Broncos Activate Bryce Callahan From IR
The Broncos will have their slot cornerback in uniform Sunday. After battling another injury, Bryce Callahan is back on Denver’s active roster.
This marks an ahead-of-schedule return for Callahan, per 9News’ Mike Klis (on Twitter). The veteran slot defender has missed extensive time since coming to Denver but will attempt to make a final impression ahead of another free agency bid.
Given a three-year, $21MM deal in 2019, Callahan missed all of that season with a lingering foot injury from his Bears days. He then missed six games last season, ending the year on IR. While Callahan’s October knee hyperextension loomed as a potential season-ender, he will be back to help the Broncos, who have seen a few players return from injury recently.
This gives the Broncos a fully healthy cornerback contingent, which has been a rare occurrence this season. Both Callahan and Ronald Darby have missed chunks of the season. Bradley Chubb, Garett Bolles, Bobby Massie and Shelby Harris have recently come back from injury for the 6-6 team.
However, the team’s defense — plagued by unavailability for most of the season — will be without outside linebacker starter Malik Reed. The Broncos placed Reed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Reed leads the Broncos with five sacks this season.
Bolts Activate Chris Harris, Mike Williams
SATURDAY: Harris and Williams continued to test negative and are back on Los Angeles’ active roster. The Chargers, as they did with Bosa last month, will see both players land on the COVID list as close contacts but avoid missing a game. Allen, however, will not play Sunday. The perennial Pro Bowler tested positive Monday and has been ruled out.
WEDNESDAY: Two days after placing Keenan Allen on their reserve/COVID-19 list, the Chargers learned more standout performers face the prospect of being unavailable Sunday.
The Bolts placed Chris Harris and Mike Williams on their coronavirus list Wednesday. It turns out this is a similar situation to the one the Bolts dealt with regarding Joey Bosa last month. Harris and Williams are unvaccinated close contacts of Allen, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
While this development will prevent both from practicing this week, each starter would be eligible to return Sunday after their five-day quarantine periods cease. The five-day isolation stays begin after the duo’s most recent contact with Allen, giving each a chance to return since neither tested positive. Of course, a subsequent positive test would sideline the unvaccinated players for 10 more days.
Williams was set to play a bigger role for the Bolts on Sunday, with Allen testing positive earlier this week. The former top-10 pick is on pace for a career-best season. Los Angeles’ No. 2 wideout has amassed 854 yards and seven touchdown receptions this season; he is coming off a 110-yard day in Cincinnati.
A 2010s All-Decade performer who has been the Bolts’ primary slot cornerback, Harris has battled some availability issues during his two-year Chargers stay. The former Broncos All-Pro defender has missed five games due to injury this season and was sidelined for seven in 2020. The 32-year-old cover man intercepted a Joe Burrow pass to seal a Chargers road win in Week 13.
Packers’ Randall Cobb Underwent Surgery
SATURDAY: As expected, Cobb is now on IR. The Packers made the official transaction, sidelining the veteran slot receiver for at least three games. The team is expecting Cobb to be out longer, aiming for him to return in the postseason.
THURSDAY: The Packers will be without one of their top wideouts for a stretch. Randall Cobb is still dealing with the core injury that caused him to exit the Packers’ Week 12 game against the Rams.
Despite the benefit of Green Bay’s recent bye week, the 11th-year receiver is unlikely to return soon. This may well lead to an IR stay, though the Packers have not yet indicated that will be necessary. 
“Cobb is going to be out for a while,” Matt LaFleur said (via Packers.com’s Wes Hodkiewicz, on Twitter). “He had a pretty significant injury. That’s unfortunate because he’s done such an amazing job when given the opportunity.”
Additionally, Cobb underwent surgery to address the issue during the Packers’ bye week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com notes. The Packers believe the recently reacquired receiver will miss several games. While it is uncertain if Cobb will be shut down for the season, Green Bay has moved the timetable to January. The team hopes Cobb can return for the team’s playoff slate, Demovsky adds.
The 31-year-old was enjoying a productive season in his return to Green Bay. After being drafted by the Packers in the 2011 second round, Cobb had one-year stints with the Cowboys and Texans in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Reunited with Aaron Rodgers this offseason, Cobb had played in all 12 games for the Packers to start his second Green Bay stint. He has posted 28 catches for 375 yards and five touchdowns this season.
In Cobb’s absence, the Packers will likely use a rotation of Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Equanimeous St. Brown and Amari Rodgers in the slot moving forward.
Rams Place Darrell Henderson On Reserve/COVID-19 List
The Rams will be without their starting running back again in Week 14. Darrell Henderson is now on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
Henderson missed Los Angeles’ Week 13 contest because of a thigh injury, leading to a 121-yard Sony Michel performance. He returned to practice this week, getting in two limited sessions, but the Rams will again need to rely on their veteran backup for a pivotal Monday rematch against the Cardinals.
Bumped up to a clear-cut starting role after Cam Akers‘ July Achilles tear, Henderson has missed two games due to injury this season. This will mark another hurdle for the third-year back. In just 10 games, Henderson has already established new career-highs in scrimmage yards (820) and touchdowns (eight).
Michel arrived via trade following the Akers injury. The injury-prone former first-rounder has avoided the knee trouble that plagued his Patriots career, playing in all 12 Rams games this season. The fourth-year back delivered a season-best outing against the Jaguars, totaling 24 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown. The Rams, who endured a blowout loss to the Cardinals in Week 4, will need Michel to come through again this week.
Los Angeles also placed cornerback Robert Rochell on injured reserve. A five-game starter, the rookie fourth-rounder has played 31% of the Rams’ defensive snaps this season.
