Chargers Place K Dustin Hopkins On IR
Dustin Hopkins will miss at least four more games. The Chargers announced that they’ve placed the veteran kicker on injured reserve. Practice squad kicker Cameron Dicker has been signed to the active roster to take Hopkins’ place.
Hopkins has been sidelined since Week 6 with a hamstring injury. The Chargers kept him on the active roster for more than a month hoping he’d make a return, but with the team having already used their three PS elevations on Dicker, they needed to open up a roster spot. Hopkins will now be required to miss another four contests, making Week 16 the earliest possible return for the 32-year-old.
Hopkins put up career numbers after joining the Chargers last season, connecting on 90 percent of his field goal tries. He inked a three-year extension with the organization this past offseason. In six games this season, the veteran converted nine of his 1o field goal attempts and all 12 of his extra point tries.
Taylor Bertolet was the original fill-in for Hopkins, but a quadriceps injury forced the team to pivot to Dicker. The rookie has been perfect in his three games for the Chargers, connecting on all seven of his FG attempts and all six of his XP attempts. Dicker also got into a game with the Eagles earlier this year, converting all of his FG/XP tries. He’s made a pair of game-winning field goals this season, resulting in a pair of Special Teams Player of the Week honors.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/22
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Arron Mosby
- Released: QB D’Eriq King
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB Breon Borders
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Bubba Bolden, T Will Holden
- Released: C Jordan Meredith
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Tyreik McAllister, LB Ray Wilborn
- Released: LB Harvey Langi
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB D’Angelo Ross
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: LB Tyrell Adams
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Nick Vannett
New York Jets
- Signed: DL Marquiss Spencer
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: WR Auden Tate
- Released from IR: OT Jarrid Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: DB Quincy Wilson
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/22/22
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released from IR: RB Jonathan Ward
Cincinnati Bengals
- Waived: OL Isaiah Prince
- Signed from practice squad: WR Trenton Irwin
Denver Broncos
- Placed on IR: RB Chase Edmonds (story)
- Signed off Browns’ practice squad: LB Dakota Allen
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed off Bengals’ practice squad: DE Khalid Kareem
- Waived: S Trevor Denbow
New York Giants
- Signed to active roster: WR/TE Lawrence Cager
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return: LB Jon Rhattigan
Tennessee Titans
- Designated for return: K Caleb Shudak
Washington Commanders
- Designated for return: LB Milo Eifler
The Bengals both designated Prince for return from IR and activated him Monday. This marks the second time this year the defending AFC champions have used one of their injury activations on a player only to waive him a day later. This first happened with Kareem, who then moved to the Bengals’ practice squad ahead of this Colts poaching. A former Dolphins sixth-rounder, Prince played in 15 Bengals games last season and started four. He has not played this year. It will be somewhat interesting if the Bengals keep Prince via a P-squad agreement, provided no waiver claims emerge.
Eifler, Rhattigan and Shudak have three weeks from Tuesday to be activated. The Seahawks, Titans and Commanders had seen their number of activation-eligible players pile up in recent weeks. Each of these teams have five injury activations remaining.
The Titans waived Week 11 kicker fill-in Josh Lambo on Monday. Primary Tennessee kicker Randy Bullock missed the game but is not on IR. Bullock suffered a calf injury during pregame warmups in Week 10. Shudak, a rookie UDFA out of Iowa who has spent the season on the Titans’ reserve/PUP list, would stand to represent insurance this week.
Broncos Waive RB Melvin Gordon
NOVEMBER 22: No team claimed Gordon, who has passed through to free agency, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This will be Gordon’s third time in free agency. In both other instances — 2020 and ’22 — the Broncos signed him. Gordon will be searching for a third NFL employer. Just more than $836K remained on Gordon’s Broncos contract, a one-year, $2.5MM accord.
NOVEMBER 21: In the wake of another underwhelming performance, Melvin Gordon‘s time with the Broncos is coming to an end. Denver is waiving the veteran running back, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team has confirmed the move. 
Gordon, 29, fumbled for the fifth time this season during yesterday’s overtime loss to the Raiders. The ongoing issues with ball security is believed to be at the heart of this move, as noted by Rapoport’s colleague James Palmer (on Twitter). A fresh start for both parties is now at hand, which could prove beneficial.
The former Charger enjoyed productive campaigns during his first two seasons in Denver, eclipsing 1,100 scrimmage yards and scoring 10 total touchdowns each year. Despite the presence of 2021 second-rounder Javonte Williams, he re-signed this past offseason on a modest one-year deal. Williams’ ACL tear opened the door to Gordon once again operating as a lead back, but he received double-digit carries just twice since he went down. Gordon scored one touchdown during that stretch, never averaging more than 3.9 yards per carry in a game.
