Ravens To Move Devin Duvernay To IR, Sign Malik Cunningham Off Pats’ Practice Squad
The Patriots have regularly passed quarterbacks through waivers to their practice squad this season, but they will bid farewell to one of those arms. Rather than sign Malik Cunningham to their active roster once again, the Pats will let him head elsewhere.
Cunningham will trek to Baltimore; the Ravens are signing the rookie UDFA to their 53-man roster, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. This will mark a reunion for Cunningham and Lamar Jackson. Despite the superstar QB being in his sixth NFL season, he and Cunningham were teammates at Louisville in 2017. Cunningham, who was at the ACC school for six years, redshirted during the ’17 slate.
As the Ravens add a quarterback, they will lose a wide receiver. Devin Duvernay sustained a back injury in Week 14, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports the former All-Pro return man will head to IR. Though, Rapoport adds the fourth-year wideout will not require surgery and is expected to be ready to return in the playoffs. Duvernay will be eligible for activation to start Baltimore’s playoff journey, whenever that point comes. But he is done for the regular season.
Emerging as an intriguing gadget-type player during the preseason in New England, Cunningham did not make the Pats’ 53-man roster out of training camp. The team took a chance on exposing Cunningham to waivers on cutdown day, waiving both he and Bailey Zappe. Cunningham indeed passed through waivers and stayed in Foxborough on the Pats’ practice squad.
Cunningham will join a Ravens team that has used a Jackson-Tyler Huntley QB depth chart for the past three seasons. The team now has four QBs on its active roster, with journeyman extraordinaire Josh Johnson still with the team. This could point to a versatile role for Cunningham, for whom the Patriots had designed special packages this season. Even as the Pats moved from Mac Jones to Zappe and designed a package of plays for Cunningham recently, the athletic rookie has played only six regular-season snaps — all against the Raiders in Week 6.
This move will ensure Cunningham stays on Baltimore’s active roster for at least three weeks, though Schefter adds it could be a play for next season as well. Given an original-round RFA tender this offseason, Huntley will be a UFA in 2024. Cunningham, 25, can be kept through the 2026 season before he hits unrestricted free agency. Though, it remains to be seen if the ex-Louisville star will pan out as a QB2 option.
A thinner Ravens wide receiver depth chart last year required regular Duvernay contributions, but Baltimore reloaded at the position this offseason. The team signed Nelson Agholor and Odell Beckham Jr. and drafted Zay Flowers in Round 1. With Rashod Bateman recovering from his 2022 foot injury, the Ravens have a solid top four at receiver. Tylan Wallace also became a memorable fill-in for Duvernay at punt returner, notching only the fourth overtime punt-return walk-off in NFL history.
While Duvernay caught 37 passes for a career-high 407 yards last season, he exited Week 14 with just four grabs for 18 yards. The former third-round pick had operated as Baltimore’s primary kick- and punt-return option this season. Duvernay, who is set for free agency in 2024, also finished last season on IR (due to a foot injury).
Additionally, the Ravens will use one of their IR activations on cornerback Damarion Williams, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes. The 2022 fourth-rounder played in 14 games as a backup last season but suffered an ankle injury this summer. The Ravens had expected Williams back around October. Regardless of the delay, the Houston alum will be in position to contribute. Williams will fill Mark Andrews‘ roster spot. The Ravens now have four IR activations remaining.
Browns LT Jedrick Wills Undergoes Surgery, To Miss Rest Of Season
Stationed on IR with an MCL sprain, Jedrick Wills is eligible to be activated. But the Browns will not have their top left tackle available at any point down the stretch.
Rather than making a return from an injury that often leads to seasons pausing but not ending, Wills underwent surgery Tuesday morning, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz reports. While this is an arthroscopic procedure, it is slated to sideline the fourth-year blocker for the rest of the season. The Browns have since announced the procedure will keep Wills off the field the rest of the way.
