Jaguars Sign K Chase McLaughlin
The Jaguars have signed kicker Chase McLaughlin off the Vikings’ practice squad, per a club announcement. McLaughlin will take over for Josh Lambo, who is likely done for the year after aggravating a muscle injury.
[RELATED: Josh Lambo Likely Done For Year]
McLaughlin has the distinction of serving as the Jags’ sixth kicker of the season, following Lambo, Stephen Hauschka, Jon Brown, Brandon Wright, and Aldrick Rosas. The Jaguars didn’t see much of Lambo this year, though he did drill a franchise-record 59-yard field goal this past weekend. Meanwhile, the other four kickers combined to go just 5-9 on field goal tries.
Last year, Lambo led the NFL with a 97.1% field goal conversion rate. He also has two full seasons left on his four-year, $15MM deal, so McLaughlin is little more than a rental for the Jaguars. Still, McLaughlin is undoubtedly thrilled about the opportunity, since he hasn’t seen live action all year.
In 2019, McLaughlin connected on 18 of 23 field goal attempts across eleven games for the Colts, Chargers, and 49ers. He was 100% accurate on his nine of his attempts from inside the 40, he went 3-3 on FGs of 50+ yards, and he made all 26 of his XPs. Meanwhile, he struggled from 40-49 yards out (5 for 10).
Falcons Waive DE Takk McKinley
Takk McKinley‘s time with the Falcons has come to an end. Atlanta has waived the defensive end, a former first-round pick, they announced Monday afternoon.
It was widely reported that the Falcons were shopping the pass-rusher ahead of last week’s trade deadline, but last Monday McKinley announced he wouldn’t be traded, saying Atlanta turned down a handful of offers for him. If that’s true, then it’s pretty strange the Falcons would have chosen not to take some draft compensation only to cut him loose a week later. We heard last week that the team had been seeking a fourth-round pick for him in trade talks.
The 26th overall pick of the 2017 draft, McKinley will now be subjected to waivers and any team can claim him. He’s only owed a little under $900K for the rest of the season, so there’s a good chance we see a team submit a claim this week. Since the Falcons declined the fifth-year option on his contract back in April, he’s set to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
If he isn’t claimed, there figure to be a number of interested suitors on the free agent market. There are a handful of contending teams who could use edge rushing help including the Titans, who just released Vic Beasley and are dealing with an injury to Jadeveon Clowney, and the Seahawks, who did already trade for Carlos Dunlap.
The UCLA product entered the league with a lot of fanfare, but like most recent Falcons defensive draft picks, he didn’t pan out in Atlanta. He had six sacks as a rookie and seven the next year, but regressed to 3.5 last year despite starting 13 games and appearing in 14. He was only playing a part-time role in the four games he played with them this year, racking up eight tackles, seven quarterback hits, and one sack.
He only turned 25 last week, and still has a lot of theoretical potential. He blasted the team on social media this week for not trading him and allegedly turning down past deals on the table, making the situation untenable. He’ll likely benefit from a fresh start, and it’ll be interesting to see where he lands. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear something.
Jaguars’ Josh Lambo Done For Year?
Jaguars kicker Josh Lambo aggravated his gluteus medius muscle during Sunday’s game, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a worse version of the injury that caused him to miss a month earlier this year and he’ll head to the injured reserve list to recuperate. The expectation is that this will end his season early. 
Lambo suffered the strain during the final kick of the game, a late onside kick attempt. On the plus side, Lambo set a new personal watermark with his 59-yard field goal, which now stands as the longest in Jaguars franchise history. Remarkably, that was his seventh straight connection on tries from 50 yards or longer.
The Jaguars went through a series of kickers after Lambo’s early fall hiatus. Collectively, Aldrick Rosas, Stephen Hauschka, Brandon Wright, and Jon Brown went 5-9 on field goal tries. They’ll have to try a new leg with Lambo — one of the league’s most reliable and accurate kickers — out of the picture.
In his injury-shortened 2020, the soon-to-be 30-year-old has made all five of his field goal attempts while going 8-of-10 on extra point tries. Last year, Lambo led the NFL with a 97.1% field goal conversion rate. He still has two full seasons left on his four-year, $15MM deal, tying him to the Jaguars through 2022.
