Packers Activate Christian Kirksey From IR
Christian Kirksey will be back in uniform on Sunday. The Packers are activating the veteran linebacker from IR after a lengthy stay without one of their starters.
Green Bay parked the former Cleveland standout on IR because of a September shoulder injury. The offseason addition has been out since Week 3. His return will stand to help a Packers defense that has struggled this season.
After a strong start to his career led to the Browns signing off on an eight-figure-per-year extension, Kirksey has not shown he can stay healthy consistently in recent years. He missed 23 games during his final two Browns seasons and became a 2020 cap casualty. Kirksey still received considerable interest as a street free agent this offseason and signed a two-year, $13MM deal with the Packers. Green Bay guaranteed Kirksey $4MM but can drop him after 2020 and save $6MM, making the second half of this season key for the seventh-year vet.
The Packers also promoted wide receiver Juwann Winfree from their practice squad. The team did not activate Allen Lazard from IR, despite their No. 2 wideout making the trip to San Francisco in Week 9. In order for Lazard to return this season, he must be activated ahead of the Packers’ Week 11 game. The Packers are also elevating cornerbacks KeiVarae Russell and Stanford Samuels and safety Henry Black.
Bengals Activate Sam Hubbard, Place John Ross On IR
Takkarist McKinley will not make his Bengals debut this week, needing to go through the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol. But the team will have a key pass rusher in uniform after some time away.
The Bengals activated Sam Hubbard from IR Saturday. The third-year defensive end has missed the past three games because of an elbow injury.
Cincinnati also moved John Ross to its IR list. While Ross has not been active since Week 6 and has not caught a pass since Week 1, he has run into multiple injury issues during another disappointing season. After a foot injury shelved him recently, more foot trouble emerged in practice this week, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
This setback came shortly after Bengals coaches had a conversation with Ross about working as a cornerback, Garafolo notes, but the injury came on a play in which Ross was playing his usual position. None of this is good for a player who joined the Bengals as a top-10 pick.
The team did not pick up Ross’ option and has not featured him prominently this season, using younger players Tee Higgins and Auden Tate over Ross. While Ross requested a trade, the Bengals did not move him. Ross’ contract expires at season’s end. The Combine’s 40-yard dash record holder is not on track to enter free agency with much momentum.
Hubbard will return to a defensive line that no longer houses Carlos Dunlap, whom the Bengals traded during Hubbard’s injury hiatus. Hubbard will rejoin Carl Lawson in Cincy’s lineup, while McKinley — added on waivers this week — is set to join the incumbents next week.
The Bengals also placed cornerback Darius Phillips on IR and promoted guard Quinton Spain, wide receiver Stanley Morgan, cornerback Jalen Davis and defensive tackle Kahlil McKenzie ahead of their matchup with the Steelers.
Texans Place David Johnson On IR
The concussion David Johnson suffered last week will pause his initial Texans season until at least December. The Texans placed their starting running back on IR.
Johnson will be out until at least Week 13. The Texans elevated C.J. Prosise from their practice squad earlier Saturday; he represents depth behind Duke Johnson for the time being.
Acquired in one of the bigger offseason trades in recent memory, David Johnson has at least been available throughout this season — after injuries became commonplace for the former All-Pro in Arizona. The former Cardinals standout, however, has not rebounded to the point of justifying the three-year, $39MM extension or being a key part of a DeAndre Hopkins trade. Johnson is averaging 4.0 yards per carry and has only caught 16 passes (for 161 yards) this season.
After acquiring Kenyan Drake from the Dolphins, the Cardinals benched Johnson last season. He battled multiple injuries in 2019 and missed 15 games in 2017 because of a broken wrist. Johnson, 29 next month, has one season remaining on his Cardinals-constructed contract.
Houston also activated safety A.J. Moore from IR and placed linebacker Dylan Cole on its injured list. The team promoted Corey Liuget, offensive lineman Greg Mancz and linebacker Nate Hall as well.
Texans Elevate RB C.J. Prosise
With David Johnson sidelined with a concussion, the Texans are turning to a notable name from their practice squad. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that Houston is promoting running back C.J. Prosise.
Prosise, a former third-round pick out of Notre Dame, became a free agent following four seasons with the Seahawks. After auditioning for the Lions and Bears, the 26-year-old secured a practice squad gig with the Texans back in early September. Prosise was elevated to the active roster twice that month, and after being signed to the active roster in late September, he was subsequently waived in late October.
In six games for Houston this season, Prosise has only seen five offensive snaps (vs. 71 special teams snaps). The veteran previously saw time in 25 regular season games during his time in Seattle, rushing for 264 yards and two scores on 65 carries. He had another 36 receptions for 393 yards.
