Bills DT DaQuan Jones Suffers Torn Pec
The Bills’ loss in London ended with significant defensive setbacks. After losing Tre’Davious White to a torn Achilles, the Bills will likely be down Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones for the season as well.
Jones will see his second Bills season stall because of a torn pectoral muscle, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. The veteran defensive tackle will need surgery, per Sean McDermott, and this development is expected to lead to a rehab timetable that extends into the 2024 offseason. This will be new territory for Jones, who played in at least 16 games in seven of the past eight seasons.
In the second season of a two-year, $14MM deal, Jones had operated as a Bills starter throughout his tenure. The 10th-year D-lineman had been enjoying a quality start; Pro Football Focus ranks Jones third overall among interior defenders. Coupled with the White injury, the Bills are set to lose key starters on all three levels in the span of two weeks.
Milano, who sustained a serious knee injury Sunday, signed a second Bills extension this offseason. Unfortunately for Jones, he is in a contract year. A seven-year Titans mainstay, Jones has been one of the more unheralded parts of the Bills’ stout defense over the past two seasons. After a one-year stopover in Carolina, Jones has excelled in Buffalo. PFF slotted Jones as a top-20 interior D-lineman last season, when he finished with a career-high 11 quarterback hits.
Veterans flood the Bills’ D-tackle group, but Jones has started every game he has played in with the team. The Bills will need to lean on their other experienced players inside going forward. Buffalo handed Ed Oliver a $17MM-per-year extension this offseason and still rosters 2022 free agency pickup Tim Settle. Jordan Phillips, who is in his second stint with the franchise, looms as a key depth piece as well.
Settle and Phillips have seen roughly equal workloads this season. Settle has logged 105 defensive snaps, while Phillips has been on the field for 113. The team also signed Poona Ford this offseason, but the ex-Seahawk has only been out there on 23 defensive plays. In light of the Jones injury, that number figures to go up. The Bills are interestingly well-positioned to handle a DT injury, seeing as four vested veterans are part of this mix even without Jones. But this will be a blow to a team also set to be without White and Milano.
Texans Designate Tytus Howard For Return, Place Kendrick Green On IR; Howard To Play Left Guard
OCTOBER 8: The Texans will indeed have Howard and Tunsil back in the lineup for today’s game against the Falcons, per Rapoport. However, as Wilson reports, Howard will be returning to the interior of the line and will slot in at left guard. Earlier in the week, Wilson published a full-length article discussing the possbility of that alignment and noted that the presence of George Fant, who has played well at right tackle in Howard’s absence, could allow Fant to stay right where he is.
It is unclear if Howard at LG and Fant at RT will be a permanent arrangement, but if they perform at a high level today, it will be difficult for head coach DeMeco Ryans to make a change in that regard.
OCTOBER 5: Kendrick Green will not join Howard and Scruggs in the IR-return picture. The recent trade acquisition underwent meniscus surgery that is expected to sideline him for the rest of the season, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. While Green did not suffer any ligament tears and is in line to be ready for Houston’s offseason program, he will head into a contract year coming having played in just four games over the past two seasons.
OCTOBER 4: The Texans have seen C.J. Stroud show considerable promise early in his rookie season, and the No. 2 overall pick has done so behind a backup-laden offensive line. That group is beginning to move toward full strength.
As expected, the Texans designated Tytus Howard to return from IR on Wednesday. Today marks the start of most teams’ pre-Week 5 practices. With this week doubling as the first for players on IR, NFI and PUP lists to be designated for return, Howard is one of several recovering performers to see his 21-day activation clock started.
Howard broke his hand in two places early in training camp and underwent surgery. He joined center Juice Scruggs and guard Kenyon Green in being placed on IR. Scruggs remains on Houston’s injured list, but a potential Week 6 return is in play for the second-round rookie. Green is out for the season, being placed on IR before teams finalized their initial 53-man rosters. While the 2022 first-round pick was part of the Texans’ O-line plans, he will need months to recover. Howard and Scruggs, however, are on the road back to action.
Houston gave Howard a three-year, $56MM extension this offseason. That deal followed pacts for Laremy Tunsil and trade acquisition Shaq Mason. The latter has been the only healthy Houston first-stringer up front. Howard, a five-year starter who has settled in at right tackle after being tried at guard and on the blind side, may well be back in uniform by Week 5. Tunsil has a decent chance of coming back as well. The eighth-year left tackle has missed the past three games, but Tunsil returned to practice Wednesday. Optimism exists the high-priced edge protector will be back in place Sunday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes.
