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Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/22

December 24th, 2022 at 6:52pm CST by Ely Allen

Following the Saturday slate of games, we still have four more games this week. Here are the minor moves leading up to the three Sunday games on Christmas Day:

Arizona Cardinals

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

Murphy has missed the last five games for the Cardinals while dealing with a back issue, so while it’s not necessarily a further setback for Arizona, the transaction indicates that Murphy will miss the rest of the season before going into free agency. With Murphy absent, the Cardinals have started veteran Antonio Hamilton across from Marco Wilson.

Since losing starting running back Javonte Williams to injured reserve and waiving Melvin Gordon, the Broncos have utilized a combination of Marlon Mack, Latavius Murray, and a pinch of Edmonds. Edmonds was sent to Denver in a trade that sent star pass rusher Bradley Chubb to Miami. He only recorded four rushing attempts in two games with the Broncos before being placed on IR with an ankle injury. Edmonds will return to help back up Murray and Mack in the team’s final three games of the season.

Former Broncos RB Ronnie Hillman Dies At 31

December 22nd, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Sam Robinson

Ronnie Hillman, a former running back who led the 2015 Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning team in rushing, has died. He was 31.

Hillman’s family announced his passing Thursday morning. Former teammates Orlando Franklin and Derek Wolfe, respectively, said the five-year NFL veteran entered hospice care this week after a bout with liver cancer and pneumonia. Hillman was diagnosed with renal medullary carcinoma, a disease that is “a rare but highly aggressive neoplasm form of cancer that primarily affects young African Americans with sickle cell trait,” Troy Renck of Denver7 writes.

The Broncos drafted Hillman in the third round out of San Diego State in 2012. The selection came when Hillman was just 20. He had declared for the draft after totaling 3,243 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns as an Aztecs underclassman. A Long Beach, Calif., native, Hillman played in Snoop Dogg’s youth football league and had said that time allowed him to shape his focus toward a football career. Despite only playing two years at San Diego State, Hillman remains fifth on the school’s all-time rushing list.

After Hillman had totaled 573 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns for a 12-4 Denver team in 2014, new head coach Gary Kubiak installed the 5-foot-9 speed back as his starter midway through the following season. Hillman amassed 863 rushing yards and seven touchdowns in his fourth NFL season, teaming with C.J. Anderson to form a solid ground attack for the eventual Super Bowl-winning team. Hillman surpassed 100 rushing yards four times in 2015, including a 117-yard season finale that helped the Broncos secure home-field advantage.

Following the expiration of his rookie contract, Hillman finished his career in an eight-game 2016 season — spent with the Vikings and Chargers — before retiring. His death comes barely a year after Broncos teammate Demaryius Thomas died at age 33.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/22

December 21st, 2022 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

December 21st, 2022 at 10:18am CST by Sam Robinson

Christmas Day’s Broncos-Rams matchup will pit two of the league’s most disappointing teams against one another, and the Seahawks and Lions will have a vested interest in this contest. The loser of this game will give one of the latter teams — via the Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford trades — a better chance of landing a top-three pick in next year’s draft.

At 1-12-1, the Texans are cruising home. The Bears are on their heels, potentially set to become the team that selects the 2023 draft’s first non-quarterback. But eight four- or five-win teams reside behind these two, providing some intrigue for fanbases whose squads are not moving toward the playoffs.

The NFC South’s plunge toward becoming perhaps the worst division in NFL history carries draft stakes as well. The Falcons, Saints and Panthers each have five wins, and Atlanta, Carolina and Philadelphia (via the Saints’ pre-draft trade this year) would see those picks land in the top 10 as of now. The division-leading Buccaneers would see their draft slot check in no higher than 19th. Should one of Tampa Bay’s challengers vault the current first-place team in the standings, the Bucs would see their 2023 first-round slot rise considerably.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order looks entering Week 16:

  1. Houston Texans: 1-12-1
  2. Chicago Bears: 3-11
  3. Detroit Lions (via Rams)
  4. Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
  5. Arizona Cardinals: 4-10
  6. Indianapolis Colts: 4-9-1
  7. Atlanta Falcons: 5-9
  8. Carolina Panthers: 5-9
  9. Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
  10. Las Vegas Raiders: 6-8
  11. Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-8
  12. Houston Texans (via Browns)
  13. Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-8
  14. Green Bay Packers: 6-8
  15. Seattle Seahawks: 7-7
  16. New England Patriots: 7-7
  17. New York Jets: 7-7
  18. Detroit Lions: 7-7
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-8
  20. Tennessee Titans: 7-7
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-6-1
  22. Los Angeles Chargers: 8-6
  23. New York Giants: 8-5-1
  24. Baltimore Ravens: 9-5
  25. Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)
  26. Dallas Cowboys: 10-4
  27. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-4
  28. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-3
  29. Minnesota Vikings: 11-3
  30. Buffalo Bills: 11-3
  31. Philadelphia Eagles: 13-1

Next year’s draft will feature a 31-pick first round. The Dolphins’ penalty for the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering scandal cost them their 2023 first-round choice.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/20/22

December 20th, 2022 at 7:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: QB James Morgan
  • Released: QB Carson Strong

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: G Parker Ferguson, DB Devon Key
  • Released: LB Harvey Langi

Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DT Jarrod Hewitt

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/20/22

December 20th, 2022 at 7:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

  • Signed off Chiefs practice squad: LB Elijah Lee
  • Designated for return: RB Khalil Herbert (story)
  • Released: CB Justin Layne

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Caleb Huntley suffered a season-ending Achilles injury this past weekend, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The injury is expected to require surgery. The Falcons RB made his NFL this season and has collected 369 yards from scrimmage.

