Panthers Place CB Justin Layne On Reserve/Did Not Report List
Justin Layne has been part of a few transactions this season. Despite never carving out a regular role as a starter, the former Steelers third-round pick has been claimed on waivers three times this year. A rarer transaction emerged following the third claim.
The Panthers picked up Layne on waivers this week, but Joe Person of The Athletic tweets the team placed the fourth-year cornerback on the reserve/did not report list Friday. Layne has been with the Steelers, Giants and Bears since training camp.
Pittsburgh waived Layne after three seasons, severing ties with the career backup and special-teamer on cutdown day in August. The Giants picked up his rookie contract and used him almost exclusively as a special-teamer in seven games. After Big Blue waived Layne in mid-November, the Bears claimed him. Layne, 24, suited up in two games with Chicago and played exclusively on special teams.
Carolina claimed Layne on Tuesday. Though his contract runs through season’s end, the Michigan State product did not show for Panthers work. He does not count toward the Panthers’ 53-man roster or their cap. Carolina’s roster sits at 51 as of Friday.
The Cleveland native has never started an NFL game but began his run as a regularly used special-teamer as a rookie. The 6-foot-2 role player saw action on at least 50% of the Steelers’ special teams plays in 2020 and ’21.
Packers, Elgton Jenkins Agree On Extension
The Packers will not let Elgton Jenkins hit free agency. They agreed to a four-year extension with the fourth-year offensive lineman, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The versatile blocker agreed to bypass a run on the 2023 market by signing a $68MM deal that could max out at $74MM. While Jenkins has worked at both guard and tackle, he has settled in at guard this season. This deal makes him the league’s second-highest-paid guard — behind only Quenton Nelson. Incentives can take the deal to the $74MM mark, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein (on Twitter).
Davante Adams notwithstanding, Green Bay has an extensive history of keeping its priority free agents. (Though, this deal does come around the same point on the calendar when the Packers locked down Adams to his second NFL contract back in 2017.) Months after Jaire Alexander‘s cornerback-record contract, the Packers have Jenkins locked in through the 2026 season. The former second-round pick will collect a $24MM signing bonus, Rapoport adds (on Twitter). ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has the signing bonus at $22MM (Twitter link).
The Packers do not have too much history with the franchise tag, going 12 years between bringing it out for Ryan Pickett (in 2010) and Adams. But Rapoport notes a tag was likely here. Jenkins’ signing bonus comes in a few million north of the projected $18.3MM O-lineman tag, which undoubtedly came into play during the talks. Jenkins, 27 next week, would have been one of the top free agents on next year’s market. Instead, the Packers paid to make him a long-term cornerstone.
At $17MM per year, Jenkins’ extension checks in closer to the guard field than to Nelson, who is attached to a $20MM-per-year accord. But Nelson’s accomplishments are on another level compared to his age group. Like Alexander, the Packers did not appear to deviate from their preferred contract structure of not including guarantees beyond Year 1. If the signing bonus represents the full guarantee here, Jenkins will be tied to either the fifth- or seventh-highest figure among guards.
This agreement also punctuates Jenkins’ return from the ACL tear that cut his 2021 season short. Although the Packers’ 2022 season has fallen well shy of expectations, this deal rewards a player who has bounced to a few positions along the O-line. Jenkins has made a Pro Bowl at guard — in 2020 — but began last season filling in for David Bakhtiari at left tackle. After Bakhtiari made his long-awaited return to his blindside post this season, Jenkins began his contract year at right tackle. But the Packers kicked him back inside to guard. Despite the move, Friday’s extension compares favorably to most right tackles’ money. The AAV matches Taylor Moton‘s for the fifth-highest at right tackle.
Green Bay selected Jenkins 44th overall in 2019 and made him an instant starter. Stationed alongside Bakhtiari, the Mississippi State alum soon teamed with the All-Pro blindsider to form one of the league’s top inside-outside duos. After Bakhtiari’s career-altering ACL tear on New Year’s Eve 2020, it took until this season for he and Jenkins to play together again. By the time they did, Corey Linsley — whom the Packers let walk in 2021 — was in his second season with the Chargers. Letting Linsley leave freed up funds for Jenkins, who is four years younger.
Last season represented a missed opportunity, though the Packers still secured the No. 1 seed without either standout. Bakhtiari, who underwent three surgeries to address the knee injury, has bounced in and out of the lineup this season. He remains tied to the four-year, $92MM contract he inked during the 2020 campaign. While Bakhtiari has missed five games this season, Jenkins has only missed two. He returned in Week 2 and has played at a Pro Bowl level. No such honor came this week, but Pro Football Focus ranks Jenkins as the league’s No. 7 overall guard. The Packers are paying up for what should be his prime seasons.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/22/22
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: QB Steven Montez
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Lance Lenoir, WR Jerreth Sterns
Saints CB Marshon Lattimore Closer To Return, WR Jarvis Landry To IR
The Saints revealed some good and bad news on the injury front today. Coach Dennis Allen told reporters that cornerback Marshon Lattimore continues to progress, per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football (on Twitter). However, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reveals (on Twitter) that wideout Jarvis Landry is heading to injured reserve.
