Vikings To Move DL Dean Lowry To IR, Activate OL Chris Reed
Dean Lowry signed with the Vikings this offseason and has been a starter up front, but the veteran defensive lineman will be out of the picture for a while. For the second straight year, the former ironman will head to IR.
A pectoral injury sustained Sunday night will lead Lowry to surgery, Kevin O’Connell said Monday. The Vikings will bring offensive lineman Chris Reed off their reserve/NFI list to fill Lowry’s roster spot, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert tweets.
This injury will require surgery, according to O’Connell, pointing to the eighth-year veteran being shut down for the season. That is not confirmed just yet, but pectoral tears generally produce such an outcome — especially those sustained during the second half of a season. Lowry is in the first season of a two-year, $8.5MM contract.
A longtime Packers starter, Lowry had played in 101 straight regular-season games before a Christmas Eve injury last year. The Packers placed Lowry on IR ahead of Week 17, ending his Green Bay tenure. The team had drafted Devonte Wyatt in the 2022 first round, and the Georgia product ended up replacing Lowry. Minnesota gave the former fourth-round pick another opportunity, and Lowry had both started and worked as a rotational D-line presence in Brian Flores‘ defense.
In his second year with the Vikings, Reed has not played this season. Minnesota parked the veteran interior O-lineman on its NFI list in July and moved him to the reserve edition a month later. A Minnesota State alum, Reed played in seven games as a backup last season. The 31-year-old blocker restructured his contract twice this offseason; the former Colts spot starter started in Week 18 for the Vikes last season, filling in for center Garrett Bradbury.
Minnesota has used Harrison Phillips and Jonathan Bullard more frequently than Lowry up front this season. Lowry had played 237 defensive snaps for his new NFC North employer. The Vikings have Khyiris Tonga and Jaquelin Roy as backup options but will undoubtedly add to their D-line corps before their Week 12 game.
Steelers Bring Back LB Myles Jack
NOVEMBER 20: Jack is headed to Pittsburgh today to undergo a physical. If all goes well on that front, he will indeed sign with the Steelers, Rapoport tweets. The Steelers have since confirmed Jack is back.
This will initially be a P-squad agreement, which has become standard practice around the league in many cases with veterans. Gameday elevations and/or a deal bringing him onto the active roster should soon follow as he looks to carve out a role in the Steelers’ banged-up LB room.
NOVEMBER 17: Veteran inside linebacker Myles Jack has reportedly unretired and, accompanying that transaction, the Eagles waived him yesterday, forfeiting their hold on his rights. Now, after having cleared the waiver process unclaimed, it appears a reunion may be in the mix as the Steelers reportedly have interest in adding Jack to their practice squad, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. 
Jack signed with the Eagles just before the preseason this year after his lone season with a team other than Jacksonville. The former second-round pick in Duval put together a solid career over his time with the Jaguars. Despite falling out of the first round due to injury concerns, Jack made 82 starts while appearing in 88 of a possible 97 games over his six years in Jacksonville. While never claiming any Pro Bowl berths or All-Pro selections, Jack has put forth a respectable effort as a starter over the years. He did more of the same last year with the Steelers, logging his fourth career 100-tackle season at only 27 years old.
When Jack came to Philadelphia, it seemed as though he and fellow addition Zach Cunningham would both have an opportunity to earn significant snaps alongside Nakobe Dean. It was reported, though, that Cunningham seemed to impress more, moving ahead of Jack on the depth chart during their first couple weeks. Cunningham has established himself as a presence on the Eagles’ defense as a starter this year, taking advantage of that opportunity. Whether a result of the lost positioning or not, Jack retired only two weeks after signing with Philadelphia.
Now, if Rapoport’s sources prove reliable, Jack could find himself rejoining the last team for which he started. After Kwon Alexander‘s placement on injured reserve earlier this week, the Steelers now have three inside linebackers on IR, as Alexander joins Cole Holcomb and Chapelle Russell. That leaves two at the position on the active roster (Mark Robinson and Elandon Roberts) and one on the practice squad (Tariq Carpenter). Despite the beleaguered nature of the position, head coach Mike Tomlin recently claimed the team was not looking “outside the organization” for solutions to fill the holes, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic suggested recently that Pittsburgh is expecting practice squad veteran Mykal Walker to get some playing time, despite his experience being more on the outside.
