Cardinals Bring Back DL Josh Mauro
Plenty has changed since the Cardinals last employed Josh Mauro, but the journeyman defensive lineman is headed back to Arizona to play for Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff.
The Cardinals signed Mauro off the Jaguars’ practice squad Wednesday, bringing the former Bruce Arians-era cog back to the desert. Mauro has not played yet this season, with a five-game suspension shelving him.
Mauro initially arrived in Arizona in 2014, signing with the Cards after a stay on the Steelers’ practice squad. Similar circumstances will lead him back to Arizona. The Cardinals, who let Mauro walk in free agency in 2018, placed starting defensive end Zach Allen on IR this week.
A run-stopping defensive end, Mauro was with the Cards from 2014-17. He made 26 starts under then-DC James Bettcher and followed him to New York for a one-season Giants stay in 2018. Mauro, 29, landed with the Raiders and Jaguars in the years since. Mauro has now twice been suspended for PEDs, with his first such ban coming in 2018.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/27/20
We’ll keep track of the practice squad moves from the past day here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB De’Vante Bausby
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: S Marcus Gilchrist
Carolina Panthers
- Released: CB Josh Hawkins
Chicago Bears
- Signed: WR Dwayne Harris
- Released: DT Terry Beckner
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released: CB Jalen Davis
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OT Alex Taylor
- Released: DE Jalen Jelks
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: P Hunter Niswander
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Released: T Jared Hilbers
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: QB Jordan Ta’amu
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DB Kemah Siverand
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: K Austin MacGinnis
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Marcus Sayles
- Released: LB Cale Garrett
New England Patriots
- Signed: T Jordan Steckler
- Released: G Jordan Roos
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Corey Coleman, DB Montre Hartage, TE Rysen John
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Anthony Johnson
- Released: WR Amara Darboh
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Tony Bergstrom, DL Willie Henry
- Released: CB Brian Allen, OL Cody Conway, DL Adam Shuler
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Paul Adams, LB Will Compton
Washington Football Team
- Released: DE Gerri Green, DB Manny Patterson, LB Donald Payne
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Marlon Davidson
Dallas Cowboys
- Waived: LB Rashad Smith
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from exempt/commissioner list: LB James Burgess
- Cut: OL Ben Braden
Houston Texans
- Released: RB C.J. Prosise
- Activated from exempt/commissioner list: DT Eli Ankou
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from exempt/commissioner list: DE Aaron Lynch
- Placed on IR: WR Dede Westbrook
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Johnathan Abram
New York Jets
- Claimed off waivers from Eagles: DE Daeshon Hall
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DT Hassan Ridgeway
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: DL Alex Barrett, CB Parnell Motley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived: OLB Quinton Bell
Torn ACL For Jaguars’ Dede Westbrook?
The Jaguars believe that wide receiver Dede Westbrook tore his ACL in Sunday night’s loss to the Chargers, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Westbrook will know for sure on Monday morning after an MRI scan. 
Of course, a torn ACL would sideline Westbrook for the season. The Jaguars are hoping for something less severe, though it was an ugly scene, and Westbrook was in rough shape after he was carted off of the field. The injury occurred during a kickoff return towards the end of the third quarter, capping his day after four kickoff returns (with one lost fumble) and three punt returns.
The Oklahoma product had already missed time this year, playing in just two games to date. Previously, he recorded 66 grabs in both 2018 and 2019 for an average of 699 yards and four touchdowns per slate. Westbrook was hoping to get back into the offensive mix this year — instead, it sounds like he’ll have to direct his attention towards 2021.
After the 39-29 loss to the Chargers, the Jaguars are down to 1-6 on the year. After their bye, they’ll look for win No. 2 against the Texans in Houston.
Ryquell Armstead Done For Year Due To COVID-19
For most NFL players who have tested positive for COVID-19, it has meant an absence of a game or two followed by a relatively quick return. Unfortunately that’s not going to be the case for Jaguars running back Ryquell Armstead.