That made him a trade candidate in the build-up to the deadline at the start of the month, but no deal materialized. The only move Denver made at the position was acquiring Chase Edmonds from the Dolphins as part of the Bradley Chubb deal. That, in turn, came after the Broncos added veteran journeyman Latavius Murray from the Saints’ practice squad.
The latter has logged at least 25 snaps in each of his games with the Broncos so far, a sign that Gordon’s hold on the No. 1 role was in danger. General manager George Paton indicated otherwise in the wake of the Edmonds trade, but another fumble yesterday proved to be the final straw. The backfield pecking order could now be slightly clearer in the wake of Gordon’s departure, though Mike Boone is a candidate to be activated from IR later on in the year.
Attention will now turn to whether or not Gordon is claimed by a team looking for experienced depth for a postseason run. Denver’s plans at the position – especially in the wake of the team having a new offensive play-caller – will also be worth watching as the 3-7 outfit looks to find success on that side of the ball.
Rams Waive RB Darrell Henderson, OLB Justin Hollins
Another starter-caliber running back will join Melvin Gordon on the waiver wire. The Rams cut Darrell Henderson on Tuesday. They also waived outside linebacker Justin Hollins.
Henderson spent much of last season as Los Angeles’ starter, playing ahead of Sony Michel for an extended stretch to begin the team’s Super Bowl-winning slate. The former third-round pick is playing out the final season of his rookie contract. Just more than $412K remains on that deal.
With the Rams connected to cutting Cam Akers for weeks, this Henderson move surprises. But Akers remains with the team and has surpassed Henderson in carries (76-70). Henderson’s 283 yards, however, still lead the team. That is not a particularly notable distinction, with the Rams’ run game ranking 31st. The team had reduced Henderson’s workload in recent weeks. Despite starting each of the past two Rams games, Henderson logged just eight carries.
In 2021, Henderson totaled 688 rushing yards on 149 totes. He started 10 games for the Rams and rushed for at least 70 yards in four of those contests. A COVID-19 contraction and MCL sprain ended Henderson’s run as L.A.’s starter. The team pivoted to Michel following Henderson’s COVID bout, and the Memphis alum’s knee injury kept him out until Super Bowl LVI. Henderson was fairly productive for the Rams against the Bengals, catching three passes for 43 yards.
Henderson, 25, averaged 4.5 and 4.6 yards per carry, respectively, in 2020 and ’21. He is at 4.0 per rush this year. The former No. 70 overall pick, Henderson averaged a staggering 8.9 yards per tote as both a sophomore and junior at the AAC school. As a junior in 2018, Henderson rushed for 1,909 yards and totaled 25 touchdowns.
It would surprise if the former yards-per-carry college dynamo did not land with another team soon. The Broncos, following their Gordon separation, would seemingly be an interested party. If no one claims Henderson, he passes through to free agency. Regarding the Rams, they still have Akers and fifth-round rookie Kyren Williams, who recently came off IR after a multi-injury 2022. Akers and Williams are now the only two backs on the defending champions’ 53-man roster. Malcolm Brown and rookie UDFA Ronnie Rivers reside on L.A.’s practice squad.
A former Broncos draftee, Hollins has started five games this season. He has totaled just one sack. The Rams aggressively attempted to keep Von Miller in free agency and made a monster offer for Brian Burns at the deadline, attempting to give Leonard Floyd a proven edge-rushing partner. The team instead went into the season limited at the position. Hollins will wrap his L.A. stay with three sacks and four QB hits in 18 games with the team.
Patriots Sign OL Conor McDermott Off Jets’ Practice Squad
A Jets offensive line backup for the past four seasons, Conor McDermott is heading out of town. The Patriots are signing the veteran blocker off the Jets’ practice squad, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
While the Jets have been McDermott’s primary NFL employer, this transaction will mark a homecoming. The Patriots drafted McDermott in the 2017 sixth round out of UCLA.
Amid their early-season issues staffing their tackle positions, the Jets used McDermott to fill the roles opened by the injuries to Mekhi Becton, George Fant and Duane Brown. While Becton is out for the season and Fant remains on IR, Brown has returned. The Jets, who have also seen guard-turned-tackle Alijah Vera-Tucker suffer a season-ending injury, have used journeyman Cedric Ogbuehi as their starting right tackle in recent weeks. McDermott, who has seen time on 18% of the Jets’ offensive plays this season, played against the Patriots in Week 11 but did so as a P-squad gameday elevation.