While starters are preparing to return, the Texans did sustain another blow up front. Kendrick Green is now on IR, the team announced. The late-summer trade acquisition suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee in Week 4, per Wilson, who adds surgery is likely. Green avoided ligament tears, but he must now miss at least four games.
The former Steelers third-round pick had been pressed into duty, starting the past three games. Those not only marked Green’s first starts since his rookie year but also his first appearances since that 2021 season. Adding multiple new interior O-line starters in 2022, Pittsburgh benched the interior O-lineman and unloaded him a year later. Pro Football Focus ranks Green 38th at guard thus far, showing a glimpse at improvement after a rough rookie year.
Teams are allotted eight IR activations per season. Howard will join punter Cameron Johnston, whom the team also designated for return, as two activations. Scruggs is set to take up a third slot for the Texans, who have started 2-2 behind strong early-season play from Stroud.
Broncos Trade Randy Gregory To 49ers
OCTOBER 7: Providing final details on the picks swapped in the Gregory trade, which is now official, NBC Sports’ Matt Maiocco notes that the seventh-round selection the 49ers will receive originally belonged to the Rams. San Francisco, meanwhile, will send its own sixth-rounder back to Denver as the latter team aims to move on from a highly disappointing free agent investment.
OCTOBER 6: The Broncos found a taker for Randy Gregory, who is set to head west. The 49ers agreed to acquire Gregory on Friday, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Denver had been planning to release the recently demoted edge rusher, but he will catch on in an interesting place.
A pick-swap trade will complete this process. San Francisco is sending a 2024 sixth-rounder to Denver for Gregory and a 2024 seventh, per Pelissero. The 49ers have shown an ability to coax bounce-back offerings from defensive linemen, with Kris Kocurek a highly regarded position coach. They will try this formula with Gregory, who is in the second season of a five-year, $69.5MM contract.
This trade will involve the Broncos paying a portion of Gregory’s $10.89MM in remaining 2023 salary, 9News’ Mike Klis reports. It turns out, the Broncos will pay almost all of Gregory’s salary. Save for the prorated veteran minimum ($840K) that will be on the 49ers to cover, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports the Broncos will be responsible for the rest. The Broncos were ready to eat that money by releasing Gregory, so it makes sense they were fine with making this payment to secure late-round draft compensation.
The team picked up most of Von Miller‘s remaining 2021 salary upon dealing him to the Rams before that year’s deadline. That increased the compensation, with the Rams sending second- and third-round picks for the future Hall of Famer. Signed to help fill the Miller void in Denver months after that trade, Gregory did not live up to expectations. As such, his trade value is much lower.
The 49ers will pick up some flexibility with Gregory, whose contract calls for nonguaranteed salaries from 2024-26. At the time of signing, the Broncos had added the ex-Cowboys second-rounder on a long-term deal that checked in outside the top 20 for edge rusher AAV. Now, the 49ers will take a chance on Gregory. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers view Gregory as a non-rental, seeing as they just signed off on Nick Bosa‘s record-shattering extension, but the team does have an intriguing Bosa sidekick en route.
Gregory, 30, has flashed promising talent. He posted six-sack seasons with the Cowboys in 2018 and 2021, combining for 32 QB hits in those years, but injuries and suspensions have interrupted much of his prime. After a four-suspension run in Dallas — albeit under a CBA that featured harsher penalties for substance abuse — Gregory signed with Denver in 2022. The Cowboys were close to re-signing a player they had stood by despite his rampant unavailability, but contract language led to a snafu, changing both Dallas and Denver’s edge rusher plans. Gregory had been in talks with the Broncos last March but had said he would return to the Cowboys if they matched the terms. The Denver deal went through. Much has changed for the AFC West franchise since the Gregory deal came to pass, however, and the fit did not work out.
