Minor NFL Transactions: 1/8/22

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Jim Harbaugh On Raiders’ Radar

During Jim Harbaugh‘s final days as 49ers head coach, the Raiders placed him atop their list. Harbaugh ended up trekking to Michigan, leading Jack Del Rio to Oakland, during that 2015 offseason. Seven years later, the Raiders may be back in the Harbaugh mix.

The Raiders and Harbaugh have been connected for a few weeks now, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds (video link) that the current Wolverines HC is expected to be interested in becoming the next Raiders leader. While this should be taken with a grain of salt, since Harbaugh surfaces in NFL coaching rumors annually, the longtime HC did begin his coaching career with the Raiders.

Prior to becoming a successful college head coach, the former NFL quarterback was Oakland’s QBs coach from 2002-03. That ’02 season ended with Rich Gannon winning MVP honors and the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII. Following the ’03 season, Harbaugh became head coach at the University of San Diego. That led to his Stanford gig and re-emergence on the NFL radar. Harbaugh, 58, has not exactly been off the NFL grid since returning to his alma mater, but there could be more smoke here.

Ahead of Harbaugh’s initial Michigan agreement, the Raiders offered more money and were prepared to make him the NFL’s highest-paid HC. Initially given an $8MM-per-year contract at Michigan, Harbaugh saw his salary slashed to $4MM as part of an incentive-laden deal last year. While Harbaugh said publicly the contract adjustment was “no big deal,” Breer adds, understandably, the veteran coach was not pleased with the pay cut. Harbaugh only accepted Michigan’s latest offer after exploring an NFL return with the Jets and Chargers last year.

After Michigan beat Ohio State for the first time in Harbaugh’s tenure, the seventh-year Wolverines HC led the team to the College Football Playoff for the first time. Georgia dispatched the Big Ten program easily in the semifinals. This coming after Michigan went 2-4 in 2020’s pandemic-truncated season, however, represented tremendous growth for the Wolverines.

The Raiders did not join the Jaguars in going through early HC interviews, with Breer adding the team sticking with interim coach Rich Bisaccia is not out of the question. The Raiders have a chance to clinch their first playoff berth in five years Sunday.

Raiders Re-Sign LB Will Compton

He wasn’t gone for long. The Raiders have re-signed Will Compton, according to the linebacker himself (Twitter link). 

Las Vegas brought in Compton, a former starter for the 2019 Oakland Raiders, when they were severely short-staffed last month. Compton saw time in one game — Week 14 against the Chiefs — before being released on Wednesday.

I gave [head coach Rich] Bisaccia a huge hug and thanked him for absolutely everything,” Compton said (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal). “I would do anything for that man. Coach Bisaccia is the best. Everybody in that building has been so good to me these last few weeks as everything has unfolded for me personally.”

Now, with a potential playoff berth at stake, there could be plenty more hugs to go around. With a win over the Chargers this weekend, the Raiders will punch their ticket to the playoffs.

Compton, once a starter for Washington, has nine seasons of experience to his credit, spending the last four with the Titans and Raiders. So far this year, he has just 15 special teams snaps under his belt, all from that single game against the Chiefs.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/6/22

Here are the Thursday additions and subtractions from teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/5/22

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears 

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Raiders Cut LB Will Compton

Will Compton‘s latest Raiders stint ended with a Wednesday departure. The Raiders cut the veteran linebacker, moving on after his second tenure with the team lasted nearly a month.

Las Vegas brought in Compton, a former starter for the 2019 Oakland Raiders, last month amid sudden depth issues on its defensive second level. Compton ended up playing in one game — Week 14 against the Chiefs — with the team.

A multiyear starter with Washington in the mid-2010s, Compton has now seen NFL action in nine seasons. He has yo-yo’d between the Titans and Raiders over the past four. With Tennessee in 2020, Compton played in 12 games and started one. The 32-year-old defender caught on with the Raiders on Dec. 7.

The Raiders also waived Justin March-Lillard, a linebacker who has been with three teams this year. Although March-Lillard started five games as a rookie with the Chiefs in 2016, he has been a career special-teamer. March-Lillard did not see any game action with the Raiders but was with two teams in December, playing in one game apiece with the 49ers (Week 13) and Saints (Week 16).

Darren Waller Returns To Practice

The Raiders have been without their top target since Thanksgiving. A leg injury and a positive COVID-19 test kept Darren Waller out of practice over the past five weeks, but the team received some positive news ahead of its likely do-or-die game in Week 18.

Waller was back at practice Wednesday. The Pro Bowl tight end worked out in a limited capacity, but this nevertheless represents progress. Despite Waller having not played since Week 12, the Raiders did not place him on IR. They opted to play it week-to-week, but this injury has taken some time to heal.

Expected to miss a slightly shorter period of time due to an IT band strain, Waller experienced upper-leg pain that slowed his return. The Raiders have gotten by with Foster Moreau at the tight end spot and have won their past three games to set up what will likely be a win-and-in game against the Chargers. Still, their offense certainly is not the same without Waller. Las Vegas has topped out at 23 points — against Indianapolis in Week 17 — in its five games with its two-time 1,000-yard target sidelined.

His extended absence notwithstanding, Waller remains second among Raiders with 53 catches for 643 yards this season. Hunter Renfrow has made a leap in his third year, topping 1,000 yards for the first time, but Henry Ruggs‘ departure is still affecting the Las Vegas offense. DeSean Jackson has eclipsed 50 yards in just one game since signing with the team in early November.

Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order

Eleven teams have punched their ticket to the playoffs with one week to go in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Colts, 49ers, Chargers, Saints, Raiders, Steelers, and (technically) Ravens all still have a shot. If you’re a fan of one of the other 14 teams, this list may be of equal interest to you. That is, if your team still owns their original first-round pick.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.

As we look ahead to Week 18, here’s a look at the currently projected 2022 NFL Draft Order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-14
  2. Detroit Lions: 2-13-1
  3. Houston Texans: 4-12
  4. New York Jets: 4-12
  5. New York Giants: 4-12
  6. Carolina Panthers: 5-11
  7. New York Jets (via Seahawks)
  8. New York Giants (via Bears)
  9. Washington Football Team: 6-10
  10. Atlanta Falcons: 7-9
  11. Denver Broncos: 7-9
  12. Minnesota Vikings: 7-9
  13. Cleveland Browns: 7-9
  14. Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
  15. New Orleans Saints: 8-8
  16. Baltimore Ravens: 8-8
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-7-1
  18. Las Vegas Raiders: 9-7
  19. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-7*
  20. Los Angeles Chargers: 9-7*
  21. Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)*
  22. Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)*
  23. New England Patriots*
  24. Arizona Cardinals: 10-5*
  25. Buffalo Bills: 10-6*
  26. Cincinnati Bengals: 10-6*
  27. Dallas Cowboys: 11-5*
  28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 12-4*
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: 11-5*
  30. Detroit Lions (via Rams): 12-4*
  31. Tennessee Titans: 11-5*
  32. Green Bay Packers: 13-3*

* = Playoffs

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/3/22

Here are Monday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OT Mike Remmers (remains on IR)

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Raymond Calais (remains on IR)

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

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