NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/1/20
We’ll keep track of the NFL’s latest practice squad moves here:
Cleveland Browns
- Released: CB Stephen Denmark
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Kevin Strong
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: RB Darius Jackson
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: CB Marcus Sayles
New York Giants
- Released: WR Derrick Dillon, TE Nate Wieting
New York Jets
- Signed: RB Pete Guerriero
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: Shareef Miller
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: K Matthew Wright
Washington Football Team
- Signed: QB Taylor Heinicke, T Rick Leonard, T Timon Parris
Judge-Colombo Feud Lasted Weeks
- While Mark Columbo‘s dismissal from his post as Giants offensive line coach seemed abrupt, issues between he and Joe Judge escalated for weeks. Judge wanting to use a rotation up front to give younger linemen more experience irked Colombo, who sought continuity, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes. The Giants have used guard Shane Lemieux and rookie tackle Matt Peart off the bench this season. Lemieux has since usurped left guard starter Will Hernandez, though the latter still plays in a part-time role. Judge also interrupted one of Colombo’s O-line drills at a recent practice, correcting a Nick Gates technique. Colombo took exception to Judge’s adjustment and told Gates to ignore it, Dunleavy adds. Former Patriots O-line coach Dave DeGuglielmo is now overseeing Big Blue’s O-line.
- While Mark Columbo‘s dismissal from his post as Giants offensive line coach seemed abrupt, issues between he and Joe Judge escalated for weeks. Judge wanting to use a rotation up front to give younger linemen more experience irked Colombo, who sought continuity, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post notes. The Giants have used guard Shane Lemieux and rookie tackle Matt Peart off the bench this season. Lemieux has since usurped left guard starter Will Hernandez, though the latter still plays in a part-time role. Judge also interrupted one of Colombo’s O-line drills at a recent practice, correcting a Nick Gates technique. Colombo took exception to Judge’s adjustment and told Gates to ignore it, Dunleavy adds. Former Patriots O-line coach Dave DeGuglielmo is now overseeing Big Blue’s O-line.
- The Giants did not have to worry about their quarterback depth chart, from an injury perspective, for 15 years; Eli Manning never missed a game due to injury. Daniel Jones has run into a hamstring malady, however, and faces at least a one-game absence. The Giants hosted Alex Tanney on a visit and may be planning an atypical arrangement for their former backup. Their tentative blueprint appears to be for Tanney to sign but reside away from the team for precautionary reasons, in light of what transpired in Denver last week, Twitter links via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. Tanney was with the Giants during the 2018-19 seasons and learned Jason Garrett‘s system this offseason before being a preseason cut.
- This may not be a set-in-stone setup just yet, though. The Giants hosted Joe Webb on a visit Tuesday. Webb, 34, has been in the NFL since 2010, operating as a special-teamer, wide receiver and backup quarterback.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/1/20
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DL Rashard Lawrence
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Khalil Dorsey, QB Trace McSorley, DT Brandon Williams, CB Tavon Young
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Blake Bortles, QB Drew Lock, QB Brett Rypien
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: WR Darrius Shepherd
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LS Austin Cutting, LB Hardy Nickerson
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Matt Peart, WR Dante Pettis, TE Kaden Smith
- Waived: S Montre Hartage, K Ryan Santoso
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Grayland Arnold
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on IR: CB Jamar Taylor (story), CB Ken Webster
- Waived: S Chris Edwards
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Will Compton
Giants Place LB Kyler Fackrell On IR
The Giants might be without quarterback Daniel Jones for a little bit, and it turns out Jones wasn’t the only significant player to go down during their win over the Bengals. The team has placed linebacker Kyler Fackrell on injured reserve with a calf injury, they announced Tuesday.
That means Fackrell will need to miss at least the next three games as the Giants make their push for the NFC East title. He’s played a big role in New York’s revitalized defense, appearing in all 11 games while starting eight and playing over 76 percent of the defensive snaps. He has three sacks on the year, tied for second-most on the team behind only Leonard Williams. The Utah State product landed a one-year, $4.6MM deal from Big Blue this offseason.
He entered the league as a third-round pick of the Packers in 2016, and was mostly quiet his first couple of years. He came out of nowhere in 2018 to have a breakout season and rack up 10.5 sacks, although he came back down to earth in 2019 with only one.
In addition to his three sacks this year, he also has 31 tackles, a forced fumble, two passes defended, and an interception which he returned for a touchdown. This is a big loss moving forward for a team with little margin for error.
