Redskins Make Flurry Of CB Moves
The Redskins are going to be pretty shorthanded in Week 17 as they seek to officially eliminate the Cowboys from the playoffs. After already shutting down starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins, the team is now placing cornerbacks Quinton Dunbar and Danny Johnson on inured reserve. In corresponding roster moves, they signed Dee Delaney and added Breon Borders off the Jaguars’ practice squad.
Dunbar had missed the last two weeks with a hamstring injury. He’ll finish the year with four interceptions and eight passes defended in 11 games, all starts. This is the second straight campaign that he’ll finish the year on IR, as a shin issue limited him to only seven games last season. Back in January of 2018, he inked a three-year extension worth $10.25MM. The 2015 UDFA from Florida has one more year left on his deal.
Johnson is a 2018 UDFA from FCS school Southern. He signed with Washington and made the 53 as a rookie, appearing in 14 games while playing a limited role. He started this season on the reserve/PUP list, and was activated a couple of weeks ago. He immediately slid into the starting lineup, starting each of the past two games.
Delaney is a 2018 UDFA from Miami, who has bounced around and appeared in two games for Jacksonville as a rookie. Borders is a 2017 UDFA from Duke who has spent the past few years going on and off various teams’ practice squads. With veteran Josh Norman still in the doghouse, it’s possible both see the field in Week 17.
Eagles Make Handful Of Roster Moves
The Eagles made a few roster moves Tuesday. Philly is signing tight end Richard Rodgers and promoting receiver Deontay Burnett from the practice squad, the team announced. To make room on the active roster, they officially waived running back Jay Ajayi and placed cornerback Ronald Darby on injured reserve.
Rodgers was with the Eagles in camp, but was placed on injured reserve in August and released with an injury settlement shortly after. He first signed with Philadelphia in 2018 and spent last year with the team, catching only one pass in seven games. The best year of his career came back in 2015 with the Packers, when he caught 58 passes for 510 yards and eight touchdowns. His signing could indicate that the Eagles aren’t too optimistic about having starter Zach Ertz for their Week 17 game against the Giants. Ertz is dealing with a fractured rib that he suffered during their big win over the Cowboys.
Thanks to the victory against Dallas the Eagles are in the drivers seat, but they still need a win in their finale to clinch the NFC East. Darby went down with a hip injury, and there was some initial hope he’d be able to return for the playoffs. Obviously, that turned out not to be the case, and Rasul Douglas will slide into the starting lineup in his place. Darby is dealing with a grade 2 hip flexor strain that fortunately won’t require surgery and will only knock him out for about a month, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
We heard yesterday they were planning on waiving Ajayi, so that move was only a formality. Burnett is a 2018 UDFA from USC, who signed to their practice squad a couple of weeks ago after being cut from San Francisco’s taxi squad. Given the state of the Eagles’ depleted receiving corp, it’s highly possible he finds himself playing significant snaps.
Texans Designate J.J. Watt For Return
The Texans will officially designate star defensive end J.J. Watt to return from the injured reserve list, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Watt has been sidelined with a torn pectoral muscle since Week 8, but this move will open the door for a playoff return.
Watt’s return to practice will open up a 21-day window for him to be added to the active roster. Considering he underwent pec surgery just eight weeks ago, it’s a remarkably fast turn around. Typically, pectoral surgery patients require three-to-four months of recovery time.
Watt’s no stranger to overcoming injuries – he’s return from two herniated disc surgeries and a tibial plateau operation. At the age of 30, this could be his toughest challenge yet.
If he’s able to retake the field, it’ll be a boon for the Texans’ chances in the playoffs. Watt was double teamed 30% of the time on his edge rusher snaps this year, more than any other qualifying player in the NFL.
The Texans have already locked down the AFC South in advance of their Week 17 matchup against the Titans. They’re currently slated to host the Bills on Wild Card weekend as the AFC’s No. 4 seed.
Steelers Place Mason Rudolph On IR
The Steelers have placed quarterback Mason Rudolph on injured reserve, per a club announcement. To fill his roster spot, they promoted center J.C. Hassenauer from the practice squad. 
Rudolph took over for Devlin Hodges in last week’s game against the Jets and took them from a 10-0 deficit to a 10-10 tie. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury forced him out of the game, and the Steelers went on to lose 16-10.
Without Rudolph, the Steelers will forge ahead with Devlin Hodges as their starter against the Ravens. Rudolph’s season ends with a 5-3 record in eight starts and 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. Rudolph had his moments as Ben Roethlisberger‘s fill-in this year, but he also had a rocky stretch that resulted in getting leapfrogged by Duck.
Hodges and Paxton Lynch will serve as the only QBs on the roster for Week 17 as the Steelers fight for a wild card spot. There are a few scenarios that could put the Steelers in the playoffs, but the simplest one is this – if the Steelers win and the Titans lose, they’re in.
Seahawks Sign Marshawn Lynch
It’s officially official. The Seahawks have announced the signing of running back Marshawn Lynch, reuniting them with their one-time superstar just before the final game of the regular season. 
Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but we do know that it’s a one-year pact. Lynch will join the Seahawks for the Week 17 and the postseason – beyond that, no one knows what Beast Mode might do.
