 2026, but the voids technically push it through 2028.
Adams is due nonguaranteed $35.6MM and $36.6MM cap figures, respectively, over the next two seasons. Those lofty numbers are part of the five-year, $140MM extension Adams signed upon being traded to the Raiders. That fit did not end up panning out, and the Jets had long loomed as an interested party — dating back to their April 2023 Rodgers trade.
While negotiations had pushed a deal near completion Monday, Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes the salary component represented the final hurdle. The Raiders’ insistence an acquiring team pick up the full tab had loomed as a key component in this trade, and while the AFC West team probably would have received more in terms of trade compensation by agreeing to pay part of Adams’ remaining 2024 salary, the organization stood pat and sent the full number to the Jets’ payroll. That will now be stretched beyond 2024.
This transaction will make it more difficult for the Jets to move on from Adams after this year. Previously, the Jets would have taken on no dead money from a 2025 separation. Though, they would have faced a near-impossible task in attempting to trade a contract featuring a $35.6MM 2025 base salary.
Although Rodgers has described the team as all in after this trade, he has indicated an openness to playing beyond 2024. Rodgers’ uncertain future in Green Bay affected Adams’ decision to pass on a 2022 Packers extension offer, leading to the tag-and-trade maneuver, and the 11th-year wideout also was linked to hesitancy regarding the Jets due to Rodgers’ cloudy post-2024 plans in New York. Though, it appears the parties are onboard. Adams being tied to the Jets through 2026 will assuredly factor into Rodgers’ retirement considerations this coming offseason.
As part of a summer 2023 restructure, a $35MM roster bonus would come Rodgers’ way if he decides to play again next season. The 2025 season would be Rodgers’ 21st should he decide to stick around. Of course, the Jets firing Robert Saleh and having Joe Douglas on a hot seat — though, it may not be as hot as we previously thought — complicates even Rodgers’ 2025 status. Of course, QB talent is quite hard to procure, so a new Jets regime — if that is the way ownership proceeds after this already-tumultuous season — would need to factor that into the decision as well.
For the first time since 2020, Rodgers and Adams are each under contract for multiple seasons together. The Jets will hope this deal can trigger a midseason turnaround, as they have now checked off the top box on the QB’s wish list.
Saints Place WR Rashid Shaheed On IR; Return This Season In Doubt
OCTOBER 17: Shaheed was placed on injured reserve Thursday, per a team announcement. That move guarantees at least a four-game absence and does not offer an encouraging sign with respect to his late-season availability. Until the outcome of Shaheed’s surgery is clear, though, the Saints will remain hopeful he can return at some point in 2024.
OCTOBER 16: Already without Chris Olave, the Saints will head into their Thursday-night Broncos matchup with breakthrough wideout Rashid Shaheed sidelined as well. Shaheed will undergo knee surgery, sidelining him for the foreseeable future.
The downfield threat has a chance to come back this season, but that is not assured. The outcome of Shaheed’s meniscus surgery will determine if he misses a few weeks or the rest of the year, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Losing Shaheed would be a tough blow to a New Orleans offense that has already played without multiple offensive linemen for stretches this season. Dealing with an oblique tear, Derek Carr is also set to miss a second game.
Dennis Allen subsequently announced that Shaheed will undergo an exploratory procedure that will determine if the third-year wideout will need a meniscus trim or a full repair, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds. A full repair would knock the recently extended receiver out for the season.
Averaging 17.5 yards per catch, Shaheed has continued his transition from UDFA to starter. Olave’s top sidekick has scored three long-range TDs and exited Week 6 with 20 receptions for 349 yards. Shaheed, last season’s first-team All-Pro punt returner, also returned a punt for a score for a second straight season. While Olave is the Saints’ top receiver investment, Shaheed currently leads the team in yardage.
