Bills Elevate WR John Brown
Quietly, the Bills reached an agreement to bring back John Brown last weekend. They are set to give him another try starting tonight against the Patriots.
The Bills elevated the veteran wide receiver from the practice squad Thursday. This transaction does not make Brown a full-fledged part of the Bills’ active roster, as the 2020 CBA allows for two gameday elevations. But Brown being in uniform with the Bills again is certainly notable.
[RELATED: Bills Place Von Miller On IR]
Buffalo used Brown as its No. 1 wide receiver back in 2019, when the team added both he and Cole Beasley in free agency. Brown, who signed a three-year deal worth $27MM to move from Baltimore to Buffalo, notched his second 1,000-yard season that year. Injuries intervened for the Division II success story in 2020, and the Bills cut bait last year and added Emmanuel Sanders. The team did not re-sign Sanders or Beasley this offseason.
Brown, 32, has not caught a pass since his Bills release. The former Cardinals draftee has bounced around since the cut, seeing game action for the Broncos, Jaguars and Buccaneers last season. Those cameos came after the Raiders released Brown before the start of last season. He will supply some depth for a Bills team that has been without Jamison Crowder for a while due to a fractured ankle.
Beginning his ninth NFL season, Brown will join a Bills team that features Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis and Isaiah McKenzie atop its receiving hierarchy. Usage-wise, Brown is unlikely to approach his former role — one that led to a 72-reception, 1,060-yard, six-touchdown campaign in Josh Allen‘s second season — but he certainly provides the Bills with experience. This will be Brown’s 101st career game.
Bills Place Von Miller On IR
Von Miller‘s hopes at returning from his meniscus injury in Week 14 faded quickly. The Bills placed the veteran pass rusher on IR on Thursday, shutting him down for at least four games.
The earliest Miller can now return is Week 17. Given Buffalo’s investment in the future Hall of Famer, it is unsurprising the team would operate cautiously here. While this will hurt the Bills’ pass-rushing capabilities over the next few weeks, it stands to give Miller more rehab time.
“We’ve been assessing Von this week and seeing how he is, and we don’t want to rush him back,” Bills GM Brandon Beane said. “This gives us a chance to go ahead and count tonight’s game and three more on injured reserve. And hopefully we can get him back for the stretch run.”
Miller did not tear his ACL but acknowledged he will likely need surgery. The initial Bills plan was to wait for swelling to subside over the next seven to 10 days before making a determination, but they are acting early. By placing Miller on IR ahead of their game against the Patriots tonight, Miller will only need to miss three more. It is perhaps a bit surprising the Bills are factoring roster math into an equation involving a player of Miller’s stature, but Thursday’s call also points to the organization not wanting to risk a setback by the 12th-year edge defender attempting to come back too fast.
It is believed Miller will be fine with using a knee brace upon return. He donned a brace during points of his Broncos stay, which included an ACL tear. Miller bounced back quickly from that December 2013 malady, re-establishing himself as a Pro Bowl rusher — being invited to the next six — and a player who would go on to become the first defender in NFL history to sign two $100MM-plus contracts. Miller, 33, is currently tied to a six-year, $120MM pact — one that includes guarantees into 2024.
The Bills will be without Miller for some rather key games. In addition to this Pats matchup, Miller will miss games against the Jets and Dolphins. The Bills, who also play the Bears during this span, close their regular season with Bengals and Patriots meetings. While Buffalo is ticketed to have Greg Rousseau back in Week 13 after a November absence, the team is 0-2 in the AFC East. How the Bills fare in their three Miller-less division tilts will likely determine if they will need their home blues in the AFC playoffs. At 8-3, the Bills are in decent shape to make the playoffs for a fourth straight season. But even that is not a lock. The Patriots and Chargers both loom at 6-5; a Pats win tonight would provide quite a boost.