Needing shoulder surgery in 2022, Gregory was sidelined until Week 1. The Broncos did see some positive early returns from Gregory last season, when he played opposite Bradley Chubb. But a knee injury led Gregory to IR after Week 4. He did not return until late December and was not in top form upon coming back. Sean Payton hired ex-Broncos HC Vance Joseph as his defensive coordinator, and Gregory ended up benched by Week 4. Calling out Gregory for poor effort in the team’s 70-20 thrashing in Miami, the Broncos used Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper as their starting edge rushers in Chicago.
This pair will hold down the fort for the time being, but the Broncos have free agency pickup Frank Clark and converted ILB Baron Browning nearing returns. The team designated Browning for return from the PUP list Wednesday, and Clark is aiming to come back by Week 5. The pair have rehabbed knee and groin injuries, respectively.
A Bonitto-Cooper-Clark-Browning foursome brings some intrigue for the Broncos, but the team has seen its OLB situation change since Gregory’s injury and the Chubb trade transpired in 2022. Joseph’s return to Denver has not gone smoothly, either; the Broncos rank last in total defense and points allowed. And the Gregory signing will go down as a clear miss for Broncos GM George Paton.
The 49ers let both Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu walk in free agency, saving up for the Bosa extension. The team has used ex-Raiders top-five pick Clelin Ferrell as the starter opposite Bosa, but 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson is tied for the team lead with three sacks. Gregory joining the 49ers opens the door to a stacked defensive line. Although it is uncertain if the 4-0 team will want Gregory starting or in place as a rotational backup, the prospect of a Bosa-Gregory-Arik Armstead–Javon Hargrave quartet is now in play.
Kocurek and Bosa led the way in helping Ebukam, Omenihu and Arden Key generate plus work upon arriving in San Francisco. Gregory flashed better pre-Bay Area form compared to that trio, and the Super Bowl contenders will bank on their infrastructure once again. With the Broncos on the hook for most of Gregory’s 2023 money, this qualifies as a flier. The 49ers will gauge the fit before determining Gregory’s post-2023 future.
Rams To Activate Cooper Kupp From IR
OCTOBER 7: Kupp is officially back on the active roster. The team announced that they’ve activated the wide receiver from injured reserve today. In addition to getting their star wideout back on the field, the Rams also announced the activation of rookie linebacker Ochaun Mathis from IR. The sixth-round pick out of Nebraska could end up making his NFL debut this week.
Additionally, Los Angeles announced that practice squad wide receiver Austin Trammell will be signed to the active roster. Trammell has been a standard gameday elevation for the past the three games. A practice squad player can only be elevated three times and still be able to revert to the practice squad under one contract. In order for Trammell to see game action again, the Rams needed to officially sign him to the 53-man roster. If they want him back on the practice squad, he’ll have to last through waivers. If they are able to re-sign Trammell to a new practice squad contract, he will be eligible for three more standard gameday promotions before the process will need to be repeated.
OCTOBER 6: Cooper Kupp‘s ramp-up period will be capped at one week of practices. Sean McVay confirmed the All-Pro wide receiver will make his season debut in Week 5 against the Eagles.
Down with a hamstring injury, Kupp will return when first eligible and become the Rams’ first IR activation this season. Kupp battled a hamstring issue for nearly the Rams’ entire training camp, and a setback led to the team moving him to IR. Los Angeles’ receiving situation has changed since Kupp last played, but the team will obviously feature a more potent pass-catching corps with its top target available.
During Kupp’s absence, the Rams have seen fifth-round rookie Puka Nacua deliver one of the most surprising first months by a rookie wide receiver in NFL history. Prior to D.J. Moore‘s Thursday-night dominance, Nacua sat second in receiving yards (501). Only Justin Jefferson (543) had Nacua beat through four games. The Rams appear to have hit big on a Day 3 receiver out of BYU, and they have seen Tutu Atwell take steps forward after struggling to make an impact through two seasons. Atwell will enter the L.A.-Philadelphia matchup with 22 receptions for 270 yards.
It will be interesting to see how Kupp mixes in with the promising younger talents, but the Rams have seen their high-priced wideout run into injury trouble during much of the past two years. An ankle issue led to Kupp’s 2022 season ending midway through. During what became a woeful Super Bowl title defense, the Rams lost Kupp, Matthew Stafford and Aaron Donald for the season. Kupp was the first of those cornerstone players to be moved to IR, last playing in Week 10 of the ’22 season. Kupp underwent ankle surgery and entered this offseason healthy but encountered the hamstring issue days into training camp.