Lattimore has been sidelined since October after suffering a lacerated kidney. The Pro Bowler has missed nine games with the injury, but Allen told reporters that the defensive back is “as close as he’s been” to returning to the field. The Saints will continue to monitor Lattimore, and while it sounds like he’ll be back before long, there’s no guarantee that he’ll play against the Browns this weekend.
Landry suffered an ankle injury that limited him to only 19 offensive snaps in Week 15. An ankle injury also forced the veteran wideout to miss most of October and a bit of November. With his placement on IR, Landry wouldn’t be allowed to return to the Saints until the postseason.
Landry hasn’t put up big numbers during his first season in New Orleans, hauling in 25 receptions for 272 yards and one touchdown. Still, when he’s been active, he’s played at least half of the Saints offensive snaps, and he’s effectively served as the team’s WR2 behind rookie Chris Olave.
The veteran’s placement on IR is poor timing for the Saints, as Olave has also been ruled out this weekend with a hamstring injury. Tre’Quan Smith will likely lead the depth chart, with Rashid Shaheed and Marquez Callaway also soaking up snaps.
Titans Place C Ben Jones, CB Terrance Mitchell On IR
The Titans’ injury problems are not relenting. Following the report of Ryan Tannehill likely being out for the season, the AFC South leaders are placing center Ben Jones and cornerback Terrance Mitchell on IR.
Jones suffered his second concussion this season, and Mitchell sustained a hamstring injury against the Chargers. Neither player could return until the divisional round of the playoffs, but the Titans’ injury issues overall will present a test to merely qualify for the postseason.
Tennessee will face Houston with Malik Willis under center and its offensive line banged up. Taylor Lewan has been out since September, and guard Nate Davis joins Jones in being sidelined. The Titans ruled out Davis because of an ankle injury. The team also placed tackle Dillon Radunz on IR on Wednesday. The team elevated O-lineman Daniel Munyer from its practice squad Thursday. Lewan is a Pro Bowler, while Pro Football Focus has slotted Jones as a top-10 center and Davis a top-20 guard. The Titans will face the Texans without their three best blockers.
Drawing praise for his toughness this season from Mike Vrabel, Jones has signed three contracts with the Titans. The rare O-lineman to sign four multiyear deals during his career, Jones inked his most recent accord this offseason. Tennessee gave its longtime center a two-year, $14MM pact to return to block for Tannehill and Derrick Henry. Jones, 33, had been an iron man coming into this season, missing just one game over his first 10 years. By the end of this season, he will have missed five contests. The former Texans fourth-round pick has started 151 career games (108 with the Titans).
Tennessee’s draft strategy did not point to Mitchell being required to play a key role this season, but the journeyman cornerback has made five starts. Tennessee’s 2021 first-round pick, Caleb Farley, struggled to carve out a role and is now out for the season with another injury. Regular starter Kristian Fulton, a 2020 second-round pick, has not played since Week 13. The Titans have ruled out Fulton for a third straight game. Slot man Elijah Molden remains on IR, having been placed on the injured list for a second time.
Despite being one of the Patriots’ final cuts in August, Mitchell has played 398 snaps for the Titans this season. The former seventh-round pick has been a regular for most of his career, having seen extensive run as a starter for the Chiefs, Browns and Texans. Of the Titans’ top five corners, only second-round rookie Roger McCreary is healthy.
The Titans have run into rampant injury issues for a second consecutive year. They used an NFL-record 91 players last season and are moving toward that total this year. Tennessee has a league-high 19 players on IR heading into Week 16. Owner Amy Adams Strunk cited the team’s injury problems as one of the reasons GM Jon Robinson was fired. Tennessee has two IR activations left. The team designated linebacker Zach Cunningham for return last week; an activation would leave them with one IR-return move left.
FiveThirtyEight gives the Titans a 46% chance to win the division. Friendlier odds would appear if the Jaguars lose to the Jets on Thursday night. If the Titans miss the playoffs, they would join only the 2021 Ravens as teams to start 7-3 or better and miss out since 2017.
Giants To Sign Landon Collins To Active Roster, Add Tae Crowder To Practice Squad
Landon Collins‘ days rising from the Giants’ practice squad appear to be over. The team will sign the eighth-year hybrid defender to its active roster ahead of its Week 16 game against the Vikings, Brian Daboll said.
The Giants have used Collins sparingly in three games this season, but they had previously been activating him via the gameday elevation route. This latest transaction will keep Collins on Big Blue’s 53-man roster. Although the team has effectively swapped in Collins for Tae Crowder, whom it waived Tuesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter) displaced linebacker is back on New York’s practice squad. Crowder, a 17-game starter who made 130 tackles last season before being benched this year, cleared waivers Wednesday.
