Jets To Place C Connor McGovern, G Wes Schweitzer On IR
The Jets managed an improbable win Sunday, but their offensive line left the Giants matchup in bad shape. In addition to being without Joe Tippmann, the Jets lost his replacement and their starting center.
Connor McGovern suffered a dislocated kneecap, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, and Robert Saleh confirmed the veteran center will head to IR. Ditto Wes Schweitzer, a veteran backup with significant starting experience. Schweitzer left Sunday’s overtime win with a calf injury.
Coming into the Giants tilt without Duane Brown as well, the Jets’ O-line IR contingent is now crowded. Brown, who spent most of the offseason rehabbing a rotator cuff surgery, is down with a hip injury. Saleh said this will be the earliest window for Brown to return to practice, despite the 38-year-old being eligible to practice last week.
Both McGovern and Schweitzer are in play to come back this season, per Saleh, but this obviously deals a blow to a Jets team that has seen injuries destabilize their offense. McGovern also may need surgery, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets, but the team is hoping he can rehab without a procedure and return in 2023. While Saleh said the team would be interested in adding an O-lineman before the trade deadline (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello), he cautioned that a move was unlikely due to teams’ presumptive unwillingness to jettison a blocker.
After seeing Aaron Rodgers go down on his fourth play with the team, the Jets lost Brown once again. The former Texans and Seahawks Pro Bowler has missed the past five games. McGovern and Schweitzer are guaranteed to miss four. Gang Green is still in good shape, activations-wise, holding seven entering Week 9. But the O-line figures to comprise multiple such moves going forward.
The Jets re-signed McGovern this offseason — on what turned out to be a massive pay cut, considering he played out a three-year deal worth $27MM — and have only once needed to worry about an injury replacement during his four-season stay. McGovern, 30, started all but one game on his previous Jets contract. He re-signed on a one-year, $1.92MM deal but beat out Schweitzer and Tippmann this offseason. A former Broncos fourth-round pick, McGovern has started every Jets game this season.
Schweitzer, 30, has only started one game, having replaced Tippmann against the Giants. The Jets gave Schweitzer a two-year, $5MM deal before they reconvened with McGovern about a second contract. Schweitzer represented experienced depth for the team, having started 60 games with Atlanta and Washington from 2017-22. An early-season concussion cut his 2022 campaign short, limiting the former sixth-round pick to seven games last year. While Schweitzer bounced back to compete for a Jets starting role this offseason, he settled into a utility spot.
Tippmann missed Week 8 with a thigh injury, but the second-round rookie remains on the active roster. As of now, however, only Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton remain healthy among Jets first-string O-linemen. The Jets were forced to turn to Billy Turner, who had been working more at guard in practice recently, and practice squad elevation Xavier Newman-Johnson in place of the injured vets. Turner should be expected to start at right guard moving forward. Prior to returning to Denver to follow Nathaniel Hackett last year, Turner had spent time at guard in Green Bay. The 32-year-old blocker’s first Denver stint also included guard work, which will allow the Jets to make good use of their veteran O-line depth.
Chiefs Looking Into Richie James Trade
Although the Chiefs have experienced considerable struggles generating wide receiver consistency, they do not lack for notable names at the position. Mecole Hardman‘s return crowds the group, leaving Richie James potentially without a role when/if he returns from IR.
Hardman has taken over as the Chiefs’ punt returner, and despite his crucial slip-up in the Week 8 loss to the Broncos, he clearly remains in the Chiefs’ plans. On that note, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler indicates the Chiefs are exploring trade possibilities involving James. The free agency addition is on IR but would be ready to return if traded.
The Chiefs have not used any of their IR activations this season, but it does not seem like the defending champions want to allocate one of their eight such moves to James. Resurfacing last year with the Giants, James signed a one-year deal worth $1.23MM in April. The Chiefs used James as their primary punt returner in Weeks 1 and 2, but an MCL injury led him to IR.
