Bills Release WR Jake Kumerow
The Bills have released Jake Kumerow, per a club announcement. The move comes just days after Kumerow scored his first touchdown reception against the Broncos.
Kumerow has shifted around the Bills’ roster this year with most of his playing time coming as a special teams player. His latest promotion was prompted by John Brown‘s ankle injury — now, Brown is nearly ready to return, so Buffalo had to find room for him somewhere. Kumerow could still circle back to the Bills, though the team has to wait 24 hours to see if any other team puts a claim on him.
You can expect teams to consider claiming Kumerow, who offers a decent amount of pro experience. Before he hooked on with the Bills, Kumerow registered 20 catches for 322 yards and two touchdowns with the Packers from 2018-2019.
Lions To Interview Rams’ Brad Holmes
The Lions will interview Rams director of college scouting Brad Holmes for their GM job, as Lindsay Thiry of ESPN.com tweets. The Lions are at least the second team to show interest in Holmes as the Falcons are also planning to meet with him.
[RELATED: Falcons Show Interest In Holmes]
Holmes first joined the Rams 18 years ago and joined them for the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. He’s been in his current role for the last eight years, forging an impressive career after his playing days at North Carolina A&T. Holmes — who has been stationed out of Atlanta to scout ACC and SEC talent — may have to do some winter clothes shopping if he relocates to Detroit.
Already, the Lions have interviewed ex-Texans GM Rick Smith, former Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, and ESPN analyst/longtime NFC East exec Louis Riddick. The next GM should have some say in the team’s head coaching vacancy, which currently belongs to interim HC Darrell Bevell (not to be confused with interim interim HC, Robert Prince).
Lions’ Robert Prince To Serve As Interim Interim HC
The Lions, technically speaking, are on to their third head coach of 2020. Wide receivers coach Robert Prince will man the sidelines on Saturday while interim head coach Darrell Bevell watches from afar, per the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
Bevell and nearly all of the Lions’ defensive staff were classified as close contacts to a COVID-positive assistant, putting the team in uncharted waters on a short week. Four other coaches will be keeping their distance too. The shuffle will see quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan call plays for the first time in his career. For his part, Prince previously served as Boise State’s offensive coordinator. He joined the Lions in 2014 under the Jim Caldwell administration and he stands as the team’s longest-tenured assistant.
While the Bucs make their playoff push, the Lions won’t be playing for much. If the season ended today, they’d be in line for the No. 11 overall pick.
In other Lions news, future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson says he wants to continue his career in 2021. So far this year, the 35-year-old has averaged 3.7 yards per carry and scored six touchdowns.
Patriots’ Devin McCourty To Return In 2021
Retirement can wait for Devin McCourty. The Patriots safety first pondered walking away two years ago, but that’s not a consideration as he looks ahead to 2021. 
“I’m still enjoying football,” McCourty said (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com). “I plan on playing next year. Just trying to finish out these two games the best way I can, and then when the offseason hits, evaluate and all that stuff. But still feel pretty healthy and love going out there and competing.”
McCourty re-upped with the Pats last year on a two-year, $23MM deal. The final season of that pact will pay an $8MM base salary, including $4MM guaranteed if he’s on the roster on March 20. The 33-year-old has little left to prove, but the end of the Patriots’ AFC East title streak may have reignited his fire.
The former Rutgers star first entered the league as a first-round pick of the Patriots back in 2010. He’s been with them ever since, capturing three Super Bowls along the way. He’s also been an incredibly consistent presence on the field, starting at least 14 games in all eleven of his pro seasons.
Throughout his career, McCourty has always ranged from good to great, and he racked up five interceptions in 2019, his most since 2012. This year, with two games to go, he has two interceptions, including his October pick six against the Niners.
Jaguars Meet With Ex-Texans GM Rick Smith
Rick Smith will interview for the Jaguars’ GM vacancy on Wednesday afternoon, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The former Texans GM is a hot candidate in this cycle, having drawn interest from no less than four teams in recent weeks. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Interview Louis Riddick]
Smith recently interviewed with the Falcons and the Lions are slated to meet with him soon. Meanwhile, the Washington Football Team is also interested in having Smith run the football operations department. Previously, WFT nearly hired Smith before putting the GM role on the back burner.
Smith left Houston after the 2017 season when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, and is generally well regarded around the league. He spent 2006-2017 with the Texans, and held the EVP of Football Operations title for his final six years.
The Jaguars have been on the hunt for a new GM since firing Dave Caldwell in late November. Despite holding the worst record in the league, candidates should still see the potential in Jacksonville. The Jaguars just barely missed a Super Bowl berth in 2017 and they may be in position to draft Clemson superstar Trevor Lawrence. Meanwhile, head coach Doug Marrone is on the hot seat, so the incoming GM could have an opportunity to pick his own HC, if Marrone is dismissed.
Jets Place Quinnen Williams On IR
The Jets will place Quinnen Williams on injured reserve with a neck injury, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The defensive lineman will miss the final two games of the year, leaving the Jets without their brightest young star.
Even in the midst of an ugly year, the Jets rebuffed numerous trade inquiries for Williams. His rookie season was nothing to write home about, but he’s become a true force in 2020. By early November, he logged three sacks and seven tackles for loss — more than he totaled in all of 2019. Today, his season ends with seven sacks, ten tackles for loss, three passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and 55 total stops.