This deals a blow to a Browns team that has been playing without top right tackle Jack Conklin since Week 2. Cleveland also lost fill-in tackle starter Dawand Jones to a season-ending injury as well. Conklin suffered an ACL tear in the Browns’ opener; Jones sustained a knee injury in practice leading up to the team’s Week 14 game. Wills’ status update will continue Cleveland’s uphill battle at tackle.
The Browns started James Hudson and Geron Christian at tackle Sunday. That combination was good enough to propel a now-Joe Flacco-quarterbacked team past the Jaguars, despite Christian arriving as a practice squad pickup on Halloween. A 2018 third-round Washington pick, Christian is on team No. 6. But he has made five starts for the Browns this season. A 2021 fourth-rounder, Hudson has made three this year and 10 during his Browns run. This looks like the combination Cleveland will need to rely on going forward.
One of four tackles who went off the 2020 draft board in the top 13 picks, Wills was selected 10th — behind Andrew Thomas but ahead of Mekhi Becton and Tristan Wirfs. The Browns picked up the Alabama alum’s fifth-year option this offseason, locking him into a $14.1MM salary for 2024. This injury-marred season blunts any momentum the team had hoped Wills would carry into the ’24 offseason, potentially complicating extension talks. The Browns already have three big-ticket contracts along their O-line, having also extended guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller in 2021.
Coming into the season, Wills had never missed more than four games during any of his NFL slates. This gave the Browns some stability at tackle during a period that has involved two severe Conklin injuries. Cleveland gave Conklin a four-year, $60MM extension in December 2022. This points to the Browns running out the Wills-Conklin tandem for a fifth straight season come 2024. Those two will be tabbed to protect Deshaun Watson and likely open run lanes for Nick Chubb. As it stands now, the Browns’ offense is missing cornerstone cogs as it attempts to complement a high-end defense.
Watson and Chubb are done for the year. While Jerome Ford (feat. Kareem Hunt) has been the team’s backfield solution, the Browns are on QB No. 4 in Flacco. Despite not playing for the season’s first three months and being a month away from his 39th birthday, Flacco has played well in two starts with the Browns. The former Super Bowl MVP has done so despite the issues at tackle. While placing an immobile passer behind two backup tackles represents a shaky situation for the Browns, they are atop a jumbled AFC wild-card race at 8-5. The Browns having a solid interior O-line mix (Bitonio-Teller-Ethan Pocic) certainly helps their battered offense’s cause.
QB Drake Maye Declares For 2024 Draft
Pegged for months as a likely top-five pick in the 2024 draft, Drake Maye has determined he is done with college football. The North Carolina quarterback announced Monday he will declare for the draft.
Listed by most as the second-best quarterback in the 2024 class (behind USC’s Caleb Williams), Maye may well come off the board second overall. It is not out of the question, either, the two-year North Carolina starter leapfrogs the 2022 Heisman winner for the top overall slot. Sam Howell‘s Tar Heels successor will begin pre-draft preparations in earnest now.
The younger brother of former North Carolina basketball standout Luke Maye, Drake rocketed onto the first-round radar after throwing 38 touchdown passes (compared to just seven interceptions) in his first starter season. This year, the 6-foot-4 prospect threw 24 TD passes. Maye averaged 8.4 and 8.5 yards per attempt in his two seasons, respectively, and threw for 4,321 yards in 2022. With Maye showcasing his rushing talents in Chapel Hill as well (1,209 career rushing yards, 16 TDs), he will be a coveted prospect by teams who hold early draft slots and those eyeing a first-round trade-up maneuver.
The redshirt sophomore will skip North Carolina’s bowl game, the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, joining Williams in bypassing his team’s season finale. That has become an increasingly common tactic by top prospects not on teams who qualify for the College Football Playoff. While Williams has not yet entered his name in the draft, that is widely expected to happen.
