Bills To Activate DT DaQuan Jones From IR
DECEMBER 29: Jones is ready to return from the pectoral tear that altered his season. The contract-year D-tackle will be back against the Patriots, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson noting the Bills are using an IR activation. The Lions have ruled out Gardner-Johnson for their Week 17 game, and it is not yet known if the Eagles will activate Avonte Maddox. Despite suffering his pec tear three weeks after the both DBs did, Jones will be in uniform as the Bills continue their late-season push toward a playoff berth.
The Bills have now used two of their IR activations this week. Jones’ return to Buffalo’s 53-man roster follows the team’s activation of cornerback Kaiir Elam. The team has four IR-return moves remaining. McDermott reiterated Milano, even if the Bills make the playoffs, would not be expected to join Jones and Elam in being activated from IR, ESPN.com’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets.
DECEMBER 19: Days after Sean McDermott mentioned DaQuan Jones — on the shelf since early October after a pectoral injury — could come back, the Bills are putting the wheels in motion here. The veteran defensive tackle returned to practice Tuesday.
This will start Jones’ 21-day activation clock, representing a surprising development after the 10th-year defensive tackle suffered a torn pectoral muscle. While players returning in-season from pectoral surgery is rare, two are on track to do so. The Lions are on the verge of opening C.J. Gardner-Johnson‘s IR-return window. Both teams stand to benefit from the returns of starting defenders before the playoffs.
Both Jones and Matt Milano went down during the Bills’ loss to the Jaguars in London in Week 5. Those setbacks came a week after Buffalo once again lost Tre’Davious White to a season-ending injury. Milano is not expected to come back, McDermott added (via The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia) Tuesday. The All-Pro linebacker suffered a serious leg injury. But Jones being near a return stands to boost Buffalo’s run defense.
Prior to Jones going down, he was off to a strong start in a contract year. Pro Football Focus had slotted Jones third among interior D-linemen through five games; the former Titans draftee had started all 21 games since his two-year, $14MM Bills deal came to pass in 2022. Over his career, the soon-to-be 32-year-old defender has started 93 games — for the Titans, Panthers and Bills.
The Bills will be in need at defensive tackle going forward as well. Jordan Phillips suffered a dislocated wrist against the Cowboys and has already undergone surgery, per the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran. Summoned to replace Jones in Buffalo’s starting lineup, Phillips is hoping to be ready to return if the Bills make the playoffs. The team beating the Chiefs and Cowboys in consecutive weeks paves a clear path to the postseason, and both Phillips and Jones being in uniform would round out a veteran-fueled contingent alongside the recently extended Ed Oliver.
Buffalo re-signed Phillips to pair with Oliver, Jones and Tim Settle inside. The Bills also added Poona Ford at the position, but the ex-Seahawk has only played 95 defensive snaps this season. PFF has rated Settle much higher than Phillips, a veteran that checks in as the advanced metrics site’s second-worst regular interior D-lineman. Phillips has registered 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and five pass batdowns this season, a nine-start campaign for the ninth-year veteran. The Bills may not be able to reform their Oliver-Jones starting DT tandem immediately, but with games against the Chargers and Patriots on tap, the team does not look to have a difficult matchup on its docket again until a Week 18 Dolphins tilt that could decide the AFC East.
Cardinals To Place Marquise Brown On IR
Marquise Brown‘s second Cardinals season will end early due to injury. Jonathan Gannon confirmed Friday the fifth-year wide receiver will be moved to IR.
Although the 2022 trade acquisition has played 14 games, the heel injury he sustained has been an issue for a while, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. This transaction will end a contract year for Brown, who will finish with a career-low 574 receiving yards. Brown was able to play through this malady prior to last week, but he is less than three months from free agency coming off a down year.
The Cardinals’ pivot to a rebuild made Brown a logical trade candidate this year. The regime that brought him in is no longer in place, and ex-Oklahoma teammate Kyler Murray spent half the season on the reserve/PUP list rehabbing an ACL tear. The Cardinals, however, did not make a seller’s move by sending Brown to a contender. That points to an extension being on the team’s radar. While the the NFC West club is believed to be interested in extending Brown, time is running out on that front.
