Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/20
We’ll post all the minor moves from what has been a very busy Monday here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: TE Evan Baylis
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated off reserve/COVID list: OLB Jaylon Ferguson, G D.J. Fluker, CB Iman Marshall, DT Broderick Washington
- Activated of injured reserve: G Tyre Phillips
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID list: DE Yetur Gross-Matos
Cleveland Browns
- Claimed off waivers from Chiefs: S Tedric Thompson
Denver Broncos
- Signed: QB Kyle Shurmur
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Bears: DL Anthony Rush
New England Patriots
- Place on reserve/COVID list: WR Julian Edelman
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated off injured reserve: DE Genard Avery
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated off reserve/COVID list: DE Isaiah Buggs, OL Kevin Dotson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated off reserve/COVID list: RB T.J. Logan, WR Jaydon Mickens
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LS Matt Orzech
Injury Updtes: Callahan, Broncos, Jones, Giants, Linsley, Packers, Hamilton, Jaguars
We’ve got a batch of next-morning injury updates to pass along. Starting in Denver, where Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan went down with a foot injury. Unfortunately, that injury will sideline him for a “significant” amount of time, head coach Vic Fangio said Monday, via Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). Fangio said it was too early to tell if it would knock him out for the rest of the season, but that certainly sounds possible.
It’s a big blow for a Broncos team that has already been besieged by injuries. Callahan is an every down guy and one of their best players on defense. He’s in the second year of a three-year, $21MM deal he signed in March of 2019. He missed all of last season with a foot injury, although this new issue thankfully appears to be unrelated.
Here are some more health updates from around the league:
- We heard last night that Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was feared to have a significant hamstring injury that could cause him to miss some time, but it sounds like things aren’t quite as bad as they seemed. Jones avoided major injury and has an “outside shot” at playing this Sunday, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It appears it won’t be anything long-term, although Colt McCoy still seems like the favorite to be under center this coming weekend against the Seahawks. Every game is pivotal for Big Blue as they jockey for position in the pitiful NFC East.
- Packers center Corey Linsley had to be carted off with a knee injury during the team’s win over the Bears last night, and fortunately it looks like a worst case scenario was avoided. That being said he’s not entirely out of the woods, as a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that Linsley will miss some time with a knee sprain (Twitter link). Matt LaFleur told reporters he hopes Linsley can make it back for some of the regular season, but it sounds like he should at least be ready for the playoffs. Linsley has been the guy snapping balls to Aaron Rodgers for every game of the last four seasons, so this is a big loss.
- The Jaguars fell to 1-10 yesterday, and the hits keep on coming. Rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton had to be carted off against the Browns and while head coach Doug Marrone said today it wasn’t as bad as was initially thought, he’ll still be going to injured reserve with a knee issue, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Hamilton was the 73rd overall pick of April’s draft. The Ohio State product had been playing a big role in his first pro season, starting the last six games and playing around 60 percent of the defensive snaps.
Broncos Wanted To Start Coach At QB
Clearly he didn’t leave much wiggle room. It’s not like Fitzpatrick lit the world on fire against New York, but he did have two touchdowns and no turnovers. The offense has undeniably moved better with Fitzpatrick under center than Tagovailoa, but obviously Tua is the future. Flores felt comfortable benching Tagovailoa during their Week 11 loss to the Broncos, but clearly doesn’t want to make a full-on change. That being said with Tagovailoa potentially looking at a multi-week absence due to his thumb injury, Fitzmagic might not be ending too soon. If Fitzpatrick plays the Dolphins into the playoffs, it’ll be very interesting to see whether Flores can avoid changing his tune.
- The Broncos were in an unprecedented situation Sunday as all of their quarterbacks were ruled out due to COVID-19 issues. That led to practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton, who played some quarterback in college, getting the start under center. But before Denver turned to Hinton they initially wanted to make offensive quality control coach Rob Calabrese their starting quarterback against the Saints, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Calabrese has been with the team the past two years and Denver felt he knew the system better than anyone else. Schefter notes the league rejected the request out of principle against coaches being activated to keep teams from stashing potential players on the coaching staff. Calabrese played some quarterback at UCF, and ended his college career in 2012. Calabrese apparently ran the offense during practice on Sunday. It’s too bad Roger Goodell didn’t allow it, as that would’ve been even more bonkers and fun than the Hinton situation.
Broncos WR Kendall Hinton To Start At QB
All four of the Broncos’ quarterbacks have been ruled out for today’s game, putting the team in a truly unprecedented situation. With no other options available, wide receiver Kendall Hinton will be elevated from the practice squad and put under center against the Saints.
[RELATED: Broncos Lose All 4 QBs]
According to NFL.com’s James Palmer (on Twitter), there are people in the Broncos’ facility who have never even met Hinton. For those who are unfamiliar with Hinton — inside and outside of Denver headquarters — he’s a Wake Forest product who started out as a dual-threat QB for the Demon Deacons. Then, when an ankle injury and a suspension took him out of the equation, he converted to wide receiver. Hinton topped 1,000 yards in his senior season, leading him to a UDFA deal with the Broncos earlier this year.
Hinton hasn’t played QB in a long time and he reportedly hasn’t practiced as a passer in years. Still, he represents the Broncos’ only real option today. He’ll be backstopped by running back/emergency QB Royce Freeman, who attempted just one pass in four seasons at Oregon.
All Broncos QBs Ineligible For Week 12
The Broncos and the NFL have run into a significant problem. Jeff Driskel‘s positive COVID-19 test earlier this week will lead to an unprecedented situation.
