NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/26/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE Ade Aruna
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: C Casey Dunn
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Ishmael Hyman, TE Jordan Leggett
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: LB Nigel Harris
- Released: LB Josh Smith
NFL Playoff Scenarios For Week 17
The final week of the regular season is upon us.
Here’s the official rundown of NFL playoff scenarios as we get set for Week 17:
AFC
Clinched:
Ravens – AFC North division & home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs
Texans – AFC South division
Chiefs – AFC West division
Patriots – AFC East division
Bills – playoff berth
Chiefs clinch a first-round bye with:
Chiefs win + Patriots loss
New England clinches a first-round bye with:
Patriots win or tie OR
Chiefs loss or tie
Raiders clinch a playoff berth with:
Raiders win + Steelers loss + Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers*
*Raiders clinch strength-of-victory tiebreaker over Steelers if ONE of the following teams win or tie:
Bears, Lions, Chargers, or Patriots
Steelers clinch a playoff berth with:
Steelers win + Titans loss or tie OR
Steelers tie + Titans loss OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Raiders loss or tie OR
Titans loss + Colts win + Steelers tie Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker*
*Steelers ties Raiders in strength-of-victory tiebreaker if ALL of the following teams win:
Vikings, Packers, Chiefs, and Dolphins
Titans clinch a playoff berth with:
Titans win OR
Titans tie + Steelers loss or tie OR
Steelers loss + Colts loss or tie
NFC
Clinched:
Packers – NFC North division
Saints – NFC South division
Vikings — playoff berth
49ers — playoff berth
Seahawks — playoff berth
Cowboys clinch NFC East division with:
Cowboys win + Eagles loss
Packers clinch a first-round bye with:
Packers win OR
Saints loss OR
Packers tie + San Francisco loss OR
Packers tie + Saints tie
Packers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
Packers win + San Francisco loss or tie OR
Packers tie +San Francisco loss + Saints loss or tie
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-3) (at Carolina (5-10); 1:00 PM ET, FOX)
Saints clinch a first-round bye with:
Saints win + Packers loss or tie OR
Saints win + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie +Packers loss OR
Saints tie + 49ers loss OR
49ers loss +Packers win or tie
Saints clinch homefield advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
Saints win + Packers loss or tie + 49ers loss or tie OR
Saints tie + Packers loss + 49ers loss
Eagles clinch NFC East division with:
Eagles win or tie OR
Cowboys loss or tie
49ers clinch NFC West division title with:
49ers win or tie
49ers clinch a first-round bye with:
49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie OR
49ers tie + Saints loss or tie
49ers clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
49ers win OR
49ers tie + Packers loss or tie + Saints loss or tie
Seahawks clinch NFC West division with:
Seahawks win
Seahawks clinch a first-round bye with:
Seahawks win + Packers loss
Seahawks clinch home-field advantage throughout NFC playoffs with:
Seahawks win + Packers loss + Saints loss
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/19
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: G Colby Gossett
- Placed on IR: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: OT Quinn Bailey
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: RB Myles Gaskin
Oakland Raiders
- Claimed: DL Jeremiah Valoaga (from 49ers)
Raiders Rework Johnathan Hankins’ Deal
The Raiders converted the $1.75MM roster bonus due to defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins this offseason into a signing bonus, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The adjustment prorates his bonus over the next two years and indicates that he’ll be a part of the team’s plans for 2020 and beyond. 
Hankins has turned in a solid 2019 with starts in all 15 of his games for the Raiders. With one game to go, he’s got 48 tackles and one sack on his stat sheet, including 30 solo tackles – tying him for 21st among all NFL interior defensive linemen.
Hankins joined the Raiders on a two-year, $8.5MM deal prior to the 2019 season. He’s slated to earn a $3.75MM base salary next year before reaching the open market, but the Raiders won’t let him get away if he keeps up the good work. Hankins, 28 in March, could be in line for an extension this offseason.
Before that, Hankins will round out the 2019 regular season in a Week 17 matchup against the Broncos. Hankins & Co. will be playing for more than pride – with a win, and lots of luck elsewhere, they could sneak into the playoffs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Matt Kaskey
- Waived: LB Ramik Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted from practice squad: DE Robert McCray
- Waived: Brandin Bryant
Green Bay Packers
- Signed off Saints’ practice squad: T John Leglue
- Placed on IR: T Yosh Nijman
Oakland Raiders
- Promoted from practice squad: OL Lester Cotton
- Placed on IR: LB Marquel Lee
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted from practice squad: RB Dalyn Dawkins
- Waived: LB Sharif Finch
Raiders Notes: Joseph, Carr
- Raiders safety Karl Joseph was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury early last month, and now we have more details. Joseph had a “partial case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot,” according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (Twitter link). Tafur also reports that he’ll be good to go in April when offseason programs start across the league. The Raiders declined Joseph’s fifth-year option, so the former first-round pick will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. Joseph started the first nine games of this season, and has said he wants to be back with the Raiders. He was receiving average marks from Pro Football Focus before going down.
