Saints Waive Kenny Stills
The Saints have released wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, per the league’s transactions wire. Meanwhile, the Saints have re-signed wide receiver Kevin White to their practice squad.
Stills, 29, has been on and off the Saints roster this year. So far this season, he’s got five catches for 64 yards across ten games. Of course, that’s a far cry from his early work in New Orleans, which included 931 yards in 2014, his second year as a pro.
It’s a bit of a surprise that the Saints would be bailing on receivers at this point. We learned yesterday that Deonte Harris would miss the next three games while serving a suspension, and former All-Pro Michael Thomas has already been ruled out for the season. Tre’Quan Smith also missed time due to injury, and New Orleans hasn’t played with Alvin Kamara since Week 9.
Roach joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2020, and he collected 16 tackles in nine games as a rook. This year, he’s started two of his six games while compiling seven tackles and one interception. The 23-year-old has only appeared in one game for New Orleans since Week 5. After recently spending time on IR, the defensive tackle was designated to return earlier this week.
White, the seventh-overall pick in the 2015 draft, battled injuries throughout his Bears tenure and later caught on with the Cardinals and 49ers. He managed to get into three games with San Francisco last season without recording a reception, and he ended up getting cut by the squad in August. He ultimately caught on with New Orleans, and he ended up seeing time in five games (one start) for his new squad. The 29-year-old contributed one 38-yard reception during his time with the Saints, and he ultimately saw more special teams snaps than offensive snaps. He was cut by the team last week.
Will Compton Drawing Interest
Linebacker Will Compton is drawing interest from multiple teams and could sign a deal as soon as today, according to a source who spoke with Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Compton — the co-host of Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With The Boys,” — has yet to play in 2021. 
[RELATED: Titans Designate J. Jones For Return]
Compton, 32, has appeared in 90 games over the course of his NFL career, including 40 starts. In 2020, he returned to the Titans for his second stint in Nashville, collecting 18 stops across 12 appearances. His most significant action came early in his career with Washington. From 2013 through 2017, he started in 33 of his 57 games. Compton’s on-field career has tailed off somewhat since a Lisfranc injury capped his ’17 early.
In other Titans-related news, Julio Jones has been designated for return from injured reserve. Jones, on his way back from a hamstring injury, has 21 catches for 336 yards so far this year. The legendary wide receiver could come back as soon as this Sunday to face the Jaguars.
WFT’s Ryan Fitzpatrick Done For Year
Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s season is over. The Washington Football Team quarterback will have arthroscopic surgery on his hip, officially capping his 2021 campaign (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
[RELATED: Latest On WFT’s Logan Thomas]
Fitzpatrick played in just one game before suffering a hip subluxation in the season opener against the Chargers. In total, his season lasted less than 30 minutes.
This could be the end of the line for the 39-year-old passer, who has to focus on basic mobility before even thinking about football conditioning. He’ll also be out of contract in March, after the expiration of his one-year, $10 million deal. If this is the end of Fitzpatrick’s NFL career, he’ll leave the game with 166 career appearances (147 starts) and a ton of memorable moments to trump his lifetime 59-87-1 record.
Without FitzMagic, Washington has installed Taylor Heinicke as the starter. Heinicke hasn’t dazzled, but he does have WFT at the .500 mark and in the playoff conversation. They’ll look to gain ground on Sunday when they host the division-leading Cowboys.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LB Joe Walker
- Waived: RB Tavien Feaster
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE David Njoku
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR: RB LeVante Bellamy
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: RB Austin Walter
- Released: DB Jarrod Wilson
Washington Football Team
- Signed: LB Milo Eifler
- Placed on IR: LB Khaleke Hudson
Purdue DE George Karlaftis Enters NFL Draft
Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis will enter the 2022 NFL Draft, according to head coach Jeff Brohm (via Tom Dienhart of Gold and Black). This was the expected move as Karlaftis is regarded as one of the best edge rushers in this year’s class.
[RELATED: Oregon DE Thibodeaux Declaring For NFL Draft]
“They will not be coming back to play next year,” Brohm said over the weekend. “They will be moving on.”
Mel Kiper of ESPN currently has Karlaftis ranked 21st on his Big Board. He’s registered just 4.5 sacks this season, but the 6’4″, 270-pounder has consistently brought the pressure. As a frosh in 2019, his only other full season, he registered 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. In 2020, a positive COVID-19 test limited him to just three games.
