Chiefs Activate WR Mecole Hardman
The Chiefs will be getting some offensive reinforcement just in time for the postseason. The team announced that they’ve activated wideout Mecole Hardman from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive tackle Geron Christian.
Hardman last saw the field during Kansas City’s win over the Titans in early November. He was listed on subsequent injury reports with an abdominal injury before ultimately landing on IR. He returned to practice back in December and his three-week activation window was set to expire this week. Hardman was a limited participant at practice today with a pelvis injury, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher.
The former second-round pick had more than 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, including a 2021 campaign where he had a career-high 739 yards from scrimmage. Hardman has also served as the team’s primary punt returner, and he earned a Pro Bowl nod for his punt/kick returning during his rookie campaign.
In eight games (five starts) this season, Hardman already hauled in a career-high six touchdowns to go along with 328 yards from scrimmage.
Christian got into 10 games for the Chiefs this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He started 16 games for Washington and Houston between 2019 and 2021.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/4/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Isaiah Coulter, WR Auden Tate
- Released: OL Koda Martin
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: S Juanyeh Thomas
Denver Broncos
- Signed: OL George Moore, TE Hunter Thedford
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DL Daniel Wise
- Released: WR Bryan Edwards
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: OL Sage Doxtater
- Placed on IR: G Yasir Durant
Washington Commanders
- Signed: LB Ferrod Gardner
- Activated from IR: G Nolan Laufenberg
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/23
Today’s minor NFL transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Designated for return: CB Daryl Worley
Buffalo Bills
- Signed off Jets practice squad: S Jared Mayden
- Waived: CB Xavier Rhodes
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: CB Josh Blackwell, G Teven Jenkins, OT Michael Schofield III
- Signed to active roster: LB DeMarquis Gates, DE Jalyn Holmes, LB Terrell Lewis
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated for return: G Matt Farniok
Detroit Lions
- Designated for return: CB Chase Lucas
Indianapolis Colts
- Placed on IR: CB Kenny Moore II
- Signed off Jaguars practice squad: DE Rashod Berry
Minnesota Vikings
- Designated for return: DL Jonathan Bullard
New Orleans Saints
- Placed on NFI: RB Dwayne Washington
- Signed to active roster: WR Keith Kirkwood
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed to active roster: TE Tyler Mabry
Washington Commanders
- Placed on IR: LB De’Jon Harris
Bears To Extend WR Equanimeous St. Brown
The Bears threw a few darts at the receiver position this offseason, bringing in a host of Darnell Mooney supporting-cast options. They intend to retain at least one of them.
Equanimeous St. Brown agreed to stay via a one-year deal, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic tweets. Rather than try his hand in free agency again, the complementary receiver will sign for $1.25MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter). This marks a slight raise for the 6-foot-5 target, who signed for $965K last year.
The elder of the NFL’s St. Brown brothers, Equanimeous came over from Green Bay with first-year Chicago OC Luke Getsy. The former Packers sixth-round pick has 20 receptions for 320 yards — eight shy of his career-high total, set back in 2018 — and a touchdown in the Bears’ run-oriented offense. St. Brown also has 54 rushing yards on six carries this year.
Chicago added St. Brown, Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry, Dante Pettis and Velus Jones this offseason. Of this contingent, St. Brown has compiled the most receiving yards. Harry, Pringle and Pettis have one more game on their current Bears contracts. Although the Bears have run into injuries to several of their receivers this season, St. Brown has started 15 games during his Chicago debut.
The team has Chase Claypool, a deadline addition, signed through 2023. Mooney’s rookie deal also runs through 2023. St. Brown, 26, will be in position to supplement the higher-profile players next season.
Vikings Place RT Brian O’Neill, OL Austin Schlottmann On IR
JANUARY 4: O’Neill is believed to have suffered a partially torn Achilles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The fifth-year tackle will miss the rest of the season. The partial tear is in addition to the calf injury O’Connell confirmed he sustained, per Andrew Krammer and Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune. O’Neill will undergo surgery.