Adding Jack would maybe not count as an “outside the organization” option as he not only gives the team a veteran with starting experience at the position, but it also gives them a player with recent knowledge of their system. We noted when Alexander went down that Pittsburgh would likely be combing the free agent market for potential additions, and the Steelers would be hard-pressed to find a better fit than Jack, assuming he’s stayed in football shape during his short retirement. In their search, though, the team did host elite veteran special teamer Tanner Vallejo, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2.
If they do decide to bring Jack in, it sounds like it will be on a practice squad deal. This means Jack will need to be elevated for gamedays or eventually signed to the active roster in order to contribute. It’s a situation to keep an eye on in the days to come.
QB Joe Flacco Signs With Browns
In light of the season-ending injury to starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Browns have elected to add some veteran starting experience to their roster in the form of former Super Bowl MVP passer Joe Flacco. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, while Flacco is heading to Cleveland on a practice squad deal, it’s expected that he will get promoted to the active roster. The team has since announced the move.
The Browns know Flacco well. In what will now be a 16-year career, in which he’s seen time with the Ravens, Broncos, and Jets, Flacco has a career record of 18 wins and only three losses to the Browns. In the age-old debate of whether or not Flacco was ever an elite quarterback, over 21 contests, the Browns have perhaps seen the most elite football of the 38-year-old’s career.
The Browns’ newest transaction serves three-fold. First, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com, Flacco is coming to Cleveland to serve as a backup to rookie fifth-round pick Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who earned his first career win over the Steelers today in his second start this season. Second, the grizzled veteran will be asked to stand as a mentor for Thompson-Robinson based on his myriad experience with three different teams and several more offensive coordinators over the years.
The third purpose Flacco serves could be the worst best-case scenario. During a season in which the Browns are looking to earn their first playoff berth since 2020, and their second since 2002, Flacco boasts one of the more legendary playoff records in NFL history. Despite all of his playoff experience coming in Baltimore from 2014 and earlier, Flacco has a 10-5 record in the postseason with a 25:10 touchdown to interception ratio and a Super Bowl ring. Granted, this potential benefit will only come to fruition with a worst best-case scenario in which the team is still able to make the playoffs but Thompson-Robinson either gets hurt or proves ineffective.
Flacco wasn’t the only veteran quarterback interested in the job, though, as another former Raven in Robert Griffin III recently lobbied for a tryout. While Griffin actually has experience in Cleveland, he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2020 season. Despite Flacco not performing as a consistent starter since his first season in Denver in 2019, Flacco has managed to not only appear in a game every year since then, but he also has started in a game in each year since.
With the expectation that Flacco is coming to back up Thompson-Robinson, it opens the question of if the Browns have seen the end of the P.J. Walker-experiment. In three games of significant action this year, Walker has led the squad to two wins and a loss, but he’s been erratic with only one touchdown to five interceptions and two fumbles.
Regardless, the Browns will have three options in the quarterbacks room moving forward. Thompson-Robinson will get first dibs on the starting job, while Flacco and Walker will support from the bench. With one of the league’s best defenses, that may be just enough to get Cleveland to the postseason. And, perhaps, even more.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/23
This week’s callups and minor moves heading into Sunday:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed to active roster: WR Andre Baccellia
- Elevated: DT Phil Hoskins, RB Tony Jones Jr.
