Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/23
Today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return from IR: RB Chase Brown
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Patriots practice squad: RB Patrick Taylor
- Designated for return from IR: S Darnell Savage Jr.
- Waived: DB Dallin Leavitt
New York Giants
- Waived: RB Deon Jackson, OT Joshua Miles
New York Jets
- Waived: DT Tanzel Smart
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: LB Ben VanSumeren
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed to active roster: S Trenton Thompson
- Placed on IR: DB Elijah Riley
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return from IR: S Coby Bryant
Washington Commanders
- Signed off Bears practice squad: DE Jalen Harris
- Placed on IR: DL Efe Obada
- Waived from IR: CB Troy Apke
The Packers will soon be getting some reinforcement on defense, as the team designated safety Darnell Savage Jr. for return from injured reserve today. The defensive back has missed the last four games while recovering from a calf injury. The former first-round pick started all six of his appearances to begin the season, collecting 34 tackles. The fifth-year starter will provide the Packers with a welcome boost when he inevitably returns to the field.
It seems like Green Bay is already preparing for Savage’s return, as the team moved on from another defensive back. Dallin Leavitt spent the past year-plus with the Packers, with the veteran joining the organization following a four-year stint with the Raiders to begin his career. Leavitt got into all 17 games for the Packers in 2022, with all of his snaps coming on special teams. The veteran has seen a handful of defensive snaps in 2023, collecting two tackles in 10 games.
Bears Will Have To Be “Blown Away” By Top QB Prospect To Move On From Justin Fields; Latest On GM Ryan Poles, HC Matt Eberflus
Recent reports have suggested that the Bears, who seem like a sure bet to have two top-10 picks in the 2024 draft, will select a quarterback in the first round. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes that Chicago will have to be “blown away” by a quarterback prospect to pull the trigger and move on from incumbent Justin Fields.
That is the same mindset that general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus had when embarking on their first offseason with the Bears in 2022. The duo inherited Fields from Chicago’s prior regime, but at the time, the Ohio State product had just finished his rookie campaign, and it made sense to give him some time to live up to his own lofty draft status (Fields was the No. 11 overall pick of the 2021 draft).
Since then, Fields has firmly cemented himself as a tremendous weapon when carrying the ball while proving to be more of a mixed bag as a passer. He has missed the Bears’ last four contests due to a dislocated thumb, and he will have the final seven games of the season to convince the organization to use its draft assets on non-quarterback talent. Eberflus believes that represents enough of an audition opportunity to determine Fields’ future with the franchise.
“I think seven weeks is enough time to show consistency and for him to be the high performer that we expect him to be,” Eberflus said (h/t Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com). “I know he’s had some good performances this year, certainly the last few have been solid.”
Of course, even if Fields performs well down the stretch, he may not stick in Chicago. By virtue of their 2023 trade with the Panthers, who presently have a 1-8 record, the Bears could find themselves in position to draft a collegiate QB like USC’s Caleb Williams or UNC’s Drake Maye without even having to trade up the board. Those players are widely believed to be generational talents, and assuming that the club agrees with the prevailing industry assessment — in other words, if Poles and Eberflus are “blown away” by at least one of Williams and Maye — Fields’ upcoming audition could really be a showcase for other teams.
A September report, which surfaced when the Bears were mired in a 13-game losing streak, suggested that both Eberflus and Poles were on the hot seat, and if ownership moves on from them at the end of the year, it obviously does not matter what they think of Fields or the top quarterbacks in the 2024 class. Fortunately for the power brokers, the Bears have gone 3-3 over their last six games, and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune makes it sounds as if Poles will return in 2024 and will be using the remainder of the season not only to evaluate Fields, but to evaluate Eberflus. Indeed, Biggs says Poles will need to determine if he wants a more offensive-minded coach — which could be especially relevant if he drafts Williams or Maye — and will want to see if the team remains competitive under Eberflus’ watch.
New team president Kevin Warren will obviously have considerable input as to the futures of both Eberflus and Poles.
Justin Fields To Play In Week 11; Bears To Activate RB Khalil Herbert From IR
NOVEMBER 18: The Bears made it official today, activating Herbert for the team’s Week 11 matchup in Detroit. It remains to be seen what Herbert’s role will be after he seemed to be firmly establishing himself as the lead back in the two games before his absence. Foreman has had a few decent performances since then while rookie Roschon Johnson has remained a change of pace back and Travis Homer has remained a special teamer.
The activation is the team’s eighth off of injured reserve this year, which is the limit for a season. If any other players are placed on IR, they will be forced to remain there for the rest of the year.