Karlaftis will be joined by wide receiver David Bell, a potential Day 2 pick. Bell set new collegiate career-highs this year with 93 catches for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/7/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: DB Cornell Armstrong
- Released: CB Chris Williamson, OT Rick Leonard
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick
- Released: WR Matt Cole
Chicago Bears
- Signed: FB Ben Mason
- Released: LB Rashad Smith
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Ross Travis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR/KR Tyrie Cleveland
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: QB Kurt Benkert
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Clayton Thorson
New York Jets
- Signed: K Matt Amendola, WR Tarik Black
- Released: WR Keelan Doss
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: DB Elijah Benton
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: LS Garrison Sanborn
Falcons Designate Hayden Hurst For Return
The Falcons have designated tight end Hayden Hurst for return from injured reserve. To make room for Hurst, the Falcons have waived veteran punter Dustin Colquitt. 
Atlanta traded for Hurst last year, but the team’s new regime replaced him as the primary tight end by selecting Kyle Pitts No. 4 overall in April. Hurst caught 56 passes for 571 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. While Pitts is now the leader of this group and has emerged as one of the NFL’s most promising rookies, Hurst still had 20 receptions through nine games, up until his ankle injury.
The Falcons will now have 21 days to either activate Hurst or lose their opportunity to use him for the rest of the year. Odds are, he’ll be ready to go soon. Hurst, 28, is due to be a free agent in March since the Falcons declined his fifth-year option.
Colquitt, a 17-year-veteran, appeared in six games as Cameron Nizialek‘s fill-in. He was doing well, up until he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list a couple of weeks ago. Since then, the Falcons have picked up longtime Saints punter Thomas Morstead. Morstead is now set to continue in the role for the rest of the season.
Latest On WFT’s Logan Thomas
Logan Thomas‘ knee injury might not be so bad after all. “The MRI results came back [and] were better than we anticipated,” head coach Ron Rivera told reporters during his Monday afternoon press conference (Twitter link). 
“Obviously, there is some damage there,” Rivera continued. “It’s not as extensive as first thought. So, we’re sending for a few more tests just to make sure and we’ll go from there. So we’re still waiting on a little be more of an evaluation, but it is a little bit more positive than first anticipated.”
That’s a big step up from what we heard on Sunday — Thomas was initially believed to have suffered a torn ACL. A partial tear of a less critical ligament, like an MCL, could allow Thomas to return later this year.
The Washington Football Team advanced to 6-6 on the year with yesterday’s win over the Raiders. They now have a 51% chance of making the playoffs, according to Five Thirty Eight. If they keep trending in the right direction, Thomas could come back in time for the final stretch. On the flip side, if Washington slips in the coming weeks, they’ll probably shelve him the rest of the way.
In his six games this year, Thomas has 18 receptions for 196 yards and three touchdowns. No matter the outcome of his remaining tests, it’s safe to say that he’ll be held out of this week’s contest against the Cowboys.
Jets’ Corey Davis Done For Year
Corey Davis‘ season is over. On Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters the wide receiver needs core muscle surgery that will shelve him for the rest of the year (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
The silver lining is that core muscle surgery usually calls for 8-10 weeks of recovery. In other words, it’s nothing like an ACL rehab program, so Davis should be good to go for early offseason activities.
Davis played through the pain for several weeks, sat out for the Jets’ Week 12 win over the Texans, and returned yesterday to play 25 snaps against the Eagles. Unfortunately, he aggravated his groin injury to the point where he’ll have to go under the knife.
Davis’ season will end with 34 grabs for 492 yards and four touchdowns across nine games. Extrapolated for a full 17-game slate, that’s roughly in line with what the Jets were hoping to see. He’ll look to stay healthy next season in Year 2 of his three-year, $37.5MM deal.
In the meantime, the Jets will work with Elijah Moore, Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder, and Denzel Mims as their top wide receivers. The 3-9 Jets, sans Davis, will host the Saints on Sunday.
Panthers Designate Cameron Erving For Return
The Panthers have designated Cameron Erving to return from injured reserve. With that, the offensive tackle will be eligible to play anytime within the next 21 days.
[RELATED: Latest On Panthers’ Matt Rhule]
Erving was put on IR with a calf injury in early November. Before that, he was sidelined with a neck injury. So, all together, the 29-year-old has appeared in just seven games so far this year. Without him, the Panthers have been starting Dennis Daley with support from rookie Brady Christensen.
The Panthers, of course, are going to be without Christian McCaffrey for the rest of the year, so Erving’s return will only help so much. Still, the extra protection could help as they look to make the most of their season. The Panthers are 5-7 following their pre-bye loss to the Dolphins. They are — technically — still in the playoff mix, but they’ll have to beat the Falcons this week in order to keep their hopes alive.
In other Panthers news, head coach Matt Rhule reportedly wants to stay put, rather than chase any of this year’s NCAA openings. It’s not a given that the Panthers will have him back, of course, but the early word is that he’ll get another chance in 2022.