NFC West Notes: 49ers, Adams, Cards, Rams
Recent restructures have vaulted the 49ers past the Browns for cap space. San Francisco’s $42.1MM leads the NFL by more than $7MM. GM John Lynch did not rule out some of these funds being used to add a trade piece, but the 49ers are planning roll over the bulk of the space to 2024.
“Really, we always look at the cap for three years out,” Lynch said, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “Obviously, we have all that room this year. But really it’s to create room for future years because we roll everything over. It helps us in future years because it creates some room we’re going to need. … We’ve pretty much done what we’re going to do this year, but you never know with the trade deadline and all that.”
The 49ers created some space by extending Nick Bosa, though the team authorized a record-smashing accord that will show up on future caps, but Brock Purdy‘s rookie contract runs through 2025. During the Lynch-Kyle Shanahan era, the 49ers have not been shy about adding at the deadline, as the Christian McCaffrey and Emmanuel Sanders trades illustrate. In place as a Super Bowl contender once again, the 49ers will have some ammo to accommodate a bigger salary if they choose. For now, however, they are viewing the restructures to help down the road. Even with the projected carryover, the 49ers currently are projected to hold barely $17MM in 2024 cap space.
Here is the latest from the NFC West:
- The Seahawks will not delay Jamal Adams‘ return for another week. Pete Carroll pronounced his highest-paid safety as “ready to go” for the team’s Week 4 Monday-night matchup against the Giants. Adams suffered a torn quadriceps tendon during the Seahawks’ season-opening Monday-nighter against the Broncos last year. The seventh-year veteran spent most of training camp on the Seahawks’ active/PUP list, and while he avoided the reserve/PUP designation, he still was expected to miss regular-season time. Additionally, Carroll said Riq Woolen and Charles Cross have a good chance to return in Week 4. Cross has missed the past two games, while Woolen was down for Week 3.
- In 2020, the Cardinals had both CeeDee Lamb and Tristan Wirfs on their radar when they held the No. 8 overall pick. Many in the Cards’ war room believed it would be a Wirfs-or-Lamb decision, GOPHNX.com’s Howard Balzer notes. Isaiah Simmons instead became the selection. While Simmons did not pan out in Arizona, being traded to the Giants for a seventh-round pick last month, he was viewed as an elite-level prospect. The Lions and Giants were linked to Simmons at Nos. 3 and 4, while Wirfs and Lamb did not go off the board until Nos. 13 and 17. Simmons represents another Steve Keim misstep at linebacker. The Cardinals missed on Deone Bucannon (2014) and had slotted Haason Reddick (2017) as an off-ball player for most of his Arizona run. Zaven Collins (2021) has since been moved to the outside. Simmons moved around the Cardinals’ formation, finishing his desert run as a safety.
- Sean McVay remains the Rams‘ play-caller, but he allowed new OC Mike LaFleur to implement new concepts upon coming over from the Jets. LaFleur added elements from the Jets and 49ers’ offenses that were not previously in the Rams’ scheme, Dan Pompei of The Athletic writes (subscription required). McVay indicated LaFleur — a Shanahan assistant from 2014-20, with the Browns, Falcons and 49ers — has earned the autonomy he received this offseason, when he came to Los Angeles shortly after a Jets separation.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/25/23
Here are Monday’s practice squad transactions:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Devin Asiasi
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: S Dane Cruikshank
Cruikshank spent the first four seasons of his career with the Titans, seeing action in 44 games with the team that drafted him in the 2018 fifth round. The Arizona product spent last season with the Bears. While Cruikshank has only started four games, he has served as a regular backup to Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker. The 27-year-old defender played 414 defensive snaps for the 2021 Titans. Cruikshank, who finished last season on the Bears’ IR list, did not make the Jets’ 53-man roster after signing with the team in July.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/25/23
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Elevated: TE Tanner Hudson, QB Reid Sinnett
Indianapolis Colts
- Reverted to IR from reserve/suspended list: TE Leonard Taylor
Los Angeles Rams
- Elevated: RB Royce Freeman, WR Austin Trammell
Philadelphia Eagles
- Elevated: WR Devon Allen, P Braden Mann
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: LB J.J. Russell, DL Deadrin Senat
Tennessee Titans
- Moved from commissioner’s exempt list to IR: RB Hassan Haskins
Sinnett joined the Bengals’ practice squad late last week. This move preceded A.J. McCarron‘s return by one day. Joe Burrow is in uniform tonight, but the Bengals will take advantage of the emergency third QB rule by bumping Sinnett up to the active roster. Jake Browning is in place as Burrow’s backup.