- Waived: S Qwuantrezz Knight
Carolina Panthers:
- Elevated: WR Mike Strachan
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from IR: G Michael Dunn
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed to active roster: LB Rashaan Evans
- Placed on IR: DL Viliami Fehoko
Denver Broncos
- Elevated: WR David Sills
Detroit Lions
- Elevated: DT Quinton Bohanna, T Connor Galvin
Green Bay Packers
- Elevated: S Benny Sapp III
Houston Texans
- Signed to active roster: K Matt Ammendola, LB Garret Wallow
- Elevated: S Brandon Hill, WR Steven Sims
- Placed on IR: CB Grayland Arnold
Kansas City Chiefs
- Activated from IR: WR Richie James
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed to active roster: WR DJ Turner
- Elevated: C Hroniss Grasu, T Brandon Parker
Los Angeles Chargers
- Elevated: WR Terrell Bynum, WR Alex Erickson
Los Angeles Rams
- Activated from IR: DT Bobby Brown (story)
New York Giants
- Elevated: K Randy Bullock, TE Tyree Jackson
New York Jets
- Signed to active roster: DT Tanzel Smart
- Elevated: OL Jake Hanson, LB Marcelino McCrary-Ball
San Francisco 49ers
- Activated from PUP: CB Darrell Luter Jr.
- Elevated: OL Corey Luciano
Seattle Seahawks
- Elevated: S Ty Okada
- Waived: T Jake Curhan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Elevated: S Richard LeCounte
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: S Mike Brown
- Signed to active roster: DE TK McLendon
- Elevated: LB Joe Jones, OL Andrew Rupcich
- Waived: S Matt Jackson, RB Jonathan Ward
Washington Commanders
- Elevated: RB Derrick Gore, DE Joshua Pryor
Evans had been called up from the practice squad three times by the Cowboys, meaning he needed to be added to the 53-man roster this week to continue suiting up. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports “several teams” attempted to poach the veteran off the taxi squad, but his decision to remain with Dallas has culminated in today’s move. Evans has logged 74 combined defensive and special teams snaps with the Cowboys so far, recording three tackles.
James was out of the lineup for one game after being designated for return, but he will be eligible to suit up for the upcoming Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. Mentioned as a trade candidate earlier this year, he will be able to add depth to a WR corps which has underperformed to date, and add to his single catch recorded in his two Kansas City games at the start of the campaign.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/18/23
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Robbie Chosen
- Released: RB Jake Funk
Chosen was waived earlier this week with the door open to a practice squad agreement being worked out. Now that he has cleared waivers, the veteran’s stay in Miami is indeed set to continue. It will be interesting to see if Chosen will be able to receive a gameday callup in the coming weeks to improve on his performances when on the active roster, which to date has included one catch.
Panthers Designate CB Jaycee Horn For Return, Activate TE Ian Thomas
NOVEMEBER 18: Horn will remain on injured reserve for now, but Thomas has been activated, per a team announcement. The latter will have a large role to play immediately upon return since Hurst is out with a concussion. Thomas will aim to give Carolina a needed complementary option in the passing game late in the year with the jobs of several members of the organization potentially on the line.
NOVEMBER 13: The Panthers have been hit hard on the injury front this season, but a pair of reinforcements are on the way. The team announced on Monday that cornerback Jaycee Horn and tight end Ian Thomas have returned to practice. 
Both players’ 21-day activation windows have been opened as a result. They must be activated within that span to avoid reverting to season-ending injured reserve. Horn has been eligible to return for some time now, but it was clear when he was initially placed on IR that a lengthy absence would be coming. A hamstring injury has kept the 23-year-old sidelined since Week 1.
Horn named remaining healthy as a key goal for his third season in Carolina, but injuries have remained a major factor in his young career. The former first-rounder was limited to just three games as a rookie, and he missed another four contests last year. After recording 53 tackles and three interceptions in 2022, though, his return will be a welcomed development for a Panther defense which, in his absence, has delivered a strong showing against the pass so far.
Thomas’ return will add depth to Carolina’s TE room, one which has been led by free agent addition Hayden Hurst. Thomas – who has missed the past four games due to a calf injury – showed promise as a rookie with 333 receiving yards, but he has yet to eclipse the 200-yard mark since then. The 27-year-old logged a career-low 24% snap share during his five games in 2023 prior to being placed on IR. Once back on the field, he will offer a complementary passing option as well as another contributor with respect to run blocking.
