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.
Latest On Giants’ Offensive Line
Andrew Thomas‘ absence was glaringly visible on a historically bad pass-protection night. The Giants’ 11 sacks allowed set a Monday Night Football record, with backup left tackle Joshua Ezeudu struggling as the Seahawks padded their total late in the rout.
The Giants are expected to be without Thomas against the Dolphins as well. Brian Daboll said he is leaning no on the All-Pro left tackle coming back for Week 5. Thomas sustained a setback on his way back from the strained hamstring he suffered in Week 1, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. This will make four straight absences.
Ezeudu, who worked as a backup left tackle during parts of training camp, was expected to win one of the guard battles this summer. But those went to Ben Bredeson and Mark Glowinski. Though, the team’s setup inside has changed as well. Despite signing a three-year deal worth $18.3MM, Glowinski has endured multiple demotions this season. The Giants benched the longtime Colts starter after his Week 1 struggles, and the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy notes the veteran has been bumped to the bottom of the depth chart.
New York demoted Glowinski a second time during Week 2, and he did not play an offensive snap in Week 3. Bredeson and 2022 fifth-round pick Marcus McKethan, who missed all of his rookie year due to an ACL tear, opened Week 4 as Big Blue’s guard starters. Pro Football Focus ranks all three blockers outside the top 55 among guards. Shane Lemieux started ahead of Glowinski in Week 3 but suffered a groin injury Monday. The door keeps reopening for Glowinski, a four-year Colts right guard starter whom PFF viewed as a top-30 guard in his first Giants season. A 2024 release seems likely at this point, however. That move will save the Giants $5.7MM.
The Giants did not invest much in guards this offseason, having signed Glowinski in March 2022 and drafted Ezeudu in Round 3 a month later. No answers have come for the team, which has also seen right tackle Evan Neal continue to struggle. This allowed for Seahawks target practice on Daniel Jones on Monday night, and the Giants have since added Justin Pugh. The former 2013 Giants draftee joined the practice squad, but given the team’s guard state, the five-year Cardinals starter should be expected to be elevated soon.
Some additional shuffling became required after center John Michael Schmitz suffered a shoulder injury on the Giants’ failed “Tush Push”-style QB sneak. Adding insult to injury, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes tight end Daniel Bellinger sustained an MCL strain on that play. While Bellinger’s injury is seen as moderate, the Giants losing two regulars on that play — after only previously repping it in a walkthrough setting — compounds the troubles they are experiencing up front.
Matt Peart resides as the only other tackle on the Giants’ roster, in the event the team benches Ezeudu. Thomas, who is now the NFL’s second-highest-paid O-lineman after signing a $23.5MM-per-year extension this summer, is on track to match his career high for single-season absences. He missed four games in 2021 as well.
Owners Not Expected To Approve Tom Brady’s Raiders Stake At Meetings
In place for months, Tom Brady‘s agreement to buy a Raiders stake remains on hold ahead of a crucial point. The next round of NFL owners’ meetings are set to begin Oct. 17, and the Washington Post’s Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala report Brady’s purchase is unlikely to be ratified at that point.
Brady’s stake of the franchise is believed to be between five and 10%, according to Maske and Jhabvala, who report owners have issues with the discounted price Mark Davis is offering the recently retired quarterback. Although minority pieces of a sports franchise are frequently sold for discounted rates — due to limited partners’ minimal contributions in franchise operations — the Post reports Davis may be offering Brady an approximate 70% discount to join his ownership group.
Multiple issues are clouding the deal, but the stake price appears to be the lead item. The former Patriots and Buccaneers passer has said he plans to play a “very passive” role as a Raiders owner, and he was recently approved as a part-owner of the Las Vegas Aces, a WNBA franchise Davis owns. Twenty-four owners must approve Brady’s share of the Raiders. As of now, that is not expected to take place at the upcoming meetings, which run from Oct. 17-18.