Mel Kiper Jr.’s current ESPN big board lists Maye as 2024’s third-best prospect — behind Williams and Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. With many past examples to judge, Maye surpassing Harrison should perhaps be anticipated. This is assuming his pre-draft process goes well, of course. Drafts have begun with two quarterbacks four times since 2015, though the 2018 and ’20 drafts could potentially be relevant re: Maye. The Giants passed on Sam Darnold to pick a dynamic skill-position player (Saquon Barkley) in 2018, while it took until picks 5 and 6 for Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert to follow Joe Burrow off the 2020 board. Should a team without a QB need land the No. 2 overall pick and view Harrison as a can’t-miss prospect, it is certainly possible the draft will not begin with a Williams-Maye procession.
Multiple wild cards exist regarding QB investments in 2024 as well. The Bears are determining if they want to keep going with Justin Fields beyond this year. With the Panthers holding a two-game lead on the Patriots and Cardinals for the No. 1 pick, the Bears (by virtue of the Bryce Young trade) are the clear favorites to hold the top draft slot once again. The Patriots are expected to pursue a quarterback in the draft, though the Cardinals are uncertain to do so. They are evaluating Kyler Murray, but with Murray’s contract far more difficult to move on from than Fields’ rookie deal, Arizona sticking with the 2019 top pick — a player the team’s new regime praised throughout his ACL rehab process — and adding a highly touted non-QB in Round 1 may be the play.
Teams without surefire QB needs’ plans will be determined by the respective ceilings of Williams and Maye. Wherever the latter lands in the top five, he will be expected to start either from the jump or at some point during his rookie season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: WR Andre Baccellia
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: RB Kenyan Drake
Miami Dolphins
- Elevated: LB Quinton Bell, T Ryan Hayes
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: CB Keenan Isaac
Tennessee Titans
- Signed from practice squad: RB Jonathan Ward, P Ty Zentner
- Elevated: DL Marlon Davidson, LB JoJo Domann
The Packers signed Drake to their practice squad last week, doing so as Aaron Jones continues his rehab from an MCL sprain. The Packers ruled out Jones for a third straight game Monday night. Drake has been with four teams (Colts, Ravens, Browns, Packers) since training camp.
DaQuan Jones In Play To Return This Season
The Bills have been playing without three cornerstone defenders for several weeks. Tre’Davious White is out for the season, and no indications have emerged regarding a Matt Milano return. But the other key starter the Bills lost in October does have a path back to the active roster.
Sean McDermott said Monday (via the Buffalo News’ Jay Skurski) DaQuan Jones has a chance to come back from the pectoral injury he suffered in London. Jones is not on track to be designated for return this week, but the Bills have the door open for the defensive tackle starter to return before season’s end.
Buffalo saw both Milano and Jones go down during its loss to Jacksonville in London. Those setbacks came a week after White’s Achilles tear, decimating the Bills’ defense. That has led the team toward the “In the Hunt” sector of playoff graphics, rather than its usual perch atop the AFC East. But the Bills have reestablished some momentum, beating the Chiefs in Kansas City for a third straight season. With the team’s playoff chances still live, a Jones return would make sense — should the veteran interior defender prove able — down the stretch.
When Jones went down, he was reported to have sustained a pectoral tear that required surgery. That injury regularly shuts down players for seasons’ remainders. It is possible Jones did not sustain a full tear; that would explain this somewhat surprising window to come back. Pro Football Focus had slotted Jones third among interior D-linemen through five games; the former Titans draftee had started all 21 games since his two-year, $14MM Bills deal came to pass in 2022.
Despite a plus-104 point differential, the Bills sit 7-6. Games against the Cowboys and Dolphins remain for the three-time reigning AFC East champions. The team’s impressive differential aside, it ranks 19th against the run. Jones making an unexpected comeback would certainly help the cause on this front.
While Jones has a chance to return to practice in the not-too-distant future, Micah Hyde will likely miss some upcoming workouts. McDermott called the veteran safety week to week with the stinger he suffered in Week 14. Hyde made a return from a neck injury this year; the 11th-year defender missed 15 games last season due to that malady. The Bills have better safety insurance this year, having signed Taylor Rapp. Following an inspirational return, Damar Hamlin has not seen much playing time this year. But the 2022 fill-in starter serves as depth as well.
