Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb Ruled Out
The Cowboys won’t have their two best wide receivers for today’s game against the Raiders. CeeDee Lamb has been ruled out due to his concussion, according to Tom Pelissero and Jane Slater of NFL.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, as previously reported, Amari Cooper will be held out per the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
[RELATED: Cowboys Designate Lawrence For Return]
Lamb hit the ground head-first last week when Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward drove him to the ground. After being checked out by team doctors, he was ruled out for the rest of the game. Now, he’ll miss at least one more contest, leaving Dak Prescott with Michael Gallup, Cedrick Wilson, Malik Turner and Noah Brown at WR in the interim.
Lamb, 22, has notched 50 catches for 740 yards and six touchdowns this year. Hopefully, he’ll be cleared in time for Week 13, when the Cowboys face the Saints in a Thursday night matchup.
In other Cowboys news, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence has been designated for return. Lawrence, 29, has yet to replicate the gaudy stats that he posted in 2017 and 2018, but he should provide a boost for Dallas’ run defense. It’s also worth noting that Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics have positioned him as a top-tier edge defender, despite the dropoff in sacks.
This Date In Transactions History: Panthers Shut Down Michael Oher
On this date in 2016, the Panthers placed Michael Oher on injured reserve. The move, in essence, capped Oher’s NFL career. 
The left tackle had suffered a serious concussion, just months after inking a brand new three-year, $21.6MM extension. The new portion of that deal was set to start in 2017, but he never played a snap on that pact. Oher, of “Blind Side” fame, later ran into personal trouble. In the spring of ’17, he was alleged to have fought an Uber driver. Later on, he posted a picture to social media with what appeared to be prescribed medication for brain injuries.
In July of that year, the Panthers released Oher with a failed physical designation, which allowed him to collect injury compensation. Oher’s contract was over before it even began, and his NFL career was finished after just eight seasons in the NFL. Oher overcame adversity throughout his life to become a first-round pick and found his second wind with the Panthers after some rocky years with the Ravens and Titans.
The Panthers reached Super Bowl 50 with Oher as Cam Newton‘s protector and they hoped to keep him in that spot through at least 2019. Instead, Oher would see his last NFL down at the age of 30 and leave the game after starting in all 110 of his games.
49ers Sign Devin Funchess To P-Squad
The 49ers have agreed to sign wide receiver Devin Funchess to a practice squad deal (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Funchess, once a rising star with the Panthers, has yet to see the field in 2021.
The Packers released Funchess in August with an injury settlement. Between that and his 2020 opt-out, Funchess’ Packers run came and went without having ever played a down for Green Bay. His last action came in 2019 with the Colts, a stint that was really more like a cup of coffee. That season ended midway through Week 1, thanks to a broken collarbone. On the plus side, Funchess secured $10MM in salary that year, plus some additional bucks from his terminated Packers contract.
The Panthers selected Funchess in the second round of the 2015 draft and watched him enjoy the best year of his career in 2017, compiling 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns. Even though it took him 111 targets to get those 63 grabs, it was a glimpse of his future potential.
No one knows what Funchess has to offer at this point, but the Niners are eager to find out. There won’t be a whole lot of targets to go around behind Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and tight end George Kittle, but with Mohamed Sanu on injured reserve, Funchess could see some snaps ahead of Jauan Jennings, Trent Sherfield, and/or Travis Benjamin.
Titans Add Golden Tate To Practice Squad
The Titans have signed wide receiver Golden Tate to the practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The veteran wide receiver has yet to play this year, but he could be a quick promotion away from making his 2021 debut.
[RELATED: Titans Release Adrian Peterson]
“I would love to go back home to Tennessee,” Tate told SiriusXM NFL Radio back in June (Twitter link). “[I’d also like to go to] Indy, over with Carson Wentz. Obviously, the LA Rams would be fantastic with Stafford too.”
Tate, a native of Hendersonville, Tennessee, has gotten his wish. The 33-year-old saw time in 23 games for the Giants over the past two seasons, collecting 84 receptions for 1,064 yards and eight touchdowns. Before that (and the PED suspension), he captured a Super Bowl championship with the Seahawks and made the Pro Bowl with the Lions in 2014. From 2014-17 he had at least 1,000 yards in three of four seasons, but the expectations a bit lower at this stage of his career.
