Patriots, Jamie Collins Working On Deal
The Patriots are on the verge of reuniting with Jamie Collins. The linebacker will sign with New England this week to kick off his third stint with the club (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). This deal is not quite final yet, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe (on Twitter), but the sides are talking about a reunion.
Collins is expected to fly to New England on Wednesday morning, per Albert Breer of SI.com, who adds the team has made an offer to the veteran defender (Twitter link). Should Collins’ physical check out, it would seem he is set for his third stint with the Patriots. He is on track to reunite with Matt Patricia, who also trekked back to the Pats after being fired by the Lions.
The Lions cut Collins in late September when they couldn’t find a suitable trade for him. Clearly, his stock has cooled, but he’s just two years removed from a standout season with the Pats. He used that year as a springboard to a three-year, $30MM deal in free agency with the Lions under the Patricia-Bob Quinn power structure.
Collins was signed by the Lions’ old regime, so Dan Campbell opted for a youth movement instead. The Lions ate $11MM+ in dead money by cutting the soon-to-be 32-year-old; the Pats are getting him for a whole lot less. This is a similar development to Collins’ previous return to New England, which signed him shortly after the Browns cut bait on a big-ticket contract during the 2019 offseason.
Used as a hybrid player in New England, Collins made the Pro Bowl in 2015 with 5.5 sacks and an NFL-high five fumbles. The Southern Miss product later turned in a seven-sack 2019. And, just last year, he was credited with 101 tackles. In his limited two-game sample this season, Pro Football Focus rated him as a top-25 off-ball ‘backer.
49ers To Sign Joey Slye, Place Robbie Gould On IR
The 49ers have agreed to sign kicker Joey Slye (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The veteran kicker will fill in for Robbie Gould, who will miss some period of time with a groin injury. Gould will miss at least three games. The 49ers placed him on IR Tuesday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), and will move Slye into his roster spot.
The 49ers scratched their longtime kicker just before kickoff Sunday and were forced to use punter Mitch Wishnowsky in double duty. Wishnowsky missed an extra point and a field goal in San Francisco’s loss to Seattle and will give way to a more experienced kicker in Week 5.
Slye, 26, spent some time with the Texans this year, pinch-kicking for Ka’imi Fairbairn. He wound up completing four of his five field goals while going 7-for-8 on extra points. Previously to that, he was with the Panthers, succeeding Graham Gano as the starting kicker in 2019 and keeping the gig through 2020. He improved a bit during his second full season, connecting on 29 of his 36 field goal attempts and 33 of his 36 extra point tries.
His first game with the 49ers will come this week against the Cardinals. This will be Slye’s third team in 2021; Gould, 38, has been San Francisco’s kicker since 2017. He is attached to a four-year, $19MM contract that runs through next season.
Titans Add John Simon, Caraun Reid To P-Squad
The Titans have signed outside linebacker John Simon and defensive tackle Caraun Reid to the practice squad. Both veterans are now one injury away from making their 2021 debuts.
Simon first joined the Titans in July, replacing fellow pass rusher Tuzar Skipper on the offseason roster. Before that, he spent three years with the Patriots. In 2020, he started in all 16 games and registered 53 stops with two sacks. All in all, he’s got 97 appearances and 52 career starts to his credit for the Ravens, Texans, Colts, and Patriots.
Reid, meanwhile, has played for seven NFL teams since coming into the league in 2014. The veteran now has a chance to accomplish a rare NFL feat — should he make the Titans, he’ll have played for six teams in the past six years. The 29-year-old (30 in November) bounced on and off the Jaguars’ active roster in 2020. He saw time in seven games with Jacksonville last season — all as a reserve. Overall, the Princeton alum has 54 appearances to his credit, including 16 starts.
Cardinals Cut CB Quinton Dunbar From Practice Squad
Quinton Dunbar‘s time with the Cardinals has come to an end. The club released him from the 16-man practice squad on Tuesday, making him a full-fledged free agent.
Dunbar joined the Cards just one week ago to backstop the team’s Byron Murphy-headed cornerback corps. Before that, he spent the offseason with the Lions and later showed his stuff for the Bills.
The Cardinals have been working with Murphy and fourth-round rookie Marco Wilson as their starting corners with some help from Robert Alford and others. Darqueze Dennard is out of the picture following his release – ditto for Malcolm Butler, who currently resides on Arizona’s reserve/retired list.
Two years ago, Dunbar broke out with Washington via a four-interception season that ended with the former UDFA allowing just a 61.2 passer rating while targeted. Washington’s new regime traded Dunbar to Seattle in 2020, and an injury ended a less successful season after six games. The six-year veteran will now look to bounce back elsewhere.
49ers Work Out Kickers
The 49ers are looking at a group of kickers to potentially fill in for Robbie Gould. Michael Badgley, Brett Maher, and Joey Slye are among those auditioning while the team awaits word on Gould’s groin injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).
[RELATED: 49ers Meet With Mychal Kendricks]
Badgley kicked in 34 Chargers games over the past three years but could not beat out the younger Tristan Vizcaino, in training camp. He had a recent cup of coffee with the Titans but that only lasted for a few days. He made nearly 94% of his attempts as a rookie in 2018 — including a 59-yarder — but saw that number dip to 72.7% in 2020.
