Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans
The NFL now has its first teams eliminated from playoff contention. The Texans and Bears, as they essentially have been doing throughout this season, are playing for next year. Other eliminations will soon follow, as the league’s playoff picture heats up.
Through that lens, the 2023 draft order will become an increasingly more pertinent topic. The 2023 draft will present an interesting subplot near its outset. Traded picks are set to produce early selections for the Seahawks, Lions and Eagles. Each of those picks currently land in the top five, as the teams on the other end of those trades — the Broncos, Rams and Saints — have disappointed, spectacularly so in Los Angeles and Denver’s cases.
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 would look entering Week 14:
* = Denotes playoff team
The 2023 first round will resemble 2008 and 2016, when the Patriots were docked their Round 1 pick for their respective “gate” scandals. This year’s Dolphins saga never developed “gate” status, but the team lost a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-rounder due to the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering case. Thus, a 31-pick first round will commence.
While the Broncos, Rams and Browns lost their first-round picks due to trades for quarterbacks, the Saints passed theirs to the Eagles in this year’s pre-draft trade that allowed New Orleans a path toward moving up for Chris Olave. The No. 16 pick which was initially transferred from the Colts to the Eagles in 2021’s Carson Wentz trade was then moved to the Saints, netting Philadelphia a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second.
Saints running back Mark Ingram has likely seen his 2022 season come to an end, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The soon-to-be 33-year-old is set to tie a ribbon on his lowest single season of production in 12 seasons of NFL play.
Ingram suffered a slight MCL tear in the team’s Monday night loss to the Buccaneers. The injury usually requires a recovery period of around four to six weeks. With five weeks remaining in the season, it’s extremely unlikely that Ingram will find his way back to the field in the regular season. Despite the Saints currently sitting at last place in the NFC South at 4-9, they are only 2.5 games behind the first-place Buccaneers (6-6). If they can win some games and catch some good luck in the form of losses by their division rivals, New Orleans could still find itself in the playoffs as the NFC South champion. Otherwise, Ingram’s 2022 season is likely concluded.
Ingram returned to his longtime home of New Orleans after two years in Baltimore and half a season in Houston, accepting his No. 2 role in the lineup behind star running back Alvin Kamara. Ingram has served as a reliable second option in the backfield for the Saints, who will now have to turn to Dwayne Washington to fill that role.
Here are a few other injury rumors from around the league, starting with an MVP candidate looking to keep a strong season going:
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
Houston Texans
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ellefson came off IR just last week and did not play in the Vikings’ matchup against the Jets. A nagging groin injury will send the third-year tight end back to IR. Although the new IR rules allow for players to be activated twice from IR, Minnesota’s injury-return math may come into play by the time Ellefson’s second activation window opens (Week 18).
In Darden, Browns snagged the NFL’s punt-return yards leader. The 2021 Bucs fourth-rounder has not seen much action on offense, with Tampa Bay oozing experience at the receiver position. But he has been Tampa Bay’s primary punt returner. Darden has totaled 330 punt-return yards this season. A 2021 third-round pick, Schwartz sustained a concussion that has sent him to IR. Ragland has spent the past month on the Raiders’ taxi squad. The Browns are the former second-round pick’s fifth team in four seasons; the ex-Jets draftee was with the Chiefs, Lions and Giants from 2019-21. After losing Anthony Walker and Jacob Phillips earlier this year, the Browns moved Sione Takitaki to IR with an ACL tear this week.
A rotational cog for the Saints, Colts and Chiefs during his five-year career, Stallworth played only 14% of Kansas City’s defensive snaps this season. He committed a third-down roughing-the-passer penalty during a Bengals touchdown drive in Week 13. The Texans had already used one of their injury activations on Dwumfour; the 1-10-1 team has three remaining. Greenard, who led the 2021 Texans with eight sacks, has been on the shelf since going down with a calf injury in an October practice.
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
Denver Broncos
Las Vegas Raiders
New York Jets
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
New Orleans Saints
Philadelphia Eagles
Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tennessee Titans
Prior to waiving Stevenson, the Bills activated the second-year wide receiver from IR, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The procedural move would allow Stevenson — should he clear waivers — to return to Buffalo on a practice squad agreement. This will still count toward Buffalo’s eight injury activations, but the team still has six remaining. A 2021 sixth-round pick, Stevenson combined for 21 punt- and kick-return reps as a rookie.
The Eagles placed Robert Quinn on IR on Tuesday but will have a reinforcement in Robinson, a 2021 Vikings fourth-round pick. The Eagles signed Robinson off the Vikings’ practice squad in mid-September. He has yet to play in an NFL game.
A former franchise-tagged player, Harris was unable to carve out much of a role in Denver. The ex-Vikings and Eagles starter only played in three games for the Broncos, who signed him just before the season. Despite having a six-INT season on his resume, the 31-year-old defender did not play a defensive snap with the Broncos.
While the 49ers appear hesitant to thrust Baker Mayfield into their Super Bowl push, the defending champions may not allow them that opportunity. The Rams are considering a Mayfield claim, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets.
