Colts Place Darius Leonard On IR
The Colts have placed linebacker Darius Leonard, wide receiver Zach Pascal, and safety Khari Willis on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. As a result, all three players will be held out of tonight’s game against the Cardinals. 
[RELATED: Colts Place Nelson On Reserve/COVID-19 List]
The Colts will also be playing without all three of their starting interior linemen, leaving them at half-strength for Week 16. On top of that, they’ll be without Leonard through at least Week 17. As noted by NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link), Leonard is unvaccinated, which means that he’ll have to remain on the list for a minimum of ten days.
The Colts also have right guard Mark Glowinski, cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, and defensive end Kemoko Turay on the COVID-19 list. Between Leonard, Nelson, and center Ryan Kelly (out due to a personal matter), that leaves the Colts without three newly-named Pro Bowlers.
The Colts have won five of their last six, putting them in position to take one of the AFC’s Wild Card spots. But, at 8-6, they’ve yet to clinch. The Cardinals, meanwhile, can inch closer to the NFC West crown with a win tonight.
Ravens Place Tyler Huntley On COVID-19 List
Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley has been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Aditi Kinkhabwala). Huntley was expected to start in place of Lamar Jackson as he deals with a lingering ankle issue. Now, unless Jackson can play, the Ravens will be forced to start journeyman Josh Johnson on Sunday.
Huntley, who entered the league as an undrafted free agent, has fared well in Jackson’s stead. The Utah product had the Packers on the ropes in Week 15, throwing for 215 yards and rushing for 73 more. Unfortunately, they fell 31-30, giving them their third-straight loss of season. Now down to 8-6, the Ravens badly need a win against the Bengals tomorrow.
Johnson, 35, has signed deals with nearly half of the NFL, but he’s never played in such a pivotal game. His recent resume includes four games for Washington (2018), a cup of coffee with the San Diego Fleet in the Alliance of American Football (2019), a few gams with the XFL’s Los Angeles Wildcats (2020), and three appearances for the Jets earlier this year.
Thanks to the league’s revised COVID-19 protocols, Huntley could be cleared in time for Week 17 against the Rams. However, given the tight timeline, he has no path to playing in Cincinnati.
Saints Asked Drew Brees To Come Out Of Retirement
With Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian on the COVID-19 list, the Saints asked Drew Brees if he’d be interested in returning to the field (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football). The legendary quarterback, who seems quite happy in retirement, replied with a picture of himself golfing.
[RELATED: Latest On Saints’ COVID Surge]
Brees’ response was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, Underhill hears (Twitter link), a polite “no thanks” to his employer of 15 years. For what it’s worth, Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune hears that Brees gave it some serious thought. But, even after talking things over with head coach Sean Payton, Brees declined.
There was similar chatter earlier this year, after Jameis Winston suffered a season-ending knee injury. Brees, live on NBC with broadcast partner Mike Tirico, said he’d stick to his new day job.
“Let me check [my phone],” Brees said jokingly when asked about his availability to play later that week. “I’ll be there Saturday to call the Notre Dame-Navy game, and I’ll be [in the broadcast booth on] Sunday.”
Brees, 43 in January, will be somewhere else when the Saints host the Dolphins on Monday night. Unless Hill or Siemian are cleared, the Saints will start fourth-round rookie Ian Book with newcomer Blake Bortles as the QB2.
This Date In Transactions History: Giants Sign Logan Ryan To Extension
Christmas Day tends to be pretty quiet in the NFL. But, on December 25th of last year, the Giants gave Logan Ryan the biggest gift he could have possibly asked for. That morning, the veteran safety inked a three-year, $30MM extension with $11.5MM fully guaranteed at signing. 
[RELATED: Giants To Consider Kevin Abrams As Next GM]
It was a solid step up for Ryan, who encountered an oddly quiet market just a few months prior. Despite several seasons as a high-level starter, Ryan was forced to settle for a one-year, $7.5MM contract with the Giants. It’s not like he had declined either — Ryan graded as one of the league’s top slot defenders in 2019, per Pro Football Focus, and led all NFL corners with 113 tackles. Finally, Ryan had the $10MM/year deal he was seeking all along.
It wasn’t a banner year for the Giants on the whole, but Ryan was playing well on an individual level. At the time of signing, the Rutgers product had 83 stops, one interception, one sack, three forced fumbles, and nine passes defensed through 14 games.
The Giants were happy to reward his performance, but he’ll have to prove himself all over again for a new regime after Dave Gettleman steps down as GM. Ryan, 31 in February, has slumped along with the rest of the G-Men this year. He currently ranks just 71st out of 91 qualified safeties, per PFF, with zero interceptions or sacks on the year. But, thanks to his extension, his spot is more or less secure for 2022. Slated to carry a $12.225MM cap hit, the Giants would save just $775K by releasing him.
Jaguars Place Carlos Hyde, Rayshawn Jenkins On IR
The Jaguars have placed running back Carlos Hyde and safety Rayshawn Jenkins on the injured reserve list. With just a few weeks left, that’ll cap the season for both players. 
[RELATED: Brian Schottenheimer To Call Jaguars’ Plays]
Hyde has been out since Week 14, when he suffered a concussion against the Titans. His first Jaguars season will end with 253 yards off of 72 carries for a weak 3.5 yards per carry average. He also had one rushing TD plus a dozen catches for 65 yards. Of course, few players have shined in Jacksonville this season, so it’s hard to extrapolate much from those numbers.
Hyde remains under contract for 2022 thanks to his two-year, $6MM deal. However, his return is far from guaranteed. The Jaguars could move on from the 31-year-old (32 in September) to save $2MM against $450K in dead money.