Armstead is still dealing with complications from the virus and is not expected to play again this season, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. It’s a scary situation, as Schefter reports that Armstead has been hospitalized twice and has had significant respiratory issues. The same sources did say that Armstead is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2021 season, which is great news.
Obviously there are things more important than football, and thankfully it sounds like Armstead is going to be alright. After Leonard Fournette was cut it initially looked like Armstead was set to take over as Jacksonville’s starting running back, but obviously that hasn’t happened.
Instead James Robinson has taken over that role and thrived in it. A 2019 fifth-round pick out of Temple, Armstead appeared in all 16 games as a rookie with the Jags last year, starting one. He turned 35 carries into 108 yards, and added 14 receptions for another 144 and two scores. Here’s to hoping his recovery is as swift as possible.
Jags Could Bench QB Gardner Minshew
Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew has generally been a fun player to follow since he entered the league as an unheralded sixth-round pick in last year’s draft. He was surprisingly thrust into action in Week 1 of the 2019 season, and in 14 games, he threw for 21 TDs against just six interceptions and a 91.2 passer rating. Though there were some concerns, including 13 fumbles, he acquitted himself about as well as a sixth-round rookie could.
And when Jacksonville traded Nick Foles this offseason, it paved the way for Minshew to become the unquestioned starter in 2020. But after he led his team to a Week 1 win over the Colts, Minshew’s play has fallen off. His raw statistics look decent enough — he’s completed 67.5% of his passes for 11 TDs and five interceptions, good for a 94.1 QB rating — but much of his production has come with the Jaguars trailing.
Fumbling continues to be an issue, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggests that Jacksonville could bench Minshew, perhaps as soon as this afternoon’s game against the Chargers. Current backup signal-caller Mike Glennon would get the nod if that happens.
Since the 1-5 Jags are clearly not going to contend for a playoff spot — and since the soon-to-be 31-year-old Glennon is hardly the long-term answer — it would make sense for them to at least see more of Minshew before reevaluating their QB situation this offseason. But perhaps the club believes it has a good idea of what Minshew can do at this point and wants to see what it has in rookie Jake Luton, whom the team selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft.
Indeed, Rapoport says that if Jacksonville turns to Glennon today, it will then use its bye next week to determine how it wants to move forward. That would seem to be the ideal time to give Luton, a strong-armed passer from Oregon State, his shot to be this year’s Minshew.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/24/20
Here is another spree of Saturday minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: DL Trevon Coley
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: DE Austin Edwards, LB Edmond Robinson
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: LB Tyrel Dodson
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: G Mike Horton, WR Marken Michel
Chicago Bears
- Moved from IR to reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Michael Joseph
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from IR: DT Mike Daniels
- Promoted: CB Winston Rose
- Waived: DT Kahlil McKenzie
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: OL Cameron Erving
- Promoted: T Jordan Mills, C Adam Redmond
- Placed on IR: T Brandon Knight
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from IR: LB Kamal Martin
- Promoted: S Henry Black, G Ben Braden, RB Dexter Williams, DL Billy Winn
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: RB Devine Ozigbo
- Promoted: S Doug Middleton, TE Eric Saubert
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Chris Thompson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: OL Danny Isidora, WR Marcus Kemp
- Placed on IR: DL Khalen Saunders
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: CB Dylan Mabin
New England Patriots
- Promoted: LB Tashawn Bower, DT Nick Thurman
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: WR Austin Carr, OL Will Clapp, WR Juwan Johnson
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: OL Cameron Clark
- Promoted: K/P Sergio Castillo, LB Bryce Hager
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: FB Trey Edmunds, LB Jayrone Elliott
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: S Johnathan Cyprien, S Jared Mayden
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: S Dane Cruikshank
- Promoted: LB Darren Bates, OL David Quessenberry
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: WR Jeff Badet, WR Tony Brown, DT Devaroe Lawrence
- Placed on IR: OL Saahdiq Charles, WR Antonio Gandy-Golden
Jaguars Activate K Josh Lambo From IR
The Jaguars have used five kickers this season, shuffling through four in the past four weeks after Josh Lambo‘s injury. Good news for potential Jacksonville kicker stability. Lambo is back on the team’s active roster.