Brown and the Cardinals began discussing an extension earlier this season. A new deal for Brown would stand to support the Cardinals giving Murray another season to work in OC Drew Petzing‘s system, considering how important the Pro Bowl quarterback’s presence was in bringing Brown to Arizona. The Cards are still evaluating Murray in his return from the severe knee injury, and they are poised to hold a top-three draft pick in April. But the extension the Steve Keim regime gave Murray last year will make the dual-threat QB’s contract difficult to move in 2024.
Aiming to escape his place in a run-oriented Ravens offense, Brown will finish his first two Arizona seasons with underwhelming numbers. Despite Baltimore centering its offense around Lamar Jackson‘s historically elite rushing dimension, Brown topped 1,000 yards in a season once (2021) and finished with the second-most receiving yards in his career (769) in 2020. The 5-foot-9 target’s top Arizona number (709) came last season, though he only played in 10 games.
The Cardinals do not have much committed to their receiver positions beyond 2023. Third-rounder Michael Wilson is signed through 2026, while Rondale Moore‘s rookie deal runs through 2024. Neither have yet topped 450 yards this year. Moore and Greg Dortch were Keim-era investments. Considering the Cardinals cut DeAndre Hopkins without using a post-June 1 designation, signs point to the team being interested in adding pieces to its receiving corps to complement emerging tight end Trey McBride soon.
Brown, 26, did not exactly boost his stock this season. To be fair, not having Murray for much of it factored into that. The Cardinals will not need to authorize a top-market deal to retain him, but the team’s top wideout can begin negotiating with other teams once the legal tampering period begins in March. Barring a franchise or transition tag, Brown will need to be re-signed before that point to be kept off the market.
Commanders Place RB Chris Rodriguez Jr. On IR
Following a breakout performance on Christmas Eve, Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. is done for the season. The Commanders announced that they’ve placed the rookie on injured reserve. To fill the open roster spot, the team has activated linebacker De’Jon Harris from injured reserve.
With Brian Robinson Jr. out with an injury, Rodriguez got plenty of looks on Sunday. The sixth-round pick finished the game with 11 touches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. However, he was spotted wearing a boot after the game, and it was later revealed that he suffered an ankle injury in that loss to the Jets. After not practicing to begin this week, the Commanders decided to shut down the rookie for the rest of the campaign.
The Kentucky product finished his rookie season having collected 259 yards from scrimmage on 53 touches. Rodriguez also saw a significant role on special teams, getting into more than half his squad’s snaps. Robinson is trending in the right direction in his return from a hamstring injury, and he’d join Antonio Gibson atop the depth chart for the final two games.
Harris has spent the past few seasons in Washington, bouncing between the active roster and the practice squad. He got into six games this season before landing on injured reserve in November with a quad injury.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/28/23
Today’s practice squad moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: DE Kameron Cline
- Released: CB Herb Miller
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Austin Ajiake
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Griffin Hebert
- Placed on IR: WR Devon Allen
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OT Sebastian Gutierrez, RB Jeremy McNichols, WR Willie Snead
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/23
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Waived: OL Germain Ifedi
Carolina Panthers
- Signed off 49ers practice squad: OT Ilm Manning
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: P Matt Haack, K Riley Patterson
Detroit Lions
- Waived: DB Chase Lucas, LB Trevor Nowaske
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Reverted to IR: CB Christian Braswell
New York Jets
- Promoted: RB Nick Bawden, DT Bruce Hector
Germain Ifedi‘s underwhelming stint with the Bills has come to an end. The veteran offensive lineman joined the Bills this past offseason and was expected to provide some experienced depth. Instead, Ifedi was inactive for every game this season, and the Bills have decided his roster spot could be put to better use. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg believes this move will likely open a spot for defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.
Lions LB James Houston Returns To Practice
The Lions will be getting some reinforcement on both sides of the ball before the playoffs. The Lions designated linebacker James Houston to return from injured reserve today, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The team has also activated fullback Jason Cabinda off injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.
Houston returned to practice today, starting his 21-day window to be activated. The second-year pro has been sidelined since the second game of the season thanks to a broken ankle he suffered during a kickoff.
The 2022 sixth-round pick spent a chunk of his rookie season on the practice squad before eventually earning a promotion to the active roster. He was a major contributor for the Lions down the stretch, collecting eight sacks, seven tackles for loss, and 11 QB hits in seven games (two starts).
The Lions could certainly use some pass-rush help opposite Aidan Hutchinson. Charles Harris has found himself in and out of the lineup, while the likes of Romeo Okwara and Julian Okwara have combined for only four sacks.
