Eagles Place Kamu Grugier-Hill On IR
The Eagles are placing Kamu Grugier-Hill on the injured reserve list, per a team announcement. The linebacker will undergo spinal surgery to fix a painful lower lumbar disc herniation that has plagued him throughout the year. 
Grugier-Hill played through the pain for ten games (six starts) this year, but doctors ultimately determined that he would need surgery. His 2019 season ends with 22 stops and one fumble recovery.
Grugier-Hill cracked the Eagles’ starting lineup in 2018 and racked up 45 tackles, a sack, an interception, and two passes defended. This year, he was having an exceptional training camp this year before a Grade 3 MCL sprain stopped him in August. Now, a much more serious issue will sideline him until 2020.
The timing is brutal on a number of levels. The Eagles are gearing up for a pivotal game against the Cowboys on Sunday that will make or break their playoff chances. Meanwhile, Grugier-Hill is slated for unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.
Bengals’ A.J. Green On Franchise Tag
Bengals star A.J. Green has ostensibly been pushing to play, but even he admits that a 2019 return is unlikely. This week, Green told the team website that he’s probably not going to suit up in the final two games, wiping out the entirety of his ninth NFL season. 
With Green’s season over before it could even start, the focus shifts to 2020 and his pending free agency. Green, understandably, would prefer an extension to the franchise tag, but he says a one-year cuff won’t prompt a season-long holdout.
“I have no problem with the franchise (tag). I don’t like it, but I’m not a guy that’s going to sit out the whole year,” Green said. “But at the end of the day, that shows me they’re not committed to me. That’s fine. They have a business they have to run. As the player I have my own business, so if you do that I have to protect myself.”
“If you’re not committed to me long-term, I understand. There are no hard feelings. You have a business to run. All great businesses face difficult decisions. I understand that. For me, I have to make a big decision as well.”
But even if he doesn’t hold out for the entire season, Green is more than prepared to stay away from the team throughout the offseason program and training camp if he does not get a long-term deal, as Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes. Dehner also reports that a source close to Green says, despite what Green has indicated to the public, the wideout never intended to play after suffering his foot injury in training camp.
Dehner believes the Bengals will in fact put the franchise tag on Green, and in order to avoid an unpleasant distraction throughout the spring and summer of 2020, when they will presumably be focusing on the development of a rookie QB, he thinks they should set a deadline prior to the opening of free agency in March to either trade or extend their star wideout. Of course, determining his value could be difficult given his recent injury history and the fact that he won’t have played a game since Week 13 of the 2018 season, but such a deadline could be
Green knows he could wind up elsewhere, but he says his goal remains to “break every receiving record” in Cincinnati. Green already has the most 100-yard games (33) in franchise history, but he’s aiming to top Chad Johnson’s career records of most yards (10,784), catches (752) and touchdowns (70).
To date, Green has 602 catches for 8,907 yards and 63 touchdowns, all with the Bengals.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/17/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S P.J. Locke, DL Jay-Tee Tiuli
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Christian Sam, DT Olive Sagapolu
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: DE Dewayne Hendrix, RB Jeremy McNichols
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Nate Wozniak
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Keon Hatcher
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Kareem Orr
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DE Austin Larkin
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Brady Sheldon
- Waived: DE Anthony Zettel
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: DB Aljiah Holder
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: LB Calvin Munson
- Placed on IR: LB Raekwon McMillan
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: OL Chuma Edoga, WR Jeff Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: WR Scott Miller
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: K Ryan Santoso
Cowboys To Sign Malcolm Smith
The Cowboys have signed Super Bowl XLVIII MVP Malcolm Smith, according to ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (Twitter link). Smith will give the Cowboys some much needed reinforcement at linebacker as they make their playoff push in the final two games of the season. 
Smith, who has ties to passing game coordinator Kris Richard, figures to see reps as Joe Thomas (knee), Sean Lee (pec, thigh) and Leighton Vander Esch (neck) work through injuries. He no longer profiles as an elite defender, but he offers experience and familiarity with Richard’s schemes.
Smith has not played since Week 9, when he was dropped by the Jaguars after a two-game stint. Over the years, he’s appeared in 102 games with 51 starts with totals of 393 tackles, six sacks, four interceptions, and nine forced fumbles.
If the Cowboys beat the Eagles on Sunday, they’ll clinch the NFC East and punch their ticket to the playoffs. If they lose, they’ll need a win over the Redskins and a Giants victory over the Eagles in Week 17 to reach the postseason.
Lions Place Matthew Stafford On IR
The Lions have placed Matthew Stafford on IR. With that, the quarterback’s season is officially over. 
[RELATED: Lions To Retain Matt Patricia, GM Bob Quinn For 2020]
Stafford started 136 consecutive games before missing Detroit’s Week 10 contest again the Bears in November. In eight starts, the 31-year-old Stafford threw for nearly 2,500 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions while ranking eighth in ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating.
