Packers’ Aaron Jones To Miss Time
The Packers got some relatively good news on Monday morning. Following an MRI, running back Aaron Jones has been diagnosed with a mild MCL sprain (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Jones is expected to be out for just 1-2 weeks, so the Packers won’t be placing him on injured reserve at this time. 
Jones was forced out in the third quarter yesterday after a tackle from Seahawks defender Bobby Wagner. At first, Jones tried to limp off of the field, but he ultimately had to be helped off to the sideline. It was a scary scene, but it turns out that the injury is not nearly as bad as it looked.
Without Jones, the Packers turned to A.J. Dillon, who finished out with 21 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns. Dillon will likely get the call again vs. the Vikings next week; he may also be the primary ball-carrier against the Rams in Week 12. Fortunately for the Packers, they have a Week 13 bye, giving Jones ample time to rest up for the final stretch.
Jones has been here before — MCL injuries also cost him time in 2017 and 2018. Since then, he’s turned in some of his best work. Between 2019 and 2020, Jones averaged over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 15 TDs, positioning him as one of the best running backs in the NFL. After that, the Packers gladly re-upped him with a four-year, $48MM deal, tying him to the club through 2024.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: RB Tavien Feaster
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: WR Mohamed Sanu, S Tavon Wilson (story)
Steelers Made Late Push For OBJ
Odell Beckham Jr. is expected to debut for the Rams in a matter of hours. But, minutes before he signed with Los Angeles, the Steelers made a late entry into the OBJ sweepstakes, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. 
[RELATED: Rams Want To Extend OBJ]
However, by that point, the wide receiver had already narrowed down his list. The Chiefs, Packers, Patriots, Seahawks, and Saints were also in the mix, but the Beckham saw the Rams as the best fit.
“It just feels right about the [Rams] offense,” Beckham said. “I hope to find a groove and help this team find ways to win.”
Saints head coach Sean Payton personally tried to court the former LSU standout, but the Saints weren’t sure if he was serious about coming to New Orleans (Twitter link via Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune). Like most of the other teams involved, it’s believed that the Saints pitched him on a ~$1MM base salary for 2021, plus incentives. The Packers were something of an exception, according to RapSheet, offering only the veteran’s minimum.
With incentives, Beckham can make up to $3MM on his Rams deal this year. After that, he’ll be eligible for free agency, giving all of his previous suitors another chance to land him. Meanwhile, the Rams are already working to keep him from the open market.
Raiders Fear Torn ACL For Alec Ingold
The Raiders believe that fullback Alec Ingold has a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). They won’t know for sure until he gets scanned on Monday morning, but doctors rarely miss on this kind of diagnosis. 
Ingold had to be carted off to the locker room following the injury. And, in a sideline update, NBC’s Michele Tafoya said that he appeared to be crying after exiting the medical tent.
Ingold, a Wisconsin product, joined the Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2019. After he defied the odds and made the team, he went on to start in all 32 of the Raiders’ regular season games between ’19 and ’20. Ingold was on the same course this year, playing a key role as a blocker and special teamer.
While he’s not targeted often, Ingold has made the most of his opportunities. Through eight games, Ingold has nine grabs for 80 yards and a touchdown — all off of just eleven targets.
As of this writing, the Raiders trail the Chiefs 17-7 at the half. Ingold, likely done for the year, will be out of contract in March.
This Date In Transactions History: Bears Place Kyle Long On IR
Five years ago today, the Bears lost star offensive lineman Kyle Long for the year with a severe right ankle injury. Unfortunately, his health troubles did not end with the 2016 season.
Long’s right ankle injury capped his season after just eight games. But, before that, he performed as one of the best offensive linemen in the game. Long made three straight Pro Bowls in his first three seasons, seeing time at both guard and tackle. And, in all three years, Pro Football Focus had him ranked top five at his position.
“It seems like we’ve got somebody freaking hurt every game,” left guard Josh Sitton said after the ’16 injury. “It sucks watching him down there on the ground. It’s tough to see one of your friends, one of your teammates and a helluva competitor, he was down there and he was in a lot of pain. It was tough to see.”
Long missed only one regular season game from 2013-2015. But, from 2016 through 2019, he made just 30 appearances out of a possible 64. It wasn’t just the ankle — there was a labrum tear in his left shoulder, triceps strains, painful hip injuries, and other maladies. After he was shut down in ’19, we didn’t hear much about Long in the early part of 2020. Then, there were summer rumblings of a return.
“Full transparency I miss football, but at what cost? [Still,] I’m most likely gonna be on golf courses instead of gridirons,” Long tweeted, before adding. “I didn’t retire, I got fired.”
The Chiefs hired/signed Long this past March, but a June knee injury kept him from joining the Week 1 roster. Now, for the good news – the Chiefs designated Long for return last week. Now, just before his 33rd birthday, Long could be on the verge of completing his comeback.
Torn ACL For WFT’s Chase Young?
Not yet official, but the early word isn’t promising. The Washington Football Team fears a torn ACL for star defensive end Chase Young, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Young went down in the second quarter with a dreaded non-contact injury. Washington went on to win 29-19 over the Bucs, but the former No. 2 overall pick did not return to the field. Young declined to be carted off, but team doctors are pretty sure that he’s looking at a season-ending ACL tear. And, given the timing, his rehab could extend into the summer.