Raiders To Sign OL D.J. Fluker
D.J. Fluker made trips to Charlotte and Las Vegas last week. His Friday trek will end up producing a deal. Fluker, who has not played in a regular-season game since the 2020 campaign, agreed to terms with the Raiders on Monday, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
This is likely a practice squad agreement, given Fluker’s time away of the game and the general protocol for in-season veteran additions under this CBA, but it will still represent a comeback opportunity for the former first-round pick. It also will bring a return trip for the Alabama alum. Fluker enjoyed a short stint on the Raiders’ practice squad in 2021, though he did not finish that season with the team.
Fluker, 32, has been a workout-circuit regular this year, auditioning for teams in the offseason and during the regular season. The former Chargers, Giants, Seahawks and Ravens starter has dropped around 50 pounds, according to Schultz. Fluker has lined up as both a guard and a right tackle over the course of his career, though that journey hit some speedbumps in 2021.
The NFL levied a six-game suspension shortly after Fluker suffered a meniscus injury that required surgery. The Dolphins released Fluker with an injury settlement in August 2021, and although he caught on with the Raiders and Jaguars later that year, he has not played in a game since the Ravens’ 2020 season. Prior to that, however, Fluker worked as a starting guard on two playoff-bound Seahawk teams (2018, 2019).
The Chargers drafted Fluker 11th overall in 2013, eventually moving him inside after two seasons at tackle. The Bolts exercised Fluker’s fifth-year option in 2016 but cut bait a year later, back when teams could do so free of charge before the 2020 CBA made the options fully guaranteed. Over the course of his career, Fluker has made 96 starts. Between May and September, he auditioned for the Eagles, Patriots and Jets.
While the Raiders are in the process of planning a coaching search, Fluker could have the opportunity to secure a reserve/futures contract come January. For the time being, the Raiders will see how he looks in upcoming practices.
Commanders LB Jamin Davis Set For Season-Ending Surgery
A regular starter since the midpoint of his rookie season, Jamin Davis will not play his third NFL campaign to the end. The Commanders linebacker will undergo surgery that will shut him down early, according to the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Davis sustained a shoulder injury in Washington’s Week 13 loss to Miami. The former No. 19 overall pick had missed just one game this season and had only been sidelined for two during his first two seasons. With the Commanders all but certain to change coaching staffs in 2024, Davis will be tasked with learning a new scheme once he recovers.
After struggling during his rookie season, Davis has fared better over the past two. He played a key role in Jack Del Rio‘s defense ranking in the top 10 last year. Pro Football Focus slotted Davis just outside the top 40 in 2022 and has him in that range once again this year. Davis posted a 104-tackle, three-sack season last year and was on track to replicate that; the off-ball linebacker will wrap this season with 89 stops and three sacks. Davis added two forced fumbles this season.
One season remains on Davis’ fully guaranteed rookie contract, but it will likely be a new regime’s responsibility to pick up his fifth-year option by May. Based on how teams proceeded with off-ball ‘backers from the 2020 first round, it should be considered unlikely Davis’ is exercised. Davis will meet the playing-time qualifications to land on the third tier within the option hierarchy. That is slated to produce a number near $13MM, according to OverTheCap. The Cardinals, Chargers, Seahawks and Ravens (Isaiah Simmons, Kenneth Murray, Jordyn Brooks, Patrick Queen) each declined ILB fifth-year options in 2023.
This will point to Davis entering a contract year in 2024. Washington let Cole Holcomb walk this year and replaced him with ex-Seahawk Cody Barton. David Mayo, former fifth-rounder Khaleke Hudson and ex-Cowboy Jabril Cox are in place as depth pieces behind the Barton-Davis duo. Mayo is likely to take over as Davis’ first-string replacement, per Jhabvala.
Jets Not Expecting Coaching Changes
Twists and turns keep coming for the Jets, who have seen Zach Wilson‘s trajectory define the Joe Douglas–Robert Saleh regime. After a chaotic season on the quarterback front, the Jets are again back with Wilson, who is taking the snaps today despite being benched three times between November 2022 and November 2023.