Cabinda has spent the past four-plus seasons in Detroit, appearing in 45 games while mostly serving as an extra blocker. The veteran last saw the field in Week 3, and he’s spent almost three months on IR while recovering from a knee injury.
Cowboys Waive LB Rashaan Evans Following Arrest, Activate T Matt Waletzko Off IR
Needing some depth at offensive tackle, the Cowboys made the choice to activate second-year lineman Matt Waletzko from injured reserve, per ESPN’s Todd Archer. The team also took advantage of the active roster addition to waive veteran linebacker Rashaan Evans, who was arrested for marijuana possession yesterday in Frisco, Texas, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
With starting offensive tackle Tyron Smith and versatile backup lineman Chuma Edoga both on the injury report this week, Waletzko finds his way back to the active roster just in time to provide some necessary depth. His practice window opened exactly 21 days ago, meaning that he may not be ready to return right away and that the move may have been necessary in order to avoid him reverting back to season-ending IR. Regardless, he’s back on the active roster now, and the Cowboys will be counting on him to provide some depth down the stretch of the regular season and beyond.
As for Evans, the team’s depth at linebacker is not exactly overflowing. That doesn’t exactly mean that the move is a reaction to the 28-year-old’s arrest this week. In fact, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News refuted that exact assertion, claiming that the Cowboys “downplayed the timing” of the two events even seeming to hint that Evans is a candidate to return to the practice squad, should he clear waivers. Though Evans earned a start earlier in the season, his usage as of late has shown that the team has been relying on the veteran linebacker less and less leading up to his placement on waivers, supporting the claim that waiving him may be unrelated to his arrest.
Regardless, Waletzko now holds the spot on the 53-man roster and will make an effort to contribute while he’s there. Evans, on the other hand, will await his fate on waivers with a chance to return to Dallas in a practice squad role.
Jets Place T Duane Brown On IR
The Jets made a few roster moves today, per team reporter Ethan Greenberg, the key move being the placement of offensive tackle Duane Brown on injured reserve. Shortly back from an earlier stint on IR, Brown’s season has officially come to an end. 
New York initially placed Brown on IR due to a hip injury that threatened to keep him out for multiple weeks. Brown had begun the year as a starter after playing a starting role in his first year with the team last season. Despite initial optimism that Brown would be able to return soon, it would take nine weeks before he was officially activated from IR.
While Brown was back on the active roster starting a month ago, his first two game appearances since then saw him coming off the bench. He finally made his third start of the season two weeks ago but only played five offensive snaps in that contest. Since then, Brown has been an inactive member of the roster. Not much will change with his placement on IR except that the Jets will be able to fill his roster spot with another player.
That honor will go to tight end Zack Kuntz. Kuntz is a seventh-round rookie out of Old Dominion who has spent the entire season on the team’s practice squad. With the recent injury troubles of Jeremy Ruckert, Kuntz will add some tight end depth behind Tyler Conklin and Kenny Yeboah.
The team also announced the return of kicker Austin Seibert, who will join the practice squad after a one-week stint with the team back in September. As regular kicker Greg Zuerlein sits on the injury report as questionable with an injury to his right quadriceps muscle, Seibert’s signing could indicate that Zuerlein will not be available for tomorrow’s Thursday night matchup with the Browns.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/27/23
Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to the active roster: DT Phil Hoskins
- Designated to return from IR: DT Leki Fotu
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: OLB Amare Barno
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed off Bengals’ practice squad: TE Zach Gentry
- Placed on IR: TE Jesper Horsted
- Waived: T Justin Herron
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: TE T.J. Hockenson (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: T Matt Pryor
- Designated to return from IR: WR Danny Gray
- Waived: RB Jeremy McNichols
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Designated to return from IR: DL Mike Greene
Washington Commanders
- Designated to return from IR: LB De’Jon Harris
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/27/23
Here are today’s post-holiday practice squad adjustments:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Caleb Johnson, DT Jacob Slade
- Released: TE John Samuel Shenker
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T Ryan Swoboda
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from practice squad IR: RB Tarik Cohen
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: DT Domenique Davis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Keidron Smith
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Troy Pride
- Released: WR Davion Davis
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: QB Max Duggan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: S Nate Meadors
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: T Sebastian Gutierrez, WR Willie Snead
- Released: OL Ilm Manning
Seattle Seahawks
- Activated from practice squad IR: LB Levi Bell