Coming into this year, O’Neill had never missed an NFL game due to injury. He appears likely to miss some of the Vikings’ 2023 offseason program as well, with O’Connell adding he is hopeful a recovery before the start of next season will commence.
JANUARY 3: The Vikings lost two offensive line starters during a blowout loss to the Packers on Sunday, and both may be done for the season. The team placed right tackle Brian O’Neill and interior O-lineman Austin Schlottmann on IR on Tuesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.
O’Neill left Sunday’s game due to a calf injury Kevin O’Connell called “pretty significant,” while Schlottmann — who had been filling in for injured center Garrett Bradbury — suffered a fractured fibula, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. While it can be safely assumed Schlottmann is done for the season, Tuesday’s transaction will sideline O’Neill for at least four games. Only a Vikings Super Bowl LVII trip could extend the veteran tackle’s season.
The team added former Rams guard Bobby Evans to the practice squad and signed veteran center Greg Mancz to its 53-man roster, but the losses of two starters — particularly O’Neill, who has been a Vikings first-stringer since the early part of his 2018 rookie season — stands to sting for a team that has relied on close wins to reach this perch. The Packers preyed on the Vikes’ vulnerable front in Week 17, a result that knocked the Vikings off their long-held No. 2 spot in the NFC. Minnesota now holds the conference’s No. 3 seed.
Minnesota’s offensive line features five homegrown first- or second-round picks, separating it from the rest of the league this season. Only one of those players, however, is signed to a long-term veteran contract. The Vikings extended O’Neill in 2021, giving the former second-rounder a five-year, $92.5MM extension. He has been a key part of Minnesota’s surge this season. Pro Football Focus rates both Vikings tackles — O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw — in the top seven at the position this season. O’Neill, who has started 75 games, checks in at No. 7.
Signed as a free agent after beginning his career in Denver, Schlottmann has become a key presence in Minnesota since Bradbury’s injury. Schlottmann started each of the Vikes’ past four games, matching his career-high total. Losing both he and O’Neill in the same game forced major adjustments to a line that had been healthy for most of this season.
A lower-back injury has sidelined Bradbury. While the former first-round center missed two games due to the injury sustained on the field, a December car accident affected his recovery. Bradbury said the minor accident caused his back to tighten up. O’Connell said Bradbury’s earliest return window will be in the playoffs, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (on Twitter). Bradbury has not practiced since the Dec. 17 crash.
For now, offseason addition Chris Reed — a former Colts spot starter — is set to snap to Kirk Cousins. Fourth-year blocker Oli Udoh, a full-time guard starter for the 2021 Vikings, slid to tackle to replace O’Neill in Green Bay. A 2019 third-round pick, Evans made 12 starts for the Rams on his rookie contract. But the team did not view him as a regular option; its slew of O-line injuries this season led to four Evans starts. The Rams waived Evans this season. Mancz has made 32 career starts, most of them coming with the Texans.
Steelers Designate CB William Jackson For Return
The Steelers’ trade for William Jackson has not led to any game action. Ahead of a possible win-and-in game in Week 18, however, that could change.
Jackson received a return designation Wednesday. The veteran cornerback is back at practice. The Steelers acquired Jackson just before the trade deadline, but a back injury lingered for the former Bengals and Commanders defender. This move comes a week after the Steelers designated cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon for return. Both players can be activated by Saturday’s deadline.
While the Steelers have three weeks to activate Jackson, they may be down to their final game. FiveThirtyEight gives Pittsburgh a 21% chance to make the playoffs. The Steelers (8-8) need to beat the Browns and see both the Patriots and Dolphins lose. It would be a borderline-historic achievement if the Steelers rallied back from 2-6 to the postseason, considering only two teams — the 1970 Bengals and 2020 Washington Football Team — have come back from that record to qualify.