With their Tim Boyle experiment going poorly, en route to the veteran backup being cut the day after he made a start, the Jets are aiming to have Wilson start the rest of the season. This is, of course, contingent on Aaron Rodgers not deciding to finish his oft-discussed comeback effort for a team that almost definitely will not make the playoffs. Saleh did not rule out Rodgers coming back regardless, though he also needed to answer questions about Rodgers’ swipe at his own team’s culture this week. That gripe that came after a report indicated Wilson was reluctant to return to the starting lineup. In short, just about nothing has gone as the Jets (4-8) envisioned this season.
Wilson is more likely than not to be playing elsewhere in 2024, but as of now, the Jets are not expecting any changes to the coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini (subscription required). Ownership is presently onboard with running it back “with an identical formula” in 2023. Russini adding a caveat that Rodgers’ opinion will be pivotal in how the Jets proceed with their coaching staff effectively illustrates where the team is right now.
It would be rather strange to see a team go through a season like the one the Jets are winding down and stand pat with its staff. Entering today’s Jets-Texans matchup, Saleh is 15-31 as a head coach. Granted, much of the struggles trace to Wilson, who has been one of the worst draft picks of the decade and is moving toward becoming one of the biggest quarterback busts in modern NFL history. The Jets attempted to move past the Wilson issue by trading for Rodgers, but the team has received scrutiny for how it operated following the latter’s Achilles tear.
After effectively handing Wilson the backup gig in a redevelopment effort this offseason, the Jets did not make much of an effort to upgrade following Rodgers’ injury. A rumor surfaced in September indicating the Jets lacked interest in adding a starter-caliber QB in order to protect Wilson’s confidence, with Saleh coming off as a Wilson apologist in the locker room. Another early-season rumor pointed to Jets ownership not wanting to allocate much money toward the position due to having already done so for Rodgers this offseason. The results have been predictable, with Wilson entering Sunday last in QBR. The Jets’ 10 offensive touchdowns through 12 games are the fewest any team has mustered since 2000. That said, Rodgers has long backed Nathaniel Hackett. This endorsement is rather significant for the embattled OC.
Giving Saleh’s staff a pass for this season could also be justified. After the 2021 Jets’ defense ranked last, its Saleh-led 2022 unit finished fourth. DVOA places the Jets’ defense third this season. The Jets hold the NFL’s longest playoff drought, having not advanced to the postseason since 2010. Over the past 10 years, only three HCs — Todd Bowles (Jets), Jeff Fisher (Rams) and Jon Gruden (Raiders) — have been retained after starting their HC runs 0-for-3 in playoff berths. The Raiders did not have much choice with Gruden, who was attached to a 10-year contract.
Although the Jets have made tremendous defensive strides over the past two years, their dysfunctional environment persists. It should not be considered stunning if the Jets fire Saleh or Hackett (the latter’s ties to Rodgers notwithstanding), but as it stands now, ownership may well be fine giving the staff a mulligan for this injury-marred season.
Browns, S Grant Delpit Agree On Extension
This year’s free agent safety market only included one eight-figure-per-year agreement, with Jessie Bates lapping the field on a $16MM-AAV accord. Grant Delpit and the Browns found a happy medium Sunday.
Delpit will not make it to the 2024 market. The Browns have a deal in place to extend the 2020 second-round pick, 247Sports’ Brad Stainbrook tweets. The LSU alum will be tied to a three-year contract worth $36MM, according to cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, who adds the fourth-year safety secured $23MM guaranteed on this deal.
Chosen in Andrew Berry‘s first draft as GM, Delpit has come a long way since missing his entire rookie season. The former No. 44 overall pick suffered an Achilles tear during training camp in 2020. Upon returning, he was not a full-time starter. But the 25-year-old defender has turned the corner in the years since. With the Browns making a substantial improvement in Jim Schwartz‘s first year as defensive coordinator, they have identified Delpit as a keeper alongside the likes of Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward and Dalvin Tomlinson.
