Redskins Place Ryan Kerrigan On IR
The Redskins have placed linebacker Ryan Kerrigan on injured reserve, interim head coach Bill Callahan says. With that, the veteran has played his final game of the season, and possibly his final game in Washington. 
[RELATED: Redskins Place Derrius Guice On IR]
Kerrigan remains under contract for 2020 with a base salary of $11.5MM, but it’s completely non-guaranteed. The Redskins could, in theory, walk from the 31-year-old (32 in August) with no fiscal penalty and put those resources elsewhere.
The 2011 first-round pick missed the first game of his career in Week 13, thanks to a concussion. With his his 139-game streak over, he returned to action against the Packers, only to suffer an injury after sacking Aaron Rodgers.
Kerrigan finishes out 2019 with 25 tackles, 5.5 sacks and one forced fumble. Meanwhile, he’s got 90 career sacks and 436 total tackles in the NFL.
At 3-10, the Redskins are currently slated to pick No. 3 overall. They’re also projected to have $40MM+ in cap space.
Giants Cut Janoris Jenkins
The Giants have released cornerback Janoris Jenkins. The move comes hours after Jenkins used the “r-word” and issued something of a non-apology apology. 
“This was an organizational decision,” coach Pat Shurmur said. “From ownership to management to our football operations, we felt it was in the best interests of the franchise and the player. Obviously, what happened this week, and the refusal to acknowledge the inappropriate and offensive language, was the determining factor.”
Rumors have swirled about Jenkins’ status with the team for some time now and his use of an offensive term proved to be the final straw. For his part, Jackrabbit has been frustrated by the constant talk coupled with a lack of communication from the front office about his future. Prior to the trade deadline this year, the Giants discussed deals for the veteran cornerback, but did not find a suitable deal.
Because the release comes after the trade deadline, Jenkins will be subject to the waiver wire, even though he is a vested veteran. Any team claiming Jenkins would be responsible for the prorated portion of his $10.15MM salary for 2019. He’s also due $11.25M in the last year of his deal in 2020, including a $1MM roster bonus in March, but it’s completely non-guaranteed. Playoff teams could give real consideration to Jenkins, if they’re willing to withstand the PR backlash.
Jenkins, 31, logged 84 tackles and matched a career-high of four interceptions through 13 games this year. Across four years with the G-Men, Jackrabbit came away with 12 INTs and one Pro Bowl nod (2016).
Jaguars Promote WR C.J. Board
Board is back! The Jaguars announced today that they’ve promoted wideout C.J. Board from the practice squad. The team waived cornerback Tae Hayes to make room on the roster.
Board went undrafted out of Chattanooga back in 2017, and he’s bounced around the NFL since then, spending time with the Ravens, Titans, and Browns. He made his NFL debut earlier this season with the Jaguars, and he’s hauled in a single 23-yard catch in two games. He was on Jacksonville’s active roster for the first 12 weeks of the campaign.
The Jaguars may be in need of some receiver depth this weekend against the Raiders. DJ Chark is battling through an ankle injury, forcing him to miss practice all week. The receiver is considered doubtful for Sunday. Meanwhile, Dede Westbrook was limited at Wednesday’s practice thanks to a shoulder injury. If those two miss Sunday’s contest, that’d leave the Jaguars with only four healthy wideouts in Board, Chris Conley, Keelan Cole, and Michael Walker.
Hayes had a single appearance back in Week 9 vs. the Texans. The Appalachian State product had 11 tackles, four passes defended, and an interception during the preseason.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/12/19
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: WR DaMarkus Lodge
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: CB Rashard Causey
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: TE Jerrell Adams
49ers Place TE Garrett Celek On IR
Garrett Celek‘s eighth 49ers season will end after five games. The 49ers placed the veteran on IR, doing so barely a month after activating him from their PUP list. They promoted tight end Daniel Helm from their practice squad to take Celek’s roster spot.
This keeps a brutal injury stretch going for San Francisco, which has seen Richard Sherman, Dee Ford, Weston Richburg, defensive tackle D.J. Jones and Marquise Goodwin go down in recent days.
A back injury will shelve Celek again. He missed the first half of the 49ers’ bounce-back season due to a back malady that required offseason surgery. The 49ers have George Kittle, Levine Toilolo, Ross Dwelley and now Helm as their active-roster tight ends.
Rostered for his blocking prowess, Celek played more than 20 snaps in just one of the five games for which he was active. He did not catch a pass. The 31-year-old tight end’s four-year contract expires at season’s end.
Jets Place TE Ryan Griffin On IR
Chris Herndon‘s replacement will join him on IR. The Jets moved Ryan Griffin to their injured list on Thursday and activated offensive lineman Brent Qvale to take his place on the 53-man roster.
