Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DT Justin Jones
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: RB Mekhi Sargent
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: OL Alex Bars
The Bears announced that they have called off their agreement with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Per the club’s press release, Ogunjobi failed his physical. 
“As I said before, Larry Ogunjobi embodies everything we are looking for in a Bear,” GM Ryan Poles said in a statement. “He is a special person and player. During the league’s negotiating window earlier this week, we agreed to terms with him, subject to him passing a physical here. After a standard and thorough physical and medical review with Larry yesterday afternoon, our medical team deemed him to have failed his physical and, therefore, unfortunately, we are not signing him today. This is difficult and it is emotional for everyone involved, but ultimately is what is in the best interest of protecting the Chicago Bears.”
The contract was set to be worth $40.5MM over three years, with $26.35MM guaranteed. It was to be a huge pay bump for the 27-year-old (28 in June), but he’ll now have to find his next contract elsewhere.
Ogunjobi spent his first four seasons with the Browns before moving on to the Bengals last year. In 2021, he notched 49 tackles and seven sacks in 16 games. The investment in Ogunjobi – along with the likes of Trey Hendrickson and Chidobe Awuzie – paid off as the Bengals won the AFC North for the first time since 2015.
Unfortunately, his season was brought to a halt with a right foot injury before the divisional round. That same foot injury seems to have cost him his contract with Chicago.
With the ex-Bengal ruled out, the Bears have agreed to sign former Chargers defensive tackle Justin Jones (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). Jones, who graded out as a top-40 interior defensive lineman in 2020 per Pro Football Focus, will join the Bears on a two-year deal.
We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Chuck Clark, C Trystan Colon
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Nate McCrary
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: QB Chris Streveler
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: T Bobby Hart
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Gabriel Davis, G Cody Ford
Chicago Bears
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Bilal Nichols
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Mike Thomas
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB A.J. Green, QB Case Keenum, WR Jarvis Landry, QB Baker Mayfield, DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: K Chase McLaughlin, DT Jordan Elliott
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: S Tedric Thompson
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Jourdan Lewis, WR Simi Fehoko
Denver Broncos
- Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: LB Barrington Wade
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Kenny Clark
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Chauncey Rivers
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Quenton Nelson
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Josh Allen, WR Laviska Shenault, OL Ben Bartch
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Blake Bell
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19: P Tommy Townsend
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Justin Jones
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DB Jordan Fuller, TE Tyler Higbee
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Cole Williamson
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: RB Gerrid Doaks
New England Patriots
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Rhamondre Stevenson
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Demario Davis, DB J.T. Gray, T Ryan Ramczyk, RB Dwayne Washington
New York Giants
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S J.R. Reed, OLB Oshane Ximines
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: C Jonotthan Harrison
New York Jets
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Jeff Smith, CB Justin Hardee
- Placed from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Ryan Griffin
Philadelphia Eagles
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Landon Dickerson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Montravius Adams
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Isaiah Buggs
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Travis Homer
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: OL Pier-Olivier Lestage
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Dez Fitzpatrick
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DB Jamal Carter
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: T Taylor Lewan
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Kyle Allen, S Kamren Curl, LB Milo Eifler, CB Kendall Fuller
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Nate Orchard
The Chargers will have one of their starting defensive linemen back for their Week 8 matchup against the Patriots. They moved Justin Jones from their IR list to the active roster Saturday. To make roster space, the team waived defensive lineman Forrest Merrill.
A two-year starter at defensive tackle, Jones has played in just one game this season. The interior D-lineman stands to provide a boost for a Bolts team that is aiming to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
A calf injury sidelined Jones in September, though the Chargers appeared to expect him back sooner. They did not place the fourth-year defender on IR until early October. The additional rest, however, proved beneficial. The Chargers will now have their combo of Jones, Linval Joseph and former first-rounder Jerry Tillery healthy as they attempt to shake off a blowout loss to the Ravens.
Pro Football Focus graded Jones as a top-40 interior D-lineman last season. The former third-round pick is in a contract year. Although the Bolts have Kenneth Murray on IR, only four players appear on their Week 8 injury report. That is certainly a good sign at this point in the season.
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Zach Allen, LB Chandler Jones (story)
Denver Broncos
- Waived: LB Barrington Wade
Detroit Lions
- Placed on IR: OL Logan Stenberg
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: TE Daniel Helm
Los Angeles Chargers
- Designated for return: DE Justin Jones
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: S Sheldrick Redwine (from Panthers’ practice squad)
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: DT Josiah Bronson
New York Jets
- Released from IR: OT Teton Saltes
Philadelphia Eagles
- Claimed off waivers: QB Reid Sinnett (from Dolphins)
- Waived: LS Rick Lovato
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/suspended list: DL Jordan Willis
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: S Chris Banjo
- Waived: OL Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Promoted: P Dustin Colquitt
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: LB Kamal Martin
- Waived: G Michael Jordan
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers (from Buccaneers): DT Khalil Davis
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Forrest Merrill
- Promoted: DL Breiden Fehoko
- Placed on IR: DL Justin Jones, LB Kenneth Murray Jr.