The 2-12 Jaguars will face the Jets, Patriots, and Colts before wrapping their season. Currently, they’re projected to pick No. 1 overall (again), ahead of the Lions and Texans.
WFT To Start Garrett Gilbert
It’s now official. On Tuesday, the Washington Football Team announced that quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen were unable to test out of COVID-19 protocols. With that, journeyman Garrett Gilbert will start tonight against the Eagles.
Gilbert, recently signed off of the Patriots’ taxi squad, started for the Cowboys last year in a Week 9 loss to the Steelers. Filling in for Dak Prescott (injured) and Andy Dalton (on the COVID list), Gilbert went 21-of-38 for 243 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. It wasn’t a particularly memorable performance, but it was at least better than what the Cowboys were getting out of Ben DiNucci.
The 30-year-old passer has dressed for just seven games in his NFL career. This will be his biggest one yet as Washington fights for a playoff spot. A win tonight would give them a 43% chance of qualifying; a loss would require them to win out and get extremely lucky.
Washington has been able to activate a couple of its players for tonight’s game — cornerback Troy Apke and defensive tackle Tim Settle. Beyond that, they’ll elevate four practice squaders: fullback Alex Armah, linebacker De’Jon Harris, tackle David Steinmetz, and quarterback Kyle Shurmur, who will serve as the QB2 behind Gilbert.
Rams Activate Von Miller
The Rams have activated Von Miller from the COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. Ditto for running back Jake Funk and linebackers Travin Howard and Christian Rozeboom.
[RELATED: Chiefs Place Hill On COVID-19 List]
Miller is now eligible to play tonight against the Seahawks, but the Rams will still be playing without several key starters. Right tackle Rob Havenstein, tight end Tyler Higbee, and strong safety Jordan Fuller were not able to test out of protocol, so they’ll be watching from a distance.
Miller, 32, has 110.5 sacks to his credit, more than any other active player in the NFL. He’s still on the hunt for his first Rams sack, though he did notch 4.5 sacks for the Broncos earlier this year. Sacks aside, Miller is still giving quarterbacks fits. As of this writing, Pro Football Focus has Miller ranked as the ninth-best edge defender in the NFL with an 86.6 overall score. That’s just a tick below his finest work in Denver and well ahead of his 2019 showing, a career-low 79.3 mark.
At 9-4, the Rams can more or less clinch their playoff spot with a W over the Seahawks. A win would also bring them one step closer to capturing the NFC West.
Chiefs Place WR Tyreek Hill On COVID-19 List
The Chiefs are placing wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton, and tight Blake Bell on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, according to Adam Teicher and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The team is expecting to add more players to the list and, as one source tells the duo, “It’s a mess.” 
[RELATED: Chiefs Place Kelce On Reserve/COVID-19 List]
The Chiefs have, for all intents and purposes, punched their ticket to the playoffs as well as the AFC West crown. Still, they’re pushing to lock up a first-round bye over the next few weeks. They currently lead the AFC with a 10-4 record but the Patriots (9-5) aren’t far behind.
Fortunately, the Chiefs have a ways to go between now and Sunday afternoon’s tilt against the Steelers. Any players who are vaccinated, asymptomatic, and able to pass another test will be able to play. They’ll be keeping their fingers crossed for Travis Kelce, Hill, and any other positives that emerge this week.
Hill, 27, is in the midst of another outstanding season with 102 catches for 1,178 yards and nine touchdowns through 14 games. Just last week, he torched the Chargers for a 12/148/1 line, so the Steelers could stand to benefit from his absence. They, too, are still playing for something at 7-6-1 — Five Thirty Eight gives them an 18% chance of making the playoffs with a 10% chance of taking the sardine-packed AFC North.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
Have you been waiting all day for Tuesday night? Thanks to COVID rescheduling, we still have two games to go in Week 15. While the Eagles, Rams, and the Washington Football Team are all jockeying for postseason berths/positioning, the Seahawks are — for all intents and purposes — out of playoff contention.
If the season ended today, the Seahawks would own a top ten pick…that is, if they owned it. The Jets, who hold the Seahawks’ 2022 first-round pick by way of the Jamal Adams trade, will be cheering for the Rams tonight.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Before the games begin, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12)
- Detroit Lions (2-11-1)
- Houston Texans (3-11)
- New York Jets (3-11)
- New York Giants (via Bears)
- New York Giants (4-10)
- Carolina Panthers (5-9)
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Atlanta Falcons (6-8)
- Philadelphia Eagles (6-7)
- Washington Football Team (6-7)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Denver Broncos (7-7)
- New Orleans Saints (7-7)
- Cleveland Browns (7-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (7-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6-1)
- Baltimore Ravens (8-6)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-7)*
- Buffalo Bills (8-6)*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
- Los Angeles Chargers (8-6)*
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)*
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-6)*
- Tennessee Titans (9-5)*
- Arizona Cardinals (10-4)*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-4)*
- New England Patriots (9-5)*
- Dallas Cowboys (10-4)*
- Kansas City Chiefs (10-4)*
- Green Bay Packers (11-3)*
* = Playoffs
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Nate Hall
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Chad Hansen
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Daryl Worley
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: T Evin Ksiezarczyk
Carolina Panthers
- Released: RB Jacques Patrick
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LB Tegray Scales
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Anthony Gordon, TE Caleb Wilson
Detroit Lions
- Released: CB Shakur Brown
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Josh Watson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DE Da’Shawn Hand
- Released: CB Darqueze Dennard
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: C Drake Jackson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DB Dylan Mabin
New York Jets
- Signed: DE Freedom Akinmoladun, G Isaiah Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: G Nathan Gilliam