This Date In Transactions History: Bills Trade Marshawn Lynch To Seahawks
On this date in 2010, the Bills and Seahawks pulled off a blockbuster midseason trade. For the price of a 2011 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2012 draft pick, the Bills said farewell to Marshawn Lynch. 
Lynch’s tenure in Buffalo altered between jaw-dropping and headache-inducing for the front office. The running back topped 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons and earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2008. Meanwhile, his off-the-field trouble was cause for concern. In the summer of 2008, Lynch admitted to striking a female pedestrian with his car and leaving the scene. In the following spring, Los Angeles cops found a semiautomatic handgun in his vehicle.
The former first-round pick seemed to be back on track early in the 2010 season, having just wrestled the starting job back from Fred Jackson. Still, the phone lines were open in Buffalo, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll pounced on the opportunity to add him to the backfield.
“We’re going to bring him in to play a lot,” Carroll said. “We’ll wait and see when we get him here, but we’re bringing him in here to play a bunch.”
The trade worked out incredibly well for the Seahawks, as Lynch took his game to a new level in Seattle and became the engine of the offense for their Super Bowl winning team. He went to four Pro Bowls with the Seahawks and was twice named an All-Pro
Lynch announced his retirement after the 2015 season, but returned after one year. The Seahawks traded him to the Raiders, where Lynch averaged 4.3 yards per carry for his hometown team. He circled back to Seattle in late 2019, scoring four touchdowns across one regular season game and two playoff contests. Lynch, 35, is probably retired for good, though he did discuss a deal with the Buccaneers earlier this year.
49ers Meet With Mychal Kendricks
On Monday, the 49ers met with free agent linebacker Mychal Kendricks (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Kendricks spent time with the Niners over the summer too, but was later released from the injured reserve list with a settlement. 
Kendricks has presumably healed up from the turf toe injury he suffered during the preseason. This was, at least, a milder setback than his late 2019 ACL tear. Because he was cut from the IR list, Kendricks is once again eligible to play this year.
Kendricks, who just turned 31 late last month, offers 91 pro starts and 19 sacks, despite being a career off-ball linebacker. The bulk of his work came with the Eagles, followed by stints with the Seahawks and Washington Football Team.
If signed, Kendricks could suit up for this week’s contest against the Cardinals.
Jaguars Place DJ Chark On IR
The Jaguars have placed D.J. Chark on the injured reserve list following his ankle fracture. They’ve also done the same with offensive lineman A.J. Cann (knee injury) while activating offensive tackle Walker Little from the COVID-19 list. 
Chark’s ankle bent backwards in last week’s game against the Bengals. Afterwards, he was unable to put weight on his leg and ultimately had to be carted off the field.
Chark, a former second-round pick, enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019, finishing with 1,028 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. His numbers took a step back in 2020, and through the first three games of the 2021 campaign, he hauled in only seven receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns. There’s no word yet on his timetable, but it’ll be a while before he retakes the field. In the meantime, Trevor Lawrence will feed to top receivers Marvin Jones and Laviska Shenault.
Cann has spent his entire career with the Jags, serving as a starter in each of his seven seasons. He’s hardly missed time along the way, but his Thursday night injury left him with no other choice.
Now at 0-4, the short-handed Jaguars will try their luck against the Titans this week.
Chiefs To Play Josh Gordon This Week?
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says there’s a chance Josh Gordon could play on Sunday night against the Bills (Twitter link via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com). But, before they move to promote Gordon, Reid wants to ensure that the wide receiver is up to speed on the playbook. 
Gordon joined the Chiefs’ taxi squad last week, just days after his latest reinstatement. Now, he might be on the verge of playing for the first time since December 2019 when he was with the Seahawks.
The one-time superstar had seven catches for 139 yards across five games for Seattle. Before that, he registered 60 grabs for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns for the Patriots between 2018 and 2019. Gordon played in just 17 games for New England in those seasons. Meanwhile, his last pro football action came in the Fan Controlled Football League, alongside old pal Johnny Manziel.
The Chiefs are now 2-2 after topping the Eagles on Sunday. Clearly, their offense doesn’t need any upgrades — but there’s no such thing as too much firepower.
WFT’s Brandon Scherff To Miss Time
Washington guard Brandon Scherff has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL that will keep him out of action for 2-to-3 weeks (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Meanwhile, tight end Logan Thomas is considered week-to-week with his hamstring injury.
[RELATED: WFT’s Bostic Suffers Pec Injury]
Scherff missed a total of 18 games from 2017-2020, including an MCL issue that sidelined him for three games in last year. Now, he’ll add to that total en route to free agency. The two sides could not come to terms this summer, so the the All-Pro guard is playing out his second-straight franchise tag for a salary of $18.04MM. Barring any further setbacks, Scherff is still expected to net a record-setting contract. His tag already puts him at the top of the list for guards while Joe Thuney‘s $16MM/year deal leads the way for multi-year pacts.
