Patrick Mahomes Ruled Out Vs. Packers
Patrick Mahomes will not suit up on Sunday night against the Packers. Coach Andy Reid confirmed that Matt Moore will get the start in place of Mahomes.
There remains no timetable for the MVP to return to the field. While there were fears that he may miss the season, it appears that Mahomes will return to the lineup at some point over the next few weeks.
Moore completed 10-of-19 passes in relief of Mahomes last week for the Chiefs. He accumulated 117 passing yards. Kyle Shurmur is the back-up to Moore.
AFC Notes: Dareus, Broncos, Green, Chiefs, Darnold
Marcell Dareus will undergo surgery today to repair a core muscle injury, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The defensive lineman is expected to miss 4-6 weeks for Jaguars.
Here’s more around the AFC:
- Broncos coach Vic Fangio said it was “possible” that CB Bryce Callahan will miss the rest of the season, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets. Callaham underwent stem cell treatment on his foot last month and the original projection was 4-to-6 weeks.
- A.J. Green did not practice today for the Bengals and isn’t expected to play against the Rams in London, Ben Baby of ESPN.com tweets. LT Cordy Glenn will also not play in the contest.
- DE Frank Clark (neck), DT Chris Jones (groin), LB Darron Lee (illness) and CB Kendall Fuller (thumb) all missed practice for the Chiefs today, Herbie Teope of Kansas City.com tweets. Patrick Mahomes is practicing again for the second-straight day.
- Sam Darnold was limited in practice today, Brian Costello of the New York Post relays (Twitter link). Darnold was a non-participant for the Jets on Wednesday because of a toe ailment.
Chiefs Designate QB Chad Henne For Return
Per a team announcement, the Chiefs have designated quarterback Chad Henne for return from injured reserve. The news does not come as much of a surprise. Henne, who suffered a broken ankle in the preseason, was reportedly nearing a return to the field.
Whether Henne will actually see game action may be more likely than previously expected. Henne was slated as the team’s backup quarterback, behind Patrick Mahomes, before the season, but when he suffered a broken ankle, the they shifted to Matt Moore.
The quarterback in Kansas City has a lot of question marks at the moment given the uncertain status of Mahomes, who dislocated his kneecap last week. The team has said that Moore will take the majority of first-team reps while Mahomes tries to work his way back. If Mahomes is unable to go this Sunday, Henne could serve as Moore’s backup.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Returns To Practice
Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes has returned to practice for the Chiefs, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. This comes just six days after Mahomes left Kansas City’s Thursday night game with a dislocated kneecap. 
As one of the most transcendent players in the NFL since becoming the Chiefs starter in 2018, Mahomes’ status has massive implications for the AFC playoff picture. Andy Reid revealed that backup quarterback Matt Moore would take the majority of first-team reps, but was unwilling to rule Mahomes out for Sunday’s matchup against the Packers.
Mahomes currently leads the league in a number of key passing categories and has been an integral part of the Chiefs 5-2 start. Throughout the start of the season, Mahomes had been playing through an ankle injury and some had called for Kansas City to rest him in last Thursday’s matchup against Denver. Instead, Mahomes went down when in a rather unprecedented development, his kneecap was dislocated during a quarterback sneak.
Many around the league were worried that Mahomes would miss an extended period of time. While it is unclear whether he will able to return by this Sunday, it is still a good sign that Kansas City will be able to welcome him back to the field soon.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/22/19
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: Demone Harris
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Braxton Miller
Houston Texans
- Signed: DT Javier Edwards
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: LB Sutton Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT Braxton Hoyett
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Penny Hart
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- Suspended four games: DT Terry Beckner
Chiefs Release De’Anthony Thomas
The Chiefs released wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas, according to a team announcement. In a related move, quarterback Kyle Shurmur was promoted to the 53-man roster. 
Thomas spent the last five years with the Chiefs, but his 2018 season was brought to a screeching halt after he broke his leg. Then, in January, an arrest for marijuana possession hurt his free agency stock. Before all of that, Thomas saw time both as a returner and receiver for KC. After some time away, he circled back to the club in August, but only managed 4.2 yards per punt return, well below his career average of 8.8 yards per attempt.
Shurmur, the son of Giants head coach Pat Shurmur, surpassed Jay Cutler as Vanderbilt’s all-time leader in passing yards and completions before leaving school. He’ll help backstop the Chiefs as they await the return of Patrick Mahomes. In the interim, KC will use Matt Moore as their starter.
2019 NFL Cap Space, By Team
With eight days to go before the 2019 trade deadline, here’s a look at the cap space possessed by each team, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter):
1. Colts: $43.5M
2. Browns: $32.9M
3. Dolphins: $28M
4. Bills: $24.7M
5. Cowboys: $24M
6. Titans: $23.7
7. Chiefs: $23.1M
8. Raiders: $22.4M
9. Eagles: $22.2M
10. Texans: $21.6M
11. Lions: $18.9M
12. Bears: $17M
13. 49ers: $14.4M
14. Panthers: $14.2M
15. Bengals: $13.6M
16. Redskins: $13.5M
17. Jaguars: $10.3M
18. Broncos: $10M
19. Packers: $9.5M
20. Seahawks: $7.8M
21. Buccaneers: $6.5M
22. Jets: $6.1M
23. Rams: $4.6M
24. Cardinals: $4.1M
25. Chargers: $4.1M
26. Steelers: $3.4M
27. Patriots: $2.5M
28. Giants: $2.2M
29. Ravens: $2.1M
30. Saints: $1.9M
31. Falcons: $1.7M
32. Vikings: $623K
Ramsey Fallout: Ravens, Chiefs, Coughlin
Jalen Ramsey returned to action Sunday, and the Rams snapped their losing skid. Here is the latest on how Ramsey got to Los Angeles, and other franchises’ involvement, courtesy of SI.com’s Albert Breer.
