Vikings WR Justin Jefferson Out For Week 10
NOVEMBER 11: As expected, Jefferson will indeed be out for Week 10, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets. While his ramp-up period continues, the Vikings remain hopeful Jefferson will be able to suit up before their Week 13 bye, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. That comes as little surprise given the timing of their decision to open his practice window, but a relatively quick return would of course be a welcomed development for a shorthanded Minnesota offense.
NOVEMBER 9: When speaking publicly for the first time since returning to practice, Jefferson confirmed he gave no serious consideration to sitting out the remainder of the season (h/t ESPN’s Kevin Seifert). He added, to no surprise, that he will not suit up at less than 100%, pointing further to a Week 10 absence being likely.
NOVEMBER 8, 2:19pm: Kevin O’Connell confirmed the Vikings have a timeline planned for Jefferson’s return, and the second-year Vikings HC admitted (via the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Ben Goessling) a return this week would be on the aggressive side. As it stands, the Vikes’ Week 11 tilt in Denver stands to be Jefferson’s earliest return window.
12:25pm: Some murky updates have come since Justin Jefferson landed on IR with a hamstring injury. While the All-Pro wide receiver is no lock to be ready by Sunday, the Vikings will see him back at practice.
Minnesota opened Jefferson’s practice window Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, starting his activation clock. The Vikings will have until Nov. 29 to activate Jefferson or see him revert to season-ending IR. With the team still in contention for a playoff spot, Jefferson has a reason to return. Of course, the superstar receiver’s contract stands to affect his timetable.
The Vikings and Jefferson negotiated this summer, talking right up until Week 1. But the sides could not agree to terms, pushing talks to 2024. In the fifth-year option era, no team has extended a wide receiver with two seasons of rookie-contract control previously, and while the Vikings aimed to be the first, they still have another offseason to do so before the franchise tag comes into play. But the failed talks will point to Jefferson waiting until he is 100% recovered from the injury he sustained in Week 5.
As such, Jefferson is not expected to play this week. This timetable would make Week 11 — against the Broncos — the fourth-year playmaker’s first opportunity to come back. But Wednesday sets a clear timeline for Jefferson’s activation. The parties could also opt for a long runway here. Minnesota’s bye arrives in Week 13, which opens the door for a possible extended buildup in which Jefferson spends the full three weeks on IR and receives an extra week of recovery time before a Week 14 return. While that might be overkill, it is important to note some recent hamstring setbacks that have affected other standout pass catchers.
Both Keenan Allen and Darren Waller sustained setbacks during their recoveries, leading to extended hiatuses. Allen ended up missing seven games with his hamstring malady, while Waller missed eight. The latter, who had already signed his Raiders extension when he attempted to return too soon last season, is on IR with another hamstring malady as a Giant. New York also saw left tackle Andrew Thomas aggravate his hamstring injury during recovery this season, and while Thomas is not a skill-position player, the All-Pro lineman needed another month before returning thanks to the aggravation.
The Vikings have won each of their games without Jefferson, and the team’s contender status loomed as a factor in the wideout’s comeback. The Vikes are aiming to become only the second team this century (after the 2018 Texans) to rally from 0-3 to the playoffs. Although, three of the Jefferson-less victories came with Kirk Cousins at the controls. The longtime Minnesota quarterback is out for the season with a torn Achilles. The team received a boost from trade pickup Josh Dobbs last week, and while the eight-game Cardinals starter will start for the Vikes in Week 10 against the Saints, the team’s offense will lack the capabilities it had with Cousins.
Minnesota’s QB setup may also affect Jefferson’s timetable, but in the grand scheme, his price tag is unlikely to drop if a hamstring aggravation occurs. Though, the Vikings would risk losing Jefferson for the season if that transpires. The 2020 first-rounder, who shattered the NFL record for receiving yards through three seasons, still leads the Vikings with 571 receiving yards. Jordan Addison has shown growth during Jefferson’s absence, creating an enticing setup for the resurgent team should it activate its aerial ace this month.
Giants OLB Azeez Ojulari Activated From IR
Third-year linebacker Azeez Ojulari will attempt to turn around what, so far, has been a second straight injury-marred season. After spending the past four games on injured reserve with an ankle injury, Ojulari will return to the Giants defensive line after being activated from IR today. 
