James Conner Wants To Stay With Cardinals
James Conner seems to have found a home with the Cardinals. As he plays out his one-year contract in the desert, the running back says he has little reason to leave. 
“Man, I want to win a Super Bowl here,” Conner said (via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic). “I love the weather and everything this team has going and my teammates out here and the coaching staff. I don’t see why not, why I wouldn’t want to be here. We have all the resources and everything we need to be successful. We’re going to take it one week at a time first. We’ve got a big game against Chicago coming up. But after the season, I’ve got a lot of love for the Cardinals, so we’ll see what happens.”
Conner, 27 in May, has found paydirt eight times over the last five games, giving him a total of 13 touchdowns on the year. Through eleven games, that’s already enough to match his previous single-season best. Now, he has a chance to leapfrog Chris Johnson‘s all-time franchise record of 20 TDs.
Conner admitted that his “options were limited” when he agreed to join the Cardinals in the spring. Now, his one-year, $1.75MM contract stands as one of the best values in the NFL. There’s no doubt that Conner will get a big pay bump in 2022 — ideally, he says he’d like to make it happen in Arizona:
“I just came, and I wanted to play my best football. My options were limited. This is the plan. It’s the Cardinals. And I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else right now.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/1/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Blake Countess, DB Robert Jackson
- Placed on PS-IR: K Jake Verity
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Dee Virgin
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Curtis Bolton
- Released: T Darrin Paulo
New England Patriots
- Released: CB Thakarius Keyes
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: C Luke Juriga
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Justin March, S Doug Middleton
- Released: S Kai Nacua
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: S Elijah Benton, WR Cade Johnson
NFL Suspends Cowboys’ Trysten Hill
Tuesday, 10:40pm: Hill’s suspension has been reduced from two games to one by NFL-NFLPA appeals officer Derrick Brooks, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Monday, 3:13pm: The NFL has suspended Cowboys defensive tackle Trysten Hill for the next two games without pay (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero). Hill, who punched Raiders lineman John Simpson after last week’s game, won’t be eligible to return to the roster until Monday Dec. 13.
“After the Las Vegas Raiders-Dallas Cowboys game on November 25, you engaged in conduct that this office considers unnecessary roughness and displays a lack of sportsmanship,” VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan wrote in an open letter to Hill. “Specifically, as both teams were shaking hands, you waited more than 50 seconds for your opponent at the 50-yard line. When you located him, you then walked toward him in the opposite direction of your locker room. You both engaged in a verbal chest-to-chest confrontation which you escalated by throwing an open hand punch to his facemask, forcible enough to cause your opponent’s helmet to come off.”
Hill could still appeal the ban and make his case before either Derrick Brooks or James Thrash, the ex-players who operate as suspension hearing officers. But, barring any changes, Hill will be withheld from the next two games against the Saints and the Washington Football Team.
It’s yet another blow to the Cowboys’ defensive line, though they could have reinforcements in time for Thursday. DeMarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory, and Neville Gallimore have all been designated for return and would be eligible to play against New Orleans.
Titans Place Monty Rice On IR
The Titans have placed linebacker Monty Rice on injured reserve, according to a team press release. In an injury-marred year, Rice becomes the 18th player to land on the Tennessee’s IR.
The Titans turned to Rice as their starting inside linebacker after losing Rashaan Evans and David Long to injury. Now, they’ll have to look elsewhere for support, alongside fellow fill-in Jayon Brown. That could mean an uptick in work for backups Dylan Cole and Nick Dzubnar.
It’s a disappointing setback for the rookie ‘backer, as he was starting to gain favor with head coach Mike Vrabel.
“He started by finishing [on special teams]…running his guy and taking care of the returner, so I think he started to build some confidence there. Then he made some tackles on kickoff and really started to build some confidence there. [Now,] he’s got an opportunity to play linebacker,” Vrabel said recently (via Jim Wyatt of the team website). “He is continuing to improve and hopefully we can start to really see some more progress.”
Rice, a third-round rookie, could theoretically return later this year after sitting out for at least three games. So far, the Georgia product has 36 stops on the year, plus one pass defensed and a quarterback hit.
Falcons Designate Steven Means For Return
The Falcons have designated defensive end Steven Means for return from injured reserve, per a club announcement. Means will be eligible to practice with the team starting today and return to action anytime in the next 21 days.
Means, 31, originally caught on with the Falcons in September 2018. Since then, he’s re-upped twice and started in 23 of his 32 games for Atlanta. This year, he was first-string at outside linebacker through eight games, up until he suffered a knee injury.