The Jets’ shocking win over the Rams has them in line for the No. 2 overall pick, with the Jaguars occupying the “top” spot. The next two games against the Browns and Patriots won’t mean much for the 1-13 squad, but they could have major ramifications on the future of the franchise. Their odds of beating the Browns will go down drastically without Williams applying the pressure, though that’s probably alright by most Jets fans.
Williams will join fellow defender Jordan Jenkins on IR. The linebacker will be watching from a distance as he heals up from long-awaited shoulder surgery.
Latest On Lions’ COVID-19 Situation
The Lions facility remains closed after learning of two positive tests for COVID-19. One player and one coach have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and the number of close contacts on the coaching staff may leave the team in a difficult spot.
[RELATED: Peterson Wants To Stay With Lions]
Interim head coach Darrell Bevell and nearly all of the defensive staff have been classified as close contacts. The Lions have a short week, too — they face the Buccaneers at 1pm ET on Saturday. We’ve seen players, executives, and coaches held out of team activities, but a scenario of near-zero coaches would be completely new territory for this NFL season.
Of course, the 5-9 Lions won’t be playing for much this week when they face Tampa Bay. After Saturday, they’ll close out the season against the Vikings. All that’s really left for Detroit is NFL Draft placement. If the season ended today, they’d own the No. 11 pick, behind the Cowboys, Chargers, and Giants.
No Reinstatement For Seahawks’ Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon won’t be making his return this week after all. The Seahawks were notified by the league office that he has not satisfied all terms of his conditional reinstatement (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). 
Gordon has suffered a setback in his battle with substance abuse, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The wide receiver will be permitted to attend team meetings and individual workouts, but he’ll be barred from practices or games until the matter is resolved.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Gordon, who has been suspended nine times as a pro — mostly for from substance-abuse violations. Still, he excelled in a limited sample with the Seahawks last year, and the team happily re-signed him with the hope that he could serve as the team’s No. 3 receiver behind D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Without Gordon, they’ll continue to use David Moore as one of the leading supporters, plus rookie Freddie Swain.
Gordon, 29, caught 27 passes for 426 yards and a touchdown in eleven games for the Pats and Seahawks last year. In his five Seattle games, he averaged an eye-popping 19.9 yards per grab.
The Seahawks waived fellow wide receiver Penny Hart to make room for Gordon earlier this week. Hart remains unsigned, so the Seahawks may look to bring him back in the coming days.
Texans’ Vernon Hargreaves Hopes To Return
Vernon Hargreaves will be eligible for free agency in a matter of months. However, the cornerback hopes to stay put in Houston. 
“Of course,” Hargreaves said when asked if he’d like to re-sign with the Texans (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). “I love it here.”
It’s not a given that the Texans feel the same way. The defense has allowed an average of ~403 yards per game this year, more than any team in the league not named the Jaguars. They’ve fared better in terms of points allowed — 27.6 ppg puts them somewhere near the middle of the pack – but a defensive overhaul is clearly on the horizon.
The Texans claimed Hargreaves off waivers from the Bucs last year in a low-risk move to fortify their secondary. Then, they re-signed the former first-round pick on a one-year, $1.325MM deal. Since then, he’s started in all 14 of his games while registering 60 stops, six passes defensed, and one interception. However, the advanced metrics haven’t been fond of his work — Pro Football Focus ranks him 116th out of 126 qualified NFL corners this year.
Hargreaves would probably be a better fit as a rotational piece if he remains for 2021. Still, the Texans will have a number of holes to address, so it’s possible that he could return as a first-stringer for next season.
Panthers Owner David Tepper On Offseason, GM Search
After firing Marty Hurney on Monday morning, Panthers owner David Tepper is turning his attention to the search for the team’s next GM. In a chat with Darin Gantt of the team website, Tepper indicated that his new-look front office will blend new-school analytics with old-school scouting. He also suggested that Matt Rhule will be a part of the search, since he wants his head coach and GM to be on the same page. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
[RELATED: Panthers Fire Marty Hurney]
On the process of the decision:
“It’s been an evolving decision. Basically, it wasn’t just me on a whim…Basically, with discussions, it seemed like Marty and I had a little bit of difference in philosophy. He leaned toward more traditional techniques versus a more data-driven, analytical process, but I think some marrying of that would be more in line.”
On the front office’s structure, moving forward:
“[The previous structure] was very siloed. Things were kept separate all over this organization and I don’t like that…I like one organization, one goal moving together from football, so the business side and the football is all moving together.
On who will have final say over the Panthers’ first-round pick:
“I think it should be the GM with a lot of talk with the head coach and some, potentially, input from me. Sometimes I may just have to be a tiebreaker. But I think it should be collaborative.”
On Rhule:
“Matt, as advertised, is a very good developer of talent. You’re starting to see it here, and we get to this point in the season in how the defense has developed. There’s been progress. It was a really interesting game, interesting in how coaches do things with process. The Packers had a great first half, but they didn’t do too much in the second half. We had four or five sacks and look at who got those sacks. There’s first-year players, and [Brian] Burns was in there. It was all young guys. We have all young guys, and we’re developing these guys and making progress.
“You can see that every day in some parts of this football team. When you talk about Matt and what happens here, this team, while we would’ve like to have seen better results this season, at the end of the day, this team doesn’t give up. And, while it’s maybe disappointing that in a lot of these situations where we had a chance to win and we haven’t, well, we have been in position to win. So hopefully, we’ll turn the corner on those things.”