Ravens’ Mark Andrews Tests Positive For COVID-19
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews has tested positive for COVID-19, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Andrews, a Type 1 diabetic with elevated risk, has ben ruled out for Tuesday night’s game against the Steelers. 
Andrews is now the eleventh Ravens player to test positive for COVID-19 and the 20th player to hit the reserve list, which also includes players who have been exposed to the virus. In addition, ten Ravens staffers have tested positive, putting the team under a great deal of scrutiny. For now, the plan remains for the game to be played on Tuesday, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Ravens intend to have their players return to the facility on Sunday night for conditioning, marking their first in-person gathering in days.
The league already postponed this game twice. A third postponement may lead the league to one of their two contingency plans — either rescheduling to “Week 18” or, if there are more cancelations, a historic 16-team playoff bracket.
Broncos WR Kendall Hinton To Start At QB
All four of the Broncos’ quarterbacks have been ruled out for today’s game, putting the team in a truly unprecedented situation. With no other options available, wide receiver Kendall Hinton will be elevated from the practice squad and put under center against the Saints.
[RELATED: Broncos Lose All 4 QBs]
According to NFL.com’s James Palmer (on Twitter), there are people in the Broncos’ facility who have never even met Hinton. For those who are unfamiliar with Hinton — inside and outside of Denver headquarters — he’s a Wake Forest product who started out as a dual-threat QB for the Demon Deacons. Then, when an ankle injury and a suspension took him out of the equation, he converted to wide receiver. Hinton topped 1,000 yards in his senior season, leading him to a UDFA deal with the Broncos earlier this year.
Hinton hasn’t played QB in a long time and he reportedly hasn’t practiced as a passer in years. Still, he represents the Broncos’ only real option today. He’ll be backstopped by running back/emergency QB Royce Freeman, who attempted just one pass in four seasons at Oregon.
Falcons’ Julio Jones Ruled Out Vs. Raiders
Julio Jones has been ruled out for today’s game against the Raiders, the Falcons announced. The wide receiver was forced out of last week’s game against the Saints with tightness in his left hamstring and his condition has not gotten much better. 
The Falcons are 3-7 heading into today’s contest, so they don’t have much on the line for the rest of this year. Many would argue that there’s little sense in rushing Jones back to the field this year, but they’d have a hard time convincing the veteran to sit out. The Falcons will have a chance to avenge their 24-9 loss to the Saints next week and Jones will surely be chomping at the bit.
Jones, 31, has caught 45 passes for 677 yards and three touchdowns across eight games this season. It’s a far cry from his usual stat line, though we’ve seen glimpses of Jones at his best. In the season opener, Jones managed nine grabs for 157 yards in a losing effort against the Seahawks. And, just a few weeks ago, Jones went off for seven catches and 137 yards as the Falcons topped the Panthers.
The Falcons have Jones under contract through 2023 thanks to the three-year, $66MM re-up he signed last year.
Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa To Miss Time
Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been ruled out for today’s game against the Jets. Although scans on his thumb did not reveal a fracture, he has a good deal of swelling and weakness that could sideline him for multiple weeks (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). 
Ryan Fitzpatrick will take over for the rookie, who saw his honeymoon end last week against the Broncos. Tagovailoa struggled mightily and, according to head coach Brian Flores, was benched for performance rather than an injury. Still, the No. 5 overall pick was set to start against the Jets today, up until the injury took him out of the equation.
Tagovailoa completed 11 of his 20 passes for just 83 yards last week before Fitzmagic took over. The Dolphins went on to lose, snapping their five-game winning streak. Before the rough outing against Denver, Tagovailoa had thrown for five touchdowns and no interceptions across three victorious starts.
The Dolphins are 6-4 heading into today’s game against the 0-10 Jets. If Tagovailoa needs extra time to heal up, Fitzmagic will be slated to start against the Bengals and Chiefs as the Dolphins make their playoff push.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/20
We’ll keep track of the latest practice squad moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: QB Kevin Hogan
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Brooks Reed
This Date In Transactions History: Washington Claims Reuben Foster
The [Washington Football Team] has had its fair share of controversies. One of their most polarizing moves took place two years ago today, when they claimed linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers. 
Foster stood as one of the NFL’s most talented linebackers. He was also a household name for all of the wrong reasons. The 2017 first-round pick was accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, in February of 2018. Ennis went on to recant that story, but, in November, she alleged Foster of abusing her once again at the 49ers’ team hotel in Florida. The Niners dropped him soon after and no one expected him to be claimed off of the waiver wire.
Washington did just that, vowing to keep Foster on the straight-and-narrow and off the field until his legal situation was resolved.