NFL Practice Squad: 11/8/20
All of the practice squad moves from the past day:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on practice squad IR: C Patrick Morris
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Demarcus Christmas
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: P Trevor Daniel
- Placed on practice squad IR: K Tucker McCann
Chiefs’ Taco Charlton Fractures Leg, Headed To IR
The Chiefs outlasted the Panthers in a thrilling shootout, but they’ll be without a part of their pass-rush moving forward. Defensive end Taco Charlton suffered a fracture in his lower leg and will head to injured reserve, head coach Andy Reid announced after the game.
It’s unclear the severity, but it’s certainly possible that he’s done for the year. With the new IR rules, he’ll be out at least three games. He’d been playing a decent-sized role as a rotational pass-rusher, notching around a quarter of the defensive snaps in the six games he played prior to getting hurt. He had been reasonably productive in those six games, racking up two sacks, four quarterback hits, and a forced fumble.
Charlton’s NFL career started out as a highly-touted first-round pick of the Cowboys, but he quickly flamed out in Dallas. He was cut after only two-plus years with the Cowboys, then scooped up by the Dolphins. He had his best season as a pro last year with Miami, notching five sacks in only ten games.
Seahawks, HC Pete Carroll Agree To Extension
The Seahawks and head coach Pete Carroll have agreed to a multi-year contract extension, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. No one within the organization has confirmed the news, but one source tells Schefter that the deal will tie Carroll to the club through the 2025 season.
By that time, Carroll will be 74, so this could well be the last contract that he signs. He indicated earlier this year that he wants to coach well into his 70s, and his new extension will give him the chance to do just that.
The Seahawks have starting quarterback and runaway MVP candidate Russell Wilson under club control through the 2023 campaign, so unless something unexpected happens, the most effective QB-HC duo in franchise history will be together for a few more seasons. And considering the success the two have had together, that’s reason for Seattle fans to celebrate.
Hired as the club’s head coach and executive vice president of player operations in January 2010, Carroll has compiled a 106-60-1 regular season record over the past 10+ seasons, to go along with a 10-7 postseason mark. He also guided Seattle to its first Super Bowl victory after the 2013 season.
While Carroll would sooner forget the end of the following Super Bowl, he and Wilson have established the Seahawks as perennial championship contenders. And at 6-1, Seattle is on the short-list of this year’s legitimate Lomardi hopefuls.
Carroll’s last contract paid him an $11MM annual salary, and the extension could push that figure even higher.
Browns Place QB Baker Mayfield On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Browns have placed starting quarterback Baker Mayfield on the reserve/COVID-19 list, according to a team announcement. Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network was first to report the news (via Twitter), and the team’s statement can be found here.
Luckily, Mayfield did not test positive for the coronavirus. Instead, he is considered a close contact with a staff member who tested positive, and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal says that staff member is not a coach. Based on when the contact occurred, Mayfield could be back at practice on Wednesday if he continues to test negative.
Since the Browns have a bye this week, it appears that Mayfield won’t miss any game action. If something should change in that regard, Case Keenum is available to take the reins.
Mayfield has had an up-and-down season in 2020 after a disappointing sophomore effort last year. He was terrific in a Week 7 win over the Bengals, but he flopped in Cleveland’s Week 8 loss to the Raiders. At 5-3, the Browns still have a good chance at a playoff berth, especially considering their favorable schedule, but questions about Mayfield persist.
On the season, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 draft has completed 61.4% of his passes and has thrown 15 TDs against seven picks, good for a 90.9 QB rating. But he has feasted on teams with poor defenses and has struggled against playoff contenders.
He will have a chance to right the ship against the Texans next week.
Bears Place S Deon Bush On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Bears have placed safety Deon Bush on the reserve/COVID-19 list, per a team announcement. According to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com, Bush did not test positive for the coronavirus, but he is considered a close contact with someone who did test positive while he was away from the team (Twitter link).
This is notable because Bush flew with his teammates to Tennessee for this week’s game against the Titans before he learned that the person he was in contact with tested positive, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes. Luckily, COVID-19 tests across the league came back negative this morning, but given the virus’ incubation period, the Bears might not be out of the woods just yet.