After the Jets and Steelers waived Mann this year, he secured another chance in Philly. The team brought Mann onto its practice squad last week, moving their punter of the past two seasons — Arryn Siposs — off their roster. Mann is in his fourth NFL season; the former sixth-round pick served as the Jets’ punter from 2020-22.
With Quez Watkins inactive, Allen received his first opportunity to suit up for an NFL game. The two-time Olympian 110-meter hurdler has been on the Eagles’ practice squad for the past two seasons. A former wideout at Oregon, Allen devoted much of his 20s to track, becoming one of the best 110 hurdlers in U.S. history. Since landing on the Eagles’ 90-man offseason roster in 2022, Allen has worked as a two-sport athlete.
Lions To Place T Matt Nelson On IR
The Lions’ swing tackle for the past three seasons, Matt Nelson will be sidelined for an extended period due to the ankle injury he suffered in Week 3. This will further deplete a Lions tackle group that required the full depth chart to close out Sunday’s win.
Starting for the injured Taylor Decker, Nelson exited the field on a cart. Dan Campbell said Monday he will be placed on IR and will need surgery. The Lions sustained multiple injuries at tackle Sunday, the team’s second game without Decker available this season.
With the longtime left tackle out, the Lions moved Penei Sewell to the blind side. Nelson started at right tackle but lasted just 18 plays. The Lions moved practice squad elevation Dan Skipper into Nelson’s place, but the recently reacquired blocker also went down. The team finished the game with fifth-round pick Colby Sorsdal playing opposite Sewell.
Nelson, 28, is in his fourth Lions season. He is due for unrestricted free agency in March, and a potential season-ending surgery will obviously hurt his chances of scoring a notable payday. A former UDFA out of Iowa, Nelson stepped in for an injured Decker in 2021; Decker went down with a season-ending hand injury that year. When Decker returned in 2022, he and Sewell stayed healthy to keep Nelson on the sideline after his 11-start ’21 slate. The Lions re-signed Nelson to a one-year, $1.3MM deal in March.
The Lions brought Skipper up to their active roster using a gameday elevation transaction; they can do so again ahead of Thursday’s Packers matchup. A William & Mary alum, Sorsdal arrived as this year’s No. 152 overall pick.
Decker logged an estimated limited practice — a designation used due to the Lions having a Thursday matchup in Week 4 — on Monday. The eighth-year blocker suffered an ankle injury during Detroit’s opener. The Lions also played Sunday’s game without right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who is potentially facing a multiweek absence. A Thursday assignment increases the chances the veteran guard is down for Week 4; Graham Glasgow started in place of Vaitai against the Falcons.
Bengals Split On Joe Burrow Playing At Less Than 100%?
8:30pm: NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports Burrow will, to no surprise, take part in a workout Monday morning to determine his pain level and help determine his availability for the game. All sides remain intent on pushing a final decision all the way until game time with plenty at stake for the Bengals as they look to avoid an 0-3 start.
4:03pm: During Fox Sports’ pregame coverage, Jay Glazer noted that Burrow’s “serious” calf issue limited him to scout team work yesterday. He was, however, able to serve with the first-team offense in a walkthrough earlier today. The extra recovery time granted by the Bengals’ matchup with the Rams coming on a Monday will no doubt play a huge role in Burrow’s ultimate availability, and all eyes will be on his health come tomorrow.
9:58am: Ranking 20th in QBR after two concerning performances, Joe Burrow is questionable for the Bengals’ Super Bowl LVI rematch against the Rams on Monday night. Cincinnati’s star quarterback has logged two limited practices ahead of that suddenly pivotal matchup, but the calf injury he suffered during training camp has clearly left him at less than 100%.