Support does exist among NFL brass and the league’s finance committee for Brady’s Raiders agreement to be approved, per Maske and Jhabvala. Brady remaining involved with the NFL would understandably be enticing for many, though the all-time great is also planning to begin a career as a FOX analyst in 2024. Brady agreed to a 10-year, $375MM contract in 2022 to become FOX’s lead analyst when his playing career ended. Brady, 46, delayed that move for a year, intending to take time off before committing fully. But the finance committee is not planning to approve Brady’s stake at the above-referenced price.
Considering Brady’s popularity, it is certainly notable this many “no” votes are in place. The other issues holding up a deal are not known, but Brady agreed to become a Raiders part-owner less than a year after the NFL slapped the Dolphins with a steep penalty — loss of a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third — for a tampering scandal in which the AFC East franchise eyed Brady as a player/owner and Sean Payton as head coach. That arrangement would have needed full ownership approval, which seemed unlikely given how Brady’s talent could have affected other teams under that plan. Brady serving as a Raiders player/owner — a scenario that has been shot down on multiple occasions — would also need 31 “yes” votes; that would also be viewed as unlikely.
Unlike last year, Brady has said he is done for good. The Jets were not planning to reach out to the future first-ballot Hall of Famer after Aaron Rodgers‘ injury. The Raiders have used fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell as Jimmy Garoppolo‘s backup, though the team did look into Brady as a player before his February retirement.
For now, Brady remains unattached. But it is not out of the question the remaining issues are resolved and the 23-year veteran signs on in a Raiders ownership-only role. The next round of meetings are scheduled for Dec. 12-13.
Vikings To Promote OL Hakeem Adeniji
After failing to make the Bengals’ 53-man roster, Hakeem Adeniji quietly caught on with the Vikings’ practice squad. The veteran offensive lineman will have another chance on an active roster soon.
The Vikings are promoting Adeniji to their 53-man squad, The Score’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Rather than a gameday elevation, this move will bump the fourth-year blocker to the active roster on a full-time basis. Adeniji has not been a gameday elevation yet this season, but instead of the Vikings going through the process of using elevations to bring him onto the roster, a midweek bump will take place.
Adeniji went from starting in Super Bowl LVI to seeing the Bengals move to replace him during free agency a month later. After the Bengals signed Alex Cappa to replace Adeniji, the former sixth-rounder out of Kansas resurfaced as a starter in the playoffs. Adeniji started in each of Cincinnati’s three playoff games, working as a La’el Collins right tackle replacement on what became a decimated O-line.
Pro Football Focus was not high on Adeniji’s work in either of the past two seasons, and the Bengals moved on ahead of the final season of his rookie contract. The Bengals’ Orlando Brown Jr. signing helped lead Adeniji off the roster. Jonah Williams is now at right tackle in Cincinnati, with D’Ante Smith and Jackson Carman in place as swingmen.
Overall, Adeniji has 15 starts on his NFL resume. He joined Dalton Risner as a late addition for the Vikings, who returned their starting five offensive linemen from last season. Risner has played in Minnesota’s past two games but has not logged an offensive snap with his new team yet. The four-year Broncos starter has considerably more starting experience than Adeniji, though the latter offers more versatility due to his tackle experience. Both will be in place as Vikings backups soon.
Cardinals Sign RB Damien Williams
Damien Williams signed with the Raiders in August, joining the team as Josh Jacobs stayed away from training camp. But Williams’ first workout this summer came in Arizona. Released by the Raiders in August, Williams will circle back to the Cardinals.
The Cards are adding Williams on a practice squad deal, per a team announcement. The former Chiefs Super Bowl starter worked out for the Cardinals in late July. This signing comes as backup Keaontay Ingram is battling a neck injury.
Although Williams is 31, he has only totaled 490 career touches. Most of those came with Kansas City. The ex-Miami backup is best known for seeing Kareem Hunt‘s midseason dismissal lead to a significant shakeup in the Chiefs’ 2018 backfield. Williams was soon the starter in Kansas City’s first Patrick Mahomes-directed offense. The veteran running back proved a capable fill-in during the regular season and shined in both the 2018 and ’19 playoffs. In five games between those two winters, Williams totaled 10 touchdowns. Two of those came in Super Bowl LIV, a game in which Williams posted 133 yards from scrimmage.