- Speaking of the Raiders, there will be a lot of talk about Derek Carr this offseason. The Raiders are set to move to Las Vegas for 2020, and it’s not quite settled as to who will be their quarterback when they play their first game there. Jon Gruden has been publicly supportive of Carr, but “there is a significant disconnect between the coach and the quarterback,” writes Michael Lombardi of The Athletic. Lombardi writes that he believes the Raiders will hold onto Carr, while also drafting a quarterback next April. He speculates that Gruden might look to trade Carr, finding a partner willing to take on Carr’s relatively affordable contract. It’s often hard to tell what Gruden is really thinking as he’s often publicly said one thing while doing another during his short time back in the league, but it’s certainly plausible that he decides to move on from Carr, one of the last holdovers from the pre-Gruden Raiders.
Raiders Place OT Trent Brown On IR
The Raiders have placed offensive tackle Trent Brown on injured reserve. With that, his first season in silver and black will end a few weeks early. 
Brown has been absent from the team’s last two games with a pectoral injury. Up until then, he was having a fantastic season. The veteran started eleven games at right tackle in 2019 en route to a Pro Bowl selection.
Thanks to the four-year, $66MM deal he inked with the Raiders last March, Brown will be under contract for another three seasons. Fun fact: Brown structured his deal to earn $15MM in 2019 with a jump to $21.5MM in 2020, when the Raiders move to Las Vegas, Nevada, where there’s no state income tax in Nevada). On the other side of the coin, Brown has no guaranteed money on his deal after the 2020 season.
In other Raiders news, running back Josh Jacobs is unlikely to play against the Chargers this week as he heals up from his shoulder injury. Jacobs might play in Week 17 against the Broncos, if the Raiders are willing to risk it.
West Notes: Jacobs, Jordan, 49ers
The Raiders are not completely eliminated from playoff contention just yet, but it may be in the team’s best interests to shut down rookie RB Josh Jacobs for the final two games of the year. Jacobs, who has rushed for 1,150 yards on 4.8 yards-per-carry this year, has been battling a shoulder injury, and head coach Jon Gruden said that Jacobs had trouble getting his shoulder pads off yesterday (Twitter link via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group).
Per Gruden, Jacobs’ status for Oakland’s last two games is in doubt. The Raiders finish up their final season in the Bay Area with divisional contests against the Chargers and Broncos.
Let’s round up a few more West-related items, starting with another note from the Silver-and-Black:
- Dion Jordan, who signed with the Raiders in November after serving a 10-game suspension for a PED violation, has performed well in his first five games with his new team. Playing in a rotational role, the No. 3 overall pick of the 2013 draft has posted two sacks and has earned positive reviews from Gruden. Jordan will be a free agent at season’s end, and Gruden said the 29-year-old is playing his way into a new contract with the Raiders (Twitter link via McDonald).
- No surprise here, but Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area does not believe the 49ers will use the franchise tag on Arik Armstead, which means that Armstead may be plying his trade elsewhere in 2020. Maiocco also believes that the team will cut running back Jerick McKinnon and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin during the offseason.
- Seahawks DB Quandre Diggs has been a boon to Seattle’s defense after being acquired in an October trade with the Lions, but Diggs sprained his ankle in the team’s win over the Panthers on Sunday and will likely miss next week’s matchup against the Cardinals, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s still too early to predict his status for Week 17, but given the potential magnitude of that bout with San Francisco, the Seahawks will want to make sure Diggs is as healthy as possible.
Josh Jacobs On Track To Return
- An MRI Josh Jacobs underwent produced good news for the Raiders running back. The offensive rookie of the year candidate is expected to play against the Jaguars on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Jon Gruden, however, did not commit to the first-round pick playing in Week 15. Jacobs missed Week 14 with a shoulder malady he’s been battling, giving way to free agent-to-be DeAndre Washington.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/19
Here are today’s practice squad comings and goings:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Bobo Wilson
New England Patriots
- Signed: K Josh Gable, DE Eric Lee, S Adarius Pickett
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: TE Paul Butler, LB Te’von Coney, C Kyle Kalis
- Released: TE Cole Wick
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Jermaine Kelly
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Xavier Turner
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Trevion Thompson