Some among the Bengals want Burrow to hold off on playing at less than 100%, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, but others in the building are concerned about the prospect of dropping to 0-3 and thus would prefer the recently extended standout in the lineup regardless (subscription required).
[RELATED: Bengals Give Burrow Record-Setting Extension]
Burrow is among those taking Cincy’s 0-2 record into account, per the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway. Since the NFL expanded its playoffs to six teams per conference in 1990, only four teams — the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Lions, 1998 Bills and 2018 Texans — have qualified for the postseason after starting 0-3. With the league now at seven teams per conference, that number should be expected to grow. But history certainly points to 0-3 being a barrier the Bengals would have a difficult time negotiating.
The consensus among Burrow’s teammates may not be especially bullish, with ProFootballNetwork.com’s Jay Morrison noting Bengals players expect the fourth-year passer to be inactive for Monday’s game. That said, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes Burrow has improved this week, increasing his practice snaps from “just a couple” Friday to more on Saturday. While Burrow has missed the past three preseasons — due to ACL rehab, appendicitis and this calf injury, respectively — he has not missed a regular-season game due to injury since the November 2020 ACL tear cut his rookie year short.
This is expected to go down to the wire Monday, per Russini. The Bengals have Jake Browning in place as their Burrow emergency signal-caller. A 2019 Vikings UDFA, Browning has been with the Bengals since September 2021. He has yet to play in a regular-season game and spent the past two seasons as the third-stringer behind Burrow and Brandon Allen. The 49ers signed Allen in May.
Two quarterbacks — Reid Sinnett and ex-Andy Dalton backup A.J. McCarron — now reside on the Bengals’ practice squad. Sinnett joined the 16-man unit Friday, while McCarron returned Saturday. McCarron, 33, played in the XFL this past season; he has not seen NFL game action since 2020. A summer 2021 ACL tear ended McCarron’s 2021 Falcons season early. McCarron played out his rookie contract with the Bengals from 2014-17.
Chargers Make J.C. Jackson Healthy Scratch
J.C. Jackson represented a central part of Brandon Staley‘s 2022 defensive overhaul, coming over from New England as one of last year’s top free agents. The ex-Patriots standout, however, has not displayed the same form with the Chargers.
Returning from a ruptured patellar tendon, Jackson has not enjoyed a full-time role to start his second Bolts season. The team has now taken the surprising step to make Jackson a healthy scratch for Week 3. The former UDFA signed a five-year, $82.5MM deal with the Chargers. That contract included $40MM fully guaranteed.
The sixth-year corner has lined up on 64% of the Chargers’ defensive plays in two games. Pro-Football-Reference’s coverage metrics, albeit in a small sample size, chart Jackson as performing better than he did in his first Bolts season. Jackson has allowed just a 46.2% completion rate as the closest defender and a 72.0 passer rating. Those numbers are well down from a disappointing 2022, when Jackson yielded a 66.7% completion rate and a ghastly 149.3 passer rating. Pro Football Focus, however, ranks Jackson 85th among cornerbacks to start this season.
While Jackson did make his return from knee surgery and was not on Los Angeles’ injury report this week, Staley said recently (via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper) the well-paid corner is still ramping up to full usage. While a deactivation without an injury designation is certainly notable, it will be interesting to hear if Staley views this as a long-term move or if it relates to his recovery. The Bolts deactivating their highest-paid corner in what looms as a potential must-win game — after an 0-2 start and as the team prepares to face arguably the game’s top wideout (Justin Jefferson) — points to issues with Jackson’s performance.
The Chargers have Michael Davis and Asante Samuel Jr. as their other top cornerback investments. Samuel, a 2021 second-round pick, has played both inside and outside for the Bolts. He won the competition to be the team’s slot cornerback in training camp, but Staley has confirmed Ja’Sir Taylor — said competition’s initial loser — will be playing there for the foreseeable future. On the outside, Staley said Davis, Samuel and Jackson will compete for playing time. With Jackson out, however, Davis and Samuel should be expected to be the Chargers’ outside CBs today.