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Cameron Dantzler
Seattle Seahawks
- Designed for return: DB Tre Brown
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: CB Torry McTyer
As they attempt to snap a four-game losing skid, the Chargers will have some reinforcements back. They activated defensive linemen Melvin Ingram and Justin Jones off IR on Saturday.
Ingram has been out since Week 2 with a knee injury. This year’s tweaked IR policy allows teams to shelve players for just three weeks, and the longtime Bolts defensive end will miss the minimum number of contests before returning to team with Joey Bosa on the edge.
This stretch of games will be key for Ingram, who lobbied for a new contract but failed to secure it during a brief training camp hold-in. The Bolts extended Ingram in 2017, and his contract expires at season’s end. Bosa signed an NFL-high (for defenders) $27MM-per-year deal in August, topping Ingram’s $16MM-AAV deal as the top Chargers contract.
It will be difficult for the Bolts to give Ingram a major raise ahead of his age-32 season in 2021, though Justin Herbert‘s rookie contract will make that easier than it would have been with Philip Rivers‘ deal on L.A.’s books. But Ingram showing good form in his team’s final 11 games would strengthen his bargaining position in free agency.
A third-year defensive tackle, Jones will also miss the minimum number of games. He went down with a shoulder injury. The Chargers have used the 2018 third-round pick as a starting defensive tackle over the past two seasons.
The Chargers also promoted running back Troymaine Pope from their practice squad and waived wide receiver Jason Moore and defensive end Jessie Lemonier.
The Chargers have once again been one of the most banged up teams in the league, but it looks like reinforcements are on the way. Los Angeles has designated defensive end Melvin Ingram and defensive tackle Justin Jones to return from injured reserve, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.
Each can now return to practice. The team now has a three-week window to activate either player. If they are not activated in that span, they’ll be ineligible to return for the remainder of the year. Ingram usually forms one of the league’s best pass-rushing duos with Joey Bosa when healthy, and he’s made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. Jones, a 2018 third-round pick, is a starter and key run-stuffer.
With guys like Derwin James and Chris Harris sidelined, the Chargers could really use this boost on defense. They’re 1-4 on the year and have blown 17-point leads in back to back weeks. Despite the record the Chargers still have a legit chance, as Justin Herbert has looked like a star in the making and the schedule coming up is extremely soft. Their next five games are against the Jaguars, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, and Jets, so if the defense can heal up they’ve got a shot to make some noise.
Ingram has only played in the first two games of the season, and he had a crucial interception in a Week 1 win over the Bengals. The South Carolina product has at least seven sacks in each of the past five seasons. He’s dealing with a knee issue, while Jones has a shoulder injury.
On the heels of a fairly strong defensive performance against the Chiefs, the Chargers will see one half of their top-end pass-rushing tandem miss time.
The Bolts placed Melvin Ingram on IR Saturday. This will knock the veteran defensive end out for at least three games. Ingram is battling a knee injury.
Also placing defensive tackle Justin Jones and linebacker Asmar Bilal on IR, the Chargers will promote safety Jahleel Addae to their active roster. The former longtime Chargers safety starter, Addae agreed to a practice squad deal recently. The Bolts will also promote running back Darius Bradwell from their practice squad.
Ingram, though, certainly represents the biggest piece of news from the team’s Saturday transactions. He and Joey Bosa have seen some interruptions in their run as an edge-rushing pair during an era featuring rampant Bolts injury trouble. Though, Ingram has only missed three games over the past five-plus seasons. The three-time Pro Bowler has 43 sacks over the past five seasons.
Ingram’s return from this injury will begin a critical stretch, with the 31-year-old defender in a contract year. Ingram waged a brief hold-in during training camp but returned to practice when the Bolts guaranteed his 2020 salary.
Here are today’s rookie signings:
- The Buccaneers have signed third-round offensive lineman Alex Cappa, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The Division II Humboldt State product was the GNAC offensive lineman of the year for four straight seasons, and he was a unanimous All-American in 2017. Cappa primarily played tackle in college, but he could end up being a versatile reserve lineman for the Buccaneers.
- The Chargers announced that they have signed third-round defensive tackle Justin Jones to a four-year contract. Interestingly, the Bolts’ first 2018 pick signing comes from the third round, which generally produces the biggest hiccups in terms of negotiations. Jones played on the N.C. State defensive line on which Bradley Chubb starred and fellow 2018 draftees B.J. Hill and Kentavius Street played. Jones finished with 22.5 tackles in three seasons with the Wolfpack.