Patriots’ Ted Karras Suffers Injury
Patriots center Ted Karras is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain last night, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). A Monday MRI will confirm the diagnosis, but the belief is that he’ll be able to return from the injury at some point this year. 
Karras has been having a solid year as the Patriots’ starting center, a role that he was not slated for at the outset of the year. In the offseason, Karras was seeing practice reps at left guard, but injuries forced him into the anchor role on the Pats’ offensive line.
Karras, 26, has appeared in 57 games for the Pats over the last four years, but had only five starts to his credit before 2019. This year, he has been first-string for all of his games while allowing just two sacks on Tom Brady, tying him for fourth among all centers. Meanwhile, he’s been flagged for just three penalties across 798 snaps, the third-highest snap count of any center in the NFL this year.
The Patriots are unlikely to have Karras on the field for Sunday’s game against the Chiefs, but they’ll hope to have him back for some of the final regular season games of the year, plus the playoffs.
Patriots To Sign Kai Forbath
The Patriots are expected to sign veteran kicker Kai Forbath to replace Nick Folk, sources tell ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). With that, Forbath will serve as the Pats’ kicker against the Texans on Sunday. 
On Thursday, we learned that Folk will miss one game as he recovers from an appendectomy. The surgery was minimally invasive, so the belief is that he will be ready to roll against the Chiefs on December 8.
Forbath kicked in three games for the Jaguars last season and served as the Vikings’ full-time kicker in 2017. For his career, Forbath has made 85.7% of his field goal tries for the Redskins, Saints, Vikes, and Jaguars.
In other Pats news, the club released tackle Jared Veldheer from the reserve/retired list earlier this week. Despite his injury issues, the nine-year veteran is reportedly in good shape and could profile as an emergency fill-in for a contender in need.
Patriots’ Nick Folk To Miss Time
The Patriots, once again, are in search of a new kicker. Nick Folk recently had an appendectomy that will prevent him from playing this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Word of Folk’s surgery was first reported by Mike Petraglia of CLNS (on Twitter). 
The surgery was done laparoscopically, which should mean a short recovery time and only one missed game for Folk. Still, the Pats will need a leg to fill in for Sunday’s game against the Texans.
The Patriots’ kicker role has been in flux ever since Stephen Gostkowski‘s season-ending hip surgery. After Gostkowski hit the IR, the club turned to Mike Nugent, but he was replaced by Folk after missing two field goal tries against the Browns. Even though the Pats won that game to advance to 8-0, Bill Belichick bounced him in favor of Folk.
With the Pats, Folk has connected on 7-of-9 field goal tries and all three of his extra point attempts across three games. Two of those misses came on Sunday against the Cowboys, but the Pats still came away with the 13-9 win, with Folk’s 42-yard connection in the fourth quarter helping to seal the deal.
Coaching Notes: Belichick, Packers, Garrett
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe dives into the tape of the Patriots 13-9 victory over the Cowboys on Sunday to explore the ways New England shutdown one of the most prolific offenses in football. Pats head coach Bill Belichick has long been one of the best defensive minds in football and Dallas tight end Jason Witten explained how Sunday’s scheme caused problems,“Even though it’s cover 0, it’s really not. When you think cover 0, you think all-out pressure and man-to-man [coverage]. But they’re dropping out to play whole help, so they have help coming inside. As receivers and quarterbacks, it puts a lot of pressure on you.”
The Pats defense may be one of the most aggressive units in the NFL, but that aggressiveness does not come with the greater risk we have come to expect. Volin notes that while New England has the tenth highest blitz rate in the league, their creative defensive scheme, which includes intricate decoys, limits an opponents ability to take advantage.
- The Packers have one of the younger assistant coaching staffs in football under rookie head coach Matt LaFleur, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Tom Silverstein and LeRoy Butler of the Milwaukee Sentinel debate whether that could explain the inability for such a talented unit to really dominate opponents and get shutdown by the 49ers this past week. Silverstein opines that a more experienced staff might be better equipped to scheme their team advantages.
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones once again offered strong public comments surrounding Dallas head coach Jason Garrett. This morning on Good Morning Football, Jones was asked about Garrett and responded, “I don’t have to win the Super Bowl in business every year. I can come in 6th and have a hell of a year. But in this business, you gotta come in first. I want Jason to get it done.” While the statement does not say anything definitively, it does suggest a certain level of ultimatum for his head coach: win the Super Bowl or else.
Patriots To Release T Jared Veldheer From Reserve/Retired List
Jared Veldheer appears to be backtracking from his retirement stance. The veteran tackle will no longer reside on New England’s reserve/retired list and is looking for a job before season’s end, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
This is interesting given Veldheer’s offseason comments. The 32-year-old tackle said a hip injury did not progress much during his time between the Broncos and Patriots, inducing him to call it quits. The Pats signed the former Raiders, Cardinals and Broncos blocker in May but saw him opt to retire shortly after the agreement.
Despite Veldheer’s injury issues, Rapoport adds the nine-year veteran is in shape. He could profile as an emergency starter or a swing man for a contender in need at the position. Veldheer started 12 games for the Broncos last season and has been a starter for 113 of the 118 games in which he’s been active.
Injuries have limited Veldheer for years. A partially torn triceps muscle ended his 2016 season, and he battled an ankle malady in 2017. He also suffered a concussion last year.
This transaction comes a week after the Texans cut Seantrel Henderson from their NFI list, and the former right tackle starter has begun making visits. It will be interesting to see if a team meets with Veldheer, who has extensive experience at both tackle spots. The longtime left tackle moved to the right side in 2017 to accommodate D.J. Humphries in Arizona and stayed there in Denver last season.