Internal dialogue is “definitely” taking place among the Rams, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). Los Angeles holds the No. 4 waiver priority, and Fowler adds expectations point to the Texans, Bears and Broncos — the three teams ahead of the Rams — passing on a claim. Mayfield-Rams buzz is circulating around the league, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. A report earlier Tuesday indicated Houston, which used its top waiver status to claim Eno Benjamin and Amari Rodgers, is not believed to be interested.
This does represent an anticlimactic scenario, at least compared to how such a move would look in every other Sean McVay-led Rams campaign. Through 12 games, the 3-9 team has the worst record a Super Bowl champion has compiled to this point. No Super Bowl champ has finished with fewer than six wins in a non-strike-shortened season. The Rams adding Mayfield to potentially raise their floor would be a somewhat sobering development, considering where both sides were this offseason.
Then again, a McVay-Mayfield partnership — a setup the latter would be “ready to roll” with, per Fowler — does intrigue. Matthew Stafford is on IR, and the Rams have used both John Wolford and Bryce Perkins as relief options. Losses have stacked up regardless of the quarterback, and the team has a few nationally televised windows remaining. Stafford, who is signed through 2026 via the $40MM-per-year extension he inked this offseason, is almost certainly done for the year.
Mayfield, 27, is ticketed for free agency in March. Then again, he would make it there if no one claims him today. Gauging his fit in McVay’s system would also be interesting through a longer-term lens, as the former Heisman winner’s value has cratered since his 2021 shoulder injury. Mayfield has gone from a player potentially in line for a big-ticket Browns extension to one traded in the Deshaun Watson aftermath — after an injury-plagued 2021 slate — and a passer barreling toward the worst single-season QBR figure since Jimmy Clausen 12 years ago. A Rams pairing and the chance to work with McVay would at least allow Mayfield the opportunity to rebound ahead of free agency.
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
Denver Broncos
Detroit Lions
New England Patriots
Dobbs’ arrival in Detroit comes not long after he visited the Lions on a workout. The journeyman will provide depth behind starter Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld on the taxi squad, after the Bears signed Tim Boyle to their active roster last week.
One of many injuries the Broncos have had to deal with in 2022 is the ACL tear suffered by linebacker Aaron Patrick during an October Monday Night Football game against the Chargers. That came as a result of a collision between the special teamer and a member of an ESPN TV crew member, and has now led to legal action being taken.
DECEMBER 4: Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports hears that an in-season firing is unlikely. Jones observes that Hackett has not lost the support of his locker room, and while he will need to win a few games down the stretch to have a chance to keep his job, the Broncos’ new ownership appears willing to give him that opportunity.
NOVEMBER 29: After the warning signs that emerged during Nathaniel Hackett‘s Week 1 outing, the first-year Broncos HC has not recovered. One-and-done rumors have engulfed him for several weeks. The Broncos enter Week 13 with one of the worst scoring offenses in recent NFL history.
The team is riding its second three-game losing streak, with this one including losses to the sub-.500 Raiders and Panthers, and is averaging 14.3 points per game. Although six more games remain, the Broncos continuing on this pace would group them with the 2018 Cardinals, 2016 Rams and 2012 Chiefs. No other team has averaged fewer 14.3 points per game over the past decade. These three organizations canned their head coaches — Steve Wilks, Jeff Fisher and Romeo Crennel, respectively — during or after those seasons.
This stunning season will almost certainly lead to Hackett’s ouster, and execs informed Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post it is likely Hackett will be canned before season’s end. This could give the Broncos a chance to evaluate Ejiro Evero as an interim coach, potentially with an eye on the first-time defensive coordinator sticking around beyond 2022.
The Broncos have Evero on their radar as a potential Hackett replacement, though it would be rather strange if the team that has underwhelmed to this degree went with a current staffer to replace Hackett. Evero and Hackett have been close since being college teammates 20-plus years ago, but the former has been a well-regarded assistant as well. Evero, 41, spent the past five seasons on Sean McVay‘s Rams staff and has helmed a Broncos defense that has kept the team in most of its games. Denver ranks third in total defense and points allowed.
Hackett has both brought in a game management assistant after several September gaffes — highlighted by the bizarre decision to settle for a 64-yard field goal in Week 1 — and turned over play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak. The Broncos have failed to score 17 points since making the latter change. The team, which has been without several offensive starters in recent weeks, also leads the league in penalties.
While 13 teams this century have fired a coach after one season, only the Jaguars last year axed their first-year HC during the season. (Bobby Petrino did not finish his first Falcons campaign, but that situation involved the former college coach accepting an Arkansas offer in December 2007.) Jacksonville fired Urban Meyer on Dec. 16, 2021, 13 games into his season. It would be strange to see Hackett grouped with Meyer, whose scandal-filled Jags tenure led to the early ouster, but the Broncos traded a bounty for Russell Wilson and have somehow declined considerably on offense.
Denver had Kevin O’Connell and Dan Quinn as its other HC finalists this year, and La Canfora adds GM George Paton‘s ties to Quinn may keep him in the mix. Quinn was an early frontrunner for the Denver HC post, but Hackett emerged instead. It would be interesting to see if the Cowboys DC would go through another interview process with a team that passed on him so recently. But it is a near-certainty at this point another Broncos coaching search — under new ownership — will commence in 2023.