In the years since, Williams reverted to his pre-Kansas City usage. The former UDFA caught on with the Bears and Falcons, respectively, after opting out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns. In those two seasons, however, Williams accumulated just 58 touches. A rib injury led the Falcons to place Williams on IR in September 2022 and later release him with an injury settlement.
For a third straight year, James Conner is operating as Arizona’s lead back. Not much was expected from the Cardinals’ Kyler Murray-less offense this season, but the team has played each of its four opponents close and emerged with a Week 3 upset win over the Cowboys. Conner has logged 62 carries this season, while Ingram — a second-year backup — has taken 12 handoffs. Rookie UDFA Emari Demercado (four carries) resides as the Cards’ third-stringer.
Jonathan Taylor Addresses Recovery, Colts Status
Designated for return from the Colts’ reserve/PUP list this week, Jonathan Taylor is practicing with his team for the first time since last season. The former rushing champion’s status for Week 5 is unclear, but he confirmed Thursday he is healthy. For a second straight day, Taylor was a full practice participant.
Although Taylor underwent what has been classified as a minimally invasive ankle surgery in January, he has either taken much longer than expected to recover or used the injury as an excuse to stay away from the team amid trade talks. Asked about the extended rehab timeline, the fourth-year running back said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson) “no surgery is the same” but added he is ready to return.
In his first comments since the July trade request, however, Taylor has refrained from discussing his Colts future. Taylor said he is “here right now” but added he is committed to returning to action (via Fox 59’s Mike Chappell). The disgruntled back is set to begin a contract year late. The Colts have the option of trading of him until October 31, but this long-running issue could also be put aside for the time being.
With Taylor calling his contract situation an “offseason issue,” the Colts could be set to activate him. They can do so at any point until October 25. If Taylor is not activated from the PUP list by then, he would stay on the PUP list for the rest of the season. That would be highly unlikely, as it would lead to Taylor’s contract tolling to 2024. Shane Steichen has not ruled out Taylor from playing against the Titans on Sunday. Considering what has gone down between player and team over the past 2 1/2 months, Taylor’s debut — whenever it happens — will be one of the most interesting in recent NFL history.
Already expressing disappointment about the state of the running back market, Taylor shifted from wanting to retire as a Colt to asking for a trade. Jim Irsay played the lead role in the relationship’s deterioration, sending a much-discussed tweet criticizing running backs for gathering on a Zoom call to discuss the seismic offseason at their position. A subsequent Taylor-Irsay meeting did not go well, and while the owner attempted to walk back his comment by saying it was not aimed specifically at Taylor, the damage escalated. Taylor’s recently hired agent became a prominent player in this impasse as well, and the three-year Colts RB1’s demeanor changed upon returning to Indy’s facility.
Taylor, 24, is in a difficult position with regards to his contract. Although the Colts have taken care of a number of core players before their contract years under Chris Ballard (Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Braden Smith and Shaquille Leonard among them), the seventh-year GM cited Indianapolis’ 4-12-1 2022 record as a reason the team was not planning to extend Taylor this year. The team declined a Taylor extension request this offseason. Barring a trade before the deadline, the Colts will still have the option of franchise-tagging Taylor — on what will be the NFL’s second-lowest tag number, ahead of only kickers and punters — in 2024.
The Colts have discussed Taylor in trades, doing so during the final week of August. While the Dolphins and Colts engaged in discussions, doubt surfaced about Indianapolis’ desire to grant Taylor’s request. Irsay initially said the Colts would not trade Taylor, but the team is believed to have since dropped its asking price — from an unrealistic place (a first-rounder or equivalent value) to pushing for a second-rounder — in recent weeks. The market for Taylor, which was never believed to be robust, looks to have cooled. That may well have prompted Taylor to stand down and begrudgingly return to the team.
In his most recent healthy season, Taylor won the rushing title by more than 500 yards. This ankle issue doubles as Taylor’s only notable injury during his pro or college careers. It had been widely suggested Taylor was exaggerating the injury to apply pressure on the Colts. If the Wisconsin alum truly needed more than eight months to recover, that would stand to affect his trade value as well. Teams had been leery of trading prime draft assets for Taylor and agreeing to a top-market extension. The ankle issue being a true nagging concern would introduce another complication.