In addition to Herbert’s activation, the Bears announced their standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow. They have selected linebacker Micah Baskerville and outside linebacker DeMarquis Gates to dress up against the Lions.
NOVEMBER 17: The Bears’ offense will see two significant reinforcements in time for Week 11. As expected, quarterback Justin Fields will suit up on Sunday as he was taken off the injury report. Running back Khalil Herbert, meanwhile, will be activated off IR, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes. 
Fields has missed the past four games due to a thumb injury, but it was learned earlier this week that Chicago intended to bring the former first-rounder back into the fold. With that now confirmed, Fields can embark on a late-season stretch in which plenty of his post-2023 future will be determined. Recent indications have suggested Fields will need to convince the Bears’ brass – which was not in place when he was drafted – of his worth to avoid having the team draft a new signal-caller in April.
2023 has seen the 24-year-old continue to put up inconsistent numbers, and the thumb injury has added to his missed time. Fields is under contract through at least 2024, though the Bears could add one year to his rookie pact by exercising his fifth-year option this spring. Doing so would represent a sign of confidence in his progression, but the team is slated to have two high first-rounders in April’s draft. That would provide an opportunity to acquire a Fields successor and move on from the Ohio State alum. His play down the stretch will thus be worth watching closely.
Herbert was one of three players the Bears designated for return last week. The others – wideout Equanimeous St. Brown and cornerback Josh Blackwell – were activated, but Herbert was not. The latter will notably represent the eighth and final IR activation used by Chicago this season. While their aggressiveness with using injured reserve as a means of stashing injured players has carried risk, Herbert’s return will be welcomed on the Bears’ offense.
The unit has struggled in a number of categories, although running production has not been one of them. The Bears rank fifth in the NFL with an average of 135 yards per game on the ground, and Herbert sits second on the team with 272 on the year. Free agent addition D’Onta Foreman has taken the lead in that department while logging a heavy workload in Herbert’s absence. It will be interesting to see how the RB snaps are divided with the team’s backfield returning to health.
The 3-7 Bears will aim to ride the return of Fields and Herbert to an uptick in offensive efficiency late in the year. With plenty at stake for the former (along with several members of the coaching staff and/or front office, in the view of many), Chicago will be a team to monitor in the closing weeks of the campaign.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/17/23
Friday’s only practice squad transactions:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Doug Kramer
- Released: G Matt Farniok
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Jared Wayne
Kramer returns to Chicago after spending a little over a week in Arizona. The Cardinals had claimed Kramer after he was waived in order to make room for left tackle Braxton Jones on the Bears’ active roster. Arizona waived Kramer on Wednesday, and after clearing waivers, Kramer has found his way back to Chicago.
Farniok should find his way onto someone’s roster. The third-year interior lineman started two games for the Cowboys last year and appeared in 19 games over his first two seasons.
Latest On Bears’ Quarterback Plans
Giving up the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, the Bears broke with decades of NFL norms by making that move before free agency. Passing on the chance to draft Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, Chicago has an interesting long-game route at the position — thanks to the team that acquired the No. 1 pick.
Carolina’s struggles in Young’s rookie year has Chicago positioned atop the 2024 draft order. While we still have two months to go, the Bears are a virtual lock to exit this season with two top-10 picks. Justin Fields still has some time to win this Bears regime — one that did not draft him — over, but early signs may be pointing to the team replacing him in the draft if the cards fall right.
Ahead of Fields’ return from a thumb dislocation, The Athletic’s Adam Jahns notes the third-year QB probably must change some minds within the Bears’ facility (subscription required). Despite GM Ryan Poles selling this year’s top draft pick and basing this season around a Fields evaluation, he and HC Matt Eberflus were not in Chicago when the team traded up for the Ohio State prospect.
Fields has offered a mixed bag thus far as a pro, showing flashes as a passer but deficiencies as well. One of the best running QBs in NFL history, Fields will need to show more as a passer during this seven-game — barring another injury — audition. He should have a better audition opportunity beginning in Week 11. After the Bears placed Braxton Jones and Teven Jenkins on IR in September, both are now back. Chicago’s starting O-line will protect Fields on Sunday. D.J. Moore also obviously represents a much better WR1 compared to Chicago’s 2022 setup.
The Panthers’ eventual draft slot (or the Bears’) could end up mattering more than Fields’ stretch-run performance. After needing to trade up for Fields at No. 11 two years ago, the Bears could become the rare team with two top-five picks. As it stands now, Chicago holds Nos. 1 and 5 in 2024. With this in mind, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs expressed confidence the Bears will address the QB position in the first round.
