Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: G Parker Ehinger
- Waived: C Jake Brendel
Chicago Bears
- Signed off Broncos’ practice squad: OL Corey Levin
- Signed off Raiders’ practice squad: TE Eric Saubert
- Placed on IR: DB Sherrick McManis, TE Adam Shaheen
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: S Montre Hartage
- Waived: CB Xavier Crawford
New York Giants
- Promoted from practice squad: LS Colin Holba
- Placed on IR: LS Zak DeOssie
Washington Redskins
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Chris Odom
- Waived: LB Carroll Phillips
Broncos Activate Drew Lock Off IR
Weeks after being eligible to come off the Broncos’ IR list, Drew Lock will return to the team’s active roster. Denver will activate its second-round pick in advance of its Week 13 game, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.
The team officially made the move and cleared the roster spot by waiving rookie UDFA quarterback Brett Rypien, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Rypien has served as Denver’s backup during the past three games. The Broncos intend to re-sign Rypien to their practice squad, should he clear waivers, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets.
The Broncos have not announced if they will start Lock against the Chargers, but they have given him approximately 75% of the reps in practice this week, Klis notes. Lock returned to practice before Week 11, and it would certainly benefit the Broncos to start their rookie soon given their current status.
Denver lost Joe Flacco to injury midway through the season and has given longtime backup/practice squad talent Brandon Allen the past three starts. While Allen played well considering his history against the Browns and Vikings, the Broncos posted their lowest total yardage figure since 1992 against the Bills in Week 12. Lock debuting would help the Broncos determine how dire their quarterback need still is going into the offseason.
Lock enjoyed an uneven preseason and was knocked out of the Broncos’ fourth exhibition game with a thumb injury. That malady delayed his season and left Flacco unchallenged for Denver’s starting job. With Flacco perhaps having played his final down in Denver, the Broncos may soon enter a fifth straight offseason without quarterback stability.
Lock may need to play extremely well to deter the Broncos from considering quarterbacks in the 2020 first round. The Kansas City, Mo., native did start four seasons at Missouri, however, and was considered a borderline first-rounder leading up to this year’s draft. The Broncos were linked to Lock early in this year’s pre-draft process. He may have a five-game audition starting Sunday.
Broncos Place CB Cyrus Jones On NFI List
Cyrus Jones‘ Broncos tenure may end up including zero games. The team placed the fourth-year cornerback/return man on its reserve/NFI list on Tuesday, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. This move will end his season.
The Broncos claimed cornerback Shakial Taylor off waivers from the Colts. Jones is dealing with an illness, and the Broncos are already shorthanded at corner. Duke Dawson is in concussion protocol, and the team placed Bryce Callahan on IR earlier this month.
Denver claimed Jones off waivers from Baltimore earlier this month but did not play him Sunday in Buffalo. Given the team’s situation at corner, it’s likely Taylor will be active against the Chargers.
Jones had seen scant action on defense this season for the Ravens but remained in his primary return role. The former Patriots second-round pick played well as the Ravens’ punt returner last year but was less effective this season. Jones will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
A rookie UDFA out of Kansas, Taylor played in five games for the Colts. Most recently, he played 17 snaps in the Colts’ Week 11 win against the Jaguars. While the Jayhawks have fallen on hard times in recent years, the Broncos have enjoyed great success with corners who spent time in Lawrence. Both Chris Harris and Aqib Talib played at Kansas before becoming All-Pros in Denver.
Extra Points: Colts, Dolphins, JPP, Broncos
The Colts are expecting Devin Funchess to return soon, but head coach Frank Reich didn’t want to say anything definitive when talking with reporters on Monday.
“Yeah, we’re gonna monitor him as we go,” Reich said (via Andrew Walker of the team’s website). “You know, we’ve already talked about his injury a bunch; I mean we’ve gotta make sure that thing’s 100 percent healed, so we’ll monitor it this week and see how it goes.”