In anticipation of bringing Horn and Thomas back onto the 53-man roster, the Panthers also announced a number of other moves on Monday. Defensive back Matthias Farley and tight end Jordan Matthews have been let go, and they are now subject to waivers. Carolina also signed outside linebacker Eku Leota to the active roster since he had been designated a gameday elevation from the practice squad the maximum three times. The return of Horn and Thomas will leave the Panthers with four IR activations for the rest of the season.
Eagles Activate G Cam Jurgens
Philadelphia’s offensive line will receive a signficant boost in advance of the team’s upcoming Super Bowl rematch. The Eagles announced on Saturday that right guard Cam Jurgens has been activated from injured reserve. 
Jurgens had his 21-day practice window opened more than two weeks ago, but he could have missed Week 11’s Monday night contest against the Chiefs without yet being at risk of reverting to season-ending IR. Instead, he will be available in time for the highly-anticipated game and in turn end a lengthy absence. Bringing Jurgens back will use up one of the Eagles’ seven remaining IR activations.
The 24-year-old has been out since the beginning of October due to a foot injury, an ailment which interrupted his first season as a starter. Jurgens was in place at the RG spot from the start of the season, and he had a four-game run as a first-teamer before the injury. The 2022 second-rounder was not charged with a sack allowed in pass protection by PFF over that span, helping him earn an overall grade of 65.2. That figure ranks 26th out of 80 qualifying guards, and sits much higher than that of his replacement, Sua Opeta.
It also represents an improvement from the mark he posted as a rookie in limited action. Jurgens logged only 35 snaps as a rookie playing behind Isaac Seumalo. With the latter having departed in free agency, a starting spot opened up for Jurgens. The Nebraska product has taken it while developing as the Eagles’ projected Jason Kelce successor at center.
As expected, Philadelphia’s O-line has remained a strength this season, helping lead the team to an 8-1 record. The Eagles have posted top-1o rankings in a number of offensive categories, including strong performances both on the ground and in the air. Jurgens’ return will help in both regards as the NFC leaders look to maintain their place atop the conference and prepare for another postseason run.
Vikings Will Not Activate WR Justin Jefferson For Week 11; QB Nick Mullens Activated
For the second straight week, Vikings fans will come away disappointed as star wide receiver Justin Jefferson will once again not be activated from injured reserve in time for Sunday’s game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Jefferson returned to practice this week but clearly doesn’t quite feel ready to return to the active roster. 
The All-Pro receiver’s 21-day practice window was opened on November 8, meaning Jefferson can miss this week’s contest and potentially even the one after that before returning from IR. He will have to be activated in the week after the team’s Week 12 game against the Bears in order to avoid losing the ability to be activated off IR, but if he still needs time to get healthy, the Vikings have a Week 13 bye that will grant Jefferson another two weeks after the Chicago matchup to get right.
That’s not to say that Jefferson will miss next week, as well, necessarily. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Minnesota has noted good progress for Jefferson this week and are getting very close to activating him. He just wasn’t quite ready to be activated by today’s 4pm deadline.
The Vikings will make an addition to their active roster, though, activating quarterback Nick Mullens from IR today. Following the loss of Kirk Cousins for the year, the addition of Mullens certainly becomes more meaningful, but Mullens won’t be asked to take over the offense in Cousins’ absence as trade acquisition Joshua Dobbs has assumed the starting position under center. Still, Mullens provides Minnesota with a stronger option at backup quarterback. Jaren Hall remains unavailable as he deals with a concussion, and Mullens should be an upgrade over practice squad passer Sean Mannion.
In addition to the activation of Mullens, the Vikings announced that two more players would be added to the active roster for tomorrow’s contest. The team has promoted veteran linebacker Anthony Barr and cornerback Joejuan Williams from the practice squad in time for tomorrow’s Mile High matchup.
Dolphins Activate RB De’Von Achane
The Dolphins have officially activated their electric rookie running back, De’Von Achane from injured reserve in advance of tomorrow’s matchup with the Raiders. The team announced the move along with a number of other Saturday transactions in preparation for Week 11. 
The rookie back was placed on IR in Week 6, a move which guaranteed at least a month-long absence. Achane was able to return to practice earlier this week in order to be activated as soon as possible. Head coach Mike McDaniel even hinted that Achane could have continued playing through the injury with a knee brace, but the team chose to exercise caution with the health of their 22-year-old phenom.
