Kyzir White Unlikely To Return This Season
- While Wright is set to return to action in the near future, the same can’t be said for Chargers linebacker Kyzir White. Although White is eligible to come off injured reserve in time for the postseason, that course of action doesn’t appear likely, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A fourth-round rookie out of West Virginia, White had played extremely well in three NFL starts (especially in coverage) before going down with a knee injury. With both White and fellow ‘backer Denzel Perryman out for the year, Los Angeles has been deploying a single-LB defense, with only Jatavis Brown seeing more than 25% playtime over the past several weeks.
NFL Workout Updates: 12/19/18
Today’s practice squad updates, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Bryant Mitchell; T Ryker Mathews; LBs Tobi Antigha, Sam Eguavoen, Pete Robertson, Alex Singleton, Jameer Thurman; K Ty Long
Buffalo Bills
- QB Bo Levi Mitchell; WRs Diontae Spencer, D’haquille Williams; TE Evan Baylis; LB Cory James
Chicago Bears
- QB Bo Levi Mitchell; WRs Marken Michel, Jordan Williams-Lambert; TE Clive Walford
Cincinnati Bengals
- G Avery Gennesy
Cleveland Browns
- RB Jarvion Franklin; TE Kevin Rader; G Ian Park; DT Lance McDowell; S Jack Tocho
Green Bay Packers
- WRs Chris Brown, Ka’Raun Williams; CB Trevon Mathis
Houston Texans
- LB Dominique Alexander; DB Tevaughn Campbell; CB Craig Mager; S Tyvis Powell
Indianapolis Colts
- LB Greer Martini; Ss Isaiah Johnson, Afolabi Laguda; K Ty Long
Los Angeles Chargers
- LB Jameer Thurman; DEs Tobi Antigha, Kwaku Boateng; S Chris Edwards
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers
- G Marcus Oliver; T Blaine Clausell; DL Kapron Lewis-Moore
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- G Chris Schleuger; T Dakoda Shepley; DB Tevaughn Campbell; Ks Jon Brown, Trevor Moore; Ps Hayden Hunt, Ryan Winslow; LS Zach Triner
Washington Redskins
- RB Akrum Wadley; CBs Doran Grant, Dexter McDougle, Sojourn Shelton; Ss Dexter McCoil, Stephen Roberts
Notable 2019 Pro Bowl Incentives/Escalators
The NFL announced the 2018 Pro Bowl rosters earlier on Wednesday, and aside from determining which players will spend a week in Orlando early next year, the rosters also dictate several important bonuses and/or contract escalators for individual players. Former NFL agent and current CBSSports.com contributor Joel Corry has rounded up the notable incentives earned, and we’ll pass those along below. As Corry notes (Twitter link), only first ballot Pro Bowlers who actually participate in the game (unless injured or playing in the Super Bowl) are in bonuses, which are typically paid out by the end of March.
Here are the notable Pro Bowl bonuses and escalators that were netted last evening (all links to Corry’s Twitter):
Bonuses
- Ravens S Eric Weddle, $1MM; requires Baltimore in playoffs (link): For the second consecutive season, Weddle’s bonus will ride on the ability of the Ravens to earn a postseason berth. Baltimore is one of several teams in the mix for the AFC’s No. 6 seed, but FiveThirtyEight gives the club only a 41% chance of actually making the playoffs. Weddle, who will be entering his age-34 campaign in 2019, could potentially retire or be released before next season starts.
- Chargers C Mike Pouncey, $500K (link): Pouncey somewhat surprisingly earned a Pro Bowl nod alongside his brother, Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. Mike Pouncey hasn’t been a terrible player by any means, but Raiders center Rodney Hudson has undoubtedly been better. Signed to a two-year contract this offeason, Pouncey is due a $6MM base salary and a $1.5MM roster bonus in 2019.
- Vikings WR Adam Thielen, $500K (link): Thielen, notably, signed arguably the most team-friendly contract in the NFL in March 2017, a three-year deal that’s worth less than $20MM. By picking up a half-million dollar Pro Bowl bonus, Thielen will collect a bit more cash, but he’s still vastly underpaid. Second in the league in receptions, Thielen will count just $11.5MM total on the Vikings’ salary cap over the next two years.