The Saints did well to identify Shaheed out of Division I-FCS Montana State, bringing him in as part of their 2022 UDFA class. With Michael Thomas rarely available over the previous two seasons — and when he was, the former All-Pro displayed an injury-driven decline that presently has him out of the league — Shaheed stepped in to give the team an intriguing WR2 option. Last season, Shaheed totaled 719 yards and five TD receptions in 15 games. He then entered this year as a clear-cut New Orleans starter.
Shaheed, 26, signed an ERFA tender this offseason but later inked a one-year bump that calls for a $4.2MM base salary in 2025. This transaction prevented the Saints from needing to apply a second-round RFA tender on the Weber State alum next year. But the team now risks losing a blossoming player, continuing a tough stretch that followed an explosive 2-0 start.
The Saints will again deploy Spencer Rattler as their starting QB, but he will not have any reliable wideouts to target. The team cut 2023 draftee A.T. Perry, who is now on Denver’s practice squad. Beyond Shaheed and Olave, rookie Bub Means leads Saints WRs with five receptions for 45 yards.
Broncos To Activate OLB Baron Browning, RT Mike McGlinchey
2:01pm: McGlinchey will also return when first eligible. Although the Broncos could have given their two recovering players the mini-bye to move toward a return, they have deemed neither IR-return cog as in need of extra time. The veteran right tackle will join Browning in coming off IR tonight, NFL.com’s Jane Slater tweets.
Adrift at right tackle for a decade, with the team using a remarkable 11 Week 1 RT starters from 2013-23, the Broncos have McGlinchey signed to a five-year deal that features a fully guaranteed 2025 salary. McGlinchey made 16 starts last season, and the former 49ers top-10 pick will be back for a Broncos team that remains without reserve RT option Alex Palczewski. Four injury activations now remain for the Broncos.
12:33pm: The Broncos’ pass rush will have a reinforcement back tonight. Despite Baron Browning returning to practice during a short week, the Broncos will not slow-play his return.
Both Browning and Mike McGlinchey received IR-return designations this week, and ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the former is coming off IR ahead of tonight’s Saints matchup. It is not yet certain if McGlinchey will join the outside linebacker in playing in New Orleans, but with Denver’s right tackle practicing fully Wednesday, it would seem the team will strongly consider another immediate activation.
[RELATED: Injured Reserve Return Tracker]
Browning went down with a foot injury in Week 2; McGlinchey sustained an MCL sprain during the Broncos’ loss to the Steelers as well. Browning’s return will be pivotal for his future, as this is a contract year for the former third-round pick. The Ohio State alum worked as a starter alongside his former college teammate, Jonathon Cooper, but the Broncos have seen 2022 second-round pick Nik Bonitto enjoy success filling in.
Regardless of how the Broncos structure their OLB corps, the team has another piece to use during a season that has seen Vance Joseph‘s unit help cover for offensive struggles. Browning will join Bonitto, Cooper and third-round rookie Jonah Elliss in the Broncos’ OLB group.
Denver moved Browning from inside linebacker to the edge in 2022, after having used him as a starter off the ball as a rookie. Browning has flashed pass-rushing chops, totaling five sacks in 2022 and 4.5 last season. Browning forced two fumbles in 2023 and tallied 12 QB hits a year prior. Though, injuries have been a consistent part of Browning’s NFL career. An offseason knee injury led Browning to the Broncos’ PUP list last year, costing him seven games. Browning, 25, also missed three games during the 2021 and ’22 seasons.
It would stand to reason, then, that Cooper may be higher on Denver’s long-term priority list. The former seventh-rounder has established himself as a starter in Joseph’s 3-4 scheme, leading the Broncos with 4.5 sacks this season. Cooper joins Browning in a contract year, creating a decision for a Broncos team that has already paid two members from its 2021 draft class — Quinn Meinerz and Patrick Surtain. A Cooper-or-Browning decision may loom, but the latter also will need to show he can stay healthy enough to be a productive player in his contract year to warrant extension consideration.