Lynch, 33, is no stranger to weaving in and out of retirement. This time around, however, he didn’t have to file any paperwork to return to the field. Lynch never formally retired from the NFL, he was just assumed to be done with football after completing his Raiders obligation.
Lynch made amends with Pete Carroll & Co. after their split years ago and is ready to hold down the fort following season-ending injuries to Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, and Rashaad Penny. In addition to Beast Mode, the Seahawks also called upon Bobby Turbo (Robert Turbin, that is) to help in their pivotal game against the 49ers.
Lynch rushed for 376 yards and three touchdowns in his six games with the Raiders last year. He topped 1,200 yards in four straight seasons with the Seahawks (2011-2014) and led the league in rushing touchdowns in ’13 and ’14. Lynch lost much of the 2015 season to a hernia injury and, as he said this week, he has “unfinished business” to address in Seattle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/19
Today’s minor transactions:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers from Titans: LB Sharif Finch
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: DE Anthony Zettel
- Waived: DL Jeremiah Valoaga
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR/KR Darius Jennings
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Rashard Davis
- Waived: RB Dalyn Dawkins, LB Nigel Harris
Seahawks To Sign RB Robert Turbin
The Seahawks have added one of their former running backs…but it’s not Marshawn Lynch (at least not yet). NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that Seattle is expected to sign running back Robert Turbin.
Those hoping for a Beast Mode reunion shouldn’t fear, however. Garafolo notes that the team is “still working through” Lynch’s meeting and physical. We heard earlier today that both the organization and the former Pro Bowler were “optimistic” that a deal would ultimately get done.
As for Turbin, he was among the running backs that worked out for the Seahawks earlier today. That grouping also included C.J. Anderson, who told ESPN’s Josina Anderson that he won’t be signing with the organization (Twitter link).
Turbin spent the first three seasons of his career in Seattle, including the Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning campaign. The 30-year-old’s last NFL gig was with the Colts, who he played for between 2016 and 2018. Turbin ran for seven touchdowns during his first season in Indy, but he was limited to only eight games during his final two years with the team.
Following injuries to Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, and Rashaad Penny, the Seahawks are in desperate need of backfield help. The organization is clearly valuing familiarity when it comes to adding reinforcement at the position.
Dolphins To Sign Samaje Perine
The Dolphins are signing former Redskins starting running back Samaje Perine off the Bengals’ practice squad, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport adds that Perine is in the team’s plans for next year, so it sounds like his deal will also cover the 2020 season.
In the near term, Perine will help fill in for running back Myles Gaskin, who suffered an ankle injury on Sunday. That injury left Miami with only two healthy running backs on their roster: Patrick Laird, who has earned three starts this season, and De’Lance Turner. The position has been a revolving door for the Dolphins this year, with four running backs – Laird, Kenyan Drake, Mark Walton, and Kalen Ballage – garnering starts.
The Redskins used a 2017 fourth-rounder to select Perine, a former Oklahoma standout. He broke onto the season quickly for Washington, earning a start in his third career game. The running back continued to show flashes during his rookie campaign, compiling 603 rushing yards and one touchdown on 175 carries (to go along with another 22 receptions for 182 yards and one score).
Perine found himself playing behind Adrian Peterson in 2018, and he was waived by Washington at the end of the 2019 preseason. He was claimed off waivers by the Bengals, and he landed on their practice squad after a brief stint on the active roster.
Eagles To Waive Jay Ajayi
Jordan Howard is due to return for the Eagles’ Week 17 game. As a result, the NFC East leaders are waiving Jay Ajayi, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Ajayi caught on with his former team recently, doing so because of Howard’s late-season injury issues. Out of football since his rookie contract expired after the 2018 season, Ajayi was used sparingly behind Miles Sanders. The fifth-year veteran gained 30 yards on 10 carries in his latest Eagles stint.
A torn ACL suffered midway through last season sidetracked Ajayi’s career. Instead of a free agency payday, the former Dolphins draft pick-turned-Eagles Super Bowl cog spent months rehabbing his knee. The 26-year-old back would seemingly be on track to attract interest in 2020, being healthier than he was this year. But Ajayi’s stock certainly is not where it was before the injury.
Howard missed Philadelphia’s past six games with a shoulder stinger, but the contract-year back will stand to help the Eagles clinch their third straight playoff berth. The offseason acquisition has gained 528 yards on 119 totes, bouncing back after a down 2018 season with the Bears. The Eagles can clinch the NFC East title with a road win over the Giants on Sunday.
Lions Place Jahlani Tavai On IR
Linebacker Jahlani Tavai‘s rookie season is over. The Lions are placing the second-round pick on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, head coach Matt Patricia announced to the media Monday.
The injury is to the same shoulder that cause Tavai to miss time during his senior season in college, making it slightly more concerning, according to Tim Twentyman of the team’s official site (Twitter link). Patricia didn’t know yet whether the injury will cause Tavai to miss some of the offseason program. A Hawaii product, Tavai was drafted 43rd overall back in April.
He played a large role as a rookie, appearing in all 15 games and making six starts. Overall he played just a tick under 60 percent of the defensive snaps while also contributing on special teams. He’ll finish his first campaign with 57 tackles, two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. He’ll be back in camp next year to compete for a starting job.