Latest On Lions’ Jamie Collins
On Thursday, Lions head coach Dan Campbell confirmed that the team is indeed shopping linebacker Jamie Collins (Twitter link via Chris Burke of The Athletic). Campbell also says the veteran will be away from the team as they explore trade possibilities. 
Signed during the Lions’ Bob Quinn–Matt Patricia regime, Collins is set to earn in $3.8MM base salary this season. He’s also under contract through 2022, the final year of his three-year, $30MM deal pact. Collins’ base salary — reduced via restructuring earlier this year — should be manageable for interested teams. The Lions, meanwhile, would take on $11MM+ in dead money by dealing Collins.
The Lions are looking to deploy rookie Derrick Barnes in Collins’ place. He hasn’t seen a ton of significant action yet, but the Lions are eager to shake things up after their 0-2 start.
Collins, 32 in October, has been here before — the Patriots traded him to the Browns midway through the 2016 season. He returned to the Pats in 2019 and enjoyed a bounce-back season before hooking on with Detroit. He went on to notch his fourth 100-plus-tackle slate last year (101 stops) while forcing three fumbles. Still, he’s too old to be a part of the Lions’ rebuild.
Through two games, Pro Football Focus has Collins ranked No. 24 among the league’s off-ball linebackers.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/23/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: DE Aaron Patrick (from Jaguars’ practice squad)
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Josh Woods (from Bears’ practice squad)
- Placed on IR: WR Tyrell Williams (story)
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: QB Reid Sinnett
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/22/21
Keeping tabs on today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DB Mazzi Wilkins
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: CB Holton Hill
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Pita Taumoepenu
New England Patriots
- Signed: C Jake Eldrenkamp
New York Giants
- Signed: C Jonotthan Harrison, OL Foster Sarell
- Released: RB Dexter Williams
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DL Eddie Yarbrough
- Released: TE Jordan Matthews
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Andrew Brown
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/22/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Keanu Neal; as a high-risk close contact, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota (on Twitter), Neal can return after a five-day isolation period
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Micah Kiser (story)
- Promoted: RB Damarea Crockett
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: CB Daryl Worley (story)
- Placed on IR: Ifeatu Melifonwu (story)
Houston Texans
- Promoted: K Joey Slye
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: LB Marquel Lee
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Harrison Hand
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: DT Naquan Jones
Jaguars Place TE James O’Shaughnessy On IR
The Jaguars have placed James O’Shaughnessy on the injured reserve list. The move will free up a roster spot in Jacksonville while the tight end recovers for the next three-to-four weeks.
[RELATED: Jaguars To Sign N. Lawson]
O’Shaughnessy was forced out early against the Broncos with an ankle sprain. Up until that point, the Jags were expecting a big day from the tight end — he had just caught six passes for 48 yards in Week 1, good for No. 2 on the team. Now, the Jaguars are down 0-2 and without one of their best offensive weapons.
The Jaguars will rely on Chris Manhertz, Jacob Hollister, and fifth-round pick Luke Farrell to fill out the tight end group, perhaps with another addition between now and this weekend. One spot has already been taken by cornerback Nevin Lawson, who agreed to a one-year deal earlier today.
The winless Jags — sans O’Shaughnessy — will battle the 2-0 Cardinals this Sunday.
Bears To Start Justin Fields
The Bears will start Justin Fields on Sunday, head coach Matt Nagy announced (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). The rookie will start in place of the injured Andy Dalton with Nick Foles serving as the No. 2 quarterback. 
This will be a temporary arrangement, according to Nagy. “When Andy is healthy,” the head coach said. “He’s our starter.”
Dalton was knocked out of Sunday’s win over the Bengals and an MRI confirmed a bone bruise in his knee. That shouldn’t shelve the veteran for too long, though he hasn’t been stellar so far this year. His performance in the Week 1 loss to the Rams was rough and, even though he looked a bit better on Sunday, Fields’ upside cannot be ignored.
Before exiting, Dalton completed nine of his 11 passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Fields completed both of his pass attempts and rushed for a touchdown in Week 1. In fairness, the first-round pick wasn’t as strong this past weekend — he completed only six of his 13 pass attempts for 60 yards with one TD and one fumble.
