We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
Indianapolis Colts
Minnesota Vikings
New Orleans Saints
New York Giants
Oakland Raiders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A host of players began practice after being designated on IR or another off-roster list by their respective teams. The Chiefs could soon see Daniel Sorensen back in action, and the AFC’s other top contender through seven games may have the services of a secondary cog as well.
Duke Dawson returned to Patriots practice on Wednesday, veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. The Patriots selected Dawson in the second round this year but placed him on IR due to a hamstring injury that appears to be healed to the point the former Florida Gator can practice.
The rookie was in the mix to become New England’s slot cornerback early in camp but now may be back as depth for the Pats’ defensive third level. Jonathan Jones has served as the Pats’ slot defender this season. Five corners — including rookie seventh-rounder Keion Crossen and rookie UDFA J.C. Jackson — and now-hybrid performer Jason McCourty reside on New England’s active roster.
One of the Colts’ second-round picks this year, defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis, returned to practice as well, Balzer adds. A foot injury sent Lewis to IR. He was one of four second-round picks the Colts made in April.
Also back at practice are Jets safety Rontez Miles, who was on the team’s PUP list, and Redskins cornerback Joshua Holsey, whom the team previously placed on its NFI list.
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
Atlanta Falcons
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Denver Broncos
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Kansas City Chiefs
Los Angeles Rams
Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Kai Forbath, Cairo Santos, and Taylor Bertolet are among the kickers working out for the Colts on Tuesday, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). One of these players may wind up filling in for Adam Vinatieri as he recovers from a groin issue.
Vinatieri’s status for Sunday’s game is murky, so the Colts want to have a kicker at the ready in case he is unable to suit up. After Vinatieri missed two extra point tries against the Bills – something he hadn’t done before in his 23-year career – the Colts probably don’t want to trot him out there if he’s still hurt.
“We just know he felt a little something on the first PAT, so we are just going to see how the week progresses,” head coach Frank Reich said this week (via Michael Marot of The Associated Press). “We’re going to bring in some kickers, just so you guys know, but we are not going to make any decisions until later.”
Forbath and Santos offer extensive NFL experience, while the 25-year-old Bertolet is still waiting for his first kick in a real NFL game.
The Cowboys are not the only team interested in acquiring Raiders receiver Amari Cooper, as the Colts and Redskins have also reached out regarding the pass-catcher’s availability, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Oakland head coach Jon Gruden is seemingly willing to trade any player on the club’s current roster, so it’s not surprising that Cooper — the fourth overall selection in the 2015 draft — is reportedly available. The Raiders are seeking a first-round pick in exchange for Cooper, but there’s no indication they’ll be able to garner such a selection, especially given the 24-year-old’s disappointing 2018 campaign. Through six games, Cooper has managed only 22 receptions for 280 yards and a single score.
The Colts don’t have much depth behind T.Y. Hilton, as Chester Rogers, Ryan Grant, Zach Pascal, and the recently-signed Dontrelle Inman represent Indianapolis’ wideout depth chart. The Redskins, too, are in dire straits at wider receiver despite currently carrying seven pass-catchers on their roster. Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson are not expected to play today against the Cowboys, leaving Washington with Josh Doctson, Maurice Harris, Brian Quick, Jehu Chesson, and Michael Floyd.
Any club that acquires Cooper will take on the remainder of his 2018 base salary, which, depending on when he is hypothetically traded, would amount to roughly $2MM. Thanks to his fifth-year option, Cooper is also under contract for 2019 at a rate $13.924MM, but that total is guaranteed for injury only.
Although the AFC South has seen repeat champions this decade, the division’s post-Peyton Manning years have not produced a similar perpetual frontrunner. This season’s unfolding on a familiar course.
Going into Week 7, three AFC South teams — the Jaguars, Titans and Texans — are 3-3. The Colts probably have the division’s best quarterback, but they’re 1-5 and on a rebuilding track. This could be shaping up to be a complicated race as we enter the midseason stretch.
Jacksonville came into the season as the division’s favorite, but the past two games — when the Chiefs and Cowboys combined to outscore the Jaguars 70-21 — leave this division more in doubt than it looked entering October. With Blake Bortles‘ inconsistency continuing into his fifth season, the Jags continue to depend on their defense. But that unit’s not quite on the unassailable perch on which it hovered last season — when a group housing mostly the same personnel led the league in DVOA.