A former 49ers slot player, James did not play in 2021 but came back to become a key piece for a receiver-thin Giants team last season. James totaled 569 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 57 receptions, hitting career-high marks across the board. This did not generate James much of a market, however. While James settled in an interesting situation — with a two-time MVP quarterback, in Patrick Mahomes, and on team with uncertainty at wide receiver — he does not appear in Kansas City’s plans any longer.
James made Kansas City’s 53-man roster, joining a seven-wideout contingent in a muddled group following the free agency defections of Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Chiefs largely sought to replace the exiting players internally, with James and second-round pick Rashee Rice being outside additions. But holdovers Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling have not contributed regularly. Hardman has considerable experience as a Chiefs receiving option, but after being recently reacquired from the Jets, the fifth-year speedster has three receptions for 19 yards in two games. It should be expected Hardman’s role will expand as the weeks pass, and as K.C. keeps seeing receiver unreliability, but the former second-round pick has primarily seen action as a returner in his second stint.
Prior to the Chiefs’ 15-point loss in Denver, a report indicated they were not planning a post-Hardman receiver addition. But Kansas City’s receiver plan has not panned out thus far, pointing to the team exploring a move to find more help for its Travis Kelce-dependent aerial corps. Second-year UDFA Justyn Ross has not contributed much, but the Clemson product is out of the mix right now. The NFL placed Ross on the commissioner exempt list last week, following an arrest that brought a misdemeanor domestic battery charge.
Vikings’ Kirk Cousins Suffers Torn Achilles
OCTOBER 30: Further testing has confirmed Cousins’ Achilles tear, Rapoport notes. He will miss the remainder of the campaign ahead of an uncertain offseason regarding his future. Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero adds that a schedule with respect to surgery and a recovery timeline will come together later this week. The team has since confirmed the unwanted news.
OCTOBER 29: Kirk Cousins has never missed a game due to injury in six years with the Vikings. That streak will likely come to an end soon. The 12th-year quarterback left the Vikes’ Week 8 win over the Packers with what the team fears is an Achilles injury, per Kevin O’Connell.
The contract-year QB will undergo an MRI on what NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirms is an Achilles injury, but ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter confirms the worst fears. Cousins indeed tore his Achilles, according to Schefter. O’Connell used past tense at points when describing Cousins’ 2023 season, though the second-year HC did not pinpoint the severity of the malady.
This being confirmed would deal a crushing blow to the Vikings, who have rallied back from 0-3 to 4-4 via their road win today. The team has only needed to play without Cousins once since signing him in 2018, with Sean Mannion starting late in the 2021 season due to the starter contracting COVID-19.
Fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall replaced Cousins in Green Bay, but O’Connell did not confirm the BYU product would start if Cousins is indeed out of the mix, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert notes. The Vikings reacquired Mannion earlier this month, adding the ex-Cousins backup to their practice squad. Nick Mullens will be considered for the role, but the team’s Week 1 backup is not eligible to play in Week 9. Minnesota placed Mullins on IR due to a back injury; he must miss two more games.
Cousins’ good injury fortune dates back to his Washington days. Since replacing Robert Griffin III for good, Cousins has never missed a game due to injury. This comes at an inopportune time for the player as well. Cousins and the Vikings have agreed on three contracts since 2018, but the team let its longtime QB1 go into a contract year this season. The sides agreed on a restructure in March. Cousins, 35, does not expect to revisit negotiations until 2024.
The Vikings are attempting to become the sixth team to book a playoff berth in a non-strike season after starting 0-3. Only one club — the 2018 Texans — have done this in the 21st century. Naturally, with the NFL expanding its playoff bracket to 14 teams in 2021, more teams are bound to join this club. Minnesota seemed poised to make a strong push, as only two games against a team with a winning record — both Lions matchups — remain on the defending NFC champions’ schedule. But Justin Jefferson missing more time — potentially being out longer than the four-game minimum — and Cousins being likely out for the rest of the season will suddenly make a postseason voyage unlikely.
When Cousins went down, he was in the process of leading Minnesota to a second straight win without Jefferson. Cousins completed 23 of 31 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. The steady QB sits tied with Tua Tagovailoa for the NFL lead with 18 TD passes this season. Cousins entered Sunday on pace for a career-high mark; his current best came in 2020. But the Vikings will be set to regroup, with Jefferson being forced to miss two more games due to his IR placement.