Jerry Jones Critical Of Cowboys’ Coaching Staff
NOV. 25: The Cowboys will not fire Garrett or make any immediate changes to his staff, per Werder (via Twitter). Werder reminds us that OL coach Paul Alexander was fired during the team’s bye week in 2018, so there is precedent there, but Garrett, O’Quinn, et al. are safe for now (Twitter link).
NOV. 24: Earlier on Sunday, a report emerged suggesting current Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett could be the next head coach of the rival Giants. New York has struggled under Pat Shurmur and there appeared to be mutual interest between Garrett and the Giants. One thing that remains unclear is whether Garrett will be available. While he has been on the hot seat for much of the season, it would not be the first time public perceptions of Garrett’s job status were incorrect.
At least publicly, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained supportive and confident in Garrett — until now. After Dallas’ 13-9 loss to the Patriots, Jones was very critical of his coaching staff, according to Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan. The most critical commentary focused on the special teams unit, which had a number of crucial mishaps against New England. That does fall under Garrett’s supervision, but likely has larger ramifications for special teams ccoordinator Keith O’Quinn.
With that said, some of Jones’ criticism seemed like a more direct indictment of Garrett as well. “When we run up against an opponent that gets it together, we have a tough time coordinating how we put our offense and defense out there and have them playing [well] at the same time,” Jones said. The owner went as far to say that they had been “outcoached” and lacked “coaching fundamentals.”
Fisher had speculated earlier in the day that the rumors connecting Garrett to the Giants could have been an attempt from Garrett’s side to pressure Jones into an extension. However, Fisher opined for Sports Illustrated that could backfire and cause the owner to lose patience with Garrett even quicker than he would otherwise. The shift in Jones’ public discussion lends credence to that argument.
Indeed, Ed Werder of ESPN.com calls Jones’ comments with respect to Garrett his most damning review of Garrett’s work (Twitter link). Werder also speculates (via Twitter) that the Cowboys may have to win all of their remaining regular season games and at least two playoff games for Jones to retain Garrett.
AFC East Notes: Brady, Jenkins, Lotulelei
Patriots QB Tom Brady will play against the Cowboys this afternoon, but as Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) notes, the team will need to closely monitor Brady’s elbow moving forward. Brady was unable to finish practice on Friday due to elbow pain, and while he was able to take all necessary reps on Saturday, he will continue to get work on the elbow as the season goes on.
Now for more from the AFC East:
- It’s not unusual for teams to distance themselves from certain prospects in the pre-draft process in order to hide their interest in those prospects, and that’s exactly what the Patriots did with punter Jake Bailey, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. New England neither interviewed nor held a workout with Bailey, but it traded up in the fifth round of this year’s draft to select him. That move paid off, as the rookie specialist has two AFC Special Teams Player of the Week nods and is currently a favorite for the Pro Bowl.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com expects the Jets to make a concerted effort to re-sign linebacker Jordan Jenkins this offseason. Jenkins, who will be eligible for unrestricted free agency for the first time, has steadily improved during his first four years in the league, and despite missing two games this season with a calf injury, he has posted five sacks, just two shy of his career-high of seven (which he set last year). Jenkins will likely command a contract paying him over $10MM per year.
- The Jets will have a lot of positions to address this offseason, but tight end isn’t one of them. As Cimini tweets, the club appears set at TE with Ryan Griffin — who agreed to a three-year extension on Saturday — Chris Herndon, and improving rookie Trevon Wesco.
- Bills fans have been less than impressed with the performances of front-seven defenders Star Lotulelei and Trent Murphy, but Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic says (via Twitter) that Lotulelei will definitely be back with the team next year (the Bills could save $10.1MM against the 2020 cap by cutting Lotulelei after the season, but they would also take on a $7.8MM dead cap charge). Murphy’s status is a bit tougher to predict, but if the Bills move on from Shaq Lawson, Murphy is likely to be back for the final year of his contract.
Brady Expected To Play Sunday
- The Eagles will be dealing with injuries of their own, as Lane Johnson is set to miss the matchup against Seattle. The veteran right tackle suffered a head injury during last weekend’s loss to the Patriots, and he remains in the concussion protocol. Rookie first-rounder Andre Dillard will slide into the starting lineup.
- No surprise here, but NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will play vs. the Cowboys tomorrow. The 42-year-old was listed as questionable on the injury report thanks to an elbow injury. Brady hasn’t missed a game due to injury since the 2008 campaign.
[SOURCE LINK]
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/19
Today’s practice squad updates:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DE Dewayne Hendrix
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S A.J. Howard
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: RB John Kelly
New England Patriots
- Signed: DE Tashawn Bower
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Ryan Crozier
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: C J.C. Hassenauer
- Released: TE Kevin Rader
Washington Redskins
- Signed: LB Chris Odom, DL Jojo Wicker
Sanu Battling High Ankle Sprain?
The Patriots‘ revolving receiver cast may be set for more adjustments. Mohamed Sanu may well be battling a high ankle sprain, according to Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston. While that is not confirmed, the recent trade acquisition did not practice Wednesday and is listed on New England’s injury report. A high ankle sprain would stand to sideline Sanu for multiple games. The Pats have cycled through numerous receiver combinations this season, with Julian Edelman being the only constant. Phillip Dorsett is in the Pats’ concussion protocol, meaning Edelman’s supporting cast against the Cowboys may be fronted by rookies N’Keal Harry and Jakobi Meyers.