Injury Updtes: Callahan, Broncos, Jones, Giants, Linsley, Packers, Hamilton, Jaguars
We’ve got a batch of next-morning injury updates to pass along. Starting in Denver, where Broncos cornerback Bryce Callahan went down with a foot injury. Unfortunately, that injury will sideline him for a “significant” amount of time, head coach Vic Fangio said Monday, via Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). Fangio said it was too early to tell if it would knock him out for the rest of the season, but that certainly sounds possible.
It’s a big blow for a Broncos team that has already been besieged by injuries. Callahan is an every down guy and one of their best players on defense. He’s in the second year of a three-year, $21MM deal he signed in March of 2019. He missed all of last season with a foot injury, although this new issue thankfully appears to be unrelated.
Here are some more health updates from around the league:
- We heard last night that Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was feared to have a significant hamstring injury that could cause him to miss some time, but it sounds like things aren’t quite as bad as they seemed. Jones avoided major injury and has an “outside shot” at playing this Sunday, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It appears it won’t be anything long-term, although Colt McCoy still seems like the favorite to be under center this coming weekend against the Seahawks. Every game is pivotal for Big Blue as they jockey for position in the pitiful NFC East.
- Packers center Corey Linsley had to be carted off with a knee injury during the team’s win over the Bears last night, and fortunately it looks like a worst case scenario was avoided. That being said he’s not entirely out of the woods, as a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that Linsley will miss some time with a knee sprain (Twitter link). Matt LaFleur told reporters he hopes Linsley can make it back for some of the regular season, but it sounds like he should at least be ready for the playoffs. Linsley has been the guy snapping balls to Aaron Rodgers for every game of the last four seasons, so this is a big loss.
- The Jaguars fell to 1-10 yesterday, and the hits keep on coming. Rookie defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton had to be carted off against the Browns and while head coach Doug Marrone said today it wasn’t as bad as was initially thought, he’ll still be going to injured reserve with a knee issue, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Hamilton was the 73rd overall pick of April’s draft. The Ohio State product had been playing a big role in his first pro season, starting the last six games and playing around 60 percent of the defensive snaps.
Daniel Jones To Miss Time?
The Giants are in the lead in the NFC East thanks to a tiebreaker over Washington, but they picked up a big injury during Sunday’s win over the Bengals when starting quarterback Daniel Jones went down.
Jones has a hamstring injury that is believed to be “pretty bad,” a source told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Raanan adds that it could force him to miss some time, and if it’s actually “pretty bad,” that would almost certainly be the case. Jones will go for an MRI on Monday that will tell the full story. A hamstring injury is especially tough for Jones since his mobility is a huge part of his game.
The Giants have frequently used his legs to help spark the offense this season, and he already has 403 rushing yards on the year. He’s been active as a runner in pretty much every game, and his passing numbers would likely look a lot worse if he didn’t have that scrambling ability. The second-year pro struggled mightily early in the year but had been a bit better recently, with no interceptions in his past three games.
The sixth overall pick of the 2019 draft has eight touchdowns and nine picks through the air. If he has to miss any games, Colt McCoy will take over as the starter. He’s in his first year with the team and doesn’t have much of a relationship with OC Jason Garrett, so things could get rough. New York has a tough schedule coming up, including a trip to Seattle to take on the Seahawks next week. We’ll keep you posted once we hear more on the situation.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/28/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: DL Zach Allen
- Promoted: TE Evan Baylis, DL Michael Dogbe, RB D.J. Foster, DL Stacy McGee CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: TE Darrell Daniels, DL Josh Mauro
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: RB Tony Brooks-James
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed to active roster: CB Jalen Davis
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OL B.J. Finney, WR Auden Tate
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: OG Michael Dunn, DT Joey Ivie, DE Cameron Malveaux
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: LB De’Jon Harris, RB Mike Weber
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: DT Kameron Cline, C Joey Hunt, DE Cassius Marsh, DT Rob Windsor
- Activated from IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on IR: G Andrew Norwell
- Promoted: CB Josh Nurse, WR Trey Quinn, RB Craig Reynolds, K Aldrick Rosas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Marcus Kemp
- Waived: DB Tedric Thompson
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: LB B.J. Bello, LB Cole Christiansen, DT Breiden Fehoko
- Waived: DE Jessie Lemonier
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: QB Reid Sinnett
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LS Andrew DePaola, TE Brandon Dillon
New England Patriots
- Activated from IR: OT Justin Herron
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: WR Austin Carr, OL Will Clapp, DT Ryan Glasgow
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: K Graham Gano
New York Jets
- Promoted: OL Jimmy Murray
- Placed on IR: LB Patrick Onwuasor
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: G Sua Opeta
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from IR: LB Jack Cichy
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Vita Vea; Vea is also on Tampa Bay’s IR
- Promoted: CB Herb Miller, OL John Molchon
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: P Brett Kern, CB Tye Smith
- Promoted: LB William Compton, LS Matt Overton, LB Tuzar Skipper
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Chris Jackson
Giants Activate S Xavier McKinney From IR
Second-round rookie Xavier McKinney looks set to make his Giants debut Sunday. The Alabama product is now on New York’s active roster after a Saturday activation from IR.