Mullens is in his second season with the Vikings, who signed him just before the 2022 campaign. Of the internal replacement options, Mullens is the most experienced QB on Minnesota’s roster, having started 17 games (16 of those in San Francisco). Mullens is a career 65.3% passer, whose TD-INT ratio sits at 27-22. While Kyle Shanahan‘s system undoubtedly aided the former UDFA, Mullens would seemingly be the team’s best option. But it is unknown if his back injury will cooperate in the near future. Mannion has been in the NFL since 2015 but has made three starts.
This could be the injury that prompts a Carson Wentz discussion. The Jets passed on pursuing the 30-year-old free agent when Aaron Rodgers went down in Week 1, but given the midseason emergency circumstances, it would stand to reason the Vikings would consider a one-time MVP candidate who has 92 starts on his resume. The Commanders released Wentz in March; the former No. 2 overall pick has not been closely connected to a team since. Colt McCoy auditioned for the Vikings earlier this month, but the team brought back Mannion soon after.
Bills To Sign RB Leonard Fournette
After a seven-plus-month stay in free agency, Leonard Fournette has found a new home. The former top-five pick agreed to terms with the Bills on Monday, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
Fournette will join a Bills team that recently placed Damien Harris on IR. While this will be a practice squad deal for the former Jaguars and Buccaneers back, it would certainly not surprise if Fournette suited up soon. Teams continually use the P-squad as a bridge to bring veterans onto active rosters, and Schultz indicates that will be the plan here.
This agreement comes after an interesting news cycle, one that featured a report indicating the Bills planned to meet with Fournette and another confirming no such visit took place. Nevertheless, the Bills had the seventh-year back on their radar. Fournette will join a backfield housing James Cook and Latavius Murray.
He of two 1,000-yard seasons in Jacksonville and a key role in Tampa, Fournette profiles as an interesting piece for the Buffalo offense. The Bills had added Harris on a one-year, $1.77MM accord in March. But the neck injury he sustained in Week 6 changed the team’s plans. Harris had worked as a Cook complementary piece, taking handoffs near the goal line at points. Murray has been a between-the-tackles supporting-caster as well, and the Bills have rolled with a Cook-Murray tandem since the Harris injury. It is unclear if Harris will return this season, but the Bills have insurance going forward.
When the Bucs released Fournette in February, it was described as a mutual separation. But Fournette languished in free agency for much of the year and did not land a deal until midseason. The LSU product worked out for the Patriots and was on the Colts’ radar during their period with both Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss out of the picture. No deals commenced; both teams brought in other backs. Fournette, 28, should at least be fresh after taking half the season off. He also has not topped 200 carries in a season since his final Jaguars slate (2019).
Choosing Fournette over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in 2017, the Jaguars did benefit from the power runner in the late 2010s. Fournette drove a Jags offense down Allen Robinson to the AFC championship game, but a falling out transpired that led to a summer 2020 release. The Bucs used Fournette primarily as a backup during the 2020 regular season, but the “Playoff Lenny” moniker soon took hold, with the free agency pickup totaling 448 scrimmage yards in four Bucs postseason efforts that year. Fournette supplanted Jones as the Bucs’ starter and held that job for two more seasons.
After a productive 2021, the Bucs gave Fournette a three-year, $21MM deal in March 2022. This mirrored the contract the Cardinals handed James Conner. While the latter remains attached to those terms, Fournette had to settle for a P-squad pact that will turn into veteran-minimum money if/once he lands on Buffalo’s active roster. The Bucs guaranteed Fournette $9MM at signing, and he earned $27MM fully guaranteed on his Jags rookie deal. Hitting free agency during a brutal time for the RB position, Fournette will now attempt to re-establish his value as a Bills role player.
Sean Payton Addresses Broncos’ Trade Deadline Approach
OCTOBER 30: Doubling down on the team’s stance, Payton said the Broncos are “not remotely shopping anybody,” via Denver7’s Troy Renck. The new Broncos HC confirmed teams have called, and while the Broncos’ past and sub-.500 record indicates a seller move should not be ruled out, they are not the team attempting to unload pieces. It will clearly take a better offer for Denver to begin unloading pieces on the heels of two victories.
