Texans’ Justin Reid Done For Year
The season is over for Justin Reid. The Texans are set to place the safety on the injured reserve list with a hand injury, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
It’s familiar territory for Reid, who has undergone surgery in each of the last two offseasons. Before the 2019 season, he went under the knife for a wrist injury. Last year, it was a torn labrum. It’s not immediately clear whether Reid will require surgery this time but, at minimum, he’ll need some time to rest and recover.
Reid’s season ends with 83 stops, two sacks, six tackles for a loss, and four quarterback hits. Despite the roadblocks, the former 2018 third-round pick from Stanford has quietly established himself as one of the game’s better young safeties. He’s also shown that he can play through the pain. Up until this year, Reid missed only regular season game with a concussion. Last year, he started in every one of the club’s other 15 games, picking up two interceptions to go along with 78 total tackles. He was also on the field for every defensive snap in both of the Texans’ postseason contests.
It was a rough Sunday for everyone in Houston as the Texans lost to the Bears, dropping their second straight game in lopsided fashion. They’ll wrap the season against the Colts, Bengals, and Titans before embarking on a pivotal offseason.
49ers Waive CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun
The 49ers moved on from a pair of defenders today. The team announced that they’ve waived cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun and defensive lineman Alex Barrett.
It was less than a week ago that Boddy-Calhoun joined the organization. He signed with the 49ers practice squad last week, and he was subsequently promoted to the active roster. He ended up getting on the field for San Francisco’s loss to Washington, collecting 16 special teams snaps.
The former undrafted free agent out of Minnesota had a solid rookie campaign for the Browns, compiling 43 tackles, 11 passes defended, and three interceptions (including one pick-six). He got into 29 games for Cleveland over the following two seasons before joining the Texans in 2019. His stint in Houston didn’t last long; he was released towards the end of the campaign and had a late-season cameo with the Colts. He remained a free agent for much of the 2020 season.
Barrett, a 2017 undrafted free agent out of San Diego State, has had previous stints with the Lions, Raiders, and the San Diego Fleet of the defunct Alliance of American Football. He saw time in five games for the 49ers this season, and he played a season-high 35 percent of his team’s defensive snaps during San Francisco’s Week 7 win over the Patriots.
Jets Claim K Chase McLaughlin, DL Trevon Coley
The Jets have made a pair of waiver claims. Brian Costello of the New York Post reports (via Twitter) that the team has claimed kicker Chase McLaughlin off waivers from the Jaguars and defensive lineman Trevon Coley off waivers from the Cardinals.
The McLaughlin move probably means incumbent kicker Sergio Castillo has lost his job…which isn’t overly surprising considering he missed three field goals during the Jets’ loss to the Seahawks yesterday. Plus, starting kicker Sam Ficken is set to return to practice this week after missing several weeks due to a groin injury.
McLaughlin will replace Castillo as Ficken’s temporary replacement. This will be the eighth team for McLaughlin since he went undrafted during the 2019 draft. The 24-year-old has appeared in 14 career games, connecting on 22 of his 28 field goals and 29 of his 30 extra point tries. He appeared in three games for Jacksonville this season, making four of his five field goal attempts.
Coley, 26, was waived by the Cardinals last week. The defensive lineman saw time in six games (two starts) for Arizona this season, collecting 14 tackles and one sack. Coley appeared in 31 games for the Browns during his first two seasons in the league, compiling 80 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Vikings Waive WR Tajae Sharpe
Tajae Sharpe‘s brief stint with the Vikings has come to an end. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Minnesota has waived the wide receiver. The team also announced that tight end Hale Hentges has been activated from the exempt list.
Sharpe joined the Vikings on a one-year, $1MM pact this past offseason. There was some optimism that the 25-year-old could establish himself as one of Kirk Cousins‘ top targets, especially following the Stefon Diggs trade. Instead, Sharpe was active for only four games, and he didn’t haul in any of his three targets. He played 28 offensive snaps, and he never appeared in more than 17 percent of his team’s offensive snaps during any of his four games.
Still, Sharpe could generate some interest on the waiver wire. The 2016 fifth-round pick out of UMass spent the first four years of his career with the Titans, including a rookie campaign where he hauled in 41 receptions for 522 yards. A foot injury sidelined Sharpe for the entire 2017 campaign, and he’s compiled 51 receptions for 645 receiving yards and six touchdowns since that time.
Hentges, 24, was signed off the Colts practice squad last week, and his required quarantine earned him a spot on the exempt list. The Alabama product saw time in 11 games (four starts) last season for Washington, hauling in eight receptions for 103 yards and one touchdown.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/20
The latest practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Lafayette Pitts
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Ventell Bryant
- Waived: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Isaac Nauta
Houston Texans
- Released: K Brett Maher
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed:L OT J’Marcus Webb
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Bug Howard, LB Aaron Patrick
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Niles Scott
- Released: DT Lee Autry
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: P Lachlan Edwards
- Released: WR Manasseh Bailey
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on COVID-19 list: TE Kendall Blanton
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Isaiah Ford
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Khalfani Muhammad
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/14/20
We’ll keep track of the latest minor moves here:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Eric Tomlinson
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Lafayette Pitts
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: WR Ja’Marcus Bradley
- Waived: RB Dontrell Hilliard
Denver Broncos
- Signed: CB Parnell Motley
- Placed on COVID-19 list: K Brandon McManus
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Glasgow
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: LB Reggie Gilbert
Las Vegas Raiders
- Waived: G Patrick Omameh
New York Giants
- Waived: DB JaQuarius Landrews
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed off Washington’s practice squad: C Ross Pierschbacher
Eagles’ Rodney McLeod Done For Year
Eagles safety Rodney McLeod is done for the season. On Monday, the Birds announced that McLeod has been diagnosed with a torn ACL.