After an impressive rookie year that saw Ojulari lead the team in sacks, the former second-round pick only saw seven contests in his sophomore season. Even in extremely limited time, the Georgia-product was able to rack up 5.5 sacks. Injuries kept Ojulari from blossoming during his second season in New York, but the talent level was clearly still there for one of the team’s top pass rushers.
This year, before his IR stint, though, Ojulari had been held sackless. Granted, he’s only seen action in three games this year, and in two of those games he saw only 55 percent of the team’s snaps or fewer, he’s had the least-effective season of his career thus far. He’ll attempt to turn that narrative around starting this week.
The Giants also announced their two standard gameday elevations from the practice squad today. With regular kicker Graham Gano still on IR, New York will once again rely on practice squad kicker Randy Bullock. Bullock was called up for last week’s game but wasn’t asked to attempt an extra point, let alone a field goal.
Lastly, the team’s second gameday practice squad elevation will be used on tight end Tyree Jackson. The converted college quarterback has a few career catches from his time in Philadelphia but has yet to appear in a game for the division-rival Giants.
Cardinals Activate RB James Conner From IR
Arizona is getting more than one key pieces of its offense back this weekend. With quarterback Kyler Murray already set to return as the starter in Week 10 for the Cardinals after being activated from injured reserve this week, Arizona will also be returning starting running back James Conner, who has been out since suffering a Week 5 knee injury. 
Cardinals staff writer Darren Urban informs that Conner will officially be activated off of IR today with the intention of playing him against the Falcons this Sunday. “(Conner) is our workhorse in the run game, and it will be good to get him back,” head coach Jonathan Gannon said about the running back’s return to the field. “It helps not only Kyler, it helps our team.”
In Conner’s absence, Arizona has mostly relied on the legs of undrafted rookie Emari Demercado. With Demercado reportedly out this week, though, Conner isn’t the only addition the team is making to the running backs room. After waiving him just two days ago, the Cardinals are bringing back Tony Jones Jr. on a practice squad deal. In order to make room for Jones on the practice squad, the team released offensive lineman Vitaliy Gurman.
Jones will be one of two standard gameday elevations from the practice squad for this week’s game. He and Keaontay Ingram will be tasked with backing up Conner in his first game back from IR. The team’s other gameday elevation will be utilized to promote practice squad tackle Jackson Barton for the weekend.
Texans To Activate CB Derek Stingley Jr. From IR
1:57pm: With Fairbairn set to miss some time, the team has officially made the decision to place him on IR. He’ll be out for at least four weeks now, so even though Ammendola is only getting called up for tomorrow, a permanent roster move to cover the kicker position is likely soon.
With two new vacancies on the 53-man roster, the Texans have opted to utilize their practice squad to fill one. The team announced that it will be signing practice squad offensive guard Dieter Eiselen to the active roster.
Lastly, joining Fairbairn as a standard gameday elevation will be practice squad tight end Dalton Keene. With Brevin Jordan one of eight inactives heading into Sunday’s trip to Cincinnati, Keene will step in to back up Dalton Schultz and Eric Saubert.
9:45am: It sounds like Derek Stingley Jr. will be in the lineup when the Texans take on the Bengals tomorrow. The team is set to activate the cornerback from injured reserve, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has confirmed the news.
Stingley landed on injured reserve back in September after suffering a hamstring injury during practice. The Texans opened his 21-day activation window earlier this week when the cornerback returned to practice.
While the return to practice was obviously a positive development for Stingley, it sounded like the team was proceeding with caution with the former third-overall pick. Since Stingley had been sidelined for more than a month, the Texans were reportedly going to give the defender as much time as he needed to get into game shape. Apparently, it didn’t take all that long, as Stingley is set to be activated only days after being designated for return.
The LSU product hasn’t necessarily lived up to his third-overall-pick billing, but that’s mostly been thanks to injury. Stingley collected 43 tackles, one interception, and five passes defended to begin his rookie campaign, but a hamstring injury suffered in Week 10 ultimately forced him to miss the rest of the season. He had nine tackles in two starts to begin this season before landing on injured reserve.
To make room on the roster, the Texans have waived offensive lineman Austin Deculus. The 2022 sixth-round pick has seen time in 13 games over the past two seasons for Houston, including seven appearances (one start) this season. He was waived at the end of the preseason before landing on the practice squad, and there’s a good chance he follows a similar path this time around.