- In addition to the Eagles’ offer of first- and second-round picks, the Ravens resided as a Ramsey finalist, Breer notes. Baltimore and Philadelphia were the top runners-up for the All-Pro cornerback. One reason the Jaguars preferred the Rams‘ offer, other than the first-round picks coming their way: a desire for a “clean” trade that did not come with the Jags parting with draft capital in a pick-swap-style exchange. The Rams agreed to these terms, and it’s unclear if the other teams did. The Ravens were on Ramsey’s list, but hours before the Rams won the pursuit, Baltimore acquired Marcus Peters from the Rams to help facilitate the deal.
- Both the Chiefs and Raiders were also on Ramsey’s list. While the two AFC West teams were previously reported as meeting with Ramsey’s approval, the Chiefs were not a serious contender to land him. However, it appears they wanted to be. Kansas City would have preferred to be in the Ramsey mix, but no Jacksonville call came as the process progressed, per Breer. The Jags expected the Chiefs’ draft picks to be too low for their liking, perhaps pointing to the Chiefs as being the team that initially offered two first-rounders. It’s unclear if the Raiders were a serious bidder.
- Ramsey’s issues with the Jaguars‘ front office were all about Tom Coughlin, Breer notes. The third-year executive VP has been known to ruffle feathers, and the old-school leader made comments about certain Jaguars’ lack of attendance at offseason workouts. The Jags informed Ramsey over the summer they would not extend him in 2019, though Breer adds that he was fine playing out this season on his rookie deal. However, the fourth-year cornerback said the last straw was a contentious meeting after the Week 2 Texans game. Coughlin was not with the Jaguars when they drafted Ramsey in 2016.
Injury Updates: Green, Mahomes, Newton
It doesn’t look like A.J. Green is going anywhere. Despite Bengals head coach Zac Taylor insisting that the team would not trade its injured star prior to the October 29 deadline, there was still plenty of speculation that Cincinnati would make a deal if it got the right offer. But Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Green, who returned to practice on a limited basis earlier this month, will not be ready to play until after the deadline.
Green is progressing nicely in his return, per Schefter, but the Bengals want to ensure a complete recovery before bringing him back, which makes it sound as though they have every intention of re-signing him this offseason (and, as Ben Baby of ESPN.com tweets, it’s an interesting contrast to the dispute between Cincinnati and Cordy Glenn). So if your team is looking for a WR upgrade, you can probably go ahead and scratch Green off your wish list.
Now for two more high-profile injury updates:
- Ian Rapoport of NFLcom (video link) has positive news on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Per RapSheet, surgery (even in the offseason) has not been discussed, which contradicts a report from several days ago. Rapoport says Mahomes will miss at least the next three games, which means he will be sidelined for matchups against the Packers, Vikings, and Titans. Then, Kansas City travels to Mexico City for a game against the Chargers, and as Matt Miller of Bleacher Report observes, the field surface at Estadio Azteca could be questionable (Twitter link). The Chiefs have a bye after their sojourn across the border, so, in keeping with the earlier reports, it seems like a Week 13 return against the Raiders is the safest bet. Schefter says Mahomes could be back even sooner than the three-week minimum that Rapoport detailed, though that would seem like a very risk move on the Chiefs’ part. Luckily, Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star tweets that Mahomes’ visit for a second opinion went well, though Teope does not offer a timeline for the star QB’s return.
- The Panthers are perfectly content for Cam Newton to take as much time as necessary to recover from his foot injury given that the club is 4-0 under backup Kyle Allen. Carolina is on a bye this week, and Newton is expected to return to the practice field in the coming days, but Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the team has not yet begun to discuss the QB situation, even privately. That means that, as long as Allen keeps performing, he may keep playing, which is consistent with reports from last week. In any event, the Panthers will not address the issue until Newton is back to 100%.
Chiefs To Sign Pennel, Release McClain
The Chiefs have signed veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). To make room, they released fellow DT Terrell McClain. 
Pennel, 28, was a staple of the Jets’ up-and-down defense in 2017 and 2018. Before that, he spent the first three years of his career with the Packers and appeared in 37 games (five starts). He also ran into some unfortunate trouble while in Green Bay. In 2016, he served a pair of four-game bans for substance abuse. The second suspension was supposed to be for ten games, but Pennel managed to get the second suspension reduced.
With the Chiefs, he’ll occupy the depth role that was filled by McClain over the last couple of weeks. This week, Pennel will take on his old team – the Packers – on Sunday Oct. 27.