None of the Broncos’ three other QBs will be eligible to play Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles have been deemed high-risk close contacts of Driskel. The NFL forced the Broncos to pull the three passers out of practice earlier today, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.
With the Broncos having no available QBs, this certainly puts the viability of Sunday’s Denver-New Orleans game in doubt. However, this game is still on schedule for Sunday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This seems like a tenuous proposition, but as of now, the Broncos would be forced to deploy a true emergency quarterback. They cannot sign any free agent passer to play Sunday, due to COVID-19 protocols.
Driskel’s Thursday positive test coincided with his three non-infected teammates not wearing masks, Schefter adds (on Twitter). It is not known how long the trio went without masks, but it was evidently long enough for the NFL to sideline an entire team’s QB room. The Patriots saw Cam Newton sidelined because of the virus earlier this season, and COVID-positive Lamar Jackson will miss Tuesday’s Ravens-Steelers game — should it stay on as scheduled. But the Broncos’ predicament drags the NFL into new territory regarding the virus.
The Broncos have a wide receiver on their practice squad, Kendall Hinton, who played quarterback at Wake Forest for three seasons, Klis adds (on Twitter). Quality control coach Rob Calabrese worked in that role at practice Saturday, Klis tweets. Hinton attempted 251 career passes with the Demon Deacons, though most of them came in 2015. He ran for 390 yards and seven TDs that season.
Broncos, Garett Bolles Agree On Extension
Garett Bolles‘ contract-year emergence will transform him from a scrutinized player to the Broncos’ long-term left tackle. The Broncos announced Saturday they agreed to terms on a new deal for their breakout blocker.
It’s a four-year, $68MM deal for Bolles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This news comes days after Bolles indicated he wanted to stay in Denver beyond his rookie contract, though no known negotiations had transpired.
Bolles is not the NFL’s highest-paid tackle, at $17MM per year, but he now becomes its sixth-best-compensated tackle. This represents one of the most stunning contract-year developments in recent NFL history.
The 2017 first-round pick led the NFL in holding penalties by a wide margin from 2017-19 and entered this year’s training camp in a battle to keep his job. The Broncos did not pick up Bolles’ fifth-year option in May, but after 10 strong games as one of the best left tackles in the game this season, the franchise has changed its line of thinking.
Going into Week 12, Bolles grades as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 overall tackle. He has not allowed a sack this season, despite the Broncos having used three starting quarterbacks. The 28-year-old blocker has become Denver’s first long-term tackle starter since Ryan Clady and followed the former All-Pro in signing a Broncos extension. Denver has used a different right tackle starter in Week 1 of every season since 2013, but Bolles — his struggles from 2017-19 notwithstanding — has started every game since he arrived out of Utah three years ago. The Broncos already have right tackle Ja’Wuan James — a 2020 opt-out after missing most of last season — signed to a big-ticket deal.
This deal doubles as the Broncos’ first major extension for a draftee selected since Super Bowl 50. Denver kept 2016 third-rounder Justin Simmons around via franchise tag but had not previously come to a notable extension agreement with a player chosen since its February 2016 victory parade.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/20
Here are Friday’s practice squad moves:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB LeVante Bellamy
New England Patriots
- Suspended six games: LB Michael Pinckney
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Jordan Matthews
- Released: WR Chris Finke
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: T Marshall Newhouse
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/27/20
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Trent Sherfield
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Eddie Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Porter Gustin; Gustin tested positive for the coronavirus, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Diontae Spencer; Spencer tested positive for the coronavirus.
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Corey Clement, DE Vinny Curry
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Javon Kinlaw
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/25/20
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Claimed off waivers from Broncos: T Jake Rodgers
Dallas Cowboys
- Promoted: CB Deante Burton, C Adam Redmond, CB Rashard Robinson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Albert Huggins, WR Mohamed Sanu, CB Dee Virgin
- Placed on IR: OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers from Bears: DT Anthony Rush
- Placed on IR: DL Montravius Adams, LB James Burgess
Houston Texans
- Signed off Bengals’ practice squad: DE Andrew Brown
- Promoted: DL Corey Liuget, WR Steven Mitchell, RB Scottie Phillips
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Claimed off waivers from Titans: CB Greg Mabin
- Promoted: S Doug Middleton
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jordan Kunaszyk, T David Steinmetz
Broncos Activate LB Mark Barron From IR
It took much longer than expected, but Mark Barron is in position to make his Broncos debut. The team activated him from IR Wednesday.
The Broncos signed the former first-round pick during training camp, eyeing a potential part-time role for the veteran on a suddenly reshaped linebacking corps. Denver released longtime starter Todd Davis before the season and saw rookie Justin Strnad suffer a season-ending injury during camp. Barron, however, soon experienced injury troubles. But the former Buccaneers, Rams and Steelers starter is on track to play in Week 12.
Pittsburgh released Barron earlier this year, and he spent nearly six months in free agency. Upon signing a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Broncos, Barron suffered a hamstring injury. During his rehab process, Barron then encountered a pectoral malady.
The former Bucs safety and longtime Rams linebacker will likely see time mixing in on a Broncos defense that has used 2019 backup Josey Jewell as a full-time player alongside top inside ‘backer Alexander Johnson. Jewell’s snap rate has risen from 20% last season to 93% this year. But with Pro Football Focus slotting Johnson and Jewell as 2020’s No. 10- and No. 26-ranked off-ball linebackers, respectively, Barron may not see as much time as initially planned.
To make room for Barron, the Broncos waived running back LeVante Bellamy. The latter has bounced on and off Denver’s active roster this season.