- Eagles TE Zach Ertz, $100K (link): Ertz will also see his base salaries increase by $250K in each of the 2019, 2020, and 2021 campaigns. He’s already surpassed career-highs in both receptions and yardage, and could top his career-high of eight touchdowns with a strong showing down the stretch.
Escalators
- Chiefs T Eric Fisher, $500K base salary increase in 2019 (link): While Fisher hasn’t necessarily lived up to his status as a former No. 1 overall pick, he has played nearly every offensive snap for the Chiefs over the past six years while offering respectable play. He’s signed through 2021 as part of a four-year, $48MM extension he inked in 2016. Kansas City’s best tackle — Mitchell Schwartz, who mans the right side — has somehow been named second-team All-Pro for three consecutive years without ever being given a Pro Bowl nod.
- Lions CB Darius Slay, $550K base salary increase in 2019 (link): Slay needed to reach two of three thresholds in order to earn his escalator. While he hasn’t yet met a five interception requirement, he was named to the Pro Bowl and has played on at least 80% of the Lions’ defensive snaps.
- Packers WR Davante Adams, $250K base salary increase in 2019 (link): While he’s not quite at Thielen-level in terms of selling himself short, Adams arguably signed his extension with the Packers well before he needed to. Adams took a four-year, $58MM deal in December 2017, just months before he was scheduled to hit the open market. He’s vaunted to true No. 1 wideout status this year, but he’s just the NFL’s ninth-highest-paid wideout in terms of annual average.
- Eagles G Brandon Brooks, $250K base salary increase in 2019-2020 (link): Brooks, 29, is quietly one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and Pro Football Focus currently grades him as the No. 5 guard in the league. He’s signed through the 2020 season, although his contract does contain two void years in 2021-22 that are in place only for salary cap purposes.
Practice Squad Updates: 12/19/18
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Pete Robertson, S Fish Smithson
- Released: OL Justin Evans
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Christian Blake, OL Chris Durant
- Released: WR Julian Williams
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: OL Landon Turner, LB Antwione Williams
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Justin Stockton
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Arrion Springs
New England Patriots
- Signed: OL Toby Weathersby
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: RB Martez Carter
- Released: QB J.T. Barrett
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: LB Cayson Collins
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR Jordan Smallwood
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Marcus Henry
- Released: WR Damore’ea Stringfellow
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DE Alec James
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Alex Carter, WR Montay Crockett, DB Jack Tocho
NFL Workout Updates: 12/18/18
Here is the latest from the workout circuit, all links going to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio’s Twitter account (unless otherwise noted).
Arizona Cardinals
- S Shamarko Thomas (link)
Buffalo Bills
- QB Garrett Gilbert, TE Erik Swoope (visit), QB Logan Woodside (Twitter links via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak and Field Yates)
Green Bay Packers
- QB Paxton Lynch (link)
Los Angeles Chargers
- DE Avery Ellis (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- DE Terence Fede, LB Lorenzo Mauldin (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DE Farrington Huguenin (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Greg Auman)
Washington Redskins
- CB Dexter McDougle (Twitter link via Yahoo.com’s Jordan Schultz)
Chargers Designate Hunter Henry For Return
The Chargers officially activated the 21-day practice window for tight end Hunter Henry. Henry has been out all year with a torn ACL, but he has a chance to return for the Bolts’ playoff run. 
Henry’s odds for actually making it back on to the field remain to be seen. ACL tears call for a lengthy and arduous recovery and Henry is only eight months removed from the injury. In November, the prospect of a Henry return was reportedly viewed as a “long shot.”
After hauling in 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first two seasons of his career, Henry was primed for a breakout campaign in 2018. Initially, the team planned to forge ahead without Antonio Gates and truly give Henry a chance to sign, but Henry’s injury brought the veteran back into the fold.
Gates, 38, has had a quiet year thus far with 25 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns, though he ranks as the No. 10 tight end in the NFL, according to the metrics at Pro Football Focus. Blocking specialist has seen roughly twice as many snaps as Gates, however, and has even less offensive production to his credit. Still, even without Henry as their main tight end, the Chargers have managed an 11-3 record.
Melvin Gordon Expected Back Week 16
Sidelined for the last three games, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon is expected to make a return to the field when Los Angeles takes on Baltimore in Week 16, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets. 
