Lions To Waive WR Marvin Hall
The Lions are moving on from Marvin Hall. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that Detroit is planning to waive the wide receiver. The organization is hoping to give some of their younger players an opportunity in what’s turning into a lost season. On the other side, the 27-year-old receiver will have a great chance to catch on with a contender.
Hall, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Washington, bounced around the league a bit to start his career, spending time with the Raiders, Cardinals, Falcons, and Bears. He seemed to find a home in Detroit, however. Hall appeared in nine games for the Lions last season, but he took on a larger role in 2020.
This season, the veteran has hauled in 17 receptions for 290 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games (five starts). He had a breakout performance in Week 8, catching four passes for 113 yards. In the following four games, Hall was on the field for more than half of Detroit’s offensive snaps.
With the Lions sitting with a 4-7 record, the team is starting to look towards next season. The team’s depth chart is already filled with veterans behind Kenny Golladay (a grouping that includes Marvin Jones, Mohamed Sanu, and Danny Amendola), but today’s move should provide more opportunities for the likes of Quintez Cephus and Jamal Agnew.
Stephen Hauschka To Retire
Although Stephen Hauschka kicked in a game earlier this year, he has decided 13 NFL seasons is enough. The veteran kicker announced his retirement Friday (via Instagram).
Best known for his run in Seattle, Hauschka kicked for five teams — the Ravens, Broncos, Seahawks, Bills and Jaguars — and initially landed in the NFL as a Vikings UDFA in 2008. Now 35, Hauschka will call it quits after 166 games.
Hauschka’s six-season Seahawks stay enabled him to kick in two Super Bowls, the first of which earning him a ring, and 11 playoff games. However, his postseason career began in three Ravens playoff games in 2008. Hauschka was not Baltimore’s placekicker in those games, however.
He went a perfect 8-for-8 on field goals during Seattle’s run to Super Bowl XLVIII — including two 40-plus-yarders in the Seahawks’ 23-17 win over the 49ers in the NFC title game — and also made a field goal in Super Bowl XLIX. He only missed one field goal in a playoff game, ending his postseason career 24-for-25 in January and February. Hauschka went 4-for-4 in last season’s Bills-Texans wild-card game. In the regular season, he finishes his career with an 85.2% make rate — 16th all time — with a long of 58 (in 2014).
After two seasons with 90%-plus accuracy on field goals in Seattle, Hauschka signed two Bills contracts — the second of which coming via 2019 extension — and kicked with Buffalo for three seasons. The Bills released the veteran earlier this year, opting to go with rookie Tyler Bass. The Jaguars cut Hauschka after one game this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/20
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Activated from IR: CB Anthony Averett, WR Chris Moore
- Promoted: TE Luke Willson
Los Angeles Rams
- Suspended two games: DB Tyrique McGhee
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Matt Breida
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/20
Here are Thursday’s practice squad decisions:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Darius Kilgo
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Nick Bowers
New York Giants
- Signed: S Montre Hartage, K Ryan Santoso
- Released: DB Chris Williamson
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list, released: TE Daniel Helm
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/20
Here are Thursday’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Denico Autry
Las Vegas Raiders
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Tanner Muse
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: LB Jachai Polite
New England Patriots
- Claimed off waivers from Buccaneers: LB Jack Cichy
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: LB Blake Cashman
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: C Maurkice Pouncey
- Promoted: S Antoine Brooks Jr.
Steelers’ Bud Dupree Done For Year
Steelers edge rusher Bud Dupree has torn his ACL and will miss the remainder of the year, according to Mike Garafolo and Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Steelers will make it all official today by placing Dupree on the injured reserve list. 
This is exactly what fans feared when Dupree hurt his left knee on a non-contact injury in the second quarter against the Ravens. The 27-year-old was a key part of the Steelers’ success this year, notching eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and 26 total stops. Without him, they’ll be leaning even more on T.J. Watt and they’ll need more production out of third-round rookie Alex Highsmith. With middle linebacker Devin Bush also done for the year, the Steelers will have to keep their streak alive without two key members of their front seven.
The Steelers kept Dupree from the open market with a one-year franchise tender for linebackers worth $15.8MM. It’s not clear whether Dupree succeeded in getting recategorized as a defensive end to make $17.8MM, but the end result is roughly the same. Dupree is on course for free agency, and the timing of his injury is not quite ideal.
Still, Dupree turned in a strong, complete season in 2019 with a career-high 11.5 sacks — 5.5 more than his previous single-season best. Dupree figures to be one of the most sought-after free agent edge options this year, second only to Yannick Ngakoue.
Vikings Activate Adam Thielen From Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Vikings will have their starting receiver duo back in action this week. They activated Adam Thielen off their reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.
Thielen landed on the coronavirus list Nov. 23, and despite no reports indicating the veteran target contracted the virus, the Vikings were without their two-time Pro Bowl pass catcher against the Panthers. But Thielen is set to return to help the Vikes against the Jaguars.
Prior to his stay on the virus list, Thielen had done well to rebound from an injury-marred 2019. After missing the better part of seven games last season, Thielen caught 49 passes for 646 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns through 10 games. Those 11 TDs led the NFL going into Week 12; Tyreek Hill‘s surge in Tampa now has the Chiefs deep threat pacing the league with 13 touchdown grabs.
Backups Chad Beebe and Bisi Johnson filled in well against Carolina, combining for 14 receptions in the one-point win. But the Vikings have structured their passing attack around the Thielen-Justin Jefferson duo, as they did around their Thielen-Stefon Diggs tandem for years. Thielen, 30, signed a four-year, $64MM extension in 2019.
One game out of the NFC’s third wild-card spot, the 5-6 Vikings are trying to become the fourth team since the merger to start 1-5 and make the playoffs.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/20
Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR J’Mon Moore, CB Manny Patterson
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: DB Tae Hayes
New York Jets
- Activated from practice squad injured list: WR D.J. Montgomery
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Myles Adams, WR Darvin Kidsy
Washington Football Team
- Activated from practice squad injured list: RB Javon Leake
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/20
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: WR Jake Kumerow
Denver Broncos
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL Shelby Harris
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Kevin Strong
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Krys Barnes
Houston Texans
- Promoted: DL Corey Liuget
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: DT Benito Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LS Andrew DePaola
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Brandon Aiyuk, DL D.J. Jones, DL Jordan Willis
- Promoted: S Kai Nacua
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- Waived: LB Jack Cichy
Broncos Claim S Will Parks, Place CB Bryce Callahan On IR
Ahead of their most difficult assignment annually, the Broncos will be down their best-performing cornerback. The Broncos will travel to Kansas City and face at least their next three opponents without Bryce Callahan.
They are placing Callahan on IR, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic tweets. But the team will reunite with Will Parks. The four-year Bronco contributor will return to Denver via waiver claim, per KOA’s Benjamin Allbright (on Twitter). The Eagles waived Parks this week.
Callahan has run into more foot trouble. The standout defender injured the same foot that kept him out of action all last season, and Vic Fangio said a multi-week absence was on tap. Callahan exited Week 12 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 overall cornerback, belatedly justifying the Broncos’ three-year, $21MM investment. He initially injured the foot in December 2018 while playing for Fangio in Chicago.
This is certainly cause for concern for the sixth-year cover man. And it deals a Broncos defense that has been without Von Miller and its entire D-line a major blow going into the team’s biannual Chiefs contest. The Broncos have not beaten the Chiefs since 2015.
Parks opted to play for his hometown Eagles this offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal. The Broncos originally drafted him in the 2016 seventh round, four rounds after their Justin Simmons pick. Given Parks’ familiarity with Fangio’s system, the Broncos should be able to plug him into myriad roles on defense. Parks previously served as a utility man of sorts in Denver, operating as a backup safety, in the slot and as a coverage linebacker in sub-packages. Due to COVID-19 protocols, Parks will not be eligible to play with the Broncos again until Week 14.