McDermott, 30, did not make the Patriots’ 2017 roster and only spent a few months with the team post-draft. The Bills claimed the 6-foot-8 lineman and kept him around through the 2018 season. Playing 39% of the Jets’ offensive snaps last season and seeing action on 31% of their 2019 offensive plays, McDermott has played in 43 career games and made six starts.
The Patriots lost O-line starters David Andrews and Isaiah Wynn during their win over the Jets, creating a need for reinforcements. Both are expected to miss time. New England also has its starting right tackle, Marcus Cannon, on IR.
Browns’ Ethan Pocic To Miss Multiple Weeks
The Browns will be without a starter along the offensive line for an extended stretch. Head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that center Ethan Pocic will miss multiple weeks as a result of a knee injury. The team has since announced that he will be placed on IR.
Pocic had played every snap so far this season before going down during the first drive of Cleveland’s loss to the Bills on Sunday. Along the way, the 27-year-old established himself as a vital member of the Browns’ offensive front, one which has paved the way for the fifth-ranked rushing attack in the league this season.
Individually, Pocic has enjoyed by far the best season of his career in terms of PFF rating. His overall grade of 83.0 is a new personal mark, up from the 67.3 he registered last season in Seattle. The LSU alum has also yet to commit a penalty across 630 snaps.
Pocic signed in Cleveland this offseason to provide experienced depth at the position, one which saw plenty of turnover for the Browns. Veteran J.C. Tretter was released in a cost-cutting move, which opened the door to Nick Harris taking on the starting role. He suffered a major knee injury during the preseason, however, forcing Pocic into the first-team spot.
While the loss of the latter will certainly be felt by the Browns given his effectiveness (particularly in the run game), the team still has its top option available at every other o-line position (tackles Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin, along with guards Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller). Stefanski said veteran Hjalte Froholdt will slide over from right guard to center to fill in for Pocic moving forward, as he did on Sunday. Cleveland is signing veteran Greg Mancz with the roster spot opened up by Pocic’s IR placement.
Sitting at 3-7 on the year, the Browns will test out their new combination up front against the Buccaneers in Week 12 before, in all likelihood, seeing quarterback Deshaun Watson suit up for the first time this season the following week.
Buccaneers Designate RB Giovani Bernard For Return
The Buccaneers offense could soon be getting some reinforcement. The team announced that they’ve designated running back Giovani Bernard to return from injured reserve. The Buccaneers now have three weeks to activate the running back to their active roster.
Bernard landed on injured reserve in September after suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. In his one-plus games this season, the 30-year-old exclusively played on special teams, including one kickoff return.
The RB hasn’t played a significant offensive role since joining the Buccaneers in 2021, as he finished his first season in Tampa Bay with only 181 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on 31 touches. However, he’s only two years removed from a 2020 campaign that saw him finish with 771 yards from scrimmage. Leonard Fournette suffered a hip injury last week, but thanks to a Week 11 bye week, he should be good to go on Sunday. Rachaad White had a career day while filling in for Fournette, finishing with 105 rushing yards on 22 carries. Bernard made a name for himself as a pass-catcher in Cincinnati, and if Leonard’s hip injury lingers, the veteran could end up seeing more offensive snaps.
The Buccaneers got some more good injury news today, as guard Luke Goedeke and wideout Russell Gage returned to practice, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Gage has missed a month with a hamstring injury, and with the offseason acquisition now back on the field, Tom Brady will have a full grouping of wideouts heading into the final stretch of the season. Goedeke’s foot injury forced him to miss a chunk of time, and the veteran has since been jumped in the starting lineup by Nick Leverett.
Meanwhile, while safety Logan Ryan has been working out with the team, he still hasn’t been activated from injured reserve. The veteran defensive back’s foot surgery landed him on IR back in October.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/21/22
Today’s practice squad transactions:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE John Raine
- Placed on IR: OL Justin Shaffer
Cincinnati Bengals
- Released: LB Tegray Scales
Cleveland Browns
- Released: G Jordan Meredith
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: DT R.J. McIntosh
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: LB Benton Whitley
New England Patriots
- Signed: K Tristan Vizcaino
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Jarrod Hewitt
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Chris Conley, OL Eric Smith
- Released: TE Anthony Auclair
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/21/22
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: DL Michael Dogbe, TE Maxx Williams
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on IR: DL Ta’Quon Graham
- Claimed (from Texans): DL Jaleel Johnson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Designated for return: T Isaiah Prince
- Waived: WR Michael Thomas
New England Patriots
- Waived: RB J.J. Taylor
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: T Yasir Durant, DB Bryce Thompson
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: WR Wan’Dale Robinson (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: DL T.Y. McGill
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: K Josh Lambo