Although Young wasn’t having a banner year before the injury, there was hope for a stronger second half. Young finished last year with 7.5 sacks, capturing 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. So far this year, he’s got just 1.5 sacks with 25 total stops.
If Young is actually done for the year, Washington will be without both of their top defensive ends for a while. Montez Sweat — out with a broken jaw — is still weeks away from returning. James Smith-Williams, Casey Toohill, Bunmi Rotimi, and seventh-round rookie Shaka Toney stand as the only other healthy DEs on the depth chart.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Austin Schlottmann
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DL Eddie Yarbrough
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Kenny Willekes
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: CB Rashard Robinson
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: DE Montez Sweat (story)
Rams Hope To Extend Odell Beckham Jr.
The Rams have signed Odell Beckham Jr. to a one-year deal, but this could wind up as a long-term arrangement. The Rams are hopeful that they’ll be able to sign Beckham to an extension, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link), one that would keep him in Los Angeles for 2022 and beyond.
The Rams weren’t viewed as a leading suitor for Beckham, but, as RapSheet notes, they’ve actually had him on the radar for years. Sean McVay & Co. finally got their man this week, following Beckham’s messy divorce from the Browns. Before that, the Chiefs, Patriots, Saints, Seahawks, and Packers were viewed as his most likely destinations.
Beckham is now set to team with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and youngster Van Jefferson, furnishing the Rams with one of the league’s most dangerous WR groups. Thanks in part to their efforts, Matthew Stafford stands as the NFL’s leading passer with 2,771 yards through the air. Kupp, meanwhile, leads the league in all major WR categories — 74 grabs, 1,019 receiving yards, and ten touchdown catches.
Of course, it won’t be easy to keep all their stars for the long haul, especially since newcomer Von Miller also needs a fresh deal. But, through salary cap magic, they’ve managed to keep much of the band together in recent years.
For now, they’ve got OBJ on a modest one-year deal worth up to $4.25MM. He’s expected to debut on Monday night, when the Rams face the 49ers in San Francisco.
This Date In Transactions History: Patriots Claim Martellus Bennett
Four years ago, tight end Martellus Bennett dominated the pages of Pro Football Rumors. Bennett left the Patriots and joined the Packers in the spring of 2017, agreeing to a three-year, $21MM deal. After little in the way of production and lots of drama, the Packers dropped him in the middle of the season. The Patriots swooped in to claim him from the Packers, who had already paid out about $8MM to the tight end.
The Packers claimed that Bennett failed to disclose his lingering rotator cuff injury. Bennett, meanwhile, said that he noted the issue every week on his medical survey from the team. When the Packers put him on the waiver wire, Bennett hoped that he would go unclaimed, giving him time to recuperate. 
“It’s not about, ‘Could you play?’ It’s, ‘Should you play?’ It was one of those things,” Bennett said. “Right now, I’m just like, (expletive) it. At first, I told my agent to tell no teams to claim me because I was still trying to get the surgery. So when Bill (Belichick) called and said they claimed me, I was like, ‘No (expletive) way.’ ”
It was a big (expletive) surprise for Bennett, who circled back to the Pats just months after helping them defeat the Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The Patriots — with knowledge of his injury — passed him on his physical, allowing him to suit up against the Broncos on Nov. 12, 2017.
Unfortunately, the second stint wasn’t as impactful as the first. Bennett was placed on IR a couple weeks later with shoulder and hamstring injuries. Then, in the 2018 offseason, the Pats released him, and the tight end subsequently retired from football. Bennett left the game at the age of 31, though he reportedly lobbied the Pats to bring him back once they acquired his older brother, Michael Bennett. That didn’t happen, so Bennett walked away with his Super Bowl ring, 4,500+ career yards, and plenty of cash for retirement, since the Packers lost their arbitration battle for his bonus.
Buccaneers’ Rob Gronkowski To Miss Time
The Buccaneers will be without Rob Gronkowski for at least a little while. The veteran tight end will likely miss Sunday’s game against the Washington Football Team and could be sidelined for “about two or three weeks,” according to head coach Bruce Arians (Twitter link via SiriusXM). 
“We think in about two or three weeks, he’ll be back to normal. Gronk is gonna get better, and [we’re] just gonna make sure he’s good when he comes back,” Arians said. “We think that next week is a better time frame for him [coming back]. We kinda pushed it with the New Orleans thing. I want him ready to go the whole distance when we’re ready to go.”
Gronk has already missed five games this season with a previous rib injury. This time around, it’s a recurrence of his previous back issues, so the Bucs are playing it safe.
Before the rib injury — and related lung issues — the 32-year-old was enjoying a hot start to the season, notching four touchdowns through the first three weeks. To date, he has 16 catches for 184 yards and four scores across four games.
Despite the setbacks, Gronkowski remains one of the game’s most dangerous tight ends when he’s healthy. Last year, the veteran registered 45 catches for 623 yards and seven touchdowns in a complete 16-game slate. Later on, he showed up big in the Super Bowl, leading all receivers with six grabs for 67 yards and two TDs en route to the ‘chip.
For now, the Bucs expect to see Gronk return no later than Dec. 5, when they face the Falcons in Atlanta.