Kupp, 30, saw a specialist about his hamstring injury just before the season, and while concerns existed about a nerve problem, the seventh-year receiver instead avoided a serious malady and moved toward a return. The Rams gave Kupp a monster extension in 2022, ripping up his previous deal — despite the accomplished slot weapon only signing it in September 2020 — after his historic 2021 season.
Stafford and Kupp formed an instant connection in 2021, and the Division I-FCS product notched a receiving triple-crown season. Kupp nearly brought down Calvin Johnson‘s single-season yardage mark, finishing with 1,947 yards in a 16-touchdown season. Kupp also nearly broke Larry Fitzgerald‘s record for receiving yards in a single playoffs, closing L.A.’s four-game slate with 478 and six TDs. The Super Bowl LVI MVP could not complete his follow-up effort last season but averaged 90.2 yards per game — his second-best average as a pro — and will return to a team that now features a better supporting cast.
David Bakhtiari Aiming To Play In 2024, Uncertain Of Packers Future
David Bakhtiari‘s NFL path changed on New Year’s Eve 2020. Not only did the Packers see their Super Bowl LV hopes affected by an injury sustained in practice, they have been unable to rely on their All-Pro left tackle since.
Once again set to miss most of a season due to knee trouble, Bakhtiari confirmed he will not play again this year. But the 11th-year blocker indicated he does expect to play in 2024. Bakhtiari stopped short of confirming he would be a Packer again, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, as his persistent injury issues could prompt Green Bay to move on after this year.
The ACL tear Bakhtiari sustained nearly three years ago led to three surgeries between the December 2020 tear and the start of Packers training camp in 2022. He went through a fourth knee operation last week and has another scheduled for this year in Chicago, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. A training camp 2024 return represents Bakhtiari’s goal.
Bakhtiari said his 2023 knee procedures are not connected to his ACL but address a femoral condyle cartilage issue. This trouble does stem from the 2020 injury, but after doctors hoped it would not become a problem for the All-Pro, a decision was made not to address this ancillary issue via another surgery at the time, per Demovsky. This lingering issue was enough to keep Bakhtiari off the field in Weeks 2 and 3, and after the Packers placed him on IR ahead of their Week 4 Lions matchup, news emerged indicating this problem would sideline him for the season’s remainder.
After missing the Packers’ two playoff games in 2020, Bakhtiari spent part of 2021 on Green Bay’s PUP list. The team activated the high-priced LT in mid-November that year but did not deploy him in a game until a meaningless Week 18 contest. The Packers used Bakhtiari on 27 plays in that season-ender in Detroit, despite the team having locked down home-field advantage. The ramp-up effort backfired. Bakhtiari did not play in Green Bay’s divisional-round game two weeks later. He was ready to go in time for Week 1 of the 2022 season, but knee trouble and an appendectomy led to six absences last year.
When on the field last season, Bakhtiari resumed his place as one of the game’s best O-linemen. ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranked Bakhtiari second among tackles and tops among left-siders. But last month’s setback offered another reminder of how damaging that 2020 injury has been for the former fourth-round success story.
Bakhtiari, 32, said (via Demovsky) he and GM Brian Gutekunst have discussed his future. The Packers gave their top lineman a then-record-setting deal — four years, $92MM — during the 2020 season. That deal has not panned out, and if Bakhtiari is in the team’s plans for 2024 (the contract’s final season), he will need to almost definitely rework it. Due to past restructures, next season calls for a $40.6MM Bakhtiari cap number. No void years are present in this deal. It would cost the Packers more than $19MM in dead money to cut Bakhtiari, but that number could be spread across two years if the team uses the post-June 1 designation.
The Packers only have one big-ticket contract on their offense — Elgton Jenkins‘ four-year, $68MM deal — and the team will be rid of the Aaron Rodgers dead money by 2024. But Bakhtiari’s Packers future is in doubt after this latest bout of knee pain. How he responds from his latest round of surgeries will represent the next check-in regarding this long-running situation.
49ers To Release DE Kerry Hyder
Kerry Hyder will be the odd man out in San Francisco. The 49ers needed to move a player off their 53-man roster to make room for trade acquisition Randy Gregory, and the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman notes Hyder will go.