Jets To Place Elijah Moore On IR
Elijah Moore‘s breakout second half of the season will be paused, and the Jets will be down another of their top skill-position contributors. Moore is headed to IR, Connor Hughes of The Athletic tweets.
The second-round rookie did not practice this week because of a quad injury, though the Jets had yet to rule him out. Moore will now be sidelined for at least three games, halting a quality stretch from the Ole Miss-developed wide receiver.
Moore has scored five touchdowns over his past five games and has played well despite the Jets using four quarterbacks during this span. The Jets now have Moore, Corey Davis and Michael Carter on IR.
After impressing in training camp, Moore started slowly as the Jets threw fellow rookie Zach Wilson into their lineup. However, the latest Rebels-groomed receiving talent began to flash once Mike White and Joe Flacco took the reins during Wilson’s injury hiatus. Moore scored twice in a blowout loss to the Colts, with Josh Johnson being the Jets’ primary passer that night, and caught eight passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ Flacco-quarterbacked loss to the Dolphins in Week 11. He and Wilson began to establish a rapport recently, with the BYU product finding him six times for 77 yards and a score in Week 13.
This will force the Jets to lean on Jamison Crowder. The veteran led the team in receiving in 2019 and 2020 but was given a pay cut earlier this year. Crowder came up in trade rumors as well, but the Jets’ upcoming shorthanded stretch could be a final springboard to another decent free agency payday.
Cowboys Activate Randy Gregory, Neville Gallimore From IR
The Cowboys will have their starting defensive ends in uniform together for the first time since Week 1. Dallas moved Randy Gregory back onto its active roster Saturday.
Both Gregory and defensive tackle starter Neville Gallimore are back from IR. Gregory missed time because of a calf injury, while Gallimore has seen a more severe injury shelve him for the entire season. The second-year defensive tackle has missed all of the 2021 slate due to a dislocated elbow.
Gallimore, a 2020 third-round pick who started nine games as a rookie, returned to practice last week. Gregory’s IR-return window opened ahead of Week 14. The Cowboys will have both in uniform when they face Washington on Sunday. They will team with DeMarcus Lawrence, who returned in Week 13 after having missed 10 games, on a suddenly healthy defensive front.
Gregory has missed time for both this calf ailment and a COVID-19 contraction this season, but he has avoided more off-field trouble. The former 2015 second-rounder has been quite productive in his seven games this season. The oft-unavailable pass rusher has five sacks and 12 QB hits, setting himself up potentially for a payday in 2022. Gregory is due for free agency in March. The Cowboys are not planning to finalize any deals with their 2022 UFAs until season’s end.
Dallas being able to deploy its preferred Lawrence-Gregory defensive end duo will allow rookie dynamo Micah Parsons to spend more time at linebacker. The Cowboys’ edge unavailability has forced Parsons to play up front extensively, though the Penn State product has thrived pretty much wherever he has lined up.
Titans To Activate WR Julio Jones From IR
Julio Jones will be in uniform for the Titans tomorrow when they take on the Jaguars. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the Titans plan to activate the veteran wide receiver off injured reserve. Jones returned to practice earlier this week.
A hamstring injury has limited Jones to just six games so far this season. Last month, the Titans moved to place him on IR, freeing up an additional roster spot for a few weeks. Jones missed time in previous seasons with a hamstring ailment, as well. Fortunately, Rapoport says Jones’ latest hamstring injury “has healed.”
Jones was limited to only nine games and 771 yards in 2020, but he was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2019 (when he was a second-team All-Pro after finishing with 99 receptions for 1,394 yards and six touchdowns). So, the Titans were naturally expecting big things this past offseason when they acquired Jones (along with a sixth-round pick) from the Falcons for a second-round pick and a future fourth-round pick. However, in the veteran’s six games this season, he’s averaging only 56 receiving yards per game, a major dip from his previous career-low (73.8 yards during his rookie campaign in 2011).
Still, Jones will be welcomed back with open arms by a Titans offense that had to go without Jones, A.J. Brown, and Derrick Henry in their most recent loss to the Patriots.
Bears Promote LB Irvin, Move LB Marsh To IR
Bears’ linebacker Bruce Irvin has been activated to the active roster after Chicago signed him to their practice squad in mid-November. Irvin saw his first game action of the season last week as a temporary call-up in the Bears’ loss against Arizona.
The ten-year veteran has bounced around a bit since 2018 despite showing pretty consistent success throughout his career. There have only been two seasons in which Irvin failed to amass 5.5 sacks – 2013, when he missed the first four games of the season with a suspension, and 2020, when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 2. In his most recent full season, with the Carolina Panthers two years ago, Irvin tallied a career high 8.5 sacks. After his successful year in Carolina, the pass rusher signed up for a second stint with the Seahawks, who drafted him. He tore his ACL and remained on the sidelines until last week’s return to the field. Chicago will hope to see a return to form for Irvin as the team has missed the production of Khalil Mack opposite Robert Quinn. Mack has been on IR for the last three weeks after under-going foot surgery.
In a corresponding move, the Bears have placed Irvin’s former teammate from Seattle, Cassius Marsh, on injured reserve. Marsh was signed to the Bears practice squad about two weeks before Irvin’s arrival. In four games of action this season, Marsh had totaled 1.0 sack and 6 tackles.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/21
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Mike Boone, S P.J. Locke
Detroit Lions
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Tracy Walker, RB Jamaal Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB De’Vondre Campbell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Joe Fortson
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: RB Myles Gaskin
New York Jets
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Jeff Smith
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: CB Gavin Heslop
- Placed on IR: S Jamal Adams (story)
Washington Football Team
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Khaleke Hudson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/21
Here are Friday’s practice squad moves:
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: WR Kenny Stills
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Linden Stephens, WR Tyler Vaughns
- Released: P Drue Chrisman, LS Rex Sunahara