The Texans made one additional move as they prepare for Week 10. Per Wilson, the team has promoted kicker Matt Ammendola from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation. Ka’imi Fairbairn is set to miss a handful of weeks while recovering from a strained quadriceps, so Houston will temporarily roll with the journeyman kicker. Ammendola has spent time with six different organizations since going undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2020. He’s seen time in 15 career games, connecting on 18 of his 26 field goal attempts and 19 of his 22 extra point tries.
Jaguars Waive RB JaMycal Hasty
After extending JaMycal Hasty this past offseason, the Jaguars are moving on from the running back. The team announced today that they’ve waived Hasty. The Jaguars are using the open roster spot on cornerback Gregory Junior, who has been activated from injured reserve.
Hasty started his NFL career in San Francisco. He joined the 49ers in 2020 after going undrafted out of Baylor, and he proceeded to spend two years with the organization. While a lot of his work came on special teams, he showed some promise on offense, averaging 4.8 yards on his 85 touches.
He was snagged off waivers by the Jaguars prior to the 2022 campaign. After initially serving as the team’s RB3, he was promoted to be Travis Etienne‘s primary backup following the James Robinson trade. Hasty ended up getting into all 17 games for the Jaguars last season, finishing with a career-high 320 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. He also got into Jacksonville’s two playoff games, adding another 43 yards on five touches. Following that performance, the Jaguars extended Hasty in February.
However, the 27-year-old has seen a reduced role in 2023. Rookie Tank Bigsby has taken over the second spot on the depth chart, and Hasty has also been outsnapped by D’Ernest Johnson. In total, Hasty has seen time in three games, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.
The Jaguars selected Junior, a Ouachita Baptist product, in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He ended up spending the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad, although he collect six tackles in his one appearance with the big-league club. The defensive back suffered a hamstring injury in Week 1 that ultimately landed him on injured reserve.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/10/23
Today’s practice squad moves heading into the 10th weekend of the NFL season:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DT Naquan Jones
- Released: DL Eric Banks, OL Vitaliy Gurman
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Rashad Lawrence
- Released: CB Mark Milton
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB Greg Stroman
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: QB Tanner Morgan
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: NT Matthew Gotel
Morgan was signed on Wednesday to serve as an extra arm in practice amid the season-long loss of Kirk Cousins and with backup quarterback Jaren Hall still in concussion protocol, leaving only Sean Mannion behind recent acquisition Joshua Dobbs at quarterback. The undrafted free agent rookie was originally signed by the Steelers, but after not making the initial 53-man roster or practice squad to start the season in Pittsburgh, Morgan returned to his alma mater at the University of Minnesota in order to serve as an offensive analyst on the Golden Gophers staff.
Seahawks Sign QB Brett Rypien
Although no team claimed Brett Rypien on waivers this week, the veteran backup will rejoin one of his former Broncos QB mates within the Rams’ division. The Seahawks signed Rypien on a practice squad deal Friday.
Rypien will join Geno Smith and Drew Lock in Seattle’s quarterback room. Rypien backed up Lock in Denver, and the two were teammates from 2019-21. The Rams used Rypien as their Week 9 starter, but after the former UDFA struggled in Green Bay, the team decided to bring in Carson Wentz during its bye week.
Rather than demote Rypien, the Rams cut him soon after his start. The Boise State alum had been with the Rams since May, signing nearly two months after Sean Payton preferred Jarrett Stidham as Russell Wilson‘s backup. Rypien, 27, had operated in this role in 2022, staying on after the Broncos included Lock in the blockbuster trade to acquire the decorated passer from the Seahawks.
Lock and Rypien both arrived in Denver in 2019, the former a second-round pick. These two represented the constants in a changing Broncos QB room from 2019-21. The team traded for Joe Flacco to start in 2019, and Brandon Allen replaced the ex-Ravens mainstay due to Lock being injured as a rookie. Rypien received his first start in 2020, replacing Lock, and both were later part of the team’s QB room that ended up unavailable due to statuses as COVID-19 close contacts against the Saints later that season. Rypien resided as the Broncos’ third-stringer behind Teddy Bridgewater and Lock in 2021 but received more playing time last season, starting twice for an injured Wilson.
Against the Packers last week, Rypien completed just 46.4% of his passes and added two lost fumbles to a stat sheet that included an interception. After their 20-3 loss, the Rams decided to upgrade in Matthew Stafford insurance. He and Wentz, 30, are now the only two passers on the Rams’ 53-man roster or practice squad. Rypien averaged just 5.5 yards per attempt in two starts last season, one of which coming against a top-five Jets defense, but helped the Broncos to a late-season win over the Cardinals.