Reich did note that wideout T.Y. Hilton didn’t suffer a setback with his calf injury during Thursday’s night loss to the Texans, and he also revealed that receiver Parris Campbell could return this week from a fractured hand. Running back Marlon Mack won’t play this weekend against the Titans, according to the head coach.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…
- The Dolphins will likely be on the hunt for wide receiver help, according to ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe (via Twitter). Jakeem Grant (ankle) and Albert Wilson (rib) both suffered injuries during Sunday’s loss to the Browns, leaving the team with only two healthy receivers in DeVante Parker and Allen Hurns. Head coach Brian Flores noted that he’s uncertain if Grant or Wilson would end up missing the rest of the season due to their injuries (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald).
- Buccaneers linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul played 76-percent of his team’s defensive snaps this weekend, earning him another $600K. As Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets, the veteran has already earned $3MM in bonuses in five games, and he could earn another $3MM through his team’s final five games. Pierre-Paul has a $3MM base salary this season.
- Take this for what it’s worth, but Vic Fangio told reporters that Broncos quarterback Drew Lock could “possibly” be on the roster this Sunday and could “possibly” start vs. the Chargers (via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post on Twitter). The second-round rookie has been on the IR since September, but he was designated to return earlier this month.
- Former NFL running back Karlos Williams has signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, the team announced on Twitter. Williams ran for 517 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, but he was later slapped with three separate suspensions. The 26-year-old was reinstated from his indefinite suspension last February, and he’s finally found his next gig.
Broncos To Bench Garett Bolles?
- Vic Fangio appears ready to either bench underwhelming left tackle Garett Bolles or minimize his playing time. The Broncos’ first-year coach said Monday he’s going to shake up left tackle, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. This will be contingent on right tackle Ja’Wuan James‘ availability. Fangio said the seldom-seen free agent signing has been cleared from his latest injury, but it doesn’t look like James is a lock to return to action. He would likely play right tackle, with current right tackle Elijah Wilkinson shifting to the left side. If James returns, Bolles may be set for the first benching of his three-year career. The former first-round pick has not come especially close to living up to expectations, and the Broncos are unlikely to pick up his fifth-year option.
Latest On Broncos’ Ownership Situation
Brittany Bowlen, 29, has long been considered the favorite to succeed her father, the late Pat Bowlen, as the Broncos’ principal owner, and it seems she is well on her way towards that position. As Mike Klis of 9News.com reports, Brittany Bowlen will begin working with the team next Monday as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives.
The team did not send out a press release, but it did send an emailed response to several members of the media who had requested an update on the Broncos’ ownership situation. Brittany Bowlen’s role will including the following responsibilities:
- Overseeing various aspects of the south development project at the stadium;
- Implementing a strategy and improved process for overall fan experience;
- Collaborating with numerous departments on business analytics;
- Developing a sustainable approach to workplace culture, diversity and inclusion; and
- Monitoring industry trends and presenting recommendations for best practices.
Of course, the Broncos have been run by a trust created by Pat Bowlen in 2009, and one of the trustees, team CEO Joe Ellis, has been a de facto spokesman for the club. Ellis has repeatedly said that there is no “depth chart” as to which of Pat Bowlen’s seven children would replace him as principal owner, so this move is the first time the team has publicly acknowledged that the succession plan definitely includes Brittany Bowlen.
“Brittany is working toward earning the right to succeed her father, and this is the next step in that process,” Ellis said. “Given her work experience and depth of knowledge, we’re looking forward to Brittany returning to work for the Broncos and adding value across our organization.”
Brittany Bowlen has been working at global consulting firm McKinsey & Co. for the past 14 months, and she will initially focus on the business side of team operations, but her role is expected to eventually expand to include football operations.
Two of Pat Bowlen’s older daughters from an earlier marriage, Amie Klemmer and Beth Bowlen Wallace, have filed a petition challenging their father’s mental capacity to approve the trust, and a hearing on that matter will be heard in the spring.
