Minor NFL Transactions: 11/3/20
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: OT Lachavious Simmons
- Placed on IR: RT Bobby Massie
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: TE Jason Croom
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: WR Dante Pettis
Ravens Place Ronnie Stanley On IR
It’s now official. On Tuesday, the Ravens placed star left tackle Ronnie Stanley on injured reserve. The surgery to repair his severe ankle injury will cost him the remainder of the year. 
It’s a brutal blow for a team that has relied heavily on Stanley to protect quarterback Lamar Jackson and keep the offense humming along. Up until the injury, Stanley was remarkable durable, and lucky. Between 2017 and 2019, Stanley started at least 14 games. Fortunately, he won’t have to worry about his financial security, thanks to his newly-inked five-year, $99MM deal.
Stanley was outstanding last season, earning First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Without him, the Ravens will turn to 2018 third-rounder Orlando Brown Jr., who is shifting from the right side to the left. Versatile veteran D.J. Fluker, meanwhile, is expected to man the RT spot.
In related news, the Ravens also placed rookie offensive lineman Tyre Phillips on IR with a hand injury. The issue kept Phillips out of the team’s Week 9 game and it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to return later this year. At minimum, he’ll be out for the next three games against the Colts, Patriots, and Titans.
Buccaneers Activate Antonio Brown
AB is officially set to debut for TB. On Tuesday, the Buccaneers activated Antonio Brown off of the reserve/suspended list. To make room, they’ve waived fellow wide receiver Cyril Grayson. 
[Poll: Will The Bucs Regret Signing Brown?]
Brown, who is currently bunking up with quarterback Tom Brady, has been drawing rave reviews in practice. Meanwhile, many in the football world have expressed skepticism about his potential impact in the locker room.
“Mark my words, it’s going to be a problem,” one executive familiar with Brown said recently. “You have no idea the stories we could tell you about this guy. Everything is a struggle. … There were plenty of valid reasons why [Arians] didn’t want anything to do with him a year ago. Unless this guy has completely reinvented himself, and done a complete turnaround, this is going to get ugly.”
Brown, 32, will just $1MM in base salary and bonuses, with the potential to make as much as $2.5MM. If the Bucs win the Super Bowl, AB will receive a $750K bonus, and he has three separate $250K bonuses for receptions, yards, and TD milestones. Those incentives are only in play if the Bucs reach the playoffs.
The Buccaneers advanced to 6-2 after edging out the Giants on Monday night. Brown’s new squad will fight to stay atop the NFC South this week when they take on the Saints, who are riding a four-game winning streak.
Chiefs Trade RB DeAndre Washington To Dolphins
The Chiefs have agreed to trade running back DeAndre Washington to the Dolphins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, Miami will send draft pick compensation to Kansas City.
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Isaiah Ford To Patriots]
The Dolphins have been on the lookout for backfield help in recent weeks, as evidenced by their pursuit of Le’Veon Bell. Bell ultimately landed with the Chiefs, leaving the Dolphins to settle for one of his backups.
It’s not the ideal consolation prize, but Washington did flash ability as a rookie with the Raiders, when he averaged more than five yards per carry. And, last season, he gained 162 yards as he started in the Raiders’ final two games.
The 27-year-old will join an RB group that currently includes Myles Gaskin, Matt Breida, and Jordan Howard. Meanwhile, the Dolphins won’t have to do much roster juggling to accommodate him after sending wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the Patriots earlier today.
Bills Add Daryl Worley To Practice Squad
The Bills have signed cornerback Daryl Worley to the practice squad, per a club announcement. To make room, they dropped fellow corner Lafayette Pitts. 
Worley, a 6’1″ veteran defensive back, was most recently with the Cowboys. He notched 14 tackles and one pass defensed with Dallas, but the fifth-year pro is best known for his time with the Panthers and Raiders. All in all, he has five interceptions, 35 passes defensed, and 249 total tackles across his NFL career. Now, the Bills will have him on call as a taxi squad player.
Worley’s history with GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott likely played a role in the deal. This isn’t the first time that their affinity for ex-Panthers has influenced the roster. In the last year, they’ve also signed old pals Josh Norman, Mario Addison, Daryl Williams, Vernon Butler, and A.J. Klein.