Despite their brigade of defensive injuries, the Bills are in fine shape in terms of injury activations. The team has seven of its eight allotted injury moves remaining. One will be saved for Miller, barring a decision for a season-ending surgery. Miller indicated that was unlikely to happen, but it is not a lock the Bills have their top pass rusher back this season. Miller already amassed eight sacks this season, at only a 61% snap snare, so losing him would be a blow for the contending team’s Super Bowl hopes. This will certainly be a situation to monitor this month.
Texans To Extend LB Blake Cashman
After acquiring Blake Cashman via trade in March, the Texans reached an agreement to keep him around beyond 2022. They are extending the fourth-year linebacker, Aaron Wilson of KPRC tweets.
The new Houston role player, who was playing out his rookie contract, agreed to a one-year deal. This marks the Texans’ first extension this season.
The Texans obtained Cashman for a sixth-round pick just as the 2022 league year began. After starting five games as a rookie with the Jets, the former fifth-round pick out of Minnesota did not see much game action over the next two seasons. Injuries plagued Cashman throughout his Jets tenure, however. A shoulder issue shut him down in October 2019, and IR stays also commenced in 2020 and 2021, leading to four- and three-game seasons, respectively, to close out his Jets tenure.
Since the trade, Cashman, 26, has mostly stayed healthy. He has played in a career-high 10 games and become one of the Texans’ top special teams contributors. While the one-time Jets starter has only logged 94 defensive snaps, he has seen action on 73% of the Texans’ special teams plays. As a defender this season, Cashman has notched a sack, a pass deflection and two quarterback hits.
Texans GM Nick Caserio has handed out many two-year contracts during his two-year Houston stay, and Cashman now joins veteran linebackers Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Christian Kirksey in being signed through 2023.
Restructure Details: Woods, Lowry
Here are some details on recent contract restructures in the NFL:
- Robert Woods, WR (Titans): Halfway through his first season in Tennessee, Woods has agreed to a restructure of his contract that opens up a bit of salary cap space for a team that sorely needs it, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The new agreement converts a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus, freeing up $2.6MM in cap space for the Titans. The team has been among the bottom-five teams in the NFL in regard to cap space this year and is poised to be in a bad position next year, as well. The move shows that general manager Jon Robinson is starting to plan for the impending offseason and making sure that Tennessee is set up well for the future.
- Dean Lowry, DE (Packers): Lowry agreed to make his contract a bit more team-friendly after seven years in Green Bay, according to Yates. The team will convert approximately $1.5MM in base salary into a signing bonus, similar to Woods’ agreement. The move will clear up about $1.1MM in cap space for the Packers. Lowry is in the final year of his second contract with the team. Helping Green Bay find a little cap space puts Lowry in a favorable position heading into negotiations for a potential third deal.
Bears Add QB Tim Boyle
The Bears could be down their top two QBs when they take on the Packers on Sunday, so the team has added some reinforcement at the position. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports (via Twitter) that the Bears have signed quarterback Tim Boyle off the Lions’ practice squad.
Starting quarterback Justin Fields is currently dealing with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder that forced him to miss Sunday’s game against the Jets. Trevor Siemian gutted through an oblique injury to play in that loss to New York, and it’s uncertain if he’ll be able to suit up this weekend. That would leave Nathan Peterman as the only healthy quarterback on the roster, so the team ended up snagging Boyle off Detroit’s taxi squad.
Boyle served as a backup to Aaron Rodgers to begin his career before catching on with the Lions in 2021. He ended up getting three starts for Detroit last year, completing 61 of his 94 pass attempts for 526 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. The 28-year-old re-signed with the Lions this past offseason, and after getting cut at the end of the preseason, he caught on with the organization’s practice squad.
He’ll likely be a temporary piece in Chicago once the team’s QB corps is completely healthy. However, Boyle wasn’t just a random fill-in. Cronin notes that the Bears signed him because of his familiarity with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who was the Packers’ QBs coach when the two were in Green Bay.