Meanwhile, the Titans have released fellow one-time star Adrian Peterson from the 53-man roster. So, if all goes well for Tate, he could earn a quick promotion to the varsity squad.
Titans Waive Adrian Peterson
The Titans have released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. Peterson, who signed with the Titans just three weeks ago, will be available to the rest of the NFL on the waiver wire.
Following the injury to Derrick Henry, the Titans signed the future Hall of Famer to their practice squad. Peterson ended up getting into three games (two starts) with Tennessee, collecting 90 yards and one touchdown on 31 touches. The 36-year-old was held to a season-low 15 offensive snaps on Sunday, with Dontrell Hilliard getting the bulk of the looks at RB. Hilliard’s performance (82 total yards) probably spelled the end of AP’s stint with the Titans. For the time being, the team will move forward with Hilliard, D’Onta Foreman, and Jeremy McNichols as their running back group.
Peterson’s last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions when he notched 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns. He compiled more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage as recently as 2019, and he rushed for 1,042 yards and seven scores with Washington in 2018. There’s a chance he still finds another gig during the 2021 campaign; we previously heard that the Ravens, Raiders, Bills, Falcons, and Dolphins all expressed interest in Peterson before he signed with the Titans.
Peterson, 36, is still less than 200 rushing yards away from the 15,000 mark. Depending on where he lands, he could be just a few weeks away from joining Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton, Frank Gore and Barry Sanders in the elusive club. He’s also about 500 yards away from leapfrogging Sanders for fourth all time in rushing yards and six rushing TDs away from besting Marcus Allen for third place.
Steelers’ Eric Ebron To Miss Time
Eric Ebron will be out for at least a little while. The Steelers tight end is “expected to miss extended time” with a knee injury that may require surgery (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). For now, he’s awaiting a second opinion to determine the best course of action. 
Ebron was forced out midway through Sunday’s game against the Chargers and didn’t make it back to the field. His day ended with three grabs for 24 yards and his first touchdown of the year; now, it’s possible that his season will be capped at 12 catches, 84 yards, and one TD.
In 2020, Ebron went off for 56 catches, 558 yards, and five touchdowns. Needless to say, this isn’t the encore he had in mind. And, since he’s in his walk year, a season-ending surgery could mark the end of his Steelers tenure.
Ebron joined the Steelers last year on a two-year deal worth $12MM. The relatively low-risk pickup paid off in Year One, but Ebron’s inconsistency seems to have followed him to Pittsburgh. In 2018, the UNC product got the drops under control and managed a 13-touchdown season with 66 catches for 750 yards. But, without quarterback Andrew Luck, he was far less productive in 2019. Now, after a strong 2020 debut with the Steelers, his 2021 may end without much of an impact.
Bears’ Matt Nagy: Rumors Of Firing Are “Not Accurate”
Earlier today, former Chicago Sun-Times journalist Mark Konkol reported that Thanksgiving will mark Matt Nagy‘s final game as head coach (via Patch.com). For his part, Nagy says “that is not accurate,” (Twitter link via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic). 
“My focus is on these players and Detroit, and that’s it,” Nagy said (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert). “That’s my job as a head coach and a leader, is to do that. These players have been amazing. They’ve been great. You have this quick turnaround after a loss like [Sunday’s to the Ravens], and now here you go. The only thing we can do is focus on the now and do everything we can. Thursday is going to be here quickly.”
Still, Nagy says that he has not received any assurances from owner George McCaskey or GM Ryan Pace this week. Left to fend off the rumors by himself, Nagy claims that he won’t be distracted by the speculation.
“We all have our own decisions as to how we do things, and I think this whole entire time, for me and for ownership, we’ve had great communication..[We’re] focused on Detroit. That’s what it is,” said the head coach.