This represents a lost season for Jackson, whom the Commanders benched in September. Jackson was not part of that 2020 Washington iteration, having signed with the team in March 2021. Washington gave the former Cincinnati first-rounder a three-year, $40.5MM deal but was quickly dissatisfied with his performance this season. The Steelers acquired Jackson for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025, acquiring a conditional seventh-rounder in that draft in the deal as well.
Jackson, 30, has made 64 career starts and fared well enough with the Bengals to command those contractual terms. That contract led to Jackson’s low trade value, but Pittsburgh adjusted the deal upon acquiring the seventh-year vet. Jackson is attached to a $5MM base salary this season and a nonguaranteed $9.25MM base in 2023.
Given how this season went, it would be a bit of a surprise if Jackson played on that deal next year. The Steelers can save $12.75MM by releasing Jackson once such moves are allowed come February. Then again, the Steelers do not have much invested at corner. Both Witherspoon and Levi Wallace are attached to low-cost contracts; Cameron Sutton is due for free agency. The team also received a tremendous return from Joe Haden, having signed the former first-rounder quickly after the Browns cut him back in 2017.
Eagles Designate C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Robert Quinn For Return
After back-to-back losses that have kept them from locking up the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Eagles will have some reinforcements in Week 18. Both C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Robert Quinn may be back in uniform.
The Eagles designated the veteran defenders for return Wednesday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Both will be eligible to suit up against the Giants, should the Eagles activate them ahead of the Saturday deadline.
A lacerated kidney sidelined Gardner-Johnson back in November. Despite going down in Week 12, the late-summer trade acquisition remains tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions. The Eagles have options with Gardner-Johnson upon return.
Having used the former Saint as a safety before his injury, the Eagles could deploy Gardner-Johnson in the slot. Avonte Maddox suffered a significant toe injury in Week 16. Considering Gardner-Johnson worked as New Orleans’ top slot corner for multiple seasons, Philadelphia has a quality backup plan. This will be a key stretch for Gardner-Johnson, but he has already proven to be a fit with his new team. The fourth-year DB’s rookie contract expires after this season.
Philly’s pass rush has hummed along without Quinn, but the midseason trade piece can provide some rotational assistance for the league’s sack leaders. Quinn, 32, has not missed quite as much time as Gardner-Johnson, undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery in early December. The Eagles had the thrice-traded edge rusher ticketed for a late-season return, and it looks like Quinn is close to being ready to go.
The Eagles have registered 68 sacks this season — 39 more than they totaled in 2021. That number is close to a long-held NFL record. In the season prior to the Bears’ 18-1 rampage to Super Bowl XX, their 46 defense compiled 72 sacks. Although the Eagles have the benefit of an extra game, they have a chance to eclipse that 38-year-old mark against the Giants. Four Eagles — Haason Reddick, Javon Hargrave, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham — have surpassed the 10-sack threshold. Quinn does not yet have a sack as an Eagle and has just one this season, but the situational rusher did flash pass-rushing potency last year by tallying a career-high 18.5 sacks. That number also broke a 1984 Bears standard, with Richard Dent having held it. As the playoffs near, the Eagles will hope some of Quinn’s 2021 form remains.
Three IR activations remain for the Eagles, but Gardner-Johnson and Quinn represent the 13-3 team’s top two return chips. While it is unknown when Maddox will play again this season, the fifth-year cornerback is not on IR. That gives the Eagles some flexibility as they aim for their second No. 1 seed in six seasons.
Dolphins To Add QB Mike Glennon
Mike McDaniel indicated the Dolphins were looking around for quarterback help, as Tua Tagovailoa remains in concussion protocol. The team settled on a veteran option Wednesday morning.
The Dolphins signed Mike Glennon to their practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This will be Glennon’s first gig this season. The former third-round pick has been in free agency since his Giants deal expired.
Tagovailoa is expected to miss the Dolphins’ regular-season finale this week, and McDaniel said the team needed to have both Teddy Bridgewater and Skylar Thompson healthy entering the Jets rematch. Bridgewater has left both his Dolphins starts, most recently coming out because of a dislocated pinkie. McDaniel clarified Bridgewater did not suffer a broken finger against the Patriots, increasing his chances of being in uniform against the Jets.