The well-traveled NFC pass rusher is in his second stint with the 49ers, returning in 2022 after a 2021 Seahawks one-off. Hyder has not seen too much action this season, however, despite the 49ers letting multiple free agent defensive ends walk in March. Hyder has played 59 defensive snaps this season.
[RELATED: 49ers Acquire Gregory From Broncos In Pick-Swap Deal]
While Charles Omenihu and Samson Ebukam left for other opportunities in free agency, respectively signing with the Chiefs and Colts, Hyder came back on a league-minimum deal in April. The 49ers will not be tagged with any dead money by cutting Hyder. This is actually the second time San Francisco has dropped Hyder this year. They released him on roster-cutdown day but brought him back after making IR moves soon after. With Gregory now in the fold, it is uncertain if a path for Hyder to come back exists.
A former Lions UDFA, Hyder spent the 2019 season with the Cowboys before coming to San Francisco. The 49ers observed a breakthrough season from the rotational edge rusher in 2020. A season that featured numerous 49ers injuries saw Nick Bosa shut down with an ACL tear in Week 2. Hyder stayed healthy and totaled 8.5 sacks and 18 QB hits. This led to a midlevel Seahawks contract, but Seattle dropped Hyder after the 2021 season, leading him back to San Francisco.
Hyder, 32, played 36% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps last season. He has one sack this year. It would be logical if Hyder returned to the 49ers’ practice squad as an emergency option of sorts. San Francisco moving him off the roster leaves Bosa, Gregory, Drake Jackson and Clelin Ferrell as its defensive ends.
Kyle Shanahan confirmed Gregory passed his 49ers physical but will not play against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Gregory is staying in Denver this weekend to tie up some loose ends, per Inman, but is expected to return Monday. The 49ers will be on track to have the ex-Cowboys and Broncos edge rusher in uniform against the Browns in Week 6.
Jets Considering Alijah Vera-Tucker Long-Term RT Stay
Considerable scrutiny followed the Jets’ offensive line this offseason, and the team’s shaky tackle foundation crumbled early. After spending several months rehabbing his previous injury, Duane Brown has a new one and is on IR. That forced a shakeup that may have a long-term impact.
Tackle injuries last year prompted the Jets to slide Alijah Vera-Tucker from guard to right tackle. Vera-Tucker soon suffered a season-ending triceps tear, and the Jets moved him back to guard this offseason. Back at right tackle after Brown’s latest injury, Vera-Tucker has started two games there. The Jets are now looking into the USC product remaining there in the long term.
Robert Saleh said he has spoken to the third-year blocker about moving to right tackle on a full-time basis, SNY’s Connor Hughes notes. Indicating Vera-Tucker looks “natural” at right tackle, the Jets are contemplating a big move. Citing Vera-Tucker’s potential as an All-Pro guard, the Jets had wanted to keep the 2021 first-rounder at the position he was drafted to play. But AVT’s early performance at right tackle looks to be changing the organization’s thinking.
Brown’s injury led the Jets to shift Mekhi Becton from right to left tackle, returning the 2020 first-round pick to the position he had been eager to play again. While Becton is one of the NFL’s biggest injury risks, the slimmed-down tackle has been available for each game this season. The Jets then inserted second-round rookie Joe Tippmann into the lineup at right guard alongside center Connor McGovern. Laken Tomlinson remains at left guard.
Vera-Tucker played left tackle during his final USC season, the COVID-19-truncated 2020 slate, but worked as a Trojans starting guard in 2019. Brown sustained a hip injury in September and is out until at least Week 7. Vera-Tucker remaining at tackle could keep the veteran blocker on the bench, unless the Jets want to demote Becton, who worked extensively with the second team before winning the right tackle gig to start the season.
The team does not have Becton, Brown or Billy Turner signed beyond 2023. Vera-Tucker would represent some tackle certainty for a club that largely lacks it. McGovern is also on a one-year deal, and Tippmann has been viewed as the team’s long-term center. The Jets will have major O-line decisions to make coming out of this season, but Vera-Tucker moving outside permanently would make guard a need in 2024. Vera-Tucker excelling at right tackle would also improve his earning potential. While two guard $20MM-per-year salaries exist (Quenton Nelson, Chris Lindstrom), right tackle features eight players at $17MM AAV compared to just two at guard.
Hall Of Fame LB Dick Butkus Dies At 80
Former Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, who became one of the NFL’s greatest players during a nine-year career, died at age 80, the Bears announced Thursday.
