WFT Bumps Dwayne Haskins For Taylor Heinicke
Washington head coach Ron Rivera says Taylor Heinicke will start at quarterback on Sunday against the Eagles if Alex Smith can’t play. That leaves former first-round pick Dwayne Haskins as the QB3 on the depth chart and possibly inactive for the team’s critical Week 17 game.
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Haskins couldn’t deliver on Sunday when he started in place of Smith. Heinicke — who hadn’t taken an NFL snap since 2018, replaced him in the fourth quarter. Washington went on to lose 20-13, capping Haskins’ day with 14-of-28 throws completed for 154 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Heinicke, meanwhile, went 12-for-19 for 137 passing yards and one TD.
Heinicke has been on the fringes of the NFL since going undrafted out of Old Dominion. After a brief stop in the XFL, he’s supplanted the once-ballyhooed Haskins on WFT’s depth chart. And, if Smith can’t go, he’ll have a chance to lead them to the playoffs.
Washington can clinch the division with a win over the Eagles on Sunday night. A loss would turn the NFC East race over to the winner of the afternoon Cowboys-Giants tilt.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/28/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Greg Dortch
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Cordel Iwuagwu
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from PS-IR: C Corey Linsley
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Patrick Omameh
Eagles’ Doug Pederson “Fully Confident” He’ll Return
Doug Pederson is not on the hot seat, according to Doug Pederson. The Eagles head coach says he is “fully confident” that he will return in 2021, despite the team’s disappointing season. 
[RELATED: Eagles’ Doug Pederson On Hot Seat]
“I feel fully confident to be the head coach of the Eagles in 2021,” said Pederson, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since his inaugural 2016 season in Philly. “The thing I’m most proud of this football team, we have been in the postseason three of the last five years since I’ve been here and that’s pretty good.”
“We have won a championship here. We have gone through a season where a lot of our veteran guys are not playing due to injury. We are playing with a lot of young players. There is always going to be evaluation in the offseason and my job is evaluated as well. I fully expected to be the coach next season and I welcome the opportunity to get things right, get things fixed and take this team into next season.”
Depending on how the season finale goes, the Eagles will finish either 5-10-1 or 4-11-1. Either way, it’ll the worst report card in Pederson’s five years. In that span, the Eagles have invested serious resources in quarterback Carson Wentz, only to watch him regress dramatically in 2020. Now, owner Jeffrey Lurie will be left to decide whether Pederson — a Philadelphia hero, not long ago — is the right man to lead the Eagles moving forward.
Dolphins’ Jakeem Grant To Miss Time
The Dolphins pulled out the win over the Raiders, but they lost one of their top receivers in the process. Jakeem Grant suffered a high-ankle sprain in the third quarter and he’ll be out for Sunday’s crucial game against the Bills, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Grant had five catches for 43 yards against the Raiders before his right leg was drilled at an awkward angle. Even if the Dolphins manage to get into the playoffs, they might have to forge ahead without the 28-year-old, who could be headed to the injured reserve list.
Through 14 games, Grant has 36 catches for 373 yards and one touchdown to his credit. Meanwhile, his impact in the return game cannot be understated. He currently leads the league with 330 punt return yards and an average of 11.4 yards per attempt. That includes Grant’s return-turned-TD against the Rams in November, boosting Miami to a 28-17 win.
The Dolphins can clinch a playoff berth in Week 17 with a win over the Bills. If they lose, they’ll need a loss from the Ravens, Browns, or Colts to continue to the postseason.
Saints’ Kwon Alexander Done For Year
Saints linebacker Kwon Alexander tore his Achilles in Friday’s win over the Vikings, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. While the Saints will march towards the playoffs as the NFC South champs, Alexander will be held out on the injured reserve list. 
[RELATED: Saints Place WR Michael Thomas On IR]
The Saints ruled Alexander out for the game moments after the fateful play, an early indication that he was dealing with something serious. The veteran registered three tackles before he was forced out, leaving his season tally at 27 stops, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in seven games with New Orleans.
Alexander was traded from San Francisco to New Orleans in November. The deal fortified the Saints’ front seven and lightened the books a bit for the Niners. The Saints are now responsible for the last two seasons on his original four-year, $54MM deal, though the remainder is non-guaranteed.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Alexander. But, unlike last year’s torn pec injury, this one won’t allow for a super-human recovery.
Seahawks To Keep Josh Gordon On Roster
The Seahawks won’t have Josh Gordon on the field this week, but head coach Pete Carroll says they will continue to keep him on the roster for the time being (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). Gordon was on the cusp of reinstatement before it was all 86’d by the league office earlier this week. 
