XFL Commissioner On Manziel, Kaepernick
The XFL is still weeks away from its relaunch, but Vince McMahon’s second try at professional football has already come under fire for its refusal to allow players to leave for the NFL. In an interview with Thomas Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times, commissioner Oliver Luck made it clear that the policy won’t change anytime soon. 
“If there’s one thing we learned from watching the Alliance it was that quarterback play is critical,” Luck said. “In the game of football today — whether it’s pro, college or even high school arguably — your quarterback play is determinative. So we made an effort to sign guys, some of whom played in the AAF but the vast majority didn’t.”
The league’s policy already prevented Josh Johnson from joining the Lions back in November. Critics felt that the XFL should have allowed the veteran to go to Detroit, but Luck & Co. held him to his commitment with the Los Angeles Wildcats.
“We said, ‘No, we’re keeping him. He ours. He signed a contract. He’s committed to us,’” Luck said. “Once a player signs a contract — once he passes his physical and signs a contract — then he’s under contract with us. We won’t release that player to the NFL until after our season. We need certainty. We can’t just have guys peeling off.”
Luck also disclosed that the Steelers inquired on Landry Jones and Phillip Walker after Ben Roethlisberger‘s injury. The XFL, of course, turned down both requests.
While the XFL protects its own signal callers, they won’t go chasing the two biggest names on the open market. Luck sounded less than enthusiastic about the possibility of Johnny Manziel and Colin Kaepernick joining the fledgling league.
“Johnny has his own history, and we have coaches from the CFL who have seen him close up,” Luck said when asked about Johnny Football. “He was in the draft pool. Coaches and scouts looked at him and didn’t think he was going to help their team. I think the guys we have on our teams are the best 560 that aren’t playing in the National Football League.”
As for Kaepernick, Luck characterized his “salary demands” as being “way out of [the XFL’s] ballpark.” As a result, he was “never really a viable option,” for the league.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/18/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Alex Wesley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Signed: DB Herb Miller
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Joe Dineen, DE Dewayne Hendrix, RB Jeremy McNichols
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/18/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB Andre Chachere, LB Keishawn Bierria
- Promoted: LB/DE Vontarrius Dora
- Placed on IR: CB Kevin Peterson, LB Tanner Vallejo
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: LB Danny Trevathan
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DL Jamie Meder
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
- Placed on IR: S Rolan Milligan
New York Giants
- Promoted: S Rashaan Gaulden
Bucs Place Mike Evans On IR
On Wednesday, the Buccaneers officially placed wide receiver Mike Evans on injured reserve. He’ll be joined by safety Jordan Whitehead, who also left Sunday’s game against the Lions with a hamstring injury. 
Evans was held out of the Bucs’ Week 15 game against the Lions due to a hamstring injury, so the move doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The Bucs don’t have much to play for in the final two weeks of the season – besides pride – so they’ll keep Evans off the field and allow him to rest up for 2020.
Evans suffered the injury after reeling in a 61-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter against the Colts. The receiver fell to the turf in pain before limping to the sideline, but he got relatively good news after doctors got a closer look – there’s no tear in the hammy, just a pull.
The 26-year-old was in the midst of another standout season, hauling in 67 receptions for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns. Justin Watson filled in for Evans, with the former fifth-rounder snagging his first career touchdown.
To fill Evans’ spot on the roster, the Bucs promoted wide receiver Spencer Schnell from the practice squad. Watson and Schnell will get a chance to show their stuff in the final two weeks of the season as Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller deal with hamstring injuries of their own.
Raiders Place OT Trent Brown On IR
The Raiders have placed offensive tackle Trent Brown on injured reserve. With that, his first season in silver and black will end a few weeks early. 
Brown has been absent from the team’s last two games with a pectoral injury. Up until then, he was having a fantastic season. The veteran started eleven games at right tackle in 2019 en route to a Pro Bowl selection.
Thanks to the four-year, $66MM deal he inked with the Raiders last March, Brown will be under contract for another three seasons. Fun fact: Brown structured his deal to earn $15MM in 2019 with a jump to $21.5MM in 2020, when the Raiders move to Las Vegas, Nevada, where there’s no state income tax in Nevada). On the other side of the coin, Brown has no guaranteed money on his deal after the 2020 season.