The Colts have used Zack Moss as their primary back over the past three weeks, and the ex-Bills second-round pick has played fairly well. Moss has gained 210 rushing yards over the past two games. That said, Taylor has proven to be one of the NFL’s premier backs when healthy. If activated, he should regain his starting role quickly. Though, it would not surprise to see Moss remain in the mix with the now-Anthony Richardson-led offense.
Davante Adams Not Planning To Seek Trade
Mustering only 17 points against a Broncos defense that has been by far the league’s worst over the first four games has kept the Raiders from an 0-4 start. They rank outside the top 20 in total offense and points, opening the door to bigger-picture questions.
Las Vegas’ offense looks quite different from the top-flight attacks Davante Adams aided in Green Bay and is not the one he signed up for, seeing as longtime friend Derek Carr was booted after the ex-Fresno State teammates reunited for one season. While Adams would qualify as a splashy option in trades, such a scenario does not look to be on the radar.
Adams expressed curiosity when assessing his fit with Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, but ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes the All-Pro wide receiver is not eyeing a trade out of Las Vegas. The ex-Packers star is aiming for a long-term Raiders stay.
After helping the Packers to three straight playoff byes to close out his tenure, Adams pinpointed the Raiders as his ideal destination during the 2022 offseason. Carr played a key part in Las Vegas becoming Adams’ preferred landing spot, but he said before the team’s Week 18 game last year — a contest the Raiders played after Carr left the team — he wanted to stick around. Through four games, Adams does not appear to have changed his mind.
Even as the Raiders struggled in Josh McDaniels‘ debut — a season in which Carr took a statistical step back — Adams showed he could thrive independent of Aaron Rodgers, posting a third straight first-team All-Pro season. This year, the 30-year-old wideout is at 33 receptions for 397 yards and three touchdowns. He caught six passes for 66 yards and no scores last week sans Garoppolo, and while the Raiders passed on drafting a quarterback despite visiting with each of this class’ top signal-callers, Fowler adds Adams is high on fourth-round rookie Aidan O’Connell.
Khalil Mack‘s six-sack spree notwithstanding, O’Connell threw for 238 yards and had the Raiders at the Chargers’ 3-yard line in the final minutes. An Asante Samuel Jr. interception nixed a potential game-tying score, though O’Connell also fumbled twice as Mack revved up. Garoppolo is not in any present danger of losing his job. But O’Connell profiles as a player to watch, especially considering he sits behind the NFL’s most injury-prone starting quarterback and became the Raiders’ pick after they met with Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker.
If the Raiders’ struggles continue, Adams’ status will be worth monitoring. His five-year, $140MM contract also features a fully guaranteed 2024 salary ($16.89MM), with a total of $42.9MM injury guarantee shifting to a full guarantee this past March. This would affect Adams’ trade value, but for now, that appears a moot point for a Raiders team that has seen Adams and No. 2 wideout Jakobi Meyers produce to start the season.
Chargers To Trade J.C. Jackson To Patriots; Christian Gonzalez Likely Out For Season
The Chargers are giving up on their J.C. Jackson experiment. A year after signing the former Patriots standout to a big-ticket deal, the Bolts will cut bait and send the veteran defender back east. The Patriots are reacquiring Jackson, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.
New England and Los Angeles will swap late-round picks in 2025, Rapoport adds. The Patriots and Chargers will exchange sixth- and seventh-rounders in the ’25 draft. This surprising move will aid a Pats team decimated at cornerback and make the AFC East squad responsible for part of a contract it did not want to pay in 2022.
A franchise tag candidate last year, Jackson instead hit the open market after not entering serious negotiations with the Pats. He followed the likes of Logan Ryan, Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore out the door. The Patriots have continually passed on paying corners, and they let the Bolts give the ballhawk a five-year, $82.5MM contract that came with $40MM guaranteed at signing. That deal did not end up working out for the AFC West club, and now Jackson will follow the likes of Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins as defenders to reunite with the Patriots in recent years.