Thomas, a one-time quarterback, is coming off of a career year with 72 catches, 670 yards receiving, and six touchdowns. His 72 grabs last year put him third among all tight ends while his yardage (670) put him seventh at the position. Through four games this year, he has a line of 12/117/2.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: G Shaq Calhoun
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DB Mazzi Wilkins
- Released: DB Linden Stephens
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Matt Cole
- Released: DB Jalen Julius
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Lawrence Cager
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB J.R. Reed
- Released: OL Jared Hocker
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: WR Whop Philyor
Lions’ Romeo Okwara Done For Year
The Lions’ fear has been confirmed. Edge rusher Romeo Okwara has been diagnosed with a torn Achilles that will rule him out for the remainder of the season (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
The Lions will place Okwara on the injured reserve list, opening up a new spot on the 53-man roster. Replacing his production will be a different matter. Now at 0-4, the Lions’ odds of righting the ship have gone down drastically. They’ve already lost cornerback Jeff Okudah — also an Achilles tear — and they’re still awaiting Trey Flowers‘ return from shoulder and knee issues. Plus, Lions center Frank Ragnow was also forced out this week with a toe injury, though that seems to be a short-term matter.
Doctors — and non-medical professionals — could immediately tell that Okwara was in bad shape. The pass rusher was in obvious pain on Sunday and couldn’t put weight on his left leg as he hobbled off the field.
Okwara registered a career-high ten sacks last year with 44 stops, three forced fumbles, and 18 total quarterback hits. And, through the first three games this year, he was Detroit’s most productive defender. The Lions will be counting on Flowers (if healthy), Charles Harris, Julian Okwara, and Austin Bryant for support as they search for win No. 1.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: S Chris Banjo
- Waived: OL Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: P Dustin Colquitt
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: LB Kamal Martin
- Waived: G Michael Jordan
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers (from Buccaneers): DT Khalil Davis
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Forrest Merrill
- Promoted: DL Breiden Fehoko
- Placed on IR: DL Justin Jones, LB Kenneth Murray Jr.
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Cameron Dantzler
Seattle Seahawks
- Designed for return: DB Tre Brown
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: CB Torry McTyer
WFT’s Jon Bostic Suffers Pec Injury
WFT linebacker Jon Bostic suffered a pec injury on Sunday (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). He’ll undergo an MRI today to determine the severity, but Washington is bracing for bad news. 
Bostic was ruled out in the fourth quarter, following early exits for tight end Logan Thomas (hamstring), wide receiver Cam Sims (hamstring), and guard Brandon Scherff (knee). They went on to beat the Falcons 34-30 in Atlanta, but it was a costly victory.
Bostic never lived up to his second-round draft status in Chicago and barely played in New England. But, when he resurfaced with the Colts in 2017 and the Steelers in 2018, he found his footing as a starter. His best work has come in D.C. Bostic has did not miss a game between 2019 and 2020, starting in all but one of his games. Last year, he finished out with 118 tackles — a new career best — plus three sacks, six tackles for loss, three passes defensed, and one interception.
Now at .500, the WFT will travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints in Week 5.
Broncos’ Teddy Bridgewater In Concussion Protocol
Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater entered concussion protocol after several big hits on Sunday. The veteran’s availability is now in question for Week 5, pending his recovery. 
The Broncos’ undefeated start was brought to a halt by the Ravens on Sunday, who topped them 23-7. Bridgewater was knocked out early on, after completing seven of his 16 throws for 65 yards and a short-range touchdown. He was relieved by Drew Lock, who went 12-of-21 passes for 113 yards with one interception.
“Well, I think his performance was, you know, just like the rest of the offense — we just weren’t good enough today after the one touchdown drive,” head coach Vic Fangio said of Lock (via NFL.com). “We really could get nothing going. We weren’t getting it going with Teddy either after the touchdown drive. So, I think it’s more of a collective thing offensively than a quarterback thing.”
At minimum, Bridgewater will be withheld from practice for the next few days. It’s a frustrating setback for the 28-year-old (29 in November), who was off to a stellar start in 2021. Ditto for the Broncos, who have been eager to stabilize their QB situation. The Broncos have started ten players under center since Peyton Manning‘s post-2015 retirement. They’ve tried all possible avenues: free agency (Case Keenum, the second Brock Osweiler acquisition), the trade market (Joe Flacco, Bridgewater) and the draft (Lock, Paxton Lynch). After all of that, they’ve done no better than 9-7 since Manning left.
The 3-1 Broncos – potentially led by Lock — will face the Steelers in Week 5.