Fields carries the NFL’s second-worst sack rate (12.9%) and the league’s fifth-worst INT rate (3.7%) this season; his 61.7% completion rate ranks 27th. Of course, he steamrolled toward Lamar Jackson‘s QB single-season rushing record — despite missing two games — last season. The Bears being asked to punt on Caleb Williams or Drake Maye might be a tough sell, considering Poles had a chance to make a QB draft investment this year and passed. They should be considered more likely to be impressed with one of next year’s top arms compared to this year’s crop, per Jahns.
The Bears have been down this road before, of course, with Pace trading up for Mitch Trubisky in 2017. (Maye also being a North Carolina product would introduce an interesting subplot here.) An early ESPN consensus slots Williams as next year’s top overall prospect and Maye sixth. Then again, the quarterback position’s importance stands to drive next year’s second-best passing prospect up the board.
Barring a considerable Fields turnaround, the Bears having the inside track to one of next year’s top two QBs may well be the direction this process takes. After brief Fields trade rumblings surfaced this year, they would obviously intensify if Chicago indeed commits to a rookie QB in the spring.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/23
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Elevated: LB Josh Ross
Chicago Bears
- Waived: RB Darrynton Evans
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from IR: WR Charlie Jones
- Elevated: WR Shedrick Jackson
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived from reserve/retired list: LB Myles Jack
- Waived from reserve/suspended list: T Bernard Williams
The Bengals are without Tee Higgins for a second straight game. They added two wideouts to their active roster and are using their first injury activation this season, bringing Jones back after an IR stay. Cincinnati placed Jones on IR in late September due to a thumb injury. A fourth-round rookie who played at three Division I-FBS schools (Buffalo, Iowa, Purdue), Jones worked as the Bengals’ punt returner early this season. The Day 3 rookie made an early impact, already notching a return touchdown in his three-game work sample.
Chicago added Evans in October, doing so just after Khalil Herbert sustained an injury that required an IR stint. With Roschon Johnson also missing two games due to a concussion, Evans saw increased work behind D’Onta Foreman in the Bears’ depleted backfield. With Johnson back, Evans has seen just six offensive snaps in each of the past two games. This cut looks to lay the groundwork for the Bears activating Herbert soon. On IR due to a high ankle sprain, Herbert would represent the Bears’ final injury activation this season. They would be the first team this year to use all eight.
A productive player in Jacksonville, Jack spent last season in Pittsburgh before being released in March. The Eagles took a flier on the former second-round pick during training camp, signing both he and Zach Cunningham. While Cunningham has managed to move from a months-long free agency stay to a Philadelphia starter, Jack opted to retire in August. Were the UCLA alum to continue his career, the Eagles no longer hold his rights.
In a strange bookkeeping transaction, the Eagles also removed their 1994 first-round pick from the reserve/suspended list. Philly used Williams as a 16-game starter in 1994, when he protected QBs Randall Cunningham and Rodney Peete in Rich Kotite‘s final season as HC. A 1995 drug suspension led to Williams’ career ending.
Justin Fields Expected To Return In Week 11
The Bears’ plan of evaluating Justin Fields skidded off track in October. A Week 6 thumb injury sidelined the young quarterback, but the team is on track to resume its Year 3 study soon.
Matt Eberflus confirmed Fields is expected to come back in Week 11, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport previously indicating the third-year passer was readying to return after four missed games. Fields never landed on IR, but Chicago has been cautious with the 2021 first-round pick.
Since the draft settled in April beginning in 1976, no team had knowingly traded a No. 1 overall pick before April until GM Ryan Poles pulled the trigger on the blockbuster with the Panthers. The second-year GM did so before free agency in March, pledging to see how Fields would look in an improved offense. The young QB’s dislocated thumb put this plan on hold for an extended stretch, leading to four Tyson Bagent starts. The Bears will see how Fields looks coming off this injury — in what figures to be an important stretch for the franchise’s long-term outlook.
Through six games, calling this evaluation incomplete would be the kind way to frame this process. Fields ranks 25th in QBR and has again displayed an issue avoiding sacks. Fields took 24 sacks despite finishing only five games this season. In four-plus games, Bagent has been sacked just five times. While Chicago was missing multiple starting offensive linemen frequently during Fields’ early-season run, the QB’s 2022 sacks-taken number (a league-high 55, despite two missed starts) makes this an area to monitor as the Ohio State product’s 2023 season resumes.