Gordon reportedly suffered a setback in his battle with substance abuse. Carroll declined to provide details on what happened, though he noted that Gordon is “frustrated” by the situation. The Seahawks, for their part, are undoubtedly disappointed, but they won’t give up on the ultra-talented wide receiver.
Despite Gordon’s latest indefinite ban — the ninth suspension of his career — the Seahawks re-signed him on a one-year deal in September. And, with word of his reinstatement, they were eager to see him serve as the No. 3 receiver behind D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Instead, they’ll continue to use David Moore as one of their top targets, with support from rookie Freddie Swain.
The Seahawks continue to be intrigued by his undeniable talent, but he is getting farther and farther away from his tremendous 2013 with the Browns. That was Gordon’s signature season with 87 catches for an NFL-leading 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. Then, for the next two years, Gordon was out of football. Even with all the stops and starts, Gordon continued to flash. When he joined the Patriots in 2018, he managed 40 grabs for 720 yards and three TDs in just eleven games. Then, in December of that year, he was hit with yet another indefinite suspension.
The Seahawks, sans Gordon, will face the Rams on Sunday afternoon.
Lions Release Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams‘ time in Detroit has come to an end. On Friday, the Lions released the running back to make room for the return of defensive end Everson Griffen. 
[RELATED: Lions To Interview Brad Holmes]
Williams joined the Lions back in August and got dropped in early September, but found a home on their practice squad. After a brief cup of coffee in Washington, he circled back to the Lions in late October and saw time in five games as a reserve.
Sitting behind Adrian Peterson, rookie D’Andre Swift, and Kerryon Johnson, there weren’t a ton of opportunities for Williams. He leaves Detroit with just one carry in his five games.
The former fifth-round pick of the Bills has traveled the league throughout his five-year career. To date, his best season came with the Colts, when he notched 235 yards and one score on 49 carries. Most of that production came in a two-week span when Williams ran for 220 combined yards against the Jaguars and Texans.
Giants Sign Logan Ryan To Extension
It’s an especially Merry Christmas for Logan Ryan. On Friday morning, the Giants agreed to a three-year, $31MM extension with the veteran safety, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
The deal includes $20MM in guarantees, assuring that Ryan will be a part of the team’s plans beyond 2021. It’s not immediately clear how much of that $20MM figure is guaranteed at signing, but a good portion of that sum should be locked in for Year One.
Ryan, 30 in February, hooked on with the Giants just before the start of the season. His history with head coach Joe Judge and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham helped to bring him to New York, but his talent and versatility were the real drivers.
The one-year, $7.5MM deal paid off for the G-Men, and they’re now rewarding him with the $10MM/year figure that he had been seeking throughout the offseason. In 2019, Ryan led all NFL corners last season with 113 tackles. He graded as one of the league’s top slot defenders, per Pro Football Focus, but ultimately had to make the switch to safety.
It hasn’t been a banner year for the Giants on the whole, but Ryan has been solid throughout. Through 14 games, the Rutgers product has 83 stops, one interception, one sack, three forced fumbles, and nine passes defensed to his credit. Now, he has security with a contract that could take him all the way to the end of his career.
Buccaneers To Sign Drew Stanton
The Buccaneers are set to sign quarterback Drew Stanton to the practice squad, as Peter Schrager of NFL.com tweets. Stanton played under head coach Bruce Arians with the Cardinals, so he’ll provide a mix of familiarity and insurance somewhere behind Tom Brady. 
Stanton, 36, first entered the league in 2007 as a second-round pick of the Lions. He hasn’t quite lived up to his Michigan State hype, but he has been a practice field fave for many coaches around the league. All in all, he has 38 career appearances to his credit, including 17 starts.
His last live action came in 2017 on Arians’ Cardinals team, but he’s been in the NFL orbit over the last few years. Stanton’s two-year Browns contract in 2018 didn’t lead to any snaps, but he did find himself in the news as a part of last year’s Freddie Kitchens drama. Stanton — the third-string QB — was rumored to have a significant hand in the team’s game plan. That didn’t sit well with star Odell Beckham Jr., offensive coordinator Todd Monken, and many others in the locker room.
Of course, Stanton isn’t expected to siphon offensive control from Arians or Brady, who will be aiming to clinch a playoff berth on Saturday against the Lions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on IR: OT Dennis Gardeck
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Matt Cole
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: LB Wyatt Ray
- Placed on IR: CB Chris Milton