Chargers Place Joey Bosa, Austin Ekeler On COVID-19 List
The Chargers will be forced to place edge rusher Joey Bosa, center Corey Linsley, and running back Austin Ekeler on the COVID-19 list (Twitter link via Daniel Popper of The Athletic). The Bolts will likely add more players to that list later today, which may leave them at less than full strength for Sunday’s game against the Texans. 
Bosa was reported to be unvaccinated earlier this year. So, unless he has received the vaccine in recent weeks, he’ll still be subject to the league’s 2020 protocols and held out of this week’s game. Even under the revised rules, unvaccinated players who test positive must remain in quaratine for a minimum of ten days.
Bosa was briefly placed on the COVID-19 list back in November when he was ID’d as a high-risk close contact. But, after testing negative, he was cleared to face the Steelers in Week 11.
The 26-year-old is in the midst of another sensational season with 43 tackles, 9.5 sacks, and a league-leading six forced fumbles. Needless to say, he’s well on his way to a third straight Pro Bowl selection, which would give him four for his young career. The Chargers have Bosa under contract for years to come, thanks to the five-year, $135MM mega-deal he inked in 2020.
Unfortunately, the Chargers be without Bosa for at least a little while as they work to clinch a playoff berth. At 8-6, the Bolts have a 75% chance of. making the cut, per Five Thirty Eight, plus an outside chance of catching the Chiefs for the divisional crown.
Lions Promote Craig Reynolds
The Lions have officially signed Craig Reynolds to the 53-man roster, per a club announcement. This comes one day after Reynolds amassed 112 yards off of 26 carries in an upset win over the Cardinals.
Reynolds was elevated to fill in for D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams. On Sunday, he made the most of his opportunity. Per league rules, stashing Reynolds on the practice squad again would have required the Lions to expose him to waivers. After his showing against the Cardinals, it’s likely that another team would have snatched him up.
The Lions aren’t playing for much over these final three games, but Reynolds has tons to gain. The Kutztown product was previously earning just $165K in base salary while on the taxi squad. Now, he can solidify his place on the 2022 roster as the Lions continue their rebuilding process.
Reynolds figures to see plenty of carries next week when the Lions face the Falcons in Atlanta. Whether Lions fans want it or not, they’ll be gunning for their first winning streak of the season on Sunday.
WFT Places Brandon Scherff On COVID-19 List
Brandon Scherff will be placed on Washington’s Reserve/COVID-19 list (Twitter link via Ben Standig of The Athletic). With the All-Pro guard added to the tally, WFT currently has 16 players on the list headed into tomorrow’s game against the Eagles. 
[RELATED: WFT Activates Allen, Sweat]
Washington expects offensive lineman Matt Ioannidis to be cleared in time (Twitter link via Edward Ford of FOX 61), but everyone else’s status is TBD. That includes quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen, which means that journeyman Garrett Gilbert could be in line to start.
Scherff, who turns 30 on Sunday, missed a total of 18 games from 2017-2020. So far this year, he’s suited up for just nine games and he’ll miss another this week. Playing on his second-straight franchise tag at a rate of $18.04MM, he’s scheduled for free agency in the spring.
Washington still has a 20% chance of making the playoffs, per the stats at Five Thirty Eight. But, at 6-7, a loss to the Birds would likely level those odds.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/20/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on COVID-19 list: OT Bobby Hart, DE Mike Love
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: P Drue Chrisman
- Released: CB Holton Hill
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: WR Osirus Mitchell
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Peter Kalambayi
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: QB Danny Etling
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Delrick Abrams, OT Adrian Ealy, C Drake Jackson, TE Kyle Markway, OL Austin Reiter
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Isaiah Williams
- Placed on COVID-19 list: CB Lamar Jackson, DL Tanzel Smart, WR Vyncint Smith
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from COVID-19 list: RB Jason Huntley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from COVID-19 list: CB Linden Stephens
- Released: CB Isaiah Johnson
- Placed on COVID-19 list: OL Malcolm Pridgeon
Seattle Seahawks
- Placed on COVID-19 list: CB Michael Jackson, G Pier-Olivier Lestage
Browns’ Baker Mayfield, Case Keenum Ruled Out
Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum weren’t able to test out of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols in time for today’s game (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). With that, Nick Mullens is set to start for the Browns against the Raiders today. 
[RELATED: Raiders-Browns Moved To Monday]
The Browns were able to activate safety John Johnson III from the list, but the bulk of their COVID-19 positive players from last week will be held out. To fill the roster, the Browns have elevated cornerbacks Brian Allen and Herb Miller, safeties Tedric Thompson and Jovante Moffatt, defensive end Joe Jackson, guard Hjalte Froholdt, and running back John Kelly for tonight’s game.
Without their top two QBs, the Browns will need a big day out of their running backs. Unfortunately, that group won’t include Kareem Hunt, who also finds himself on the COVID-19 list. Instead, they’ll look to Nick Chubb, who has 5.5 yards per carry on the year, and D’Ernest Johnson, the reserve who turned in a couple of impressive performances earlier this year.
Dolphins To Promote Duke Johnson
He clearly earned it. The Dolphins are set to promote running back Duke Johnson to the active roster (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).