That said, Fields is still on pace to top his career high for passing TDs. The run-oriented quarterback threw 11 before the injury. Fields made a run at Lamar Jackson‘s single-season record for rushing yards by a QB — a mark he may well have hit had the Bears not rested him in Week 18, en route to the No. 1 overall pick — the former No. 11 overall pick finished last year with only 17 touchdown passes. Fields’ midseason pause also came with his yards per attempt (7.4) and completion percentage (61.7) figures north of his 2022 numbers, providing some optimism. But Chicago’s long-term QB situation remains uncertain.
By virtue of the trade with Carolina, Chicago holds 2024’s No. 1 overall draft slot. Its Bagent-directed Week 10 win over the Panthers helped the cause. That status does not mean too much yet, considering two months remain in the season. But the Bears are a near-lock to exit this season with two top-10 picks. That will provide considerable ammo for a team that might be hunting for a quarterback.
While Poles committed to Fields for this year, Ryan Pace drafted him. Poles holding a top-two pick in next year’s draft would likely mean a move for Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, putting Fields in limbo. Fields may already be in an uphill battle to keep the Chicago gig for another season, but that effort is set to resume this week.
Injured Reserve Return Tracker
After a 2022 rule change, teams can activate up to eight players from injured reserve. That has reintroduced some strategy into how franchises proceed with their activations, and teams will again need to be cognizant of their activation counts in 2023.
The NFL had reintroduced IR-return options in the 2010s, after a period in which an IR move meant a player’s season was over. But the COVID-19 pandemic prompted the league to loosen restrictions on IR from 2020-21. Teams were permitted to use unlimited activations to start the decade, but roster math is again a consideration.
Players who land on IR after cutdown day must miss at least four games. Once a team designates a player for return, the activation clock starts. Clubs have 21 days from a player’s return-to-practice date to activate that player. If no activation commences in that window, the player reverts to season-ending IR.
Here is how the NFL’s remaining two IR situations look for Super Bowl LVIII:
Kansas City Chiefs
Activated:
- RB Jerick McKinnon (story)
- WR Skyy Moore (story)
Designated for return:
- OL Prince Tega Wanogho (Jan. 24)
Eligible for activation:
- S Bryan Cook (story)
Activations remaining: 3
San Francisco 49ers
Designated for return:
- DT Kalia Davis (Jan. 24)
Reverted to season-ending IR:
- WR Danny Gray
Eligible for activation:
- TE Ross Dwelley
- DE Drake Jackson
Activations remaining: 4
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.
Updated 2024 NFL Draft Order
Yesterday’s Panthers-Bears game carried signficant draft implications, as many noted in the build-up to the primetime matchup. With Carolina having dealt its 2024 first-round pick to Chicago as part of the deal involving last year’s No. 1 selection, the Bears were able to boost their chances of picking first in April with a win.
Owning the top selection in a draft touted for having multiple high-end options at the quarterback spot would of course add further to the speculation surrounding Justin Fields. The Bears gave the 24-year-old a vote of confidence last spring by trading out of the No. 1 slot, but he has yet to develop as hoped this season. Chicago could opt for a fresh start under center (particularly if they declined Fields’ fifth-year option) this spring while also having the opportunity to add help elsewhere on the roster with their own first-rounder, which seems destined to fall within the top 10 or perhaps even top five selections.
Of course, teams like the Giants, Cardinals and Patriots have experienced signficant troubles of their own this year. A continuation of their first half performances could leave them in pole position for the Caleb Williams–Drake Maye sweepstakes. All three teams face potential uncertainty with respect to their current passers’ futures, despite each having term remaining on their respective contracts.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. With plenty still to be sorted out over the coming months, here is an early look at the current draft order:
- Chicago Bears (via Panthers)
- Arizona Cardinals: 1-8
- New York Giants: 2-7
- New England Patriots: 2-7
- Chicago Bears: 3-7
- Los Angeles Rams: 3-6
- Green Bay Packers: 3-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5
- Denver Broncos: 3-5
- Tennessee Titans: 3-5
- Atlanta Falcons: 4-5
- Washington Commanders: 4-5
- Indianapolis Colts: 4-5
- Las Vegas Raiders: 4-5
- Arizona Cardinals (via Texans)
- New York Jets: 4-4
- Los Angeles Chargers: 4-4
- Buffalo Bills: 5-4
- New Orleans Saints: 5-4
- Minnesota Vikings: 5-4
- Dallas Cowboys: 5-3
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-3
- Houston Texans (via Browns)
- Cincinnati Bengals: 5-3
- Seattle Seahawks: 5-3
- San Francisco 49ers: 5-3
- Miami Dolphins: 6-3
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-2
- Detroit Lions: 6-2
- Baltimore Ravens: 7-2
- Kansas City Chiefs: 7-2
- Philadelphia Eagles: 8-1