The Jets ruled out Griffin for Thursday night’s game against the Ravens due to an ankle injury. That malady will end Griffin’s first Jets season. Thanks to the in-season extension the parties agreed to, Griffin will be back with Gang Green in 2020.
Starting all 13 Jet games due to Herndon’s suspension, then injuries, Griffin caught 34 passes for 320 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. Both players are signed through at least the 2021 season. Griffin, who will turn 30 in January, is signed through 2022 via the three-year, $9.55MM re-up the ex-Texan inked last month.
Qvale returned to Jets practice recently and is in line to see action in the team’s final three games this season. A sixth-year Jet, Qvale has started 14 career games. The former UDFA suffered a knee injury in August and has spent the entire season on the Jets’ IR list.
Lions Place Da’Shawn Hand On IR
Da’Shawn Hand‘s season is over. On Thursday, the Lions placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve, ruling him out for the Lions’ final three games. 
[RELATED: Lions Place Jones On IR]
Between his ankle injury and an earlier elbow issue, Hand has appeared in just three games this season. The 2018 fourth-round pick’s year will end with just six tackles, a disappointing follow-up to his three-sack rookie campaign.
To take his place on the roster, the Lions promoted wide receiver Travis Fulgham from the practice squad. Fulgham will give the Lions an extra set of hands at wide receiver, following Marvin Jones‘ IR placement this week.
With a 3-9-1 record, the Lions are currently in line for the No. 5 overall pick. The race to the bottom is tight, so a win over the Buccaneers this week could significantly drop their standing in the draft order.
Saints Sign DT T.Y. McGill
The season-ending injuries to Sheldon Rankins and Marcus Davenport have prompted the Saints to call for backup. On Thursday, the Saints signed defensive tackle T.Y. McGill to the 53-man roster.
[RELATED: Saints Place Sheldon Rankins On IR]
McGill joins defensive end Noah Spence on the depth chart, giving New Orleans some new bodies to help fill in. Getting by without Rankins will be especially tough for the Saints as they look to grab one of the NFC’s top two seeds. Rankins broke out last year with eight sacks, before suffering a torn Achilles in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs, and the Saints were counting on him to pressure opposing QBs in this year’s playoffs.
McGill appeared in three games for the Chargers earlier this year, but was handed his pink slip when safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips returned to the active roster.
He’ll look to make his Saints debut on Sunday in New Orleans against the Colts. After that, the 10-3 Saints will round out the regular season with games against the Titans and Panthers.
Eagles Place Alshon Jeffery On IR
Alshon Jeffery‘s season is over. On Thursday, the Eagles announced that the wide receiver has been placed on injured reserve. 
Jeffery was forced out of Monday night’s game with a foot injury and after the swelling went down, team doctors learned that he’ll need more than just a week or two of rest, ice, compression, and elevation. It’s a bad break for the Eagles, who are fighting for the NFC East title and a chance to add another Super Bowl ring to their collection.
Jeffery’s season ends with 43 catches for 430 yards and four touchdowns for the 2019 season. It’s a step down from his 65 catches for 843 yards and six touchdowns in 2018 and the 11.4 yards per catch average marks a career low. The Eagles will hope to have him back at full strength in 2020, when he’ll continue to play on his four-year, $72MM deal, which includes a substantial guarantee of $54.595MM.
To take Jeffery’s place on the roster, the Eagles promoted fellow wide receiver Robert Davis from the practice squad. And, to fill Davis’ spot on the taxi squad, the Eagles signed receiver Deontay Burnett.
The Eagles might need Davis for more than just emergency situations. DeSean Jackson is on IR and receiver Nelson Agholor was held out of Monday night’s game with a knee injury. Meanwhile, receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is battling through an injury he suffered against the Giants, though he’s expected to play against the Redskins.
Jaguars Claim LB Preston Brown
Rookie linebacker Quincy Williams will join Myles Jack on the Jaguars’ IR list. The team also claimed veteran linebacker Preston Brown off waivers from the Raiders. This will be Brown’s third team this season.
Both the Bengals and Raiders cut Brown in-season. The former Bills starter played just one game with Oakland but will now head to Florida to help out a reeling Jags linebacking corps. The Raiders cut Brown amid a Tuesday purge that included D.J. Swearinger and Terrell McClain. Brown has made 53 tackles this season, 52 of which coming with Cincinnati.
Jacksonville, which saw Telvin Smith step away from the game in the offseason, has lost Jack and Williams to season-ending injuries. The Jags also placed Najee Goode and Jake Ryan on IR, the latter returning to the team’s injured list after being activated from the PUP list last month.
A surprising third-round pick out of Murray State, Williams started eight games but battled a knee injury and was benched twice. He finished his rookie season with 47 tackles.