After spending the past three seasons in Washington, Collins became a cap casualty this year. The Commanders were believed to have wanted Collins to take a pay cut, but the former Pro Bowl safety said (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) the team never gave him a number regarding this trim.
“Injuries set me back over there,” Collins said. “I get the process. I wasn’t producing anything. When I was on the field, I tried to produce as much as I can. They wanted a pay cut, but they never gave me numbers on what it would be, so I was like, ‘I don’t have time to keep playing around. I need to figure out what’s going on.'”
Collins’ then-safety-record $14MM-per-year deal did not work out for Washington, and not much interest came his way this offseason. The Giants, who did not make an offer to keep the three-time Pro Bowler off the free agent market in 2019, brought him back in October. Collins, 28, has played in three games and made just four tackles. But he logged a season-high 27 defensive snaps against his previous team Sunday. Now stationed at linebacker, he should have a regular role going forward, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets.
Additionally, the Giants will still be without cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in Week 16. The team’s top corner has been on the shelf since November because of an MCL sprain. He remains on the Giants’ active roster but will have missed five games after Saturday’s Minnesota tilt.
Titans Place OL Dillon Radunz On IR
The Titans are bracing for bad news surrounding their starting QB, but the team had some other injuries to deal with today. Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (via Twitter) reports that Tennessee has placed offensive lineman Dillon Radunz on injured reserve.
[RELATED: Titans QB Ryan Tannehill Will Likely Miss Rest Of Season]
Radunz suffered a torn ACL on Sunday, according to Paul Kuharsky. The lineman’s placement on IR already meant he was going to miss the rest of the regular season, but the ACL tear means he’ll probably miss a portion of the 2023 campaign, as well.
The 2021 second-round pick started only one of his 12 appearances as a rookie, and he had a similarly limited role through the first chunk of the 2022 season. He started four games for the team between Weeks 5 and 12, and he played a portion of his team’s offensive snaps in Week 13 and Week 15. Pro Football Focus has given Radunz one of the top pass-blocking scores at his position and one of the lowest run-blocking scores.
Radunz joins fellow offensive linemen Taylor Lewan and Jamarco Jones on injured reserve. The Titans added some depth at the position today, adding Zack Johnson to the practice squad.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/21/22
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Brandin Bryant
- Released: DT Kendal Vickers
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: S Tyree Gillespie
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DL Aaron Crawford, WR Jason Moore
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Tae Crowder
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/22
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers (from Bears): CB Justin Layne
Denver Broncos
- Designated for return: RB Chase Edmonds
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed to active roster: DL Christopher Hinton
- Placed on IR: DL Joe Gaziano
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Daviyon Nixon
- Waived: RB Tony Jones Jr.
Tennessee Titans
- Signed to active roster: QB Josh Dobbs
Saints Place G Cesar Ruiz On IR
DECEMBER 21: A Lisfranc injury will shut down Ruiz, Dennis Allen said Wednesday. This troublesome foot issue will bring to an end a 31-game start streak for the third-year blocker.
DECEMBER 20: Shortly after seeing Erik McCoy return from IR, the Saints will be without another of their interior offensive line starters. The team moved Cesar Ruiz to IR on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Although Ruiz played all 55 of New Orleans’ offensive snaps against Atlanta in Week 15, the former first-round pick will be shut down with a foot injury. He would not be able to return until the divisional round of the playoffs. The Saints are still vying for the NFC South title, even at 5-9, but this transaction will probably end Ruiz’s third season.
Saturday will be only Ruiz’s second missed game as a pro. The Saints have turned to the Michigan product at guard and center, primarily stationing him at guard opposite Andrus Peat. Ruiz worked as the Wolverines’ starting center during his sophomore and junior seasons, entering the NFL after the latter slate, but the Saints shuttled him to guard due to McCoy’s presence.
The Saints have invested significantly in their interior O-line, having Peat and McCoy signed to extensions. Ruiz becomes eligible for a new deal in January, but the Saints can slow-play this process by exercising his fifth-year option and waiting until 2024 to consider an extension. New Orleans has four former first-round picks and an ex-second-rounder (McCoy) along its O-line.
The 24th overall pick in 2020, Ruiz started all 17 games last season and all 14 thus far this year. Pro Football Focus rates Ruiz 58th among full-time guards this season, a number right in line with his 2021 assessment. Ruiz, however, allowed a career-low 16 quarterback pressures, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets. It will be interesting to see how the Saints proceed regarding Ruiz’s option, given the team’s extensive work fortifying its front.
To fill Ruiz’s roster spot, the Saints signed Ty Summers off the Jaguars’ practice squad, Aaron Wilson of KPRC tweets. A former Packers draftee who saw action from 2019-21 in Green Bay, the TCU-produced linebacker has played in three Jags games this season.