OCTOBER 29: Coming through with one of their better wins since Peyton Manning‘s retirement, the Broncos have won two straight going into the trade deadline. While the 24-9 win over the Chiefs snapped a 16-game skid in that series, it improved Denver to 3-5.
Steady rumors this month had pegged the Broncos as willing sellers, but the home wins over the Packers and Chiefs may throw cold water on other teams’ hopes of prying an upper-echelon starter from Colorado. Although Sean Payton did not confirm the Broncos would stay off the phones before Tuesday’s 3pm CT deadline, the team does not appear prepared to shop veterans at this juncture.
[RELATED: Teams Calling Broncos On Patrick Surtain]
“The teams that aren’t doing as well always fall into this position, and I understand it, but we’re not the team looking to go out and buy,” Payton said, via 9News’ Mike Klis. “We can’t control the buyers that call. We always pick the phone up—you have to professionally, but that’s it.
“We have a plan on where we see ourselves, and that’s an honest answer. When I see or hear [certain trade rumors], I chuckle because I’m thinking, ‘Well I haven’t talked to anyone about that,’ and if I haven’t, then it’s probably not true.”
Prior to Payton’s arrival, the Broncos were not shy about dealing away assets. Last year, they moved on from Bradley Chubb — for a package headlined by a first-round pick that helped secure the team Payton’s rights. Two falls ago, the Broncos dealt the best pass rusher in team history, dealing Von Miller to the Rams at the deadline. Emmanuel Sanders left at the 2019 deadline, with Demaryius Thomas being traded a year earlier. Of this quartet, only Thomas did not qualify as a rental. The late wide receiver was signed through 2019 at the time of the trade. Denver’s top batch of 2023 trade chips consists of players signed through at least 2024.
Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton have been the team’s most heavily rumored trade pieces, with each coming up at the 2022 deadline and this offseason. Unsurprisingly, the Broncos have not received any offers remotely close to what they aimed for this offseason. Denver wanted a first-rounder for Jeudy and a second for Sutton. Jeudy is signed through 2024, Sutton through 2025. With the veteran receivers each contracted beyond this season, the Broncos seeing if either can increase their trade value down the stretch could open the door to more trade rumors during the ’24 offseason. If the offers do not increase by Tuesday, that appears where this long-running process is headed next.
Justin Simmons and Garett Bolles are each inked through 2024. Long mentioned as unavailable, Patrick Surtain will be signed through 2025 once the Broncos pick up his fifth-year option. Josey Jewell would make sense as a more realistic trade chip, seeing that his two-year, $11MM deal expires after this season. Should the Broncos move on from Jewell, third-round rookie Drew Sanders would be poised to step in alongside Alex Singleton.
The Broncos are not in position to trade future assets for help, given their early-season struggles. The team also made the Chubb trade at 3-5 and dealt Miller at 4-4. With current GM George Paton in position for both those moves, the Broncos remain a team to monitor ahead of the deadline. But it does not look like viable offers have come in for the team’s bevy of trade chips.
Cowboys Not Eyeing Running Back Addition
Although the Cowboys released Ezekiel Elliott in March, they did not commit to cutting costs at running back. Tony Pollard is attached to a $10.1MM franchise tag, but the 2022 Pro Bowler has not offered a strong contract-year sample just yet.
Pollard has gone from being an overqualified change-of-pace back to an every-down role. That has impacted the Dallas starter’s per-play numbers. Pollard’s 3.9 yards per carry and 6.8 yards per reception are considerably down from his 2022 production (5.2, 9.5), and the Cowboys have been mentioned as a team interested in adding to its backfield.
Jerry Jones minimized this prospect Monday morning, indicating (via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill) a trade for a back is “not on the radar.” Considering Jones’ overarching stance on the Cowboys’ desire to make a deal at any position, it is unsurprising the longtime owner would point to the organization standing down in the backfield.