Rookie UDFA Holton Ahlers went to training camp with the Seahawks and ended up bouncing on and off the team’s practice squad during the season. The Seahawks did not dress Ahlers as an emergency third QB on gamedays, with Smith having been durable since being given the keys post-Wilson. After three weeks without a de facto third-stringer, the Seahawks will install Rypien in that role. While the team now has a recent Rams QB ahead of the Seahawks’ Week 11 matchup with them, Seattle already has extensive intel here, seeing as ex-Sean McVay staffer Shane Waldron is aboard as OC.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/9/23
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Elevated: LB Eku Leota, WR Mike Strachan
Chicago Bears
- Elevated: LB Micah Baskerville, TE Stephen Carlson
Cardinals Reach Injury Settlement With RB Damien Williams, Waive RB Tony Jones Jr.
James Conner‘s injury has required some running back shuffling in Arizona, but the team’s moves Thursday point to the starter coming back. With Conner practicing after a four-week IR stay, the Cardinals jettisoned two running backs.
The team reached an injury settlement with Damien Williams, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets, doing so while waiving Tony Jones Jr. Williams had been on Arizona’s practice squad injured list, being placed there last week. This transaction will send the veteran running back into free agency.
This marks the second straight year in which Williams, 31, has been cut loose via an injury settlement. The former Super Bowl starter began last season with the Falcons but suffered a rib injury in the team’s opener. As Tyler Allgeier began to flourish in his rookie season, the Falcons did not use one of their injury activations on Williams, releasing him from IR in December.
Although he caught on with the Raiders during Josh Jacobs‘ training camp absence, Williams did not make their 53-man roster. Conner’s injury prompted the Cardinals to add him in October. Williams, who totaled 10 touchdowns between the 2018 and ’19 postseasons as the Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt replacement, was active for three games with the Cardinals. He produced 43 yards on 11 carries, joining second-year back Keaontay Ingram and rookie UDFA Emari Demercado as Arizona’s ball carriers during Conner’s absence.
Jones has played in four Saints games this season; he joined the Cardinals as a waiver claim, arriving in the desert shortly after Williams. Jones, who went to training camp with the Broncos, logged three carries as a Cardinal. Demercado and Ingram remain on Arizona’s roster, but the team ditching two other backs points to Conner being ready when first eligible. Though, Demercado missed Week 9 and has not practice this week due to a toe injury. The Cardinals have until Saturday afternoon to activate the seventh-year back. Conner has missed time due to a knee injury, continuing a trend of short-term absences for the former third-round pick.
Panthers Activate LB Marquis Haynes
NOVEMBER 9: Haynes will move back onto Carolina’s 53-man roster. The Panthers activated the rotational pass rusher ahead of Thursday’s Bears matchup. Unlike the Bears, whose Josh Blackwell and Equanimeous St. Brown activations have moved them down to one such move remaining, the Panthers have only used two IR activations this season.
NOVEMBER 6: The Panthers should soon be getting some much-needed depth at linebacker. The team announced that linebacker Marquis Haynes returned to practice and has been designated to return from injured reserve.
The Panthers now have 21 days to activate Haynes to the active roster. It’s uncertain if the sixth-year player will be able to return in time for Thursday Night Football against the Bears.
Haynes missed most of training camp and the preseason while dealing with a lingering back injury. While he was able to briefly return to practice, the linebacker ended up landing on injured reserve following final roster cuts. Haynes obviously required more than the four-week minimum to return, with his absence ultimately lasting more than two months.
The former fourth-round pick has turned into a dependable pass-rushing option for the Panthers. While he’s only started one of his 64 career appearances, he still appeared in more than a third of his team’s defensive snaps between 2020 and 2022. Over this span, Haynes has collected 12 sacks, including a 2022 campaign where he finished with a career-high five sacks to go along with a career-high 13 QB hits.
The Panthers are probably hoping Haynes can join the active roster sooner than later. The team recently placed Justin Houston on injured reserve, and head coach Frank Reich revealed today that Brian Burns will likely miss Week 10 while dealing with a concussion (via Joe Person of The Athletic). Luiji Vilain also suffered a knee injury in Week 9, leaving the team with three linebackers in DJ Johnson, Amaré Barno, and practice-squad player Eku Leota to finish yesterday’s loss to the Colts.