Miami’s starting quarterback against New York remains unknown, however. The team is not putting a timetable on Tagovailoa’s return, though a report this past weekend indicated the third-year passer is targeting a potential wild-card game for a return. To secure their first playoff berth in six years, the Dolphins must beat the Jets and see the Bills beat the Patriots.
Glennon, 33, has become one of this period’s premier journeymen. The Dolphins will be his seventh team, and this agreement will complete the Florida cycle for the former North Carolina State starter. Glennon has not been with the same team in consecutive seasons since his Buccaneers rookie deal expired after the 2016 campaign. The 6-foot-7 passer has been with the Bears, Cardinals, Raiders, Jaguars and Giants over the past five seasons.
Forced into action by a Daniel Jones injury last year, Glennon struggled. He completed a career-low 53.9% of his passes and finished his four-start slate with four touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. While Glennon was not the triggerman for the Giants’ infamous quarterback sneaks near their own goal line, he is 0-9 over the past two years as a starter. Glennon also underwent wrist surgery in January 2022. A Bridgewater deactivation would likely mean Glennon becomes Thompson’s backup for Week 18, as the Dolphins do not have any other QBs on their practice squad.
Cowboys To Waive WR James Washington
James Washington is heading to the waiver wire for the first time. The Cowboys are cutting their offseason pickup, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Dallas’ evolving wide receiver cast now includes T.Y. Hilton, who has overtaken Washington and served as a Dak Prescott auxiliary target in recent weeks. Washington has not played since Week 15; Hilton’s debut led to the younger wideout being a healthy scratch for the past two games. The former Steelers second-round pick will be available to the league’s other 31 teams soon.
The Cowboys signed Washington, 26, to a one-year deal worth just more than $1MM this offseason, taking a flier on the former Steelers contributor. But a broken foot sustained during training camp changed Dallas’ plans. Washington did not make his season debut until Week 14. He has played just 15 offensive snaps this season, catching zero passes.
Although the endlessly rumored Cowboys-Odell Beckham Jr. partnership has not come to fruition, the team added Hilton in December. The 11th-year veteran has emerged early in his Dallas tenure, catching five passes — one on a third-and-30 to help the Cowboys past the Eagles — for 102 yards in his first two games. The third-leading receiver in Colts history, Hilton has fit in alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup. It looks like that setup will continue into the postseason, with Beckham still a free agent and Washington headed to the wire.
Chosen 60th overall in 2018, Washington did not catch on in Pittsburgh the way many Day 2 receivers have over the past several years. Following a 735-yard 2019 season spent mostly catching passes from ex-Oklahoma State teammate Mason Rudolph, Washington saw his playing time diminish. The Steelers selected Chase Claypool in the second round of the 2020 draft and bumped him ahead of Washington later that year. Even as JuJu Smith-Schuster missed most of the 2021 season, Washington was unable to carve out a major role. He caught 24 passes for 285 yards last season.
Dallas made Washington and Jalen Tolbert its top two outside receiver investments this offseason; Tolbert has two receptions thus far. In addition to Hilton, sixth-year Cowboy Noah Brown has stepped in as a tertiary target for the team. Brown’s 545 receiving yards sit second among Cowboys this season.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/3/23
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: G Koda Martin
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB John Reid
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: WR Tarik Black
Chicago Bears
- Signed: LS Kameron Canaday
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Julian Stanford
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Austin Allen, K Matt Ammendola
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Sheldrick Redwine
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Jerrion Ealy
- Placed on IR: WR Cornell Powell
New York Giants
- Signed: WR David Sills
- Released: DT Jack Heflin
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: QB Jacob Eason
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: CB Chris Steele, WR Connor Wedington
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DT Curtis Brooks, CB Shyheim Carter, LB Sam Okuayinonu