The Pro Bowl running back has been sidelined since sustaining a grade 2 MCL sprain in Los Angeles’ Week 12 matchup with Arizona. The Chargers back was operating as one of the league’s best backs before the injury. Through ten games, Gordon had nine rushing touchdowns and has averaged 5.2 yards per carry. He also had 44 catches for 453 yards and four scores.
His absence hasn’t exactly slowed down the Chargers, who have rattled off three consecutive wins without their star running back to move into a tie for first place in the AFC West. Though the team is rolling, the ground game has taken a back seat, producing two of the team’s four worst rushing performances on the year.
The Chargers currently hold the tiebreaker over the Chiefs for the top spot in the West, but have a tough challenge against a Ravens squad also battling for playoff positioning.
Keenan Allen Dealing With Hip Pointer
The Chargers picked up their biggest win of the season last night against the Chiefs, but they didn’t escape Kansas City unscathed. Already dealing with injuries to running backs Austin Ekeler and Melvin Gordon, they suffered another blow when star receiver Keenan Allen went down in the first half. Allen never returned to the game, and now we have an update on his status. Allen has been diagnosed with a hip pointer, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). While it is a somewhat significant injury, Rapoport notes there is no structural damage to his hip. He writes that it isn’t a longterm injury, and although he says he could “miss some time” it sounds like Allen will be back in time for the playoffs at the absolute latest.
Chargers Place CB Trevor Williams On IR
The Chargers made a number of roster moves before tonight’s contest against the Chiefs, including placing cornerback Trevor Williams on injured reserve. Additionally, linebacker Tre’Von Johnson has been waived, while running back Troymaine Pope and linebacker Kyle Wilson have been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster.
Williams, 25, was hampered by an ankle injury that cost him most of the Chargers’ offseason program and preseason. He made it back in time for Week 1 and served as a starter for much of the year before suffering a knee injury during practice in Week 10. Williams has barely played since, managing only a single defensive snap and a handful of special teams plays in Week 13.
Since Williams went down, second-year cornerback Michael Davis has taken over as Los Angeles’ nickelback and played quite well, grading as the NFL’s No. 53 CB among 113 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which had ranked Williams just 79th. Davis will continue to lineup alongside Casey Hayward and Desmond King in one of the league’s best secondaries, a unit that currently ranks ninth in pass defense DVOA. As for Williams, he’s scheduled to become a restricted free agent in 2019.
Pope’s elevation to the Chargers’ active roster is further proof Los Angeles isn’t optimistic fellow running back Melvin Gordon will be able to play on Thursday night. Gordon himself said he’ll be a game-time decision, and if he can’t go, Pope could serve as insurance behind Justin Jackson and Detrez Newsome (usual No. 2 back Austin Ekeler has already been declared out for tonight’s matchup).
Chargers RB Melvin Gordon A Game-Time Decision?
Although the Chargers are reportedly not optimistic that they’ll have running back Melvin Gordon for Thursday night’s contest against the Chiefs, Gordon himself believes he’ll be a game-time decision for the pivotal AFC West matchup, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes.
“I’ve been grinding hard to get back and we’re still trying to decide what we’re going to do,” Gordon said. “I know Coach [Anthony Lynn] is trying to be careful and doesn’t want me to further hurt myself or things like that. So we’ll see where that goes, but I’m a lot stronger and more confident than I was last week.
“I’d love to be out there,” Gordon continued. “I know it’s a big game and I know the guys want me to be out there. We need all of the play-makers we can to beat K.C.; you know how explosive they are. I just love football, and we’ve only got a few games left before we get to the offseason, then we can do what we want to do.”
The Chargers haven’t exactly played it safe with Gordon’s health this season. Los Angeles allowed its star running back to suit up and handle a normal workload against an overmatched Cardinals team in Week 12, and Gordon ultimately left that game with an MCL injury and hasn’t played since. Thursday’s contest against the Chiefs has far more at stake, so the Chargers might be even more amenable to deploying Gordon despite his injury status.
If Gordon can’t play against Kansas City, Los Angeles figures to deploy Justin Jackson in a full-time manner, with fellow rookie Detrez Newsome also seeing snaps.