Citing roster confidence, Jones said last week the Cowboys would not initiate trade talks this year. The Eagles made a move to bolster their roster last week, in acquiring All-Pro safety Kevin Byard from the Titans. The Cowboys are tied for the NFC’s second-best record, at 5-2, though the blowout loss to the 49ers invited questions about the team’s big-game viability. More questions will be answered in Week 9, when the Cowboys face the Eagles. Signs continue to point to inactivity before this year’s deadline, which arrives at 3pm CT on Tuesday.
“For a player to come in and help this team right now, it’s more than likely, unfortunately, it’s gonna probably be somebody who is an established guy and he’s usually well paid and they probably want a lot for him,” executive VP Stephen Jones said (via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). “That makes it a challenge. It’s probably why you don’t see as many trades as you might think.”
Dallas is obviously not averse to making deals at the deadline, having dealt a first-round pick for Amari Cooper in 2018 and having made offers for Brandin Cooks and Jerry Jeudy last year. The team sits in the middle of the pack in terms of cap space, with just more than $7MM available, but it does not appear running back is a position it is interested in bolstering this season.
The Cowboys have been connected to Derrick Henry, but the Titans have informed the two-time rushing champion he will — barring a major offer — be staying in Tennessee for the season’s remainder. It would certainly be interesting if the Cowboys reacquired Elliott, who is on a 2-6 Patriots team, seeing as rumors emerged about the parties reuniting this summer. Elliott did not indicate a deal was close, though.
Dallas added Ronald Jones this offseason but cut him rather than reinstate him following a PED suspension. Rico Dowdle, who went two full seasons without a carry coming into this year, has resided as Pollard’s backup. The fourth-year back has 33 carries for 125 yards, joining Pollard with a sub-4.0-yard average. The Cowboys rank 11th on the ground, though Pollard’s minus-17 rushing yards over expected figure — per Next Gen Stats — resides outside the top 30 this season. Pollard finished third in this metric in 2022.
Cardinals Not Shopping QB Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray is more than 10 months removed from the ACL tear that ended his 2022 season, and the Cardinals have deemed the former No. 1 overall pick fully healthy. But Joshua Dobbs has been assured he will start in Week 9, either leaving Murray on the reserve/PUP list or putting the two-time Pro Bowler in an unusual role as an active-roster backup.
It would seem likely the Cards will leave Murray on the PUP list, as he does not need to be activated until Nov. 8. Speculation has emerged about a potential trade, seeing as Arizona has a new regime in place that has signed off on a rebuild. Though, Jonathan Gannon has repeatedly said Murray is part of the team’s future.
That does not appear to have changed, despite the talented quarterback’s status as a healthy player who will not play in Week 9. The Cardinals are not shopping Murray, per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, who adds the team expects Murray to suit up in the next few weeks. While a recent report placed Nov. 5 as a potential return window, Murray’s return date will now be pushed back to at least Week 10.
Murray having signed a five-year, $230.5MM extension last summer undoubtedly affects his trade value, though Russini notes there are teams that could be interested in acquiring the fifth-year veteran. Coming off an ACL tear and meniscus damage, however, Murray has certainly held higher trade value compared to where it would be today. While speculation about the Cardinals drafting a quarterback — particularly if they land the 2024 No. 1 pick — may continue, Murray remains in the Gannon-Monti Ossenfort duo’s plans.
Midseason has loomed as the latest point in which a Murray return would commence. That said, the Cardinals — repeated competitiveness notwithstanding — have plunged into expected territory. Arizona is 1-7. That currently sits as the NFL’s worst record, with the Panthers having won in Week 8 to move to 1-6. We are still a bit away from draft-slot projections mattering too much, but the Caleb Williams rumors stand to intensify if this Cardinals trajectory persists. Murray departure rumors would gain steam in that event, so when exactly the team redeploys its four-year starter will be worth monitoring.
The Vikings losing Kirk Cousins for the season could conceivably make them an interested party, though the Jets — after Aaron Rodgers went down four plays into his Gang Green run — stood down and proceeded with an internal solution. Murray, 26, is also coming off a down year — one that helped lead to Kliff Kingsbury‘s firing. But he also stacked Pro Bowl invites on top of each other from 2020-21.