The Hall of Fame defender died peacefully in his sleep at his Malibu, Calif., home, according to his family. A Chicago native, Butkus spent his entire career with the Bears and quickly emerged as a dominant presence in the game. He was the rare player to land on two All-Decade teams, being voted to both the 1960s and 1970s’ squads. Although he arrived during a down period for the Bears, never playing for a playoff-bound team, Butkus forged an unassailable legacy that left him in the conversation for greatest off-ball linebacker in NFL annals.
“Dick was the ultimate Bear, and one of the greatest players in NFL history,” Bears chairman George McCaskey said in a statement (via ESPN.com). “He was Chicago’s son. He exuded what our great city is about and, not coincidentally, what George Halas looks for in a player: toughness, smarts, instincts, passion and leadership.
“He refused to accept anything less than the best from himself, or from his teammates. … His contributions to the game he loved will live forever and we are grateful he was able to be at our home opener this year to be celebrated one last time by his many fans.”
His career spanning from 1965-73, Butkus made eight Pro Bowls and earned five first-team All-Pro honors. Knee trouble stemming from a 1970 injury plagued Chicago’s 245-pound middle linebacker during his final seasons, leading to a retirement after his age-31 season. But a combination of ferocity, instincts and athleticism placed him in rarefied air.
Tackles and and forced-fumble counts are not available from that era, but in addition to being one of the most intimidating presences in NFL history, Butkus also was among the greats at creating turnovers. He finished his career with 22 interceptions and 27 fumble recoveries. When Butkus retired, that recovery total was tops in NFL history.
Selecting Butkus third overall in the 1965 draft, the Bears enjoyed one of the greatest rounds in NFL draft history. Chicago chose Hall of Fame running back Gale Sayers fourth overall; that selection was the franchise’s own pick. The Butkus pick came courtesy of the Steelers, who made a seminal trade with the Bears during the 1964 draft. Held in November 1963, the ’64 draft involved Pittsburgh sending its 1965 first-rounder to Chicago for 1964 second- and fourth-round picks (Nos. 28 and 51 overall). That first-rounder becoming No. 3 overall gave the Bears a legendary duo. Sayers, who died in September 2020, remains the youngest player enshrined in the Hall of Fame, getting there at age 34 in 1977.
While the Bears could not effectively build around Butkus and Sayers, both became Chicago icons. Starring at the University of Illinois, Butkus carried a head start on the elusive running back en route to that status. Sayers earned Rookie of the Year acclaim in 1965, before the Associated Press handed out separate awards to offensive and defensive players, but severe knee trouble sidetracked the running back’s career. During Butkus’ first eight seasons, he only missed two games. Butkus finished in the top five in MVP voting in 1968 and 1970, despite the Bears respectively finishing 7-7 and 6-8 in those seasons. Butkus played for just two winning teams as a pro.
“Playing in an era when middle linebacker became one of the game’s glamour positions — and several of Dick’s contemporaries also would end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame — his name most often was cited first as the epitome of what it took to excel at the highest level,” Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement.
A no-doubt inclusion on the NFL’s 100th anniversary team in 2019, Butkus ended up 10th on a 2010 NFL Network project ranking the greatest players in league history. No off-ball ‘backer checked in higher on that list. College football established the Butkus Award, which is given to Division I-FBS’ best linebacker, in 1985.
Butkus remained in the public eye for decades after his retirement, serving as an announcer, commercial pitchman and actor. He appeared in numerous television shows, including in regular roles (My Two Dads and Hang Time), and in a number of movies. Butkus, who attended the Bears’ home opener last month, is survived by wife Helen and three children.
Kyle Pitts Not 100% After Knee Surgery
The Falcons have reassembled their skill-position corps from the Matt Ryan era. Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus are gone, having departed during the Terry Fontenot–Arthur Smith partnership. But Kyle Pitts represents a link to that period. And the Ryan exit has provided a line of demarcation for the former top prospect’s career.
With Ryan at the controls in 2021, Pitts approached Mike Ditka‘s rookie tight end receiving record by totaling 1,026 yards in 17 games. Only Jeremy Shockey (2002) has come within 300 yards of Pitts’ total as a rookie. In the 14 games since, Pitts has accumulated 477 yards on just 39 receptions. The move from Ryan to Marcus Mariota affected Atlanta’s passing attack, and Desmond Ridder now ranks 31st in QBR. But Pitts is also attempting to close the book on a significant injury rehab process.