Meanwhile, the Lions have sagged to a 3-10-1 record. There was little sense in jeopardizing Stafford’s health in the final games of the season, so the move to IR was widely expected, even as Stafford pushed for a return.
“Because this is what I do,” Stafford said in November, when asked why he wants to play this year. “I understand your question, but this is what I love to do. I love playing football. I appreciate all the hard work that all the guys in this locker room and in this organization put into going out there and trying to win games on Sunday and I love being a part of that.”
“It’s tough for me to sit there without the pads on and not be able to impact the game on the field the way I’m used to doing,” Stafford said. “That’s driving me to get back out there, and whenever we all deem it’s the right time for me to get back out there, I’ll be out there.”
Stafford will be back out there in 2020, when he continues on his five-year, $135MM deal with the Lions. Stafford is tied to the club through 2022 and will count for a $31.5MM cap figure next season.
NFL Suspends Broncos CB Kareem Jackson
On the heels of the Broncos’ blowout loss to the Chiefs, they got some more tough news. Starting cornerback Kareem Jackson has been suspended for the final two games of the season, according to Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). 
According to Klis, the suspension stems from a September arrest for DUI. With the two-game ban, Jackson will be barred from playing in the team’s final games of 2019 against the Lions and Raiders.
Jackson, 31, joined the Broncos on a three-year, $33MM deal in March with $23MM guaranteed. Pro Football Focus’ No. 14-graded cornerback in 2018, Jackson began the 2018 season at safety for the Texans and fared well there, but was shifted back to corner later in the year.
With the Broncos, he’s started in all 13 of his games while seeing time at different spots in the secondary. His season will end with 71 total tackles, two interceptions (including one against his old friends in Houston), and a forced fumble.
Cowboys Interested In Malcolm Smith
The Cowboys have interest in signing Malcolm Smith, Jane Slater of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Smith could give the Cowboys depth at the linebacker position in the wake of Luke Gifford‘s season-ending arm injury and Leighton Vander Esch‘s neck stinger, which has kept him out of action since Week 11. 
[RELATED: Latest On Cowboys’ Tyrone Crawford]
The last couple of years have been rough for Smith, who memorably took home the Super Bowl XLVIII MVP award as a member of the Seahawks. He signed a two-year, $7.5MM pact with the Raiders in March 2015, and though he was a full-time starter for the Silver-and-Black and compiled over 100 tackles in both of his seasons in Oakland, advanced metrics were not terribly fond of his play.
Nevertheless, he was able to parlay his strong raw statistics with the Raiders into a five-year, $26.5MM deal with the 49ers in March 2017. But he missed the entire 2017 campaign due to a torn pectoral muscle, and he was cut by the 49ers before the start of the 2019 campaign. The 30-year-old went on to have a cup of coffee with the Jaguars in 2019, but he was dropped after just two games.
Smith’s familiarity with Cowboys defensive coordinator Kris Richard could help him catch on quickly. If he’s signed, Smith could help the Cowboys in their pivotal Week 16 matchup against the Eagles.
Latest On Cowboys’ Tyrone Crawford
Cowboys defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford underwent surgery to both hips to repair a labrum tear, Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram tweets. His injury was much more serious than initially thought, but he still plans on returning in the spring and playing in 2020, Hill hears. 
[RELATED: Urban Meyer: “I Think I’m Done Coaching”]
Crawford didn’t look like himself this year as his hip issue limited him to a part-time role. Initially, the Cowboys planned on having him rest up and return, but they ultimately placed him on IR after a two-game breather on the bench.
Before all of this, Crawford was largely healthy throughout his Cowboys career. He missed only a handful of games between 2012-2018 and last year he started in all 15 of his games and notched a career-high 5.5 sacks.
Crawford, 30, has one more year to go on the five-year extension he inked with the club back in 2015. He’s slated to count for a $9.1MM cap figure in 2020 with a base salary of $8MM.
Poll: Should The Seahawks Sign Antonio Brown?
The Seahawks were dealt a bad blow this week when Josh Gordon was banned indefinitely by the NFL. Down a major deep threat, could they consider signing Antonio Brown, the game’s most talented and controversial free agent?
Mike Florio of PFT touched on the possibility today, while noting the obvious barriers: Brown is still waiting to find out whether he’ll be hit with a suspension of his own and the PR backlash would be enormous.
The Seahawks did their “due diligence” on Brown before claiming Gordon this year, but it’s not clear what they uncovered in their own investigation. Meanwhile, teams interested in Brown have been in a holding pattern as they await word on the wide receiver’s status from the NFL.
The belief is that if Brown is signed, the league will instantly place him on paid leave. But, if the Seahawks were to sign Brown after Week 17, there would be no real financial risk, since his compensation would be limited to just his playoff share.
With all of that said, the potential upside is enormous. Brown has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances. And, in his last playoff game (January 14, 2018), reeled in seven catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns. That’s the kind of weapon Russell Wilson could use as the Seahawks gear up for their 2019/2020 push.
Cast your vote below (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section: