Dolphins Release RB Jordan Howard
Jordan Howard‘s time in Miami has come to an end. The Dolphins have cut the running back, head coach Brian Flores announced during his press conference on Monday.
Interestingly, Flores deemed it a “mutual parting,” which likely has something to do with Howard being frustrated with his limited role. Even though he’s a vested veteran since it’s this late in the season, Howard will be subjected to waivers. We heard a couple of weeks ago that Howard might be available in a trade, but clearly there weren’t any takers. Still, he could be a target of some contending teams looking for running back help.
Howard signed a two-year, $9.75MM deal with Miami back in March, and they proved to regret it almost immediately. He started the first two games but only carried the ball 13 times for 11 yards, and quickly took a backseat to Myles Gaskin and Matt Breida. He’s mostly been inactive recently. All told, he’ll finish his Dolphins tenure with a pitiful 33 yards on 28 attempts through five games, although he did score four touchdowns.
A fifth-round pick of the Bears in 2016, Howard became Chicago’s starter as a rookie and spent his first three seasons as their lead back. The Indiana product slowly fell out of favor with Matt Nagy, and was shipped out to Philadelphia before the 2019 season. Last year with the Eagles he was relatively productive, rushing the ball 119 for 525 yards and six scores. Howard’s salary isn’t guaranteed for 2021 and he’s only owed around $721K for the rest of this year (per this tweet from Field Yates of ESPN.com), so it’s certainly not inconceivable that a team will claim him.
Ravens’ Nick Boyle Done For Year
Ravens tight end Nick Boyle will be out for the year after suffering a gruesome knee injury on Sunday night, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic). The severity of the injury was immediately apparent as Boyle’s left leg bent in the wrong direction.
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“It’s hard to really quantify what Nick does for us as an offense and as a team,” said Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley). “He’s a person that people gravitate towards. For me, he’s meant a ton to me, and it sucks. It sucks for him; he’s worked so hard to get to where he’s at.”
“Everyone in this locker room loves him to death, and he’s one of the most loved people on this team. We’re going to miss him dearly. We know he has our backs, and we have his. It’s just sad. It’s sad to see.”
Boyle has never been one to light up the stat sheet, but his blocking prowess has made him an integral part of the Ravens’ offense. Last year, he set new career highs with 31 catches for 321 yards and two scores. Through nine games this year, he caught 14 balls from Lamar Jackson for 113 yards and two TDs. The advanced metrics have underscored Boyle’s importance to the team, however — he often places in the top 30 at his position, even though he’s rarely targeted.
The Ravens could call on one of their practice squad tight ends — Xavier Grimble or Sean Culkin — to replace Boyle on the active roster.
Giants Extend Graham Gano
On the heels of David Bakhtiari‘s extension, we’ve got another one to pass along. Although it’s not nearly as large, kicker Graham Gano is getting an extension that runs through the 2023 season from the Giants, the team announced Sunday.
Gano signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Giants back in August that was set to expire at the end of the season. He’ll now get three additional years tacked on. Those three years will come with $14MM in new money, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. Of that, $9MM is guaranteed, so the Giants are tied to Gano for a whlie. He’s been on fire recently, and has an active streak of 20 consecutive field goals going.
An UDFA in 2009, Gano spent his first couple of seasons as Washington’s kicker before signing with Carolina in 2012. He held down the Panthers’ job for the next seven seasons, making the Pro Bowl in 2017. He missed all of last season with a knee injury, and the Panthers cut him back in July.
Packers Extend David Bakhtiari
The Packers made a major move before their Week 10 date with the Jaguars. Green Bay locked up left tackle David Bakhtiari with a four-year extension, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link). He had previously been set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
The deal is worth up to $105.5MM in new money, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The base value is $23MM per year, Rapoport adds, which makes him the new highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Widely considered one of the best tackles in the league, Bakhtiari made his return on Sunday from a chest injury that cost him a few games. This is certainly a nice welcome-back gift.
A fourth-round pick back in 2013, he turned into a steal for Green Bay. The Colorado product became a full-time starter as a rookie, and he’s been protecting Aaron Rodgers‘ blindside ever since. He’s been pretty durable, starting all 16 games in five of his seven full seasons and never missing more than four in one year.
An All-Pro in each of the past four seasons, Bakhtiari only turned 29 in September. As such, he should still be in the prime of his career when this new pact expires. Laremy Tunsil became the highest-paid offensive lineman and first to eclipse $20MM annually back in March, and now Bakhtiari has blown past those numbers.
He’s pretty much in quarterback-money territory now. Rapoport later posted a follow-up tweet saying he’ll get a whopping $30MM signing bonus, with $62.8MM coming his way before the end of the 2022 campaign. Since 2017 Bakhtiari is first in the league in pass block win rate among tackles, according to a tweet from Seth Walder of ESPN.com.
Bears To Promote RB Lamar Miller
After missing the entire 2019 season and the first half of the 2020 campaign, Lamar Miller will return to regular season action. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, the Bears plan to promote the veteran RB from the practice squad for tomorrow night’s game against the Vikings (Twitter link).
Miller, who has put together 1,000-yard seasons for both the Dolphins and Texans in his career, earned his first Pro Bowl nod after his 2018 season with Houston, when he amassed 973 yards in just 14 games on a 4.6 YPC average. Unfortunately, he suffered an ACL tear during the 2019 preseason and was not re-signed the following year.
He hooked on with the Patriots in August, but he was released before the season began. He took visits with several clubs, including the Bears, before signing with Chicago’s taxi squad in October.
The Bears already lost Tarik Cohen for the season due to a torn ACL, and David Montgomery‘s concussion will sideline him for the matchup with Minnesota. So Miller suddenly finds himself as the top option in a backfield that needs a jolt, as Chicago is averaging a league-worst 82.3 yards per game on the ground this season.
But while the Bears are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, they are still 5-4 and in contention for a playoff berth. If Miller can replicate his 2018 performance with Houston, that will be a big boost to the Bears’ postseason push.
Dolphins Promote WR Antonio Callaway
Antonio Callaway is getting another shot. In the wake of Preston Williams‘ trip to IR, the Dolphins are promoting Callaway to their active roster for today’s game against the Chargers, as Adam H. Beasley and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald write.
The ‘Fins signed Callaway to the practice squad in September, even though he still had three games of last season’s 10-game suspension to serve. Shortly thereafter, he was hit with another four-game ban, so he continued to sit on the club’s practice squad suspended list.
Miami’s WR depth was already thin to begin with after Albert Wilson and Allen Hurns opted out of the season, and Williams’ injury has further depleted the club’s cadre of pass catchers. So Callaway, who has a ton of talent but who has struggled with substance abuse issues, will have a prime opportunity to reestablish himself.
He also finds himself in the middle of a playoff race. The 5-3 Dolphins are one of this year’s biggest surprises, and Miami suddenly looks like a postseason contender. The team is hopeful that Callaway, who posted a 43/586/5 line in his rookie season with the Browns in 2018, will provide rookie signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa with a reliable option to complement DeVante Parker.
Unfortunately, Beasley and Jackson report that Williams is likely to miss the remainder of the season with a foot injury, which could lead to an extended audition for Callaway. But the Florida product and Miami native can’t get complacent, as the Dolphins are also working out Ricardo Louis and Andre Patton. Callaway, of course, has much more upside than either player if he stay out of trouble.
Seahawks Promote Snacks Harrison
Damon Harrison‘s time on Seattle’s practice squad may be over for good. The Seahawks are promoting the veteran defensive tackle to their active roster.
The Seahawks signed Snacks last month and stashed him on their taxi squad for five weeks in order for the free agent to work his way into full-on game shape. Pete Carroll has expressed optimism on Harrison recently and has decided to pull the trigger on activating him.
This will mark the beginning of Snacks’ ninth NFL season. A 2016 All-Pro with the Giants, Harrison started 15 games with the Lions last season but was not especially happy in Detroit, having considered retirement. He appears to be more content in Seattle, having turned down chances at a 53-man roster spot with the Buccaneers and Dolphins this season.
While the Seahawks’ defense will need more than Harrison to bounce back from a historically dreadful start, the unit did sack Josh Allen seven times in last week’s loss in Buffalo. The Seahawks rank 29th in DVOA against the pass but are interestingly ninth in run defense. Snacks should help on that front.
Seattle also placed defensive tackle Bryan Mone on IR, activated cornerback Neiko Thorpe from IR and promoted running back Alex Collins. The latter’s elevation will help the team with backfield depth; Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde remain sidelined with injuries.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/14/20
Here are Saturday’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: K Taylor Bertolet
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Paul Quessenberry
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/14/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: G J.R. Sweezy
- Promoted: DL Trevon Coley, RB D.J. Foster, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: DL Leki Fotu
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: DE Dante Fowler
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: S Geno Stone
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: S Juston Burris
- Promoted: RB Rodney Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: T Quinn Bailey, TE Troy Fumagalli, LB Josh Watson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: DT Frank Herron, T Dan Skipper
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: S Andrew Wingard
- Promoted: S Doug Middleton, LB Joe Giles-Harris, WR Terry Godwin, OL K.C. McDermott
- Waived: DL Caraun Reid
- Placed on IR: S Josh Jones
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: S Jordan Fuller, OL Joseph Noteboom
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LS Austin Cutting
New England Patriots
- Activated from IR: OL Jermaine Eluemunor
- Promoted: LB Terez Hall, LB Cassh Maluia
- Waived: DL Nick Thurman
- Placed on IR: LB Shilique Calhoun
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: CB Michael Jacquet, DT T.Y. McGill, TE Caleb Wilson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: S Antoine Brooks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: OL Kevin Dotson
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: TE Daniel Helm, S Jared Mayden
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Cyril Grayson, WR Jaydon Mickens
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Raiders Promote David Irving, Activate Damon Arnette
David Irving will have a chance to play in his first game since October 2018 on Sunday. The Raiders are activating the defensive lineman from their practice squad.
Irving will join first-round pick Damon Arnette in being on the team’s 55-man game-day roster. Las Vegas moved Arnette back to its active roster from IR. The Ohio State-developed cornerback has run into multiple instances of thumb trouble as a rookie.
The Raiders added Irving to their practice squad last month, doing so shortly after the NFL reinstated the oft-suspended inside pass rusher. The Cowboys let Irving walk in free agency in 2018, doing so after he played in only two games for the team in 2018.
Irving has been suspended four times, with his most recent substance-abuse ban sidelining him for over a year. He has shown flashes as a productive rusher, most notably in 2017 when he recorded seven sacks in eight games. The Raiders rank 31st this season with just nine sacks.
Arnette initially broke his thumb during training camp but landed on it awkwardly against the Patriots in September. He has played in just three games as a pro. The Raiders surprised many by taking Arnette at No. 19 overall. They are yet again having issues against the pass — an evergreen issue for the team — and enter Week 10 ranked 30th in defensive DVOA. A 32nd-ranked rush defense also contributes to that ranking.
The Raiders also promoted offensive lineman Jaryd Jones-Smith from their practice squad.