The Cardinals have given him an extended onramp in new OC Drew Petzing‘s system, but it will also be interesting to see if the team trades away more pieces at this week’s deadline, thus putting Murray in position to return with a worse nucleus around him. A few key variables exist here, but for now, Arizona’s plan still looks to be bringing the Steve Keim-era investment back this season.
QB Notes: Taylor, Cardinals, Bucs, Ridder
Tyrod Taylor left Sunday’s game with a rib injury and needed to be hospitalized. The Giants announced they are keeping their backup-turned-starter in the hospital overnight for observation on his ribcage ailment. Taylor has a history of rib trouble, of course, as just more than three years have passed since the rib injection that ended his brief run as the Chargers’ starter. The pregame shot before Week 2 of the 2020 season resulted in a punctured lung. During Taylor’s one-season stint as the Texans’ starter, he missed a third of the season due to a hamstring malady. The journeyman came back as a backup, with Houston giving Davis Mills a shot to close that season.
Taylor almost certainly will be welcomed back as the Giants’ starter when he is ready, as the team pivoted to nearly run-only blueprint with practice squad elevation Tommy DeVito under center. Daniel Jones is not expected to be back until Week 10, as he continues to battle a neck injury. The latest coming out of that situation points to the well-paid starter dealing with a disk issue and weakness in his nonthrowing shoulder.
Here is the latest from the QB ranks:
- The Cardinals have joined the Giants in playing a backup this season, and while they have pronounced Kyler Murray fully healthy after his December 2022 ACL tear, the team will once again hold out the Pro Bowler. Jonathan Gannon announced postgame Joshua Dobbs will start in Week 9. Murray remains on Arizona’s reserve/PUP list, having been designated for return on Oct. 18. The Cardinals do not have to activate him until Nov. 8, giving them one more game to keep Murray off the roster. Early reports indicated an early-season return would be in play for Murray, and Michael Bidwill doubled down on that in April. But the organization has proceeded cautiously with the former No. 1 pick, who has also needed to learn a new offense. It will be interesting to see if the sinking Cardinals redeploy Murray as their starter immediately upon activating him.
- Baker Mayfield did not escape Thursday’s loss in Buffalo unscathed, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler noting the free agent pickup is dealing with a knee contusion. Mayfield is planning to play through this injury, but it has caused him discomfort. The Buccaneers QB’s MRI did not reveal any structural damage, however.
- While Kenny Pickett was initially expected to return to Sunday’s Steelers-Jaguars matchup following his rib injury, via ESPN.com’s Brooke Pryor, the Steelers ruled out their starter and kept Mitch Trubisky in the game. Pickett left the game before the half but was warming up to come back; instead, the team shut him down. Benched early during his first Steelers season, Trubisky became needed on multiple occasions due to Pickett’s two-concussion rookie year. It is not yet known how much time (if any) the 2022 first-rounder will miss as a result of his latest injury.
- Desmond Ridder‘s midgame exit did not stem from performance issues, Arthur Smith said (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Ridder was evaluated for a concussion, but while he was cleared of a head injury, Smith said he “didn’t think Des was right” following the exit. The Falcons kept Taylor Heinicke in the game as a result. Heinicke logged one of the most active QB2 seasons in NFL history two years ago, replacing Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 1 and keeping the Washington reins the rest of the way. The Falcons gave the multiyear Washington starter a two-year, $14MM deal this offseason. Ridder has delivered an uneven season thus far, but the Falcons passed on chances to acquire a starter-caliber QB in order to keep him in place. With the team proclaiming Ridder the starter in March, it does not appear he is in danger of being pulled.
Dolphins, Ravens Looking Into RBs
Although the Dolphins were not closely linked to Austin Ekeler this offseason, they were in on just about everyone else of note in trades. Nothing transpired, with Miami opting to retain its top 2022 running backs and turn to the draft to round out the group. But the team is again looking around at the position.
With the trade deadline now less than 48 hours away, the Dolphins are still being mentioned (via The Athletic’s Dianna Russini) as a team looking into running backs. The Ravens join them, per Russini. Both teams head into deadline week at 6-2, positioned as AFC contenders and clear buyers.