That metric still has this Jaguar defense sitting fifth, but will a merely good defense be enough to lift a Bortles-led offense that doesn’t have much in the way of weaponry? (Though, a Leonard Fournette–Carlos Hyde backfield may look formidable if Fournette can shake off his hamstring injury.) The Jags already lost at home to the Titans and now has the Texans coming to town in what will be a pivotal spot for both teams.
When I examined this division’s similar outlook around the midway point last season, Deshaun Watson was days away from the ACL tear that sank the Texans. He’s off his stratospheric pace from last year, which was to be expected, but has absorbed by far the most sacks (25) and hits (65) any quarterback’s sustained this season. Houston did not outfit its franchise centerpiece with a strong offensive line, and Watson doesn’t have much in the way of a running game, either.
The Texans will need to improve in these areas to be a legitimate AFC contender, but they have won three straight and again have the services of a healthy J.J. Watt, who is putting together a defensive player of the year case and leading a top-10 DVOA unit.
Tennessee’s probably trudging into Week 7 on the lowest note of this division’s contenders, having completed a historically futile effort in Baltimore. Marcus Mariota took 11 sacks, tied for the second-most in NFL history, despite his first-string line being fully available. The fourth-year quarterback has not built on the strong performance he delivered to help the Titans to an overtime win over the Eagles. He’s thrown two touchdown passes this season, is averaging only 158.3 passing yards per game and is 23rd in Total QBR.
The Titans have struggled to replace Delanie Walker‘s reliable presence, and their Dion Lewis–Derrick Henry tandem has sputtered (neither averages more than 3.3 yards per carry) thus far, putting Mariota in a tough spot Sunday in London and running the risk of the Titans falling below .500 after a 3-1 start.
Andrew Luck‘s return should be viewed as the top positive takeaway for the Colts, whose roster didn’t indicate they were especially interested in 2018 contention. Can they rebound and mount something of a challenge in a division without a current winning record, or are they stampeding toward another high draft choice?
It’s obviously still early in the season, but is one of these teams about to separate from the competition and become the kind of contender that can challenge the Patriots or Chiefs? The Jags already beat the Pats, but the latter has obviously proven far more as a perpetual AFC contender and will be treated as such despite the Week 2 result.
So, who has the best chance of putting together a run in the South? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your views in the comments section.
Chris Ballard‘s operational style through two offseasons has the Colts in rebuilding mode. They possess the second-most cap space ($51MM) and are projected to hold an NFL-high $126MM in 2019. However, the Colts are 1-5 and may be set for their worst two-year stretch since the Jim Harbaugh-to-Peyton Manning transition produced six wins between the 1997-98 seasons. Ownership isn’t wavering on the Ballard hire, though, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. Ballard’s been intent on building from within, with Keefer pointing out the Colts were never a serious Le’Veon Bell trade contender nor were they going to entertain a Dez Bryant signing. Only one defensive starter, Clayton Geathers, remains from the Ryan Grigson era. Although, especially during T.Y. Hilton‘s absence, the Colts have been reeling at wideout. They let Donte Moncrief walk and didn’t address the position when promising rookie Deon Cain was lost for the season, so the GM deserves some blame for the state of this spot, Keefer adds.
It will be interesting to see if Ballard deviates from his methods when the Colts begin working with that staggering amount of cap space come 2019. Here’s the latest from other South locales:
The final injury reports for Week 7 came out earlier today, and there was a lot of news. Lots of key players will be missing their team’s games, while others will be returning after extended absence. One notable rule-out was the Patriots declaring that starting right tackle Marcus Cannon would miss their game against the Bears. It’s a big loss for New England, especially in a week where they have to go up against Khalil Mack. Mack will now be lining up across from a backup tackle, and could end up making life miserable for Tom Brady.
Here are more injury updates from around the league:
For a rundown of every team’s injury situation, you can view all 32 injury reports over at ProFootballTalk.com.
Here are today’s practice squad moves, with a trio of wide receivers on the move:
Buffalo Bills
Cincinatti Bengals
Indianapolis Colts