Fortunately, this was a less serious injury than the Achilles tear that cost him all of 2019. Now that he’s healthy, he’ll look to reprise his mostly solid work from 2020, which included 38 total stops and three sacks.
Once Means is back, he should resume his starting job with support from Ade Ogundeji and James Vaughters. He’ll also look to improve on his first half work – through his eight games, Pro Football Focus had him ranked near the bottom of all qualified edge defenders.
To make room for Means, the Falcons have waived cornerback Chris Williamson.
Washington To Sign K Brian Johnson
The Washington Football Team is moving on to its fourth kicker of the season. In the wake of Joey Slye‘s injury, Washington has agreed to sign kicker Brian Johnson off the Bears’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).
[RELATED: Washington K Joey Slye To Miss Time]
Johnson, a Virginia Tech alum, actually succeeded Slye as the Hokies’ kicker. He kept that job from 2018 through 2020 and sank 20 of his 26 field goals as a senior. After graduation, he hooked on with the Bears’ taxi squad, before being plucked by the Saints in October.
Johnson went on to make all eight of his field goals across four games. Unfortunately, he also bricked three point-after attempts across his last two games in New Orleans, including a pair that cost them a win over the Titans. The Saints moved on to Brett Maher, but Johnson will have a chance at redemption in D.C. He’ll try to match Slye’s mostly solid work in Washington — 6-of-6 on FGs with only one missed/blocked XP.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Jonathan Ward
Detroit Lions
- Waived/Injured: DL Da’Shawn Hand
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB De’Vondre Campbell
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed (off 49ers practice squad): CB Davontae Harris
New York Giants
- Signed (off Bills practice squad): QB Jake Fromm
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Keelan Cole
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: T/G Brett Toth
- Placed on IR: T/G Jack Driscoll
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed (off Saints practice squad): DT Montravius Adams
Urban Meyer Won’t Pursue NCAA Jobs
Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer has no interest in returning to the college ranks, according to a source who spoke with Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Despite the new vacancies at Oklahoma and Notre Dame, DiRocco hears that Meyer remains committed to Jacksonville.
[RELATED: Jaguars Place Arnold On IR]
Meyer’s first foray into the NFL hasn’t been easy so far. And, just as his Jaguars dropped to 2-9 on the year, multiple high-profile jobs opened up. The University of Oklahoma needs a new head coach to replace Lincoln Riley, who jumped ship for USC. Ditto for Notre Dame, now that Brian Kelly is the new HC at LSU.
“Zero chance at that happening,” Meyer said in March when asked about a return to the NCAA. “What coach [Nick] Saban went through, I don’t know. That’s Coach Saban’s business. I’m not quite sure. At some point, I might talk to him about it…he’s a friend of mine and I got great respect for him.
“It is different. It’s completely different. My mind is set. There’s gonna be some losses. That’s gonna be miserable. I hate losing. We all do. But the reality is that you’re gonna lose. Hopefully you win more than you lose. But that’s something that’s gonna be new to me. I have to get my mind right and I’m working on that.”
Meyer will aim for his next win on Sunday when his Jaguars face the Rams.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/30/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LS Kyle Nelson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DE Joe Jackson, G Hjalte Froholdt
- Released: RB Brian Hill
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OT Adrian Ealy, RB Kerrith Whyte
- Released: LB Curtis Robinson
Detroit Lions
- Released: OL Darrin Paulo
Houston Texans
- Signed: RB Darius Jackson
New England Patriots
- Signed: CB Thakarius Keyes, RB Devine Ozigbo
- Released: NT Niles Scott
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Dan Brown
- Released: QB James Morgan
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on injured list: WR Devin Funchess
Tennessee Titans
- Released: WR Austin Mack
Jaguars Place Dan Arnold On IR
The Jaguars have placed tight end Dan Arnold on the injured reserve list, per a club announcement. This was the expected move after Arnold was diagnosed with a grade 2 MCL sprain on Monday. 
Technically, Arnold would be eligible to return after three weeks on IR. However, given the 4-6 timeline for his recovery, this likely spells a season-ender for the 26-year-old.
The Jaguars traded for Arnold (and a third-round pick) in late September, in exchange for former first-round choice C.J. Henderson and a fifth-round selection. Since then, the tight end has reeled in 28 catches for 304 yards in eight games. Coupled with his early Carolina line, he’s recorded 35 grabs for 408 yards in eleven contests. Even in this injury-shortened season, that’s roughly in line with his entire 2020 from Arizona.
At 2-9, the Jaguars have little reason to rush the young tight end back to the field. Thanks to his two-year, $6MM deal, he remains under contract with Jacksonville through 2022.