L.A.’s secondary has struggled this season, allowing Tua Tagovailoa to go off for 466 yards in Week 1 and Ryan Tannehill to deliver a bounce-back effort — complete with 70- and 49-yard completions — in Week 2. The temperature on Staley’s seat will increase with a loss in Minnesota, and the third-year HC is shaking up his CB corps. Deane Leonard, a 2022 seventh-round pick, is the only other corner on the Bolts’ active roster.
49ers Extend Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have now signed their second round of extensions with the 49ers. The team’s power brokers, who arrived in 2017, finalized new deals Friday.
This comes three years after the pair received their initial extensions. At the time, Lynch was signed through 2024 and Shanahan through 2025. The duo is now inked into at least the late 2020s. The 49ers hovered near the bottom of the NFL when they hired Shanahan and Lynch in 2017, leading to each receiving six-year contracts to lead a rebuild. The second-generation HC and Hall of Fame safety have led the way in reinvigorating the franchise.
When the 49ers handed their HC-GM tandem the previous extensions, the team was coming off a remarkable turnaround — going from 4-12 to Super Bowl LIV. These latest deals come after the 49ers have managed to sustain success despite quarterback unreliability. It is rather impressive the seventh-year decision-makers have secured these re-ups so quickly after the Trey Lance experiment failed. Withstanding that miss illustrates the roster strength the 49ers have built and the play-calling acumen Shanahan has displayed.
Eyeing an upgrade on the injury-prone Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021, the 49ers sent the Dolphins two future first-rounders and a third to climb from No. 12 to No. 3. That move turned into Lance, despite persistent rumors Shanahan initially preferred Mac Jones. But he signed off on Lance. This would ordinarily lead to a significant step back for a franchise, but the 49ers soared to back-to-back NFC championship games despite receiving next to nothing from the handpicked Garoppolo heir apparent.
Had Jaquiski Tartt corralled a room-service INT late in the 2021 NFC title game, the 49ers likely continue their mastery over the Rams and book a Super Bowl LVI berth. But the team overcame that loss to assemble a 12-game win streak last season, doing so after more QB uncertainty engulfed it. The 49ers stunned the football universe by staying on course after going from Garoppolo to Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 draft. Purdy, who made the team as a third-stringer behind Lance and Garoppolo to start last season, still has not lost a regular-season start, improving to 8-0 via Thursday night’s win over the Giants.
Shanahan’s play-calling has undeniably aided Purdy, who quarterbacked the 49ers to playoff wins over the Seahawks and Cowboys, and the duo’s roster-building effort produced a historically rare offense housing four first-team All-Pros. The trade for Christian McCaffrey was out of step with where running back value has gone, but the 49ers are unbeaten when McCaffrey starts and their quarterback finishes a game. While McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams were not enough to topple the Eagles with Purdy injured (and backup Josh Johnson sustaining a concussion), the 49ers boast one of the NFL’s best nuclei.
Lynch’s extension comes barely a year after he turned down an Amazon offer that would have more than doubled his GM salary. Lynch, who will turn 52 on Monday, spent years in the FOX booth prior to joining the 49ers in surprising fashion. Shanahan, 43, came to San Francisco as a coveted commodity, moving west after leading the Falcons to a historically dominant offensive season in 2016.
Jed York‘s 49ers had become the first team since the late-1970s Niners to make back-to-back head coaches (Jim Tomsula, Chip Kelly) one-and-dones. While Shanahan and Lynch started slowly, the 2019 season — after the team parlayed Garoppolo’s 2018 ACL tear into the No. 2 overall pick (Nick Bosa) — proved indicative of the team’s capabilities. The 49ers just gave Bosa a record-smashing extension.
Shanahan is the 49ers’ longest-tenured HC since George Seifert; this extension puts him in line to top the two-time Super Bowl winner, who coached the team for eight seasons. Lynch’s GM tenure matches predecessor Trent Baalke‘s in length; the Jim Harbaugh coworker was in the GM chair from 2010-16.