At the time of his release from the Cowboys, Pro Football Focus slotted Worley as the No. 84 CB in the NFL, out of 119 full-timers.
Dolphins Trade Isaiah Ford To Patriots
The Dolphins have agreed to trade wide receiver Isaiah Ford to the Patriots, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In exchange, the Patriots will send a 2022 seventh-rounder to Miami. 
[RELATED: Patriots Set High Asking Price For Stephon Gilmore]
The deal will provide Cam Newton with a big-bodied receiver, similar to one-time Panthers teammates Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess. The former seventh-round pick has quietly been a key contributor in Miami this year, catching 18 passes for 184 yards in seven games.
Some have speculated that the Patriots could turn into sellers at the deadline but Bill Belichick has dismissed such talk all week. Instead, the Patriots have swung a small, but still significant, deal to bolster the offense. Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, it sounds like star cornerback Stephon Gilmore will be staying put. The Patriots haven’t dismissed inquiries outright, but they have set a sky-high asking price of a first-round pick, plus a player.
Seahawks To Cut TE Luke Willson
The Seahawks are releasing tight end Luke Willson, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The move will allow the Seahawks to activate rookie TE Colby Parkinson and maintain a group of four players at the position.
Willson, a 2013 fifth-round pick, spent the first five years of his career with the Seahawks. That streak was interrupted in 2018 when he spent one year with the Lions. After notching just 13 catches in 14 games for Detroit, and having a cup of coffee with the Raiders, he returned to Seattle for the 2019 season. This year, he was re-upped, but did not record a catch in five games.
Parkinson was drafted in the fourth round to push for snaps at tight end, which wasn’t necessarily a position of need in the spring. Unfortunately, he broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot over the offseason, delaying his debut by a few months. The Stanford product first put himself on the map with seven touchdowns in 2018. Then, last year, he set new career bests with 48 grabs for 589 yards (though he only scored once).
Parkinson will get his first chance to suit up as a pro on Sunday when the Seahawks face the Bills in Buffalo.
Giants Sign Kenny Wiggins
The Giants have signed guard Kenny Wiggins, per a club announcement. Wiggins will provide the Giants with extra reinforcements following Will Hernandez‘s placement on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
[RELATED: Giants Place Hernandez On COVID-19 List]
Wiggins was in the midst of his third season with the Lions before he was dropped from the roster in late October. The veteran started ten games for Detroit in 2018 and worked in a three-guard rotation with Joe Dahl and Graham Glasgow in 2019, seeing time on 41% of Detroit’s offensive snaps. This season, however, Wiggins did not factor into the team’s work up front. He played just one offensive snap in four games, with most of his work coming on special teams.
Fifth-round pick Shane Lemieux started at left guard in Hernandez’s place last night against the Buccaneers. He’ll likely be first-string against Washington this Sunday, with Wiggins waiting in the wings.
The Giants, who recently shipped linebacker Markus Golden to the Cardinals, still have a few hours left to entertain trades.
Raiders’ Tanner Muse Done For Year
Tanner Muse‘s NFL debut will have to wait until next year. On Tuesday, the Raiders’ rookie linebacker underwent toe surgery that will shut him down for the season (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). 
The Raiders drafted Muse in the third round to supplement their LB additions in free agency. Unfortunately, Muse’s toe injury held him back all throughout the summer. The Raiders still see a bright future for the 6’2, 230-pound defender, especially given his redshirt senior showing. In 2019, Muse was first-team All-ACC as he registered 73 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, and a team-high four interceptions.
Muse isn’t the only Raiders rookie to be hampered by injury. First-round cornerback Damon Arnette (broken wrist) and third-round receiver Bryan Edwards (ankle) have missed four straight games. Both players could return in time to face the Chargers, but Muse will be watching as he recuperates.
The Raiders’ defense managed to hold the Browns to just six points on Sunday, paving the way to a low-scoring victory for a 4-3 record. A win over the Chargers on Sunday would help keep the Raiders in the Chiefs’ orbit, though their most likely path to the postseason would be as a Wild Card team.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/20
Today’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Devon Kennard, CB Byron Murphy
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: CB Rasul Douglas
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: RB Troymaine Pope, C/G Cole Toner
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: WR Tommylee Lewis
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DT Isaiah Mack