This trade will come after Christian Gonzalez sustained an injury against the Cowboys. The Patriots, who already played their Week 4 game without Jack Jones and Marcus Jones, are unlikely to have their first-round pick back until next season. Gonzalez sustained a torn shoulder labrum that is expected to sideline him for the rest of the season, Rapoport reports. The promising cover man is on track for surgery. WEEI’s Mike Kadlick initially reported Gonzalez suffered the labrum tear. The Oregon product had sought a second opinion, but with surgery upcoming, the Jackson trade will bring back a player quite familiar with Bill Belichick‘s system. Gonzalez will head to IR this week, SI.com’s Albert Breer tweets.
Jackson’s fit in L.A. deteriorated swiftly. The Chargers made their highest-paid corner a healthy scratch in Week 3, a decision that confused Jackson, who had recovered from a ruptured patellar tendon in time for Week 1. Jackson did not play in the Bolts’ Week 4 win over the Raiders, either, and said last week he was not yet 100%. With his career stonewalled in California, one of the NFL’s premier turnover machines will be called upon to operate in the system that made him a high-end free agent target.
Despite missing the second half of last season due to the knee injury, Jackson has corralled 26 interceptions since coming into the league in 2018. No player has picked off that many passes in that span. Jackson grew into a regular as a rookie in 2018, helping a Gilmore- and Devin McCourty-led secondary keep the Rams out of the end zone in Super Bowl LIII. Given more responsibilities in the three ensuing seasons, Jackson intercepted 21 passes from 2019-21. The Patriots rolled out top-seven scoring defenses each year.
Illustrating Jackson’s limited trade value on this top-10 CB contract, the Chargers will cover much of his 2023 salary to facilitate the move. New England is only on the hook for $1.5MM of the $9.33MM remaining on Jackson’s base salary, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler adds. The Bolts will pick up the rest in a signing bonus. Considering the Pats’ hesitation with regards to meeting Jackson’s high price in 2022, this part of the transaction does not surprise.
Collins and Van Noy also returned at reduced rates; the Pats ended up moving away from Collins twice — while letting the Browns and Lions pay him — but coaxed quality production from their off-and-on linebacker while he was attached to lower-end money. Jackson is still signed through 2026 and carries base salaries of $12.4MM, $12MM and $12.1MM, respectively, from 2024-26. No more guarantees remain on the deal, though, offering the Patriots flexibility on a player they know well. Still, Jackson is coming off a down 2022 season in Brandon Staley‘s system — one that ended with a severe injury last October. Jackson was also issued an arrest warrant in connection with a 2021 speeding charge.
Jackson, 27, will rejoin slot bastion Jonathan Jones in the Pats’ secondary. Jack Jones is also eligible to come off IR in Week 5, though it is unclear if the second-year defender will be ready to do so. Marcus Jones is not eligible to come back until Week 7. The Gonzalez component, however, represents the biggest wound out of New England’s secondary injuries. This news also hits harder after the report of Matt Judon‘s biceps injury. Judon is out for an extended period, with surgery on tap. A late-season return is not out of the question, but the Pats’ secondary will face tougher assignments without the red-sleeved pass rusher providing steady pressure.
After trading down in Round 1, the Patriots chose Gonzalez at No. 17 overall. Washington had considered the Pac-12 prospect but chose Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. assigned a top-10 grade to Gonzalez as a prospect, and the 6-foot-2 rookie had delivered immediate impact. Pro Football Focus ranked Gonzalez as the league’s seventh-best corner to start the season. His rookie contract runs through 2026, with the Patriots holding a fifth-year option for 2027. But this obviously stings for a Pats team that had never chosen a pure cornerback in the first round under Belichick.
The Chargers had held a slot competition between Asante Samuel Jr. and Ja’Sir Taylor this summer. While Samuel ended up winning it, Taylor replaced him inside early in the season. The second-generation NFLer re-emerged in a full-time role on the outside, and despite Staley having indicated a Jackson-Samuel-Michael Davis battle for boundary reps was on tap, the Bolts will rely on their younger corners going forward.