McKinney suffered a broken foot in August, and the Giants ended Logan Ryan‘s lengthy free agency stay soon after. Both should be in uniform Sunday. The Giants also activated linebacker Tae Crowder from IR.
The Giants have McKinney lined up as a presumptive long-term replacement for Landon Collins, another second-round pick out of Alabama. Ryan is on a one-year contract, and Jabrill Peppers is signed through 2021 on a guaranteed-for-injury-only fifth-year option. Saturday’s move could allow Ryan to play more at cornerback, though McKinney will likely be eased into action.
Despite the Giants cutting 2019 first-round cornerback DeAndre Baker and doing little to address their edge-rushing need this offseason — a deficiency compounded by the team trading Markus Golden in October — Patrick Graham‘s defense has played well, all things considered. The Giants, who remain in playoff contention despite having the NFC’s second-worst record, rank 12th in points allowed this season.
This Date In Transactions History: Giants Bench Eli Manning
Three years ago today, it was looking like Eli Manning‘s career with the Giants was coming to an end. On November 28, 2017, the organization announced that they’d be benching the future Hall of Famer for Geno Smith (we know, we know…this isn’t actually a transaction, but it’s not everyday an organization releases a press release regarding a BENCHING).
“Geno will start this week,” said then-head coach Ben McAdoo. “Over the last five games, we will take a look at Geno, and we will also give Davis [Webb] an opportunity.”
While the move certainly came as a surprise, there was some merit to the decision. It was already a lost season for the Giants, as the team was out of the playoff picture with a 2-9 record. The organization apparently thought it was useful to evaluate their younger options as they looked ahead to the 2018 campaign.
On the flip side, there were also plenty of reasons to stick with the Manning. His illustrious resume included a 210-game starting streak, the then-second-longest streak by a quarterback in NFL history (behind Brett Favre (and since passed by Philip Rivers)). The Giants gave Manning the option to still start the upcoming games, but the veteran said it was “pointless” and disingenuous to start a game that he wouldn’t finish. Further, it wasn’t like the quarterback had even bad that bad during the 2017 campaign. Despite the team’s record, Manning had still completed 62.5-percent of his passes for 2,411 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions through the first 11 games…and that was with major injuries to wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall.
The move was instantly criticized around the NFL. Former Giants head coach Tom Coughlin said he was “very upset” by the decision, and many pundits suspected the move came from higher-ups like Jerry Reese and John Mara. Naturally, there were also a number of articles pertaining to trade theories, with the Jaguars, Broncos, and Cardinals listed as potential suitors.
How did the move work out? Not great. The Giants lost by seven to the Raiders with Smith under center. The former second-rounder did manage to complete 61.7-percent of his passes for 212 yards and one score, and he added 13 yards on the ground. However, he also had a fair of key fumbles that could have changed the Giants’ fortunes.
Days following the loss, McAdoo was fired, and interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo reinserted Manning back into the lineup. Manning proceeded to start the rest of the Giants games that season, and he started all 16 of their games in 2018. Manning’s career would ultimately come to an end following the 2019 campaign…but still, that was two years later than what many thought on this date in 2017.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: LB Stephone Anthony, T Rick Leonard, RB Khalfani Muhammad
Carolina Panthers
- Released: K Taylor Bertolet
Houston Texans
- Signed: C Cohl Cabral
- Released: DE Kendal Futrell
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Doug Middleton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: S Lavert Hill
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Nakia Griffin-Stewart
- Released: WR Corey Coleman
New York Jets
- Signed: QB Mike White
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: RB Adrian Killins
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed LB/LS Christian Kuntz
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Kai Nacua, WR Shawn Poindexter
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: K Sam Sloman
- Released: P Ryan Allen, K Giorgio Tavecchio