Despite Nagy’s assertion, a strong showing from Fields could change quickly. If he takes the helm, he’ll be just the fifth Round 1 QB to be the primary starter of his club since 2011, following Patrick Mahomes, Jake Locker, Johnny Manziel, and Paxton Lynch.
Bucs Place Antonio Brown On COVID-19 List
The Buccaneers have placed Antonio Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Given the timing, it’s unlikely that Brown will be available for this week’s game against the Rams.
Brown tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The standout receiver is vaccinated and could return by submitting two negative tests 24 hours apart. Still, it is unlikely Brown will be able to return to the team for its Los Angeles trip. 
Brown becomes the third Bucs player to hit the reserve/COVID-19 list, following inside linebacker Kevin Minter and practice squad receiver Travis Jonsen. Punt returner Jaydon Mickens (hip) could also be sidelined, leaving the Bucs with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, and Tyler Johnson at WR. Fourth-round pick Jaelen Darden could be activated to make it five and serve as the team’s return man on Sunday.
Brown started the year off with a boom, notching five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. He was less of a factor last week (one catch for 17 yards), but the Bucs still cruised to a 48-25 win over the Falcons. From this point, Brown’s timetable will hinge on his test results and vaccination status. If he’s ruled out for Sunday as expected, he could still return in time for Week 4 against the Patriots.
The 33-year-old is looking to expand on his monster debut season in Tampa. In just eight regular-season games last year, the multiple-time All-Pro registered 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns.
Jaguars To Sign Nevin Lawson
The Jaguars are signing Nevin Lawson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran cornerback, just days after his release from the Raiders. 
The Raiders figured they could re-sign Lawson to the practice squad, but the Jaguars quickly spoiled their plans. Now, Lawson is set to dress for this week’s game against the Cardinals. The Jags are banged up in the secondary, with Tre Herndon (knee) and C.J. Henderson (hip flexor and groin) nursing injuries.
This’ll mark Lawson’s first live action of 2021 after serving a two-game suspension to open the year. The Raiders could have activated him for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, but they chose to drop him instead. There’s reason to believe that Lawson can be a solid contributor to someone’s secondary — he started in nine of his 14 games last year and tallied 61 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a sack.
If signed, the 30-year-old could dress for this week’s game against the Cardials. As of this writing, the Jaguars’ have Tre Herndon, Shaquill Griffin, and Chris Claybrooks, second-rounder Tyson Campbell, and former first-rounder C.J. Henderson on the roster.
Lions Place Ifeatu Melifonwu On IR
The Lions have placed cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu on the injured reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). To take his place, they’ve promoted fellow corner Daryl Worley from the practice squad to the active roster. 
Melifonwu will need at least a few weeks to recover from the thigh injury he suffered on Monday night. Lions head coach Dan Campbell isn’t exactly sure when he’ll return, but he did tell reporters that the rookie will be out for a “significant amount of time.” It’s a bad blow for Detroit — the third-rounder out of Syracuse was enjoying a strong start to his pro career. He notched a fumble recovery in his Week 1 debut and earned a start in Week 2 against the Packers.
Of course, the Lions were already without Jeff Okudah, who has been ruled out for the season. Amani Oruwariye will remain the starter at one of the cornerback spots, likely with help from former undrafted safety Bobby Price.
Worley should factor into the banged-up secondary as well, especially since he has 54 career starts to his credit. Still only 26, Worley’s resume includes five interceptions and 37 passes defensed.
Broncos Sign Micah Kiser
The Broncos have signed linebacker Micah Kiser off of the Rams’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Kiser will help fill in for starter Josey Jewell, who is done for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. 
[RELATED: Broncos’ Josey Jewell Done For Year]
Kiser has agreed to a one-year, fully-guaranteed $600K deal with Denver, according to Rapoport. He’ll get a chance to see his first significant work of the season — to date, he’s got just 17 special teams snaps from Week 2 when the Rams faced the Colts. Last year, Kiser notched 77 total tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble in nine starts for the Rams.
Kiser & Co. will look to go 3-0 on Sunday when they take on the Jets. Unfortunately, they’ll also be without fourth-year linebacker Bradley Chubb, who is recovering from ankle surgery. There’s no exact word on Chubb’s timetable just yet, but he’s expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks.