Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/21

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated for return: OG Xavier Su’a-Filo

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/21

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: WR Tyler Vaunghns

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/29/21

Several key players returned to practice Wednesday. Here are the latest COVID-19 updates from around the league:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Rico Bussey

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Packers To Activate Jaire Alexander From IR

The Packers have played most of this season without some of their best players, but the team will move another Pro Bowl talent back to its active roster. Jaire Alexander will be activated from IR on Wednesday, Matt LaFleur said (via The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, on Twitter).

Alexander has been out since Week 4 with a shoulder injury. The Packers’ impending activation adds up, since Alexander must be moved back onto their 53-man roster by this afternoon or revert to season-ending IR.

Joining David Bakhtiari and Za’Darius Smith in not factoring into Green Bay’s recent push for the NFC’s bye, Alexander is not a lock to return to action this week. LaFleur is eyeing a “gradual” return for the fourth-year veteran, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. The Packers activated Bakhtiari weeks ago but have not seen him suit up yet. Smith remains on IR. That said, Alexander returning to practice three weeks ago marked a good sign for his late-season availability.

The team has held out hope both Alexander and Smith will be back this season. Alexander opted against undergoing a shoulder surgery that would have ended his season in October. While the Packers have seen his recovery take extensive time, they have nevertheless managed to remain atop the NFC without a few cornerstone players.

A 2018 first-round pick, Alexander broke through last season for his first Pro Bowl. The Louisville product is Green Bay’s top cornerback, but the team invested a first-round pick in Eric Stokes this offseason. Both Stokes and in-season pickup Rasul Douglas have played well. Alexander, however, has a longer track record of success. With his fifth-year option season looming in 2022, Alexander will be on the radar for a big-ticket extension in the offseason.

Jaguars Request Interviews With Colts DC Matt Eberflus, Packers OC Nathaniel Hackett

We can another three names to the Jaguars’ list of head coaching candidates. Per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars requested interviews with Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus (Twitter link) and Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (Twitter link). Meanwhile, ESPN’s Michael DiRocco reports that former NFL head coach Jim Caldwell will also interview for the gig.

[RELATED: Jaguars Request Interviews With Todd Bowles, Byron Leftwich]

Eberflus served as a linebackers coach for almost a decade with the Browns and Cowboys, but he finally got a shot at a DC gig in 2018. In Indu, the 51-year-old has been credited with establishing a culture built on hustle and discipline, and his defenses have mostly been up to the challenge. Eberflus’s defenses have consistently been ranked in the top-half of the NFL for their ability to stop the run, and the team has ranked top-10 in takeaways during each of his four seasons at the helm (culminating in them currently ranking second in the NFL).

Hackett actually served as the Jaguars offensive coordinator between 2016 and 2018, including a 2017 campaign where the Jaguars offense ranked toward the top of the NFL in a number of categories. The veteran coach was canned midway through the 2018 season, and he’s spent the past three years serving as Green Bay’s OC. The Packers offense had a standout season in 2020, and while the team has the best record in the league, both the passing game and the running game have taken a step back in 2021.

Caldwell (feat. Peyton Manning) coached the Colts to a Super Bowl in his first season as Indianapolis’ HC but was out of a job after his third. Caldwell elevated the Lions to a playoff berth in his first year with Detroit in 2014 but was fired after a 9-7 2017 season. The 66-year-old coach experienced a health issue that caused him to step away from his post as Dolphins QBs coach in 2019, but he is back to full health and his since taken an interview for other HC vacancies.

This trio joins a growing list of candidates that already includes Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Cowboys OC Kellen Moore and DC Dan Quinn, and ex-Eagles HC Doug Pederson.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

With two weeks to go, six NFL teams have formally clinched their playoff spot while eight teams (Seahawks, Giants, Bears, Panthers, Texans, Lions, Jets, and Jaguars) have been mathematically eliminated. Somehow, there is still a path for the 6-9 Washington Football Team to make the postseason, even though they’re currently slated to pick No. 9 overall in April.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

As we close out the calendar year and the 2021 regular season, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-13
2. Detroit Lions: 2-12-1
3. Houston Texans: 4-11
4. New York Jets: 4-11
5. New York Giants: 4-11
6. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
7. Carolina Panthers: 5-10
8. New York Giants (via Bears)
9. Washington Football Team: 6-9
10. Atlanta Falcons: 7-8
11. Denver Broncos: 7-8
12. Minnesota Vikings: 7-8
13. New Orleans Saints: 7-8
14. Cleveland Browns: 7-8
15. Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-7-1
16. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-7
17. Las Vegas Raiders: 8-7
18. Baltimore Ravens: 8-7
19. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)*
20. Philadelphia Eagles: 8-7*
21. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
22. New England Patriots*
23. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
24. Arizona Cardinals: 10-5*
25. Buffalo Bills: 9-6*
26. Cincinnati Bengals: 9-6*
27. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 11-4*
28. Detroit Lions (via Rams): 11-4*
29. Tennessee Titans: 10-5*
30. Dallas Cowboys: 11-4*
31. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-4*
32. Green Bay Packers: 12-3*

* = Playoffs

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/25-12/26/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Christmas and today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/25-12/26/21

Here are the NFL moves from Christmas and today:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/24/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Chuck Clark, C Trystan Colon
  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Nate McCrary
  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Chris Streveler

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Jordan Fuller, TE Tyler Higbee
  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Cole Williamson

Miami Dolphins

  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Gerrid Doaks

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Travis Homer
  • Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: OL Pier-Olivier Lestage

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/21

Here are the NFL moves from Christmas Eve:

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

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