“[We] fully understand the severity of the recent allegations against Reuben. If true, you can be sure these allegations are nothing our organization would ever condone,” VP of player personnel Doug Williams said. “Let me be clear, Reuben will have to go through numerous steps, including the full legal process, an investigation and potential discipline from the NFL, as well as meetings with counselors associated with the team, before he will ever have the opportunity to wear the Burgundy and Gold as a player.”
Still, Foster has yet to actually take the field for the WFT. The ‘backer tore his ACL and MCL in his very first Washington practice, wiping out his 2019 season. Washington activated him this past August, but his lack of strength and explosiveness forced the club to park him on IR once again. Now in his final year under contract, it’s possible that Foster will never actually play a down in D.C. It’s also possible that Foster will never play again in the NFL — we won’t know for sure until the offseason when he gets re-evaluated.
Bucs’ A.Q. Shipley To Retire?
Buccaneers center A.Q. Shipley is done for the year after injuring his neck. It’s especially serious and it appears to be a career-ender, according to head coach Bruce Arians. The Bucs placed Shipley on IR Friday.
“I feel bad because I love A.Q,” Arians told SiriusXM. “He’s one of my favorite players of all time and was playing good for us. But I think it was a previous injury that might have just got aggravated in his neck.”
Shipley entered the league as a seventh-round pick of the Steelers in 2009, but he didn’t make his regular-season debut until 2012 when he hooked on with the Colts. After that, he spent a year with the Ravens and returned to Indy before joining the Cardinals in 2015.
Shipley’s best seasons came under Arians, with Pro Football Focus grading him as one of the game’s top centers during the Cards’ 13-3 season in 2015. Last year, PFF assigned him just the 29th overall grade among snappers, a sign that his 2018 ACL tear had slowed him down. Still, Arians was happy to bring him to the Bucs, where Ali Marpet‘s injury recently opened a starting spot for him.
After 110 career games played, Arians sees the unfortunate injury as the start of Shipley’s coaching career.
Packers To Meet With Tavon Austin
The Packers will work out Tavon Austin, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The former Rams and Cowboys wide receiver has yet to see live action this year. 
Austin, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2013 draft, joined the 49ers over the summer and was said to be playing well in training camp. Then, when a knee injury forced him to IR, he was cut loose. Austin has never come close to justifying his draft status, but his speed and versatility continues to intrigue coaches around the league. In theory, Austin could feature as a receiver, rusher, and returner for the Packers.
Of course, health has been Austin’s biggest stumbling block as a pro. Over seven injury-laden years in the NFL, Austin has notched 215 receptions while averaging just 9.3 yards per catch. For what it’s worth, he did average more than 15 yards per grab over the last two seasons with the Cowboys, but that was in a super small sample size of 21 receptions.
The Austin audition comes after Darrius Shepherd fumbled on a kickoff return against the Colts. With over 200 career kick and punt returns on his resume, a special teams role could be Austin’s quickest path to getting back on the field.
Cowboys’ Zack Martin, Cam Erving To Miss Time
More bad news for the 3-8 Cowboys. On Friday, head coach Mike McCarthy announced that offensive linemen Zack Martin (calf) and Cam Erving (knee) will miss multiple weeks. 
Both players were injured during the Cowboys’ blowout loss to the Washington Football Team on Thursday. Martin has been playing through the calf injury for weeks and aggravated it while on the field. Erving, meanwhile, was forced out on the Cowboys’ first drive of the game.
Even in the woeful NFC East, the Cowboys aren’t likely to see the playoffs this year. Even if the linemen can return before the year is through, the Cowboys might keep them off the field as a precaution. Terence Steele took over for Martin while Brandon Knight subbed in for Erving — they’ll likely be first-string for the time being.
On paper, the Cowboys were set to return one of the league’s very best offensive lines. Unfortunately, injuries to left tackle Tyron Smith, right tackle La’el Collins, and center Tyler Biadasz have decimated the unit. Biadasz may come off of IR in a few weeks but, similar to Martin and Erving, the Cowboys will have to weigh the risk vs. the limited reward.
Bills’ Cody Ford Done For Year
Bills offensive lineman Cody Ford will miss the remainder of the season, according to head coach Sean McDermott (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Ford’s torn meniscus will require surgery and 3-4 months of rehabilitation before he can get back on the field. 
Ford, a 2019 second round pick, served as the Bills’ first-string right tackle in his rookie season. This year, he started in all seven of his games on the interior, helping the Bills to an AFC East-leading 7-3 record. Thanks in part to Ford & Co., Josh Allen is playing better than ever. Through ten starts, the former No. 7 overall pick has completed 68.4% of his throws with 21 touchdowns against seven interceptions. The Bills couldn’t ask for much more out of their front five, especially after Jon Feliciano tore his pec to start the year.
The Bills may turn to Ike Boettger or Brian Winters for help up front as they continue their playoff push. They’re also likely to add a lineman to the roster between now and Sunday afternoon when they face the Chargers in Buffalo.