Johnson, 28, spent much of the year on the workout circuit. After auditions for the 49ers, Panthers, and Saints didn’t result in deals, he settled for a practice squad contract with the Dolphins in October. Yesterday, in his first start of 2021, Johnson torched the Jets for 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns off of 22 carries. The Dolphins — against some creative play calling from the Jets — won 31-24, advancing to 7-7 on the year.
Johnson was the focal point of the Dolphins’ offense, even though Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed were cleared in time to play. Elevated in place of Phillip Lindsay, who was still held out due to COVID-19 protocols, the veteran kept the chains moving throughout the afternoon.
Historically, Johnson has been known for his pass-catching ability, as shown by his 400+ receiving yards in each of his first five seasons. But, on Sunday, he did most of the damage with his feet, save for a 20-yard grab in the third quarter. He might just be the bell cow moving forward as the Dolphins scrap for a playoff berth. The AFC East may be out of reach, but the ‘Fins still have a 10% chance at capturing a Wild Card spot, per Five Thirty Eight.
Bucs’ Chris Godwin To Miss Time
The Bucs believe that Chris Godwin avoided a major injury in last night’s loss to the Saints (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Still, the wide receiver is likely looking at a sprained his MCL, which would cost him at least a couple of games. 
[RELATED: AB, Edwards To Rejoin Buccaneers]
Godwin was forced out in the first half, along with fellow star wide receiver Mike Evans. Later on, Leonard Fournette suffered a hamstring injury. They were clearly missed – the Bucs were held scoreless by the Saints for a 9-0 loss.
Through 14 games, Godwin has 98 catches for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns, plus one rushing TD for good measure. The return of Antonio Brown could offset the loss of Godwin somewhat, but they want to have their leading WR healthy for the playoffs. Ditto for Evans, who has eleven receiving TDs on the year.
The Bucs couldn’t clinch the NFC South last night, but they remain on the right track at 10-4. They should know more about everyone’s availability after additional testing today.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: TE David Wells
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: LB Pernell McPhee
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: OL Jacob Capra
Chicago Bears
- Activated from IR: OT Germain Ifedi
- Placed on IR: DB DeAndre Houston-Carson
- Promoted: DB Thomas Graham Jr., DB Michael Joseph, DB BoPete Keyes, DL LaCale London, WR Dazz Newsome, LB Charles Snowden, DB Dee Virgin, WR Nsimba Webster
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: LB Joe Bachie (ACL)
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: CB Brian Allen, DE Joe Jackson, G Hjalte Froholdt, RB John Kelly, CB Herb Miller, S Jovante Moffatt, S Tedric Thompson
- Signed to active roster: OT Alex Taylor
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: DE Azur Kamara
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed to active roster: K Elliott Fry
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on IR: CB Trayvon Mullen
- Activated from IR: TE Nick Bowers
- Promoted: G Lester Cotton, WR Tyron Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Claimed off waivers: CB Essang Bassey (from Broncos)
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: WR Landen Akers
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: RB Duke Johnson (story), S Sheldrick Redwine
- Waived: S Will Parks
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: S Myles Dorn, WR Myron Mitchell, CB Tye Smith
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: QB Jarren Williams
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: OT Sam Cosmi
Giants’ Sterling Shepard Tears Achilles
Giants’ wide receiver Sterling Shepard has been officially diagnosed with a torn Achilles, per a club announcement. This will be a season-ender for Shepard, who has not played a complete season since 2018.
2021 was already an injury-riddled season for Shepard as today’s game against the Cowboys was only his second game since returning from a four-game absence caused by a quad injury. Shepard also missed three weeks in October due to a hamstring injury.
When he’s healthy, Shepard is a favorite target in the Giants’ offense and tends to be a reliable one. In his last full season, Shepard caught 66 balls for 872 yards (both career highs). In his rookie season (the only other season in which he’s played all 16 games), Shepard caught a career-high 8 touchdowns. Last year, despite missing 4 straight games early in the season, Shepard was able to match his career high for catches in a season from 2018.
So it stands to reason that his best football is still ahead of him, if he can just get and stay healthy. But, over his six seasons in the NFL, this has a been an extremely tall order for the wide receiver, with this injury putting a demonstrative period on his toughest season yet.
Tight end Evan Engram and receivers Kenny Golladay and Darius Slayton will continue to get the majority of targets with Shepard and rookie first-round pick Kadarius Toney out. Former Bengals’ receiver John Ross could see an increase in snaps, as well, due to those same injuries.
PFR Originals: Wentz, Nagy, Bush
In case you missed it, here’s a look back at some of our recent originals:
- The Eagles couldn’t have asked for much more out of Carson Wentz in his rookie year. But, midway through 2017, everything changed when he tore his ACL. On the anniversary of his fateful injury, we reflected on how it changed everything for the quarterback and franchise alike.
- After the Jaguars fired Urban Meyer, one can’t help but wonder which head coach might be next. Last week, our own Ely Allen asked readers to weigh in on whether Matt Nagy will coach the Bears in 2022. At last check, over 90% of PFR readers predicted that Nagy would be canned between now and next fall.
- Reggie Bush compiled at least 30 receptions and 200 receiving yards during each of his first eight years in the league, including four seasons with at least 50 catches. But, by 2017, he was out of the league. Towards the end of the season, Bush officially retired from football.