Achane has now missed the four games required for an IR stint and will hope to pick up where he left off. Before landing on IR, Achane displayed an outstanding three-game stretch in which he accounted for 518 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns. He returns to a position group that has been anchored by Raheem Mostert in his absence, with Jeff Wilson and Salvon Ahmed serving as change of pace backs.
Miami had waived wide receiver Robbie Chosen in anticipation of Achane’s activation, but the team will bring him back on a practice squad contract and elevate him on Sunday as a standard gameday elevation. In order to make room for the veteran receiver, the Dolphins released running back Jake Funk from their practice squad. Offensive guard Chasen Hines will join Chosen as a practice squad elevation for tomorrow.
Steelers To Activate TE Pat Freiermuth, Place S Keanu Neal On IR
NOVEMBER 18, 2:58pm: The Steelers officially announced Freiermuth’s activation this afternoon, along with a number of other Saturday transactions. Joining Freiermuth on the active roster will be practice squad linebacker Mykal Walker, whom the team was hoping to involve more with Kwon Alexander on injured reserve.
In order to make room on the roster, Pittsburgh has placed starting safety Keanu Neal on injured reserve. Neal joined his fourth team in as many years this offseason and has made the most of it, becoming a starter for the Steelers. He hasn’t had the strongest season, grading out as the league’s 62nd-best safety, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Neal’s absence will likely mean a bigger role for fellow safety Damontae Kazee, who was teammates with Neal from 2017-2021 during stints in Atlanta and Dallas.
Lastly, the Steelers announced their standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s game in Cleveland. The team will promote LB Tariq Carpenter and safety Trenton Thompson for the matchup. Thompson’s callup fills out the depth chart a bit with Neal gone. Carpenter will team up with Walker to provide some reinforcements at linebacker with Alexander hurt.
NOVEMBER 18, 8:45am: The quick ramp-up period will be sufficient for the Steelers, who will activate Freiermuth at the earliest opportunity. Freiermuth will end up spending the minimum four games on IR, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating he will move back onto Pittsburgh’s active roster before this afternoon’s deadline. While the former second-round pick has not played since Week 4, a hamstring aggravation is responsible for the extended absence. This transaction will leave the Steelers with four IR activations remaining.
NOVEMBER 15: Pat Freiermuth‘s third NFL season has not gone as hoped, but the Steelers are moving closer to having their tight end ready for the stretch run. The team designated the young pass catcher for return Wednesday.
This will start Feiermuth’s 21-day activation clock. The Steelers placed Freiermuth on IR due to a hamstring injury last month. While Freiermuth did not initially land on IR due to the injury, an aggravation led to the Steelers moving him off their 53-man roster.
The Steelers have moved to 6-3 despite persistent struggles on offense, but the team has missed Freiermuth and Diontae Johnson for extended chunks of the season. Johnson returned from his hamstring injury weeks ago, and it appears another activation will soon commence after a hamstring malady. This will be good news for Kenny Pickett, who targeted the 2021 second-round pick frequently in his first season as Pittsburgh’s starter.
Last year, Freiermuth finished with 63 receptions for 732 yards and two touchdowns. While his yards-per-reception and touchdown numbers were down compared to his rookie year, the Penn State product’s yardage total dwarfed his rookie-year number (497). Pickett and Mitch Trubisky targeted the talented tight end regularly, and the Steelers came into this season expecting another steady showing from the 6-foot-5 weapon.
Freiermuth has not played since Week 4, and he struggled to find his footing in the latest Matt Canada-run Pittsburgh offense. Freiermuth finished three games with fewer than 10 receiving yards, and although Week 4 involved an early exit, Weeks 1 and 2 brought sluggish outings. Freiermuth has eight receptions for 53 yards and two TDs this season. In his absence, the Steelers have seen Connor Heyward work as their top receiving tight end. The second-year option has 17 catches for 137 yards. Third-round rookie Darnell Washington has not factored in prominently, exiting Week 10 with three grabs for 23 yards.