Ravens’ Ja’Wuan James Returns To Practice
Despite tearing an Achilles’ tendon in May, Ja’Wuan James has a path to move onto the Ravens’ active roster. The veteran tackle will practice Wednesday.
The Ravens stashed James on their reserve/non-football injury list ahead of Week 1 but hoped he could return to work at some point late in the season. Although it is not certain the former first-round pick will play for his new team this season, the Ravens will check on that prospect in the coming days and weeks.
James signed a two-year, $9MM deal with the Ravens in June. Regardless of his participation this season, the Ravens will aim to redevelop James for the 2022 season. Best known for his five-year stay as the Dolphins’ starting right tackle, James has not seen much action since his Miami days ended.
Previously in position to reclaim his role as the Broncos’ right tackle, after opting out in 2020, James suffered the major injury while training on his own this offseason. That led to a quick Denver exit. The Broncos gave James a big-ticket deal to close their revolving door at right tackle in 2019, but the ex-Dolphins starter missed most of the ’19 season and ended up logging fewer than 100 snaps in total in Denver.
Baltimore’s tackle situation radically changed this year as well. The Ravens traded right tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to the Chiefs and signed Alejandro Villanueva. Another Ronnie Stanley injury, however, kicked Villanueva back to left tackle and has left the Ravens weaker than usual up front.
Jaire Alexander Returns To Practice
One of the Packers’ injured standouts is moving close to a return. Jaire Alexander will practice for the Packers on Wednesday, per ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter).
This will start the Pro Bowl cornerback’s 21-day IR-activation clock. The Packers must move Alexander back onto their active roster by Dec. 29 or place him on season-ending IR. Alexander has not played since Week 4. Alexander is likely to be eased back into action, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets, so a Week 14 return may not be in the cards.
A shoulder injury has sidelined Alexander for most of this season, and although the Packers have maintained on defense despite Za’Darius Smith missing almost all of the year as well, having their top cover man back would certainly be a big bonus. Green Bay is a game back of Arizona for the NFC’s lone bye, with Tampa Bay joining the Packers at 9-3.
Alexander, who broke through for his first Pro Bowl in 2020, could have opted for a surgery that would have ended his season. But the fourth-year defender did not take that route, keeping the door open for a late-season return. The Packers have expected both he and Smith to be back late this year, but the latter’s return timetable has yet to take shape.
Regardless of Alexander’s return status, the former first-round pick will be in position to score a lucrative extension. The Packers picked up the Louisville alum’s fifth-year option, and with 2021 first-round corner Eric Stokes early in his rookie contract, a clear window will open for Alexander to land a top-tier deal.
Washington Places Montez Sweat On Reserve/COVID-19 List
Montez Sweat was on track to return to practice Wednesday, but he will see his absence extend into Week 14 and beyond. The young pass rusher tested positive for COVID-19, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The 2019 first-round pick is unvaccinated, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (via Twitter). This means he must isolate for a 10-day period. While this would give Sweat a chance of returning for Washington’s Week 15 game against the Eagles, the odds of that happening are slimmer because of his unvaccinated status. Sweat remains on IR.
Washington has been without Sweat since Week 8. The first-string defensive end had been recovering from a fractured jaw. The team has won four straight games, doing so despite Sweat’s injury and Chase Young being done for the season. Sweat obviously would stand to help the 6-6 squad down the stretch, but his return will have to wait a bit.
A first-round Washington draftee, Sweat has registered four sacks this season and has 20 for his career. The Mississippi State product has forced two fumbles in each of his three seasons.
Texans To Waive LB Zach Cunningham
Made a healthy scratch in Week 13, Zach Cunningham is no longer with the Texans. The rebuilding team cut ties with the veteran linebacker Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Cunningham was scratched for disciplinary reasons Sunday, Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson tweets, and he may soon have a new home. The former second-round pick will head to waivers. He would pass through to free agency if unclaimed by Thursday afternoon.
David Culley had disciplined Cunningham at multiple points this season, including recently due to showing up late for a COVID-19 test, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Cunningham, 27, will follow Phillip Lindsay as a post-trade deadline Texans cut.
The Texans had previously reduced Cunningham’s playing time, but he had been back to an every-down player in recent weeks. Houston used Cunningham on every defensive snap during his final three games with the team. After the Texans’ new regime shopped Cunningham ahead of the deadline, no trade materialized. The team will cut its losses and do so with a big dead-money hit.
Because of the four-year, $58MM extension the parties agreed to in 2020, the Texans will be hit with $12.8MM in dead money. As for Cunningham’s prospects of being claimed, he is due less than $300K in base salary for the rest of this season. No guarantees remain on the off-ball linebacker’s deal beyond 2021, increasing the likelihood he will not make it to free agency this year. Cunningham’s contract does contain eight-figure base salaries from 2022-24, which would make him a potential 2022 cut candidate — should another team claim him by Thursday.
This marks a swift change for the Vanderbilt product. Cunningham led the NFL with 164 tackles last season. Houston had he and Benardrick McKinney signed to big-ticket inside-‘backer deals exiting last season. Now, both are gone.
Washington To Place Logan Thomas On IR
Although Logan Thomas‘ knee MRI produced some more encouraging results, Washington will still end its starting tight end’s season. Thomas is heading to IR, The Athletic’s Ben Standig tweets.
Washington initially feared Thomas suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s game in Las Vegas, but Ron Rivera said earlier this week the converted quarterback had a chance to play again this season. That is no longer the case. Because Washington placed Thomas on IR earlier this season, this second such designation means he cannot play again until the 2022 campaign.