While Russell Wilson is expected to start for the Broncos on Christmas, the Broncos still decided to promote a third QB to the roster in Jarrett Guarantano. According to Troy Renck of Denver7 (on Twitter), there was enough interest from other teams (including the Cardinals) for the Broncos to decide to promote the rookie. The UDFA out of Washington State had his first professional gig with the Cardinals before catching on with the Broncos.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/19/22

December 19th, 2022 at 7:26pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Broncos Do Not Plan To Shut Down Russell Wilson

December 19th, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Sam Robinson

DECEMBER 19: When speaking to the media after Sunday’s win over the Cardinals, Hackett praised the play of Rypien (who finished with 197 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception and one fumble lost). Still, he confirmed that Wilson will be back under center next week when the Broncos take on the Rams as they look for positives in a lost season.

DECEMBER 16: Russell Wilson will miss his second game of the season — and just the fifth of his 11-year career — on Sunday. The Broncos will sit the high-priced quarterback due to the concussion he sustained against the Chiefs.

Although Wilson has battled multiple injuries prior to the concussion he suffered during a scramble, the team does not plan to him down for the season. Wilson will play against the Rams on Christmas Day, Nathaniel Hackett said.

Denver fell to 3-10 in Week 14, matching the franchise’s worst 13-game record since 2010. While the team’s Christmas opponent — the Rams — are almost certainly shutting down their starter (Matthew Stafford, who had two concussion protocol stints recently), Wilson said he lobbied to return against the Cardinals this week. He cleared concussion protocol Friday, and the discussion on redeploying him so soon involved GM George Paton and ownership over the past three days, Troy Renck of Denver7 adds (via Twitter).

Brett Rypien will make his second start this season. The Broncos lost their emergency quarterback two weeks ago, when the 49ers signed Josh Johnson off their practice squad. Rookie UDFA Jarrett Guarantano, signed to Denver’s practice squad after Johnson’s return to San Francisco, will be elevated to be Rypien’s backup before Saturday’s transaction deadline. The Broncos will face backup quarterbacks in each of the next two weeks, in Colt McCoy and, in all likelihood, Baker Mayfield.

Although Wilson’s three touchdown passes and 57 rushing yards against the Chiefs showed signs of improvement, this has been easily the worst season of his career. The 34-year-old passer sits 27th in QBR after ranking 10th even in a 2021 season marred by a finger injury. Any dramatic swing in Wilson’s play will likely be tabled until next season, when the Broncos should be expected to have a new offensive coaching staff in place. The Broncos have Wilson signed through 2028, via the five-year, $245MM extension he inked in August.

Broncos Activate OLB Randy Gregory, RT Billy Turner

December 17th, 2022 at 7:19pm CST by Adam La Rose

Week 15 will mark the return date for one key Broncos player on each side of the ball. The team announced on Saturday that edge rusher Randy Gregory and right tackle Billy Turner have been activated from IR.

[RELATED: Broncos Place Dre’Mont Jones On IR]

The move comes as little surprise, since the pair were designated for return earlier this week. That opened up their respective 21-day windows to be activated, and will allow them to play a role in the closing stages of what has been a lost season in the Mile High City.

Gregory’s arrival in Denver was a main talking point in the offseason, after he signed with the Broncos on a five-year, $70MM deal. That, in turn, came after a contract of identical length and value which would have kept him with the Cowboys fell through, something which greatly affected his former team’s outlook on the position during the spring. He was able to get healthy in time for the beginning of his first campaign with the Broncos.

That stretch lasted less than four full games, however, as the 30-year-old suffered a knee injury against the Raiders in early October. He has been sidelined ever since, interrupting what had been a promising start to his Broncos career; Gregory notched two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in the early portion of the season. The team’s defense has remained elite in several categories in his absence, though a return to the form he showed in the fall would provide a significant boost to a Denver edge rush which ranks mid-pack in sacks and no longer includes Bradley Chubb.

Turner, meanwhile, suffered a knee injury of his own in November, and was expected to miss considerable time as a result of it. His absence further compounded the myriad injuries Denver has dealt with along the offensive line in general, and the right tackle position in particular. Cameron Fleming has occupied that spot in Turner’s absence, and head coach Nathaniel Hackett said yesterday that a decision has not been made whether it will be he or Calvin Anderson manning the blindside with Turner back in his familiar RT role. A pending free agent, the latter would be well-suited to have a healthy and effective close to the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22

December 17th, 2022 at 5:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Promoted: C Brock Hoffman

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

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