The Bears made two more moves today, placing defensive back Dane Cruikshank on injured reserve and signing defensive lineman Andrew Brown off the Cardinals practice squad. Cruikshank has gotten into eight games for Chicago this season, but a hamstring injury will sideline him for at least the next four games. Brown has 23 games of NFL experience, with the former fifth-round pick having collected 18 tackles and one sack in time with the Bengals, Texans, and Chargers.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/30/22
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Andre Baccellia
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Shemar Bridges
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Harvey Langi, RB Devine Ozigbo
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: WR Jaquarii Roberson
New York Jets
- Released: WR Diontae Spencer
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Kawaan Baker, OL Tyrese Robinson, WR Auden Tate
- Released: DT Marvin Wilson
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/30/22
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Designated for return: G Elijah Wilkinson
Los Angeles Rams
- Designated for return: LB Daniel Hardy
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on IR: CB Andrew Booth (story)
- Activated from IR: TE Ben Ellefson
Tennessee Titans
- Designated for return: LB Ola Adeniyi
Seahawks Claim S Johnathan Abram
The waiver process continues to produce Johnathan Abram headlines. Following the Packers’ decision to cut the fourth-year safety, the Seahawks submitted a successful waiver claim, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The Seahawks will be Abram’s third team this month. The Raiders waived Abram not long after the trade deadline, and the Packers moved on after two games. While much of Abram’s first-round contract has been paid out, more than $500K remains on the through-2022 deal.
Bouncing around the league yet doing so without having reached free agency, Abram is now set to play in a fifth defensive scheme since 2020. The Raiders went from Paul Guenther to Gus Bradley to Patrick Graham at defensive coordinator over the past three years, and after a short time in Green Bay, Abram will attempt to carve out a role in Pete Carroll and Clint Hurtt‘s defense.
The Seahawks have been without Jamal Adams since a Week 1 injury and have Ryan Neal working as Quandre Diggs‘ sidekick. Beyond the starters, Seattle has former second-round pick-turned-journeyman Josh Jones and rookie UDFA Joey Blount on the roster. The Seahawks have also used Teez Tabor, who entered the NFL as a cornerback several years ago, as a safety in limited time this season. Tabor, who has bounced around the league as well, has been on the Seahawks’ active roster since they signed him off the Falcons’ practice squad in September. Neal was on Seattle’s injury report last week but played against the Raiders; he came out of that game with a bruised elbow, however.
Abram, 26, began this season as a Raiders starter and started six games for the team that once took him 27th overall. But Las Vegas’ new regime attempted to trade the Mississippi State product before the deadline and ended up reducing his role. That preceded a post-deadline cut, which led to a Packers claim. Green Bay, which at the time held waiver priority over Denver (which also tried to claim Abram earlier this month), used Abram on just one defensive snap in two games. Abram did contribute on special teams, however.
Abram’s start count remains at 34; most of those came from 2020-21. While coverage issues have affected his NFL development, Abram does have a 116-tackle season on his resume (2021). He has three career interceptions and 12 career pass deflections. The former first-team All-SEC defender will attempt to make this latest relocation stick — until being eligible for unrestricted free agency in March.
Rams Considering Shutting Down Aaron Donald, Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp
NOVEMBER 30: Week 13 will double as Donald’s first missed NFL game due to injury. The Rams ruled out the seven-time All-Pro defensive tackle for their Seahawks matchup. McVay also confirmed Stafford remains in concussion protocol and is unlikely to play against Seattle.
NOVEMBER 29: Aaron Donald can now be added to the list of high-profile Rams to have suffered significant injuries this season. Sean McVay said the team’s medical staff communicated to him the perennial All-Pro defensive lineman likely sustained a high ankle sprain against the Chiefs, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets.
Considering this immense letdown of a season, Donald is not a lock to return this year. McVay said the team has not ruled out shutting down Donald, Cooper Kupp or Matthew Stafford. The defending Super Bowl champions gave new deals to all three players this offseason, and while the team will not exactly be obtaining value from those lucrative accords by sidelining the cornerstone performers, ensuring these health issues do not bleed into the offseason would stand to be important.