Broncos To Release OLB Randy Gregory
4:15pm: When speaking about the Gregory move, Payton said (via the Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson) the Broncos are still in the process of trying to find a trade partner. If no deal materializes, the release will go through in the next day or so. Notably, Payton added that Gregory did not, in fact, ask for his release upon learning that the Broncos will turn their attention to younger members of their edge rush group. In any event, he will soon find himself out of the Mile High City.
10:16am: The Broncos are admitting a mistake on Randy Gregory early. After benching the 2022 free agency pickup in Week 4, Denver is moving on. The team is releasing the veteran edge rusher, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
This will tag the Broncos with a big dead-money hit. They had signed Gregory to a five-year, $69.5MM deal in free agency, finalizing a deal after Gregory talks with the Cowboys hit an 11th-hour snag. Denver intends to use its younger pass rushers under Sean Payton. The Broncos have now moved on from Gregory and Bradley Chubb in consecutive years.
Denver moved Gregory to the trade block this week, with 9News’ Mike Klis reporting the team had been trying to unload the talented but unreliable veteran. As a vested vet, Gregory will head straight to free agency. The former Cowboys second-round pick asked for his release Tuesday, per Klis, and Payton will grant the request after no trade buyers emerged.
Gregory, 30, had been a key part of GM George Paton‘s post-Von Miller edge rusher plan. A year after deploying a Chubb-Gregory setup at outside linebacker, the Broncos are rid of both. They dealt Chubb to the Dolphins at last year’s deadline, doing so while Gregory was out with a knee injury. While Gregory showed flashes as a pass rusher, his Broncos tenure featured the undependability his Cowboys run did. Gregory’s Broncos run ends with just three sacks.
The Cowboys thought they had a deal done with Gregory, but the oft-suspended Nebraska alum objected to language inserted into the contract. Denver made the initial Gregory offer in March 2022; the former Dallas starter said he would stay a Cowboy if the team matched the terms. Dallas did, but the disagreement on language led Gregory to Colorado. The Cowboys ended up doing fine after Gregory left, forming a dominant edge-rushing group that includes Dorance Armstrong — who re-signed shortly after Gregory’s defection — along with Dante Fowler and 2022 second-rounder Sam Williams.
Gregory came to Denver on the heels of a shoulder surgery, one that kept him out of training camp last year. A knee injury sidelined Gregory early in his first Broncos campaign, and while he returned late in the year, Gregory’s first season offered little in the way of production. Denver managed to field a top-10 defense largely without Gregory, though its pass rush took a hit after Chubb’s departure. The Broncos benched Gregory after giving up 70 points in Week 3, with the ninth-year veteran’s effort — particularly against the run — leading to the demotion.
While the Broncos remain fairly deep on the edge, two of their cogs here — Baron Browning and Frank Clark — are unavailable. Browning is on Denver’s reserve/PUP list due to an offseason knee injury, while Clark is working his way back from an abductor malady sustained in a recent practice. Browning is eligible to return this week, though it is uncertain if the third-year linebacker will be ready. Clark is hoping to come back for this week’s Jets matchup.
The Broncos benched Gregory for Nik Bonitto, a 2022 second-rounder. He and 2021 seventh-rounder Jonathon Cooper are the Broncos’ starting edges for the time being. The two teamed up on the pivotal Justin Fields fumble-six in Sunday’s comeback win. Bonitto, Denver’s top 2022 draft choice, registered 2.5 sacks against the Bears. The Cooper-Bonitto duo may generate some optimism, but the Broncos have taken a massive step back on defense. Vance Joseph‘s unit ranks last in points and yards allowed, with a historically bad Miami outing sounding alarm bells.
The Gregory chapter represents a misstep on the Broncos’ part. The team had hoped Gregory’s lower-mileage Cowboys run — thanks to four suspensions — would help lead to a late prime period. Instead, Gregory is gone after just 10 games with the team. The Broncos will eat $16.1MM in dead money as a result of the cut. Gregory’s Cowboys form, which produced six-sack seasons in 2018 and 2020, will undoubtedly lead to another chance elsewhere. Though, it is unlikely he will come close to the $14MM-per-year pact the Broncos authorized.