After dropping five straight, the Bears are 3-7 and en route to a lost season. It’s a sharp drop from Nagy’s first 12-4 season at the helm, or even his back-to-back 8-8 campaigns. Assuming no decision has been made yet, a win on Thursday could help cool down the hot seat. On that note, Nagy also confirmed that the Bears will start Andy Dalton while Justin Fields recovers from his rib injury.
Saints’ Landon Young Done For Year?
Saints tackle Landon Young is set for season-ending foot surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). This marks yet another frustrating injury for the Saints, who are already short-staffed on the offensive line.
Young made his first ever pro start on Sunday, filling in for injured left tackle Terron Armstead while playing on 98% of the snaps. Meanwhile, on the opposite side, they were without Ryan Ramczyk. The Saints hope to have at least one of those tackles back for Thursday’s game against the Bills, but they’re unlikely to have both in action at 100% health.
Between the injuries to the three tackles and guard Andrus Peat‘s season-ending pec tear, the Saints’ front five is full of holes. They’ll likely keep swing lineman Caleb Benenoch on the active roster, but they’ll need at least one more body for depth. For now, they have just two healthy tackles in James Hurst and Jordan Mills.
After the 40-29 loss to the Eagles, the Saints are at the .500 mark. Now, down yet another key player, they’ll aim 6-5 when they host the Bills on Thursday night.
Giants To Fire Jason Garrett
The Giants are firing offensive coordinator Jason Garrett (Twitter link via Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News). For now, Browns head coach and current offensive assistant Freddie Kitchens will assume play-calling duties.
Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Giants this year. Now at 3-7, their Garrett-lead offense has managed just 42 touchdowns — the lowest total of any team in the NFL. Still, just seven short weeks ago, head coach Joe Judge dismissed the speculation over Garrett’s job security.
“We’re going to stay consistent with what we’re doing and keep improving as a team,” Judge said in early October. “There’s a lot of things we’ve got to clean up coaching-wise, execution-wise. We’re going to stay on track with it and make sure we get those things right before we make any radical changes.”
Those comments came after the Giants’ 0-3 start to the season. Since then, they’ve managed wins over the Saints, Panthers, and Raiders, but that wasn’t enough to save Garrett’s job. As demonstrated by the dismissal of offensive line coach Marc Colombo last year, Judge isn’t afraid to make a midseason shakeup.
Many called for Garrett’s job last year, when the Giants posted the second-lowest point total in the NFL. Still, the G-Men retained the Princeton grad, largely because they didn’t want Daniel Jones to have to adapt to a third OC in his third pro season. And, though Garrett has been heavily criticized for his scheme and play-calling, Jones has performed well at times this year.
Of course, that wasn’t the case on Monday night. Jones lobbed two interceptions and completed just 60% of his throws as the Bucs cruised to a 30-10 victory. It was a new low for the Giants, who posted just 215 yards and 15 first downs while going 1-for-9 on third downs — that last part may have been the final nail in Garrett’s coffin as coordinator.
For now, Kitchens will inherit an offense averaging just 18.9 points and 322.8 yards per game. His first assignment comes this Sunday when the Giants host the Eagles in New Jersey.
Chiefs Extend LS James Winchester
The Chiefs have agreed to a two-year contract extension with long snapper James Winchester, according to his agent Ken Sarnoff (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Exact terms of the deal are not yet known, but the new money average will position him as the highest-paid long snapper in NFL history. 
After entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Winchester caught on with Kansas City in 2015 and became a staple of their special teams unit. The 32-year-old has played in all of the Chiefs’ 107 regular season games during this span, signing multiple deals to bypass free agency.
In 2017, Winchester restructured his deal to give the Chiefs an additional $400K in cap space. It’s likely that the new pact is similarly structured to provide KC with extra room in the near term, though Winchester will see a sizable bump from his current $890K/year average.
Previously, the highest-paid mantle was shared by five long snappers making $1.2MM: Luke Rhodes (Colts), Jeffrey Jansen (Panthers), Clark Harris (Bengals), Morgan Cox (Titans), and Jon Weeks (Texans).
Winchester and the Chiefs advanced to 7-4 on the year with Sunday’s win over the Cowboys. Currently on bye, they’ll look for their fifth-straight win against the Broncos on December 5.