A hamstring injury sidelined Thomas earlier this season. He ended up playing in just six games for the resurgent WFT. Fortunately for Thomas, he locked in some guaranteed money through his July extension. Washington has the 30-year-old pass catcher under contract through 2024, via the three-year, $24MM deal.
Thomas provided a key auxiliary target for Alex Smith and Co. last season, when he caught 72 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. He could not be the same kind of threat this year, with injuries limiting the eighth-year player to 18 catches and 196 yards. Thomas did score a touchdown — his third this season — in Washington’s 17-15 win over the Raiders on Sunday.
Thomas’ primary backup, Ricky Seals-Jones, has not played since Week 10. Seals-Jones leads the WFT’s tight ends with 23 catches for 230 yards this season.
Bills Waive OL Bobby Hart
Bobby Hart‘s stint with the Bills has already come to an end. After joining Buffalo late last month, the team waived the veteran offensive lineman today, per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).
Hart has managed to stick in the NFL for seven seasons despite being selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. The lineman started 21 games for the Giants between 2015 and 2017. He later started 45 games (out of 46 appearances) for the Bengals between 2018 and 2020.
The Bengals dropped Hart in March and he’s been making the rounds ever since, spending time with the practice squads of the Bills and Dolphins. The Titans also picked him up for a bit, using him in three games this year. He joined the Bills when Spencer Brown was placed on reserve/COVID-19 list, and it always sounded like his stint in Buffalo was going to be temporary. Ultimately, Hart’s time with the Bills ended without him appearing in a game.
To fill the open spot on the roster, the Bills activated offensive tackle Tommy Doyle off the reserve/COVID-19 list (via Wilson on Twitter). The rookie fifth-round pick out of Miami (OH) has seen time in six games this season, although he’s only played on 15 offensive snaps.
LB Will Compton To Sign With Raiders
It sounds like Will Compton has found his next gig. The free agent linebacker announced on Twitter that he’s signing with the Raiders.
We learned earlier today that the 32-year-old was generating interest from multiple teams and a signing was imminent. Compton — the co-host of Barstool Sports’ “Bussin’ With The Boys,” — has yet to play in 2021, but now he’ll have an opportunity to revive his career in Las Vegas. The team is currently dealing with minor injuries throughout their linebackers depth chart, and that includes starters Denzel Perryman and Cory Littleton. As a result, Compton could have an opportunity to contribute ASAP.
The linebacker played for the Raiders during the 2019 season, collecting 41 tackles in nine games (four starts). In 2020, he returned to the Titans for his second stint in Nashville, collecting 18 stops across 12 appearances.
Compton has appeared in 90 games over the course of his NFL career, including 40 starts. His most significant action came early in his career with Washington. From 2013 through 2017, he started in 33 of his 57 games. Compton’s on-field career has tailed off somewhat since a Lisfranc injury capped his ’17 early.
Saints Waive Kenny Stills
The Saints have released wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, per the league’s transactions wire. Meanwhile, the Saints have re-signed wide receiver Kevin White to their practice squad.
Stills, 29, has been on and off the Saints roster this year. So far this season, he’s got five catches for 64 yards across ten games. Of course, that’s a far cry from his early work in New Orleans, which included 931 yards in 2014, his second year as a pro.
It’s a bit of a surprise that the Saints would be bailing on receivers at this point. We learned yesterday that Deonte Harris would miss the next three games while serving a suspension, and former All-Pro Michael Thomas has already been ruled out for the season. Tre’Quan Smith also missed time due to injury, and New Orleans hasn’t played with Alvin Kamara since Week 9.
Roach joined the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2020, and he collected 16 tackles in nine games as a rook. This year, he’s started two of his six games while compiling seven tackles and one interception. The 23-year-old has only appeared in one game for New Orleans since Week 5. After recently spending time on IR, the defensive tackle was designated to return earlier this week.
White, the seventh-overall pick in the 2015 draft, battled injuries throughout his Bears tenure and later caught on with the Cardinals and 49ers. He managed to get into three games with San Francisco last season without recording a reception, and he ended up getting cut by the squad in August. He ultimately caught on with New Orleans, and he ended up seeing time in five games (one start) for his new squad. The 29-year-old contributed one 38-yard reception during his time with the Saints, and he ultimately saw more special teams snaps than offensive snaps. He was cut by the team last week.
WFT’s Ryan Fitzpatrick Done For Year
Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s season is over. The Washington Football Team quarterback will have arthroscopic surgery on his hip, officially capping his 2021 campaign (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
[RELATED: Latest On WFT’s Logan Thomas]
Fitzpatrick played in just one game before suffering a hip subluxation in the season opener against the Chargers. In total, his season lasted less than 30 minutes.
This could be the end of the line for the 39-year-old passer, who has to focus on basic mobility before even thinking about football conditioning. He’ll also be out of contract in March, after the expiration of his one-year, $10 million deal. If this is the end of Fitzpatrick’s NFL career, he’ll leave the game with 166 career appearances (147 starts) and a ton of memorable moments to trump his lifetime 59-87-1 record.
Without FitzMagic, Washington has installed Taylor Heinicke as the starter. Heinicke hasn’t dazzled, but he does have WFT at the .500 mark and in the playoff conversation. They’ll look to gain ground on Sunday when they host the division-leading Cowboys.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/7/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LB Joe Walker
- Waived: RB Tavien Feaster
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: TE David Njoku
Denver Broncos
- Released from IR: RB LeVante Bellamy
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: RB Austin Walter
- Released: DB Jarrod Wilson
Washington Football Team
- Signed: LB Milo Eifler
- Placed on IR: LB Khaleke Hudson