[RELATED: Eagles To Stick With Hurts]
McLeod exited early from the Eagles’ win over the Saints, capping his season just as the Eagles playoff hopes were renewed. Unfortunately, this marks the second ACL tear of his pro career. His 2020 will end with starts in all 13 games, 66 stops, one interception, and two fumble recoveries — including the one he took to the house against the Cowboys in November.
McLeod remains under contract for 2021 thanks to the two-year, $12MM deal he signed last offseason. He won’t have to stress over security as he rehabs, since his $3.75MM base salary is guaranteed.
The good news is that McLeod already knows the ropes after bouncing back from his previous ACL tear. Upon returning last year, the safety started in all 16 regular season games and notched two interceptions, six passes defensed, two forced fumbles, one sack, and 76 total stops.
Everson Griffen Tests Positive For COVID-19
The Lions placed Everson Griffen on their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday and did so because of a positive test, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
An in-season trade acquisition, Griffen is now set to miss the next two Lions games. The veteran defensive end was one of three players whose most recent coronavirus test came back positive, joining Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin and Rams linebacker Jachai Polite.
Playing on a one-year deal, Griffen has five sacks this season. He has recorded 2.5 of those in his five games with the Lions. Should Griffen avoid complications from the season-defining virus, he could return in Week 16 to make a final impression for another run at free agency. Griffen is a half-sack away from 80 in his 11-year career.
This will leave the Lions thin on the edge, with Trey Flowers and rookie Julian Okwara on IR. Detroit also is down cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Jeff Okudah. Griffen, however, is the only player on the team’s COVID list.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/20
Here is Saturday’s usual barrage of minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Tyrel Dodson
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: LB Adarius Taylor
- Promoted: DT Woodrow Hamilton, WR Marken Michel, DT Mike Panasiuk
- Waived: LB Chris Orr
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: S Trayvon Henderson, DT Kahlil McKenzie, WR Stanley Morgan
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: C Tyler Biadasz
- Promoted: T William Sweet, CB Chris Westry
- Waived: C Adam Redmond
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: LB Derrek Tuszka
- Promoted: TE Troy Fumagalli, CB Nate Hairston, S Alijah Holder, LB Josh Watson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: Kareem Martin, S Bobby Price, T Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: G Ben Braden, TE Dominique Dafney, WR Juwann Winfree
Houston Texans
- Promoted: CB Anthony Chesley, WR Chad Hansen, WR Steven Mitchell Jr., S Jonathan Owens
- Waived: LB Nate Orchard
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: P Ryan Allen, C Joey Hunt
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks, K Aldrick Rosas, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
- Waived: K Chase McLaughlin
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: DB Chris Lammons, OL Stefen Wisniewski
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: DE Vic Beasley, DE Chris Smith
- Placed on IR: S Jeff Heath
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: RB Justin Jackson
- Promoted: LB B.J. Bello
- Waived: LB Asmar Bilal
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jachai Polite; Polite tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter)
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LB Blake Lynch, LB Hardy Nickerson
- Waived: S Curtis Riley
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: CB Justin Hardee
- Promoted: WR Juwan Johnson, WR Tommylee Lewis
- Placed on IR: CB Patrick Robinson
New York Giants
- Promoted: CB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: CB Bless Austin, TE Trevon Wesco
- Promoted: WR Lawrence Cager, LB Noah Dawkins, S Saquan Hampton, WR Jaleel Scott
- Placed on IR: S Ashtyn Davis, S Bennett Jackson, G Greg Van Roten
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: OL Jason Peters (story)
- Promoted: CB Jameson Houston, CB Kevon Seymour, LB Rashad Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: DL Alex Barrett, CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, DL Darrion Daniels, OL Dakoda Shepley
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, T Chad Wheeler
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: CB Herb Miller
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: CB Kareem Orr
- Promoted: LB Wyatt Ray, LB Tuzar Skipper
- Placed on IR: CB Breon Borders
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: DE Ryan Anderson
- Promoted: RB Javon Leake, T David Steinmetz
Steelers Place LB Robert Spillane On IR
The rare 11-1 team in a heated battle for a No. 1 seed, the Steelers will make their trip to Buffalo severely shorthanded at linebacker.
Pittsburgh placed Robert Spillane on IR Saturday. The recent replacement starter suffered a knee injury during the Steelers’ loss to Washington on Monday. He will join Devin Bush on the injured list, though it is not certain if Spillane is out for the season. The young defender will be out until at least Week 17, however.
Altogether, the Steelers are down Spillane, Bush and Vince Williams at off-ball linebacker. The latter is on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. This will increase the importance of the team’s October trade for Avery Williamson. The veteran stands to be a first-stringer against the Bills; his most recent start came in Week 8 when still a member of the Jets.
Spillane stepped in for Bush after he went down earlier in the season. A third-year UDFA, Spillane started seven games, made 45 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown against the Ravens.
The Steelers made multiple moves to help with linebacker depth Saturday, activating Ulysees Gilbert and promoting Tegray Scales from their practice squad. Pittsburgh is tied with Kansas City atop the AFC, though the Steelers still hold the tiebreaker.