Johnson exited the Texans’ win over the Jaguars last weekend after being on the receiving end of a big hit from Jacksonville linebacker Myles Jack. Backup Duke Johnson proceeded to collect a career-high 20 carries, and he’ll likely lead the rushing attack against the Browns tomorrow. Houston is also rostering running back Buddy Howell.
Browns To Activate RB Nick Chubb
The Browns are about to get a major boost to their offense. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Cleveland has activated Nick Chubb from injured reserve. The running back is expected to play tomorrow against the Texans.
Chubb was rolling through his first three-plus games of the 2020 campaign, collecting 335 rushing yards and four scores on only 57 carries (good for 5.9 yards per attempt). However, he was placed on injured reserve with an MCL injury in early October, but there was always some optimism that Chubb would return sooner than later. Following a productive week at practice, the Browns staff felt Chubb was ready to return to the field.
In his stead, the team has turned to Kareem Hunt and (to a lesser extent) D’Ernest Johnson. Hunt, who has 18 receptions through eight games, should still see a role in the passing game, but Chubb should otherwise take up the majority of the carries. The running game will have an excellent opportunity for a standout performance against Houston tomorrow, as the Texans are allowing 159.5 rushing yards per game.
Offensive guard Wyatt Teller should also be on the field against Houston. The lineman was limited in practice this week with a calf strain, but head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that Teller would be good to go this weekend.
Vikings Release OL Pat Elflein
After being activated from the injured reserve yesterday, Pat Elflein is now a free agent. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Vikings have released the offensive lineman. The 26-year-old is now fully healthy and hopes to get an opportunity for “some real playing time elsewhere.”
The former third-round pick earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team in 2017 after starting 14 games at center for the Vikings. He played the same role in 2018, but he was switched to guard in 2019 after Minnesota drafted Garrett Bradbury in the first round of that year’s draft.
Elflein started 15 games at guard in 2019, and he started the 2020 season opener before tearing a thumb ligament. That injury forced Elflein to land on the IR, and after returning to practice three weeks ago, his IR-DTR window had recently come to an end. Therefore, the Vikings had no other choice than to activate Elflein.
As our own Sam Robinson noted yesterday, the Vikings have used veteran Dakota Dozier as a guard starter all year, and they recently moved second-round rookie Ezra Cleveland into their starting lineup at guard. Considering the recent performance of Dalvin Cook and the Vikings running game, the coaching staff apparently thought it was better to roll forward with their current grouping.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/13/20
Here are Friday’s practice squad decisions:
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: DT Walter Palmore
New England Patriots
- Placed on practice squad injured list: OL Caleb Benenoch
- Released: TE Dylan Cantrell, QB Jake Dolegala
New York Giants
- Signed: OT Kyle Murphy
- Waived: TE Eric Tomlinson, G Kenny Wiggins
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/13/20
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: RB Reggie Bonnafon, DE Stephen Weatherly
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted: DT Benito Jones, TE Chris Myarick
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: LB Chase Hansen
New York Giants
- Promoted: DB Montre Hartage, RB Alfred Morris
Giants To Place Devonta Freeman On IR
The Giants will place running back Devonta Freeman on injured reserve, according to a source who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). If all goes well, he’ll be able to return after the minimum three-week period. 
Freeman joined the Giants on a one-year deal worth up to $3MM in late September. The deal came with a base value of just $1.07MM (prorated to $944K), however, with $280K in per-game active roster bonuses and other incentives. Freeman will miss out on nearly $900K in pay while he heals up, and possibly more depending on how things go from here.
The 28-year-old has averaged just 3.2 yards per carry with the G-Men and it’s been a while since he’s shown his Pro Bowl form. Injuries limited Freeman to just two games in 2018, and he averaged a meager 3.6 yards per carry in 14 games last season. That underwhelming performance led to him being ranked 41st among 43 running backs in success rate, per Football Outsiders, and his divorce from the Falcons.
The Giants have done about as well as you’d expect without Saquon Barkley on the field, though Freeman was hoping for a stronger showing given the opportunity. The 2-7 Giants will try their hand against the Eagles this week before their Week 11 bye.
Packers’ John Lovett Done For Year
Packers fullback John Lovett will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a bad break for the special teams regular, who has now ended both of his pro seasons on injured reserve. 
Lovett played quarterback at Princeton before signing with the Chiefs last year as an undrafted free agent. With the Packers, he’s seen time at fullback, tight end, and running back, but he’ll mostly be missed in the third facet of the game. Rookie Josiah Deguara — who was initially set for those H-back snaps — is also out with a torn ACL, so the Packers will have to look elsewhere for help. That could mean new work for Jace Sternberger, or a step up for a practice squader like Dax Raymond or Dominique Dafney.
The Packers, sans Lovett, will look to advance to 7-2 this weekend when they take on the Jaguars at Lambeau Field.