A grade 2 MCL tear in Week 11 of last season shut down Pitts midway through a disappointing campaign, and while the former No. 4 overall pick was on the field to start this season, Smith confirmed his top tight end is not yet fully recovered.
“Look at him, obviously he’s out there. Again, there are no perfect timetables,” Smith said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter. “But there are certain things, you see him and he’s doing really well right now and there are certain things that he can’t [do well]. It’s been a journey back. He’s going to get there.”
Pitts has cleared 45 receiving yards in a game just twice since the start of last season, but in addition to his pass-game inconsistency, his blocking ability has impacted his usage, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Never exactly drafted to impact the game as a run blocker, Pitts does grade poorly in that department for a run-oriented team. Pro Football Focus ranks Pitts as the league’s fourth-worst run-blocking tight end this season.
Although Smith had not yet implemented his full offensive plan in 2021, that setup certainly benefited Pitts compared to the post-Ryan plan. The team brought in Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson in the two ensuing offseasons, leading to the increased run commitment. The Falcons’ 559 rushing attempts led the NFL last season. They are only 13th in rush attempts this year, however. But Pitts has failed to clear the 65% offensive snap barrier in two of Atlanta’s four games. Trade acquisition Jonnu Smith also posted a six-catch, 95-yard effort against the Jaguars. Pitts has not hit six receptions or 95 yards in a game since his rookie year.
This profiles as a pivotal Pitts season. The Falcons must decide on the Florida alum’s fifth-year option in May 2024. While this regime has plenty invested in Pitts, the highest-drafted tight end since the AFL-NFL merger, the soon-to-be 23-year-old pass catcher has skidded off track early. The talented receiver’s performance going forward this season will be rather important for his earning potential.
Bears Activate G Teven Jenkins From IR
OCTOBER 5: Jenkins will be this season’s first IR activation. Despite being designated for return three days before a Thursday-night game, Jenkins will come off IR in time for the Bears’ matchup with the Commanders, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. This will be welcome news for a Bears team that has seen three starting O-linemen — Jenkins, Jones and Davis — miss multiple games. Jones remains on Chicago’s IR but will be a candidate to follow Jenkins back onto the active roster down the road.
This activation will shake up the Bears’ O-line. Cody Whitehair, per the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley, will likely return to the center position he played earlier in his career — the team’s plan upon signing Davis this offseason — while Jenkins is shifting from right guard to left guard to accommodate the ex-Titan. Center Lucas Patrick will be on track to return to a backup role.
OCTOBER 2: Teams can begin opening practice windows for players on IR and the PUP list this week. The Bears will do so with one of their starting offensive linemen.
Suffering an injury during the preseason, Teven Jenkins went on IR just after the Bears finalized their initial 53-man roster. This allowed them to make the young blocker one of their in-season activations. It looks like Jenkins will be in play to return soon, with Matt Eberflus confirming (via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley) the interior starter is now designated for return.
Designating a player to return from IR means a 21-day practice window is opened. This transaction means the Bears have three weeks to decide on Jenkins, who will either be activated in that span or revert to season-ending IR. With this unspecified leg injury never expecting to end his season, it should be assumed the former second-round pick will return at some point in October. With the Bears having a Thursday-night tilt, it would not surprise if Week 6 became the Jenkins target date.
After struggling as a tackle, Jenkins broke through at guard last season. He graded as a top-10 guard, in the view of Pro Football Focus, despite moving to the post during the 2022 offseason. The Oklahoma State alum returning would certainly help the Bears, who are 0-4 and have seen other availability issues plague them up front. Left tackle Braxton Jones is on IR as well, while free agent pickup Nate Davis has missed two games.
Teams have eight in-season IR activations at their disposal. Players must miss four games upon being placed on IR, but they can now be activated from the injured list twice. From 2020-21, teams enjoyed unlimited IR activations. Opting for a middle ground between the pandemic-era format and the stricter setup of previous eras, the NFL settled on eight in 2022. For Jenkins, this marks his second NFL injury hiatus. He missed much of his 2021 rookie season due to a back injury.