Broncos Notes: Free Agents, Simmons, McManus
Broncos Hall of Fame quarterback turned president of football operations John Elway has not needed to break the bank retaining the team’s free agents over the past few years. Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post opines that this offseason may force Denver to change that approach. O’Halloran looks at every Bronco set for free agency and analyzes whether the team should try to resign them.
Veterans Chris Harris and Derek Wolfe highlight a crop that includes multiple starters and a number of main rotational pieces. At just 3-8, Denver has a lot of holes to fill, but they will have over $70MM in cap space to target more outside talent and retain the internal players they want to keep.
Here’s more from the franchise in the Mile High City:
- Regardless of how Denver handles the rest of their free-agent crop, the Broncos need to retain safety Justin Simmons, opines Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post. While the team obviously hopes to return to contention as soon as possible, the team has to wonder whether players like Harris and Wolfe will still be playing at a good enough level by the time they turn it around. Just 26 years old, Simmons fits for the franchise regardless of how long it takes them to rebuild.
- While it had little impact on the outcome of the Broncos 20-3 loss on Sunday against the Bills, kicker Brandon McManus told reporters postgame that the weather conditions in Buffalo resulted in the most difficult kick of his career, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post. With seventeen mile per hour winds at kickoff, McManus managed to make a 45-yard field goal kicking against the win, accounting for the teams only points. However, his two kickoffs against the win failed to reach the Bills ten-yard line.
Injury Notes: Ravens, Hockenson, Jones
Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce is doubtful to play in Monday Night’s game against the Rams with an ankle injury, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Peirce started Baltimore’s first nine games before going down. Veteran Domato Peko Sr. will replace Peirce in the lineup.
Also via Zrebiec, wide receiver Chris Moore, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, and offensive guard Ben Powers all remain questionable with injuries of their own. Stanley, who is dealing with an ankle issue of his own, is the only starter of the three, but he would be a substantial loss as the team’s starting right tackle. Moore has started one game this season and played sparingly, while Powers has yet to take the field.
Here’s more Saturday notes on the injury front around the NFL:
- Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson was added to the injury report as questionable with a shoulder injury, according to a team press release. The eight overall pick in this year’s draft practiced all week without any reported issues so the news comes as a surprise. Hockenson has split time at tight end this year with Jesse James, but represents a far superior pass-catching option for quarterback Jeff Driskel. Hockenson has made 26 receptions and recorded 349 yards, while James has only caught 8 of 15 targets and gained 64 yards.
- The Broncos signed cornerback Cyrus Jones last week and he was a healthy scratch against the Vikings. Even if the team wanted to activate him tomorrow, though, Jones has been ruled out with an illness, according to Aric DiLalla of Broncos.com. Jones was a second-round selection by the Patriots in 2016, but was released by New England earlier this season. He then jumped between the Ravens and Patriots practice squads before signing in Denver.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived: OL Sean Harlow
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Brandin Bryant, DE Porter Gustin
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: OLB Ahmad Gooden
- Waived: TE Orson Charles
Houston Texans
- Signed: DE Joel Heath, WR Steven Mitchell
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jason Vander Laan
- Placed on IR: WR Austin Carr
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from the practice squad: TE Tyrone Swoopes
Fangio: Lock 2019 Debut 'Not Vital'
- Brandon Allen has helped spark the Broncos‘ offense, but the team would stand to benefit from Drew Lock debuting soon. Vic Fangio added an interesting stance Wednesday, indicating he does not think it’s “vitally important” the rookie passer plays this season, via Mike Klis of 9News. However, the Broncos do plan to activate Lock from IR either next week or in Week 14, per Klis. Denver selected Lock in Round 2 but saw its Joe Flacco investment fail, leading to more uncertainty at a long-troublesome position for the franchise. The Broncos could again be linked to top quarterbacks in the 2020 draft, just as they were in 2018 and ’19.