Slye saw a brief stint as the Texans’ kicker this year, going 4-for-5 on field goals in three games. He was later released as Ka’imi Fairbairn‘s returned to action.
During his time in Dallas, Maher became the first kicker in NFL history to make three 60-plus-yard field goals, accomplishing this feat during the 2018 and ’19 seasons. However, after he made more than 80% of his field goals in 2018, Maher was just 20-for-30 a year later. He did not kick in 2020 and he did not make the Saints’ cut this summer, but he could have a chance to return in SF.
Chiefs Promote Josh Gordon
The Chiefs have promoted Josh Gordon to the 53-man roster, per a club announcement. With that, the wide receiver could debut as soon as this Sunday night against the Bills. 
“I‘m just gonna play it by ear and see how he feels,” head coach Andy Reid said earlier this week (via Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star). “Really, it’s more of a comfort thing with the offense. I don’t want to put him in a bad situation out there.”
The early word has been promising. Despite his well-documented troubles and past difficulties with grasping the playbook, Gordon has been clicking with his new club on the practice field.
The Chiefs, as always, have been scoring with ease this year, but Gordon will give opposing defenses another headache to contend with. Even though he’s years removed from his best work, Gordon is one of the most naturally talented receivers of his generation. To this day, his 14-game 2013 campaign sits sixth on the NFL’s receiving yards-per-game list (117.6).
If Gordon plays in Week 5, it’ll mark his first live NFL action since December of 2019.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: DT Mike Pennel
Chicago Bears
- Waived: WR/KR Nsimba Webster
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: S Michael Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Hjalte Froholdt (from Texans’ practice squad)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Ryan McCollum (from Texans’ practice squad)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Designated for Return: LB Willie Gay
- Placed on IR: DE Joshua Kaindoh
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: CB Brandon Facyson (from Chargers’ practice squad)
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Harrison Hand
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: LB Hamsah Nasirildeen
- Promoted: OL Isaiah Williams
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: CB Danny Johnson, LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Bears’ David Montgomery To Miss Time
The Bears will be without David Montgomery for a while (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The running back’s knee injury isn’t a season ender, but it’s expected to cost him several weeks. 
Montgomery could return sometime around Week 10 — the Bears’ bye week. It’s unfortunate timing, especially on the heels of his second 100-yard game. Montgomery opened the year with 108 yards against the Rams and, on Sunday, put up 106 yards against Detroit. All in all, he has 309 yards and three touchdowns on the ground plus six grabs for 49 yards.
Ultimately, the injury is not as bad as it first appeared. Montgomery was down for a while after hurting his knee in the fourth quarter and had to be helped off of the field. And, historically, he’s been pretty resilient. Despite bumps and bruises, Montgomery missed just one game between 2019 and 2020.
In the meantime, that leaves the Bears with Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert as their lone RBs. Practice squader Ryan Nall could get called up, but the Bears may also want to explore some out-of-house options.
Jaguars’ Owner On Urban Meyer
Urban Meyer‘s viral video caught Shad Khan‘s attention. In a statement on Tuesday, the Jaguars owner termed the head coach’s behavior as “inexcusable” (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
“I have addressed this matter with Urban. Specifics of our conversation will be held in confidence. What I will say is his conduct last weekend was inexcusable. I appreciate Urban’s remorse, which I believe is sincere. Now, he must regain our trust and respect,” Khan said. “That will require a personal commitment from Urban to everyone who supports, represents or plays for our team. I am confident he will deliver.”
Meyer apologized to the team on Monday morning, days after their latest loss. His Jaguars are now 0-4 as they prepare for the Titans on Sunday.
“I just apologized to the team and staff for being a distraction,” Meyer said (via ESPN.com). “Just stupid, and so I explained everything that happened and owned it. Just stupid. Should not have myself in that kind of position.”
A loss to the Titans would extend the Jaguars’ losing streak to 19 games.
Dolphins Trade Jakeem Grant To Bears
The Dolphins are trading wide receiver Jakeem Grant to the Bears (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). In exchange, the Bears will ship a 2023 sixth-round draft pick to the ‘Fins. 
Grant survived the Dolphins’ final round of cuts, but only after agreeing to a reworked deal. The receiver’s new contract is both cheaper and shorter. He was set to be under club control for two more seasons. Now, he’s got just one more year to go, so he’ll be a free agent in the spring of 2022. The revised pact — now owned by the Bears — leaves him with a one-year deal worth up to $3MM via incentives.
Grant registered 36 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown through 14 games in 2020. Then, a high-ankle sprain in December cut his season short. Before he was placed on IR, Grant stood as the league leader in punt return yards (330) and per-return average (11.4). He also added to his highlight reel with a punt return for a TD against the the Rams in November —a difference-maker in their 28-17 win.
He didn’t factor much into the Dolphins’ early-season offense, catching two passes for a net loss of seven yards. On special teams, he’s got eight punt returns for 59 yards (7.4 on avg) and two kick returns for 46 yards (23.0 avg).
In Chicago, Grant will likely take over KR/PR duties from Khalil Herbert and Nsimba Webster.