Indeed, OL Lachavious Simmons did recently test positive and has joined Bush on the reserve/COVID-19 list. OL Aaron Neary has been summoned from the practice squad to take Simmons’ place on the active roster.
Chicago selected Bush in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He has started only two games since his rookie season and has seen limited defensive snaps, but he has been a key special teams contributor. Simmons, a seventh-round rookie, just got promoted from the taxi squad earlier this week.
In other Bears news, the club is expected to sign veteran offensive lineman Eric Kush, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Kush has a visit lined up this week, and assuming he clears COVID-19 protocols and passes a physical, he will join the team. He started four games for the Bears in 2016 and seven contests in 2018.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/7/20
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from IR: TE Maxx Williams
- Promoted: DL Michael Dogbe, RB D.J. Foster, CB Jace Whittaker
- Waived: TE Jordan Thomas
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: CB Darqueze Dennard
- Promoted: LB Edmond Robinson, LB Pita Taumoepenu
- Placed on IR: CB Jordan Miller
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
- Promoted: CB Dane Jackson, WR Jake Kumerow
Carolina Panthers
- Activated: DE Yetur Gross-Matos, RB Christian McCaffrey (story)
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: QB Tyler Bray, OL Dieter Eiselen, WR Dwayne Harris, DL Daniel McCullers, Badara Traore
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: P Chris Jones
- Promoted: P Hunter Niswander, RB Sewo Olonilua, QB Cooper Rush, CB Saivion Smith
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: S Alijah Holder
Detroit Lions
- Activated from reserve/PUP list: DE Austin Bryant
- Promoted: OL Marcus Martin
- Placed on IR: CB Darryl Roberts
Houston Texans
- Promoted: LB Nate Hall, DL Corey Liuget, OL Greg Mancz
Indianapolis Colts
- Activated from IR: LB Matthew Adams
- Promoted: WR Daurice Fountain, WR DeMichael Harris
- Placed on IR: WR Ashton Dulin
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: LB Joe Giles-Harris, S Doug Middleton, CB Josh Nurse
- Placed on IR: LB Shaquille Quarterman
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Gehrig Dieter, G Bryan Witzmann
Las Vegas Raiders
- Activated from IR: DT Daniel Ross
- Added to active roster: DE Chris Smith
- Waived: WR Rico Gafford
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: RB Kalen Ballage, DE Jessie Lemonier, DB Quenton Meeks
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Brandon Facyson
Miami Dolphins
- Activated from IR: T Austin Jackson
- Promoted: WR Kirk Merritt
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: DT Abdullah Anderson, C Brett Jones
New York Giants
- Activated from IR: CB Brandon Williams
- Promoted: DB Montre Hartage, RB Alfred Morris, G Chad Slade
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Promoted: S Antoine Brooks, LB Jayrone Elliott
- Waived: RB Trey Edmunds, OL Stefen Wisniewski
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from IR: DE Rasheem Green
- Promoted: RB Alex Collins, CB Jayson Stanley
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: DL William Gholston
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: WR Cameron Batson, CB Breon Borders, RB D’Onta Foreman, LS Matt Overton, LB Wyatt Ray, DL Teair Tart
- Placed on IR: CB Tye Smith
- Waived: OL Daniel Munyer
Washington Football Team
- Activated from IR: WR Steven Sims
- Promoted: WR Jeff Badet, OL Ross Pierschbacher
- Waived: DE Nate Orchard
Lions Activate Matthew Stafford From Reserve/COVID-19 List
Matthew Stafford did not practice this week, but he is on track to start Sunday against the Vikings. The Lions activated their veteran starter from their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday.
The Lions placed Stafford on their COVID list Tuesday, but since his last contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus occurred Monday, he will be eligible to play against the Vikings. Should Stafford’s most recent COVID test come back negative Sunday morning, he will start.
This marked the 12th-year quarterback’s second stay on the team’s reserve/COVID list. However, Stafford’s summer placement turned out to be a false positive that prompted the NFL to change its coronavirus protocols. The league has continued to tinker with its virus protocols, leading more players to land on teams’ respective COVID lists as the season has progressed.
Stafford ranks 17th in QBR this season. He will now face Minnesota without having practiced this week and with Kenny Golladay having been declared out with a hip injury.