Although Kupp and Stafford have missed stretches of seasons before, Donald has been one of the league’s most durable players. The seven-time All-Pro has never missed a game due to injury; his only absences (two) came because of a 2017 holdout. Over the course of his second Rams contract, Donald became one of the greatest defenders in NFL history. He derailed the Bengals’ final drive in Super Bowl LVI and may well have won MVP acclaim were ballots not required to be turned in before that drive.
Donald, 31, threatened retirement and sent the Rams a letter — amid contract negotiations — informing them of his intentions to walk away. The Rams came back to the table with an unprecedented offer — a straight raise with no new years added, making Donald the NFL’s highest-paid defender again. Donald’s $31.6MM-per-year average dwarfs the rest of the D-tackle market; no other interior D-lineman makes more than $21MM per annum. That deal has not started off well for the Rams, who have seen their run of good health in recent years deteriorate into a mess that has this team on course to be the worst defending Super Bowl champion in league history.
Donald’s third Rams pact runs through 2024; he is set to count $26MM against Los Angeles’ cap next year. That money is guaranteed, though Donald’s 2024 cash is not. This season, Donald’s production has dipped a bit. The ninth-year defender has five sacks and 11 quarterback hits. While he still would have had time to move toward his seventh double-digit sack season, this injury will probably nix such an effort.
Kupp underwent ankle surgery and is expected to miss at least the next four games. Considering that timetable and the Rams’ 3-8 record, it seems unlikely the All-Pro wideout will play again this year. Stafford has spent the past two weeks in concussion protocol, with a neck issue leading him back there after he left the Rams’ Week 11 loss to the Saints early. Conflicting reports surfaced about Stafford returning this season, but the Rams are unsurprisingly considering punting on the rest of the veteran quarterback’s 14th season and regrouping in 2023. Stafford’s new deal runs through 2026.
The Rams squandered key seasons from their well-paid trio. Donald will turn 32 in May; Stafford will be 35 in February. Kupp is younger, but he will hit 30 in June. The team, which also placed Allen Robinson on IR on Tuesday because of a season-ending foot injury, may see its skeleton crew thin further in the weeks ahead. Although the 1982 49ers finished 3-6, a strike-shortened season impacted their first title defense. No defending Super Bowl champion has finished with fewer than six wins in a non-strike-shortened campaign; if the Rams are to be without Donald and Stafford the rest of the way, they might have a hard time making it to 6-11. The Lions hold the Rams’ 2023 first-round pick.
Eagles Designate DT Jordan Davis For Return
As most teams begin their Week 13 practices Wednesday, IR management re-enters the equation. The Eagles are moving forward with one of their hopeful returns, opening Jordan Davis‘ practice window.
Philadelphia designated the rookie defensive tackle for return Wednesday morning. Davis has been out since suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 8. This week marks the first window in which the Eagles could use this return designation, generating optimism the athletic run-stuffer could be back when first eligible.
The Eagles have changed their D-tackle equation since Davis last played, venturing into free agency at an unusual point for such transactions. Davis will join Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph at Philly’s practice today. The veteran duo joined the team after the Eagles had struggled against the run without Davis. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles deploy their defensive tackles going forward, given the presences of Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave.
Although Davis’ 154 defensive snaps do not meet Pro Football Focus’ minimum for full-time status, the advanced metrics site rates the Georgia product as a top-10 run defender among D-tackles this season. The Texans and Commanders’ rushing performances made Davis’ absence glaring. Having the 6-foot-6, 340-pound lineman back could provide a significant boost for the team with the NFL’s best record (10-1).
Philly is in good shape for injury activations, holding six at its disposal. Considering the investment the team made in Davis this year, one of those activations will undoubtedly be used on him. He of a 4.78-second 40-yard dash time at the Combine, Davis wowed teams and convinced an Eagles team big on line investments to invest the No. 13 overall pick in a D-lineman who does not factor in — production-wise, at least — as a pass rusher much. Davis made a massive impact during Georgia’s national championship run last season and figures to both improve the Eagles’ run-defending capabilities and give the team’s pass rushers more favorable matchups upon return.