Jonathan Taylor To Practice This Week
OCTOBER 4: ESPN’s Stephen Holder notes that, to no surprise, Taylor’s teammates are excited about his presumed return to action in Week 5. The 24-year-old’s relationship with the Colts seems to be “headed in the right direction,” Holder writes, adding that Taylor’s mindset regarding his situation in Indianapolis has “improved significantly.” That points to an audition period in 2023 taking place, the potential trade effects of which will be worth watching closely.
Taylor was listed as a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, though it was merely a walkthrough. Still, all signs continue to point to his 2023 debut happening on Sunday as the next phase of his Colts tenure takes shape.
OCTOBER 2: After two months of trade rumors, Jonathan Taylor remains on the Colts. While the prospect of trade is not believed to be shut down, the team is indeed opening the running back’s practice window.
A Sunday report indicated this move was coming, and Shane Steichen confirmed Taylor is slated to return to practice Wednesday. Taylor has resided on Indianapolis’ reserve/PUP list; he will now have a 21-day window to return. Questions remain about Taylor’s desire to play for the Colts again, and the trade deadline looms Oct. 31. For now, however, the Colts will move him closer toward playing for them in 2023.
Steichen also did not rule out Taylor from making his debut Sunday against the Titans, Fox 59’s Mike Chappell adds. Taylor requested a trade in July, amid a clash with owner Jim Irsay, and likely attempted to use his ankle issue as a way to avoid a return to the Colts. The 2021 rushing champ is believed to have been healthy for a bit now; Irsay proclaimed him ready to go back in mid-July. But a stretch of turbulence between Taylor and the team engulfed Steichen’s first summer on the job. It will certainly be pivotal if/when Taylor addresses his situation this week.
After Irsay flatly stated Taylor would not be traded back in July, the Colts did end up engaging with teams ahead of the August deadline to finalize 53-man rosters and set injured lists. The Dolphins and Packers discussed Taylor with the Colts, with other teams rumored as interested to a lesser degree. Rumors have emerged about the Colts’ lack of desire to truly move the contract-year back, a development foreshadowed by Jaylen Waddle coming up in Dolphins talks. The Taylor market never appeared robust, and it has cooled from the August point.
The Colts are believed to have dropped their asking price for the fourth-year RB. No team has fetched a first-rounder for a running back since the Colts sent the Browns one for Trent Richardson 10 years ago, and Indy is now open to accepting a Round 2 choice here. As of last week, Taylor also remained at odds with the Colts. Of course, if Indianapolis does not make a deal, Taylor’s options are limited.
Once Taylor returns to practice, the Colts will have 21 days to activate him from the PUP list. If the team does not do so, Taylor’s season is done. A player not on an injured list exaggerating an injury to force a trade is not unprecedented; Jalen Ramsey did so in 2019, when the Jaguars collected two first-rounders from the Rams. But some finality to Taylor’s 2023 saga looks to be coming. Steichen said (via the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson) he has stayed in contact with Taylor during his time on the PUP list.
It is also uncertain if Irsay and GM Chris Ballard are on the same page regarding a potential trade. If the Colts do not trade Taylor, they would still have the option of franchise-tagging him in 2024. This year’s franchise tag deadline accelerated Taylor’s standoff with the Colts, with three running backs (Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard) playing on the tag. And the grim prospect of Taylor playing out his rookie deal and then being cuffed still looms. Though, the Colts will need to decide how much longer they want to endure this situation. How Taylor reacclimates under a new coaching staff could be important as he rejoins his teammates at workouts.
Winning the 2021 rushing title by more than 500 yards, Taylor missed six games due to an ankle injury — his first notable malady during his college or pro careers — last season and underwent what was labeled a minimally invasive surgery in January. It is expected the Wisconsin product is good to go. If Taylor is truly on track to play in Colts games, he would presumably reclaim the starter role ahead of Zack Moss, who has operated as such for the past three weeks. The 2022 trade acquisition has played at least 75% of the Colts’ offensive snaps in each of his three games since returning from a broken arm.