Texans Informing Teams They Want To Keep Case Keenum
Trade rumors have come up regarding both of the Texans’ reserve quarterbacks. Davis Mills emerged as a potential exit candidate this offseason, following the Case Keenum signing. With Mills still with the team, Keenum has also come up.
The Patriots pursued Keenum late this summer, a move that would have reunited the ex-Texans UDFA and returning Pats OC Bill O’Brien. But the AFC East team soon went with Matt Corral via waivers. That partnership proved fleeting; Corral is already off the team, and Will Grier joins Bailey Zappe as a Mac Jones backup.
It is not known if New England made an offer, but Houston would prefer to keep the veteran backup. The Texans have informed teams they like Keenum as a C.J. Stroud mentor, per SI.com’s Albert Breer. Keenum’s mentorship of Stroud has pleased the Texans to the point they want to have him around throughout the Ohio State product’s rookie season.
A University of Houston alum who caught on with the Texans in 2013, Keenum started 10 games for the team over the next two seasons. He then embarked on one of this NFL period’s most noteworthy journeyman careers, venturing to St. Louis, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Denver, Washington, Cleveland and Buffalo. The 64 career starts would make Keenum an attractive emergency option for a team in need. The Jets represent a logical suitor, but they have only contacted Colt McCoy and the recently retired Chad Henne in the wake of Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear.
The Texans gave Keenum a two-year, $6.25MM deal early in the legal tampering period. Keenum’s $4MM guarantee figure did not top the likes of Andy Dalton, Jacoby Brissett or Marcus Mariota for QB2 guarantees this offseason, but it did check in above Sam Darnold, Gardner Minshew, Cooper Rush and Teddy Bridgewater. Since Keenum was benched in Washington in 2019, he has primarily operated as a backup. He won both his starts with the Browns (in 2021) and has been a sought-after reserve since his midcareer starter run ceased.
Houston holding both Keenum and Mills (26 starts from 2021-22) does provide a bit of an opportunity for the rebuilding team ahead of the Oct. 31 trade deadline, as many other clubs cannot match the Texans’ backup surplus. Trade inquiries indeed came in just after teams cut their rosters to 53. This will be a team to watch as a potential seller, but for now, the 11th-year vet and 2021 third-round pick sit behind Stroud.
Jonathan Gannon Addresses Kyler Murray’s Return Timeline
All-Decade-teamers Adrian Peterson and Chris Harris rebounded from late-season ACL tears by Week 1 en route to All-Pro honors. More recently, Seahawks linebacker Jordyn Brooks made his way back from a New Year’s Day tear to start in Week 1. But these major knee are different, producing asymmetrical recovery timelines. Kyler Murray is now more than nine months removed from his ACL tear, but the Cardinals are proceeding cautiously with their starting quarterback.
Murray resides on Arizona’s reserve/PUP list, keeping him out until at least Week 5. The Pro Bowl passer pointed to a near-future return in a Tik Tok message this week, offering “soon” to close a series of captions describing his recovery effort. Though, Jonathan Gannon is stopping short of declaring him as a surefire candidate to come back when first eligible.
“He’s doing well. We know the timetable of when he can return to play, but that doesn’t mean he will return to play and open his window then,” Gannon said, via AZCardinals.com’s Darren Urban. “We’ll get him going when he is physically and mentally ready to play and knowing it will take some time and some weeks of practice to get comfortable with what he is doing. I’m not in a hurry with that. I’d love to have him out there; he’s itching to be back. But we’ll take that one day at a time.”
At the offseason’s outset, a timetable in which Murray did not come back until around the midseason point surfaced. Michael Bidwill then said he expected the franchise QB to make an early-season return. It seems like the former timeline will be how this plays out. Murray, 26, can return to practice in Week 3; it is unclear if the Cardinals will take that step just yet.
Gannon has consistently praised Murray and in February indicated he would not have taken Arizona’s HC job without the presence of the former No. 1 overall pick. Bidwill also included Murray in the decision-making process that produced Gannon as Kliff Kingsbury‘s replacement. As the season began with Josh Dobbs as the Cardinals’ starter, Gannon doubled down on his commitment to Murray.