In other Raiders news, running back Josh Jacobs is unlikely to play against the Chargers this week as he heals up from his shoulder injury. Jacobs might play in Week 17 against the Broncos, if the Raiders are willing to risk it.
Saints Sign D.J. Swearinger
D.J. Swearinger will march with the Saints. On Wednesday, the Saints officially signed the veteran and made room by dropping fellow safety T.J. Green. 
Swearinger becomes the second defensive back to join the Saints this week, following former Giants standout Janoris Jenkins. For the 28-year-old, it’s his third team of 2019.
Swearinger started the year with the Cardinals, but was dropped in late September. He hooked on with the Raiders in early November, but was jettisoned earlier this month along with Preston Brown and Terrell McClain. All in all, he has 48 tackles across eight games this season.
Green was promoted to the active roster just before the Saints Monday night win over the Colts. If he clears waivers, the Saints will be able to re-sign him to the practice squad.
Seahawks Sign Dekoda Watson
On Wednesday, the Seahawks signed linebacker Dekoda Watson. The indefinite ban of wide receiver Josh Gordon freed up a roster spot, so no cuts were needed to add the veteran defender. 
[RELATED: NFL Bans Seahawks’ Josh Gordon]
Watson, 31, had a brief run with the Seahawks earlier this year. He was dropped before he could even play in a game, however, to make room for Gordon’s arrival off waivers.
Watson’s hasn’t seen live action since he suited up for the 49ers last year. In 2018, he played in four games and finished out with five tackles and two sacks.
The nine-year pro has also played for the Broncos, Patriots, Cowboys, Jaguars and Buccaneers over the course of his career. He’ll rejoin the Seahawks with an eye on making a difference in the final two games of the regular season and the playoffs.
Browns’ OBJ: “I’m Not Going Anywhere”
Maybe Odell Beckham Jr. doesn’t want out, after all. On Wednesday, the mercurial wide receiver shot down rumors of a trade demand. 
[RELATED: OBJ Reportedly Tells Opposing Coaches, Players To “Come Get Me”]
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here,” OBJ said (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). “We’ll figure this thing out. It’s just too special to leave…We’regoing to be here. We’re going to do it again. And we’re going to be what we felt like we should’ve been.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that Beckham has been approaching opposing players and coaches with a plea to “come get” him. OBJ shrugged off those questions and jokingly said that he’s talked to the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts about playing for them.
Things haven’t gone according to plan for OBJ or first-year head coach Freddie Kitchens, but the Browns are reportedly planning to keep both of them in 2020. Realistically, the Browns have little choice, when it comes to Beckham. They sacrificed first- and third-round picks for the superstar earlier this year and he still has several seasons remaining on his five-year, $95MM contract.
For now – it sounds like OBJ is staying put. But, if anything changes, Beckham reportedly wouldn’t mind a return to New York with the Jets.
Jaguars Waive Marcus Gilchrist
The Jaguars waived veteran safety Marcus Gilchrist, per a club announcement. To take his place, they promoted safety Doug Middleton from the practice squad. 
Gilchrist joined the Jags in late November and appeared in each of the team’s last three games. His Jacksonville stint ends with two tackles on 53 defensive snaps and 19 special teams plays. The 31-year-old has started in 98 games as a pro for the Chargers, Jets, Texans, and Raiders.
Middleton, meanwhile, has 12 total NFL games on his resume, including seven last year for the Jets. For his career, he has 28 tackles and four passes defensed.
Titans Place Ryan Succop On IR
The Titans are placing kicker Ryan Succop on injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Succop will be replaced by Greg Joseph, who agreed to a three-year deal with the club earlier this week. 
A knee injury sidelined Succop just before the season and kept him on IR until early November. In his sixth year with the Titans, Succop went just 1-6 on field goal tries in six games – clearly, he’s been far below 100% health.
The Titans have cycled through kickers this year – Cairo Santos and Cody Parkey struggled mightily as Succop’s early fill-ins, so they’re hoping to get much better results out of Joseph.
Before all of this, Succop played in every Titans game from 2014-18. In 2018, he went 26-for-30 on field goals and 28-for-31 on PATs. He’ll turn 34 just prior to the 2020 season, when he’s slated to count for $4.1MM against the cap.