Delpit’s deal checks in more than $4MM north of any contract handed to a non-Bates free agent safety this offseason. While Bates scored a four-year, $64MM pact, the rest of the lot did not eclipse $8MM per annum. This profiles as an upper-middle-class safety contract, as it will check in tied for 12th overall, AAV-wise, at the position. It is not yet known if the $23MM guarantee is fully locked in at signing or if that total represents the injury-guarantee number. Were Delpit to receive $23MM fully guaranteed, that would place him fifth overall among safeties.
Cleveland participated in this offseason’s midlevel safety market as well, signing Juan Thornhill to a three-year, $21MM deal. The team will complete 2023 having devoted notable capital to two back-line defenders. Ward, Thornhill and Delpit are all signed through at least 2025. Ward sidekick Greg Newsome‘s rookie deal can run through 2025, should the Browns pick up the cornerback’s fifth-year option by May.
Pro Football Focus slots Delpit 30th overall among safeties, while Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics place Delpit’s numbers as slightly worse than last season. But it is undeniable the Browns have made significant strides in pass deterrence compared to where they were under Joe Woods. The three-year DC’s tenure ended with the team ranking 20th in points allowed and 14th in total defense, though Cleveland did finish fifth against the pass last season. The team has built on that this year, leading the NFL in total defense. A No. 1-ranked pass defense fuels that effort, one that has become even more important since the team lost Deshaun Watson for the season.
The Browns have, however, been without Ward for the past three weeks (the high-end corner is out again Sunday). With recent free agent pickup Joe Flacco once again in place as the Browns’ starting quarterback — the team’s fourth QB1 this season — the team’s vaunted pass defense will be tasked with attempting to keep this car on the road en route to the playoffs. Delpit will be a key part of that effort and the Browns’ long-term future on defense.
Trevor Lawrence To Start In Week 14
DECEMBER 10: Trending upward throughout the week, Lawrence will complete a surprisingly quick recovery effort by starting Sunday. The Jaguars will have their QB1 in the lineup against the Browns, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Jags have since announced Lawrence will get the call, continuing a streak of availability to start his NFL career.
DECEMBER 8: Despite exiting Monday night’s game severely hobbled, Trevor Lawrence is firmly in play to avoid missing a game. The Jaguars quarterback, who has never missed a game during his three-year NFL career, practiced in a limited capacity for the second time this week.
Missing practice Wednesday, Lawrence moved well on his injured ankle Thursday, per Doug Pederson (via ESPN’s Michael DiRocco). The Jaguars have listed their franchise centerpiece as questionable for their Week 14 game against the Browns. Jacksonville has deemed the former No. 1 overall pick a game-time decision.
Considering the visual Monday night, Lawrence having a chance to play six days later is rather surprising. But he has played through issues before. The Clemson product returned from an October knee injury on a short week, playing with a sleeve on his sprained knee during a Thursday-night win against the Saints.
While this high ankle sprain represents a more serious threat to Lawrence’s availability, he has demonstrated early-career durability. Patrick Mahomes also showed how quickly a quarterback can return from this injury last season, when he went down against the Jaguars in the divisional round. Though, a report earlier this week detailed Lawrence’s precise injury and the uphill battle associated with it.
The Jags would start C.J. Beathard, who re-signed this offseason, should they exercise caution with Lawrence. Beathard is not on the team’s injury report after suffering a shoulder setback Monday night. The team’s three-season backup, Beathard last started a game for the 49ers in 2020.
The Week 13 loss to the Bengals dropped the Jaguars to 8-4, behind the Chiefs (due to the defending champs’ head-to-head win in Week 2) in the AFC playoff picture. Lawrence returning so soon would certainly help the team as it attempts to keep the AFC South lead and win back-to-back division titles for the first time since it claimed AFC Central crowns in 1998 and ’99. The Colts and Texans are each a game back of the Jags in the division.