The Cardinals had been expected to go with Colt McCoy as their Week 1 starter, but the team released the 37-year-old QB just before the season. Dobbs taking the snaps represented a surprise, considering he was with the Browns until a late-August trade reunited him with OC Drew Petzing, Cleveland’s former QBs coach. Mock drafts that lead off with the Cardinals drafting 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams continue to surface, and this has remained a talking point as the franchise crafts a rebuild. Murray’s presence would interfere with this purported plan, and a potential comeback around the midseason point would certainly give the Cardinals a better chance to win consistently.
For now, Murray remains in place as a rehabbing franchise centerpiece. An awkward departure storyline — barely a year after the organization gave Murray a five-year, $230.5MM extension — could heat up if the Cardinals have one of the NFL’s worst records around midseason, and Gannon’s latest comments do not make it look like Murray will be on the field in Week 5.
Panthers To Start Andy Dalton In Week 3
SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Frank Reich confirmed on Friday that Young (who was again sidelined for practice) will indeed be incactive on Sunday, meaning Dalton will see his first action since joining the Panthers. Reich added, via Joe Person of The Athletic, that Young is facing a recovery timeline of one to two weeks. That could put him in line to return in Week 4, though the Panthers will no doubt proceed with plenty of caution before green-lighting him to take the field again.
SEPTEMBER 21: The ankle injury Bryce Young sustained is on track to keep him out of the Panthers’ Week 3 contest against the Seahawks. The No. 1 overall pick is expected to sit Sunday, Darin Gantt of Panthers.com writes. This puts Andy Dalton in line to start.
Young suffered the injury at some point during the first half of the Panthers’ Monday-night loss to the Saints. He has picked up two DNPs this week. While a return Friday would reopen the door to Young suiting up, the Panthers not rushing their prized investment makes more sense.
Carolina added Dalton in free agency, signing the veteran between the time it acquired the No. 1 overall pick and made the Young choice, and gave him the most guaranteed money among backup options this year. Dalton’s two-year, $10MM deal contains $8MM fully guaranteed. This contract dwarfs what Dalton made with the Saints — for whom he started 14 games — last season, highlighting the priority the Panthers gave to staffing their backup job.
One of the NFL’s most experienced players, Dalton has made 162 starts over the course of his 13-year career. Despite entering the 2020 and 2022 seasons in backup roles, Dalton logged 25 combined starts with the Cowboys and Saints. Dak Prescott sustained a season-ending ankle injury in 2020, while Jameis Winston initially exited New Orleans’ lineup due to injury but never received another chance to unseat Dalton after healing up. This is Dalton’s fifth team in five years, having made his way from Cincinnati to Dallas to Chicago to New Orleans to Charlotte.
Last season, Dalton averaged 7.6 yards per attempt — his highest mark since 2015 — and finished with his top passer rating since that ’15 Bengals slate as well. This came during a Saints season in which Michael Thomas played three games and Jarvis Landry battled injuries as well. Dalton, 35, threw 18 touchdown passes and nine interceptions during his Saints one-off. The team pivoted to a much bigger QB investment — Derek Carr — before the market opened in March. The Saints are not believed to have entered talks about re-signing Dalton, who played out a one-year, $3.5MM contract.
Young is off to a slow start, though given the makeup of Carolina’s offense, that should have been expected. The Panthers traded their No. 1 wide receiver (D.J. Moore) to obtain the top pick and played Week 2 without both starting guards. Brady Christensen is out for the season, and Austin Corbett resides on the Panthers’ reserve/PUP list. Through two games, Young’s QBR ranks 27th. The Panthers obviously are looking at their 5-foot-10 passer through a long-term lens, and it looks like he will some additional time to heal his ankle before resuming his first NFL season.
QB injuries have become commonplace for the Panthers, who have not seen their starter make it through a full season since Cam Newton did so in 2017. Newton’s shoulder and foot trouble led to his Charlotte exit. Sam Darnold battled injuries in both his Panthers seasons, and Baker Mayfield‘s low-quality showing featured an injury-driven interruption. Teddy Bridgewater did play 15 games in 2020, though Matt Rhule quickly backtracked on that contract and dealt him to the Broncos the following year.