A hip injury sidelined Lambo after Week 2, leading the Jags on a wild ride of specialists. They used Brandon Wright in Week 3, Aldrick Rosas in Week 4, Stephen Hauschka in Week 5 and Jonathan Brown in Week 6. Lambo will replace Brown, whom the Jags cut to make room for their full-time kicker.
Brown, the Jags’ kicker since the 2017 season, will return ahead of Sunday’s game against his former team. Brown was the Chargers’ kicker from 2015-16.
The team made a few other transactions, including releasing defensive lineman Josh Mauro. While Mauro did not play a down for the Jaguars after signing with the team this offseason, the veteran had an eventful tenure. The former Cardinals, Giants and Raiders D-lineman received a five-game PED ban and landed on the Jags’ reserve/COVID-19 list.
Jacksonville also placed nose tackle Abry Jones on IR. The longest-tenured Jaguar, Jones missed Week 6 with an ankle injury. He has been with the team since the 2013 season, when he landed in north Florida as a UDFA. Jones, 29, has made 52 starts and played in 105 games with the Jaguars.
The Jags promoted tight end Ben Ellefson from their practice squad to take Jones’ place on the 53-man roster.
Aaron Lynch Unretires, Returns To Jaguars
Aaron Lynch has changed his mind on retirement. He has committed to resuming his career and is back on the Jaguars’ 53-man roster, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The former 49ers and Bears edge rusher signed with the Jags in May but opted to retire in August, doing so as the Jags lost a few defensive linemen — including Rodney Gunter and Al Woods. A six-year veteran, Lynch will provide some experience to a defensive front relying on recent first-rounders Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson. Allen missed last week’s game with an injury.
Jacksonville also lost Jabaal Sheard this week, opting to let the veteran edge rusher head to New York rather than promote him to its active roster. The Jags also have the bulk of their practice squad on the reserve/COVID-19 list, so depth is somewhat of a critical issue this week. Of course, Lynch would need to navigate the NFL’s new near-week-long bevy of coronavirus tests before returning to practice.
In four 49ers seasons and two with the Bears, Lynch has 20 career sacks and 36 tackles for loss.
Giants Sign Jabaal Sheard Off Jaguars’ Practice Squad
The Giants will bring in a big name through an unusual route. They signed Jabaal Sheard off the Jaguars’ practice squad.
Sheard has 135 games’ and 103 starts’ worth of experience and is a 10th-year veteran. The edge defender caught on with the Jaguars last week, but with the Jags opting not to keep him on their active roster, the Giants completed a poaching operation.
While Jacksonville added Sheard to its active roster and used him in 15 snaps against Detroit, the team promoted Sheard using a 2020-implemented transactional tool that allows for players to revert back to teams’ practice squads after games. Sheard is set to head to New York ahead of the Giants’ Thursday game, though COVID-19 protocols will prevent him from playing against the Eagles.
Sheard, 31, spent the past three seasons as a Colts starter. He racked up 15.5 sacks during those Indianapolis seasons. He has previously played for the Browns and Patriots, collecting a Super Bowl ring with the latter franchise. A plus run defender in the recent past, Sheard has 51.5 career sacks.
The Giants have run into injury trouble at outside linebacker. They have young rushers Oshane Ximines and Lorenzo Carter on IR. Sheard will join Markus Golden and Kyler Fackrell in a now-veteran-heavy edge-rushing corps. Sheard will take the place of linebacker Tae Crowder, whom the Giants placed on IR. The seventh-round rookie’s scoop-and-score sequence helped the Giants win their first game of the season Sunday, but a hamstring injury will shelve this year’s Mr. Irrelevant for at least three games.
Sheard’s move off Jacksonville’s practice squad comes at an interesting time. Because of practice squad offensive lineman K.C. McDermott‘s positive coronavirus test, the Jaguars placed 11 more P-squad players on their reserve/COVID-19 list. Sheard is now gone as well. With new NFL protocols forcing even asymptomatic players to be on the COVID list for at least five days, the Jaguars have a decimated practice squad at present.