This update comes after Mike McDaniel indicated he was “very, very comfortable” with his roster and that GM Chris Grier has not come to him with proposals. The two Miami bigwigs will likely huddle up this week, with the team’s first Super Bowl berth since 1984 looming as an attainable goal.
The Dolphins pursued Jonathan Taylor and Dalvin Cook this summer, and they are believed to have at least asked the Giants on Saquon Barkley. When the season began, however, the team trotted out a Raheem Mostert–De’Von Achane duo. Jeff Wilson is now back off IR, though Achane — following an explosive multiweek spurt — is on IR with a knee injury. Achane’s injury could be why the Dolphins are again being mentioned in trades. Wilson and Mostert both have notable injury histories, with the latter now in his age-31 season. Mostert has remained healthy since signing with Miami, but he missed almost all of the 2021 season — McDaniel’s last in San Francisco.
When considering the NFL’s rushing hierarchy coming into Week 8, these teams being interested in backfield augmentations does appear a bit strange. The Dolphins and Ravens came into the week first and second in rushing. Sunday, Gus Edwards also scored three touchdowns in another Ravens win. Justice Hill resides as Baltimore’s top backup, with rookie Keaton Mitchell debuting recently as well. Though, the speedy first-year back has not been a ground-game factor just yet.
Baltimore did lose J.K. Dobbins to another season-ending injury and was mentioned this week in being a potential Derrick Henry suitor. But the Titans have let Henry know they do not plan to trade him, taking a key piece off the board. Ditto Barkley, who has received assurances the Giants will keep him through season’s end. Though, with the Giants at 2-6, nothing should be considered final on that front until 3pm CT Tuesday. While Cook is available, his showing to date would not stand to make him especially appealing. As such, teams are not believed to be calling the Jets on him.
Jets DT Al Woods Tears Achilles
One of the NFL’s oldest active players, Al Woods has run into a rough late-career break. The Jets defensive tackle sustained an Achilles tear during the second quarter of today’s Giants matchup, per HC Robert Saleh, and will miss the rest of the season.
The well-traveled veteran has played in at least 12 games in each of the past 10 seasons, becoming a regular inside on a handful of teams. The Jets represented the latest, signing the big-bodied lineman to a one-year, $2.25MM deal this offseason.
At 36, Woods is the NFL’s second-oldest defender — behind only Calais Campbell, who was also a Jets target. (Though, he is only the third-oldest Jet, with Aaron Rodgers and Duane Brown on offense.) While Campbell trekked to Atlanta, Woods wound up in New York and moved into a regular rotational role on the Jets’ stout defense. Woods came into Sunday having played 38% of Gang Green’s defensive snaps over his five games this season. Woods finishes his season with a sack and two tackles for loss.
Woods has played in 166 games over the course of his 14-year career. He spent the past three seasons as a key run-stopping presence in Seattle. The Seahawks had extended him through 2023, but amid another defensive retool, the team moved on in March. Saleh was in Seattle as a low-level assistant during Woods’ first Pacific Northwest cameo — in 2011 — and brought him to New York weeks later. Considering his age, it is fair to wonder if this injury will end the former Seahawks, Buccaneers, Steelers, Titans and Colts interior defender’s career.
The Jets remain fairly well situated inside, despite losing Sheldon Rankins this offseason. The team added ex-Woods Seahawks teammate Quinton Jefferson to go with Quinnen Williams and Solomon Thomas. Veteran Tanzel Smart resides on New York’s practice squad.
New York also lost its starting center, Connor McGovern, to a kneecap injury. The eighth-year veteran will undergo an MRI, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes an absence is expected. Like Woods, McGovern signed this offseason. But the former Broncos draftee has been the Jets’ starting center for the past four seasons. Though, the team brought him back at a substantially reduced rate compared to the three-year, $27MM deal he signed in 2020. McGovern is playing on a one-year, $1.92MM contract. The Jets also played without second-round pick Joe Tippmann, viewed as the team’s long-term center, on Sunday.