Dolphins Activate WR DeVante Parker From IR
Down two of his top three wide receivers for the past several games, Tua Tagovailoa will see one of those weapons return to the field Sunday. DeVante Parker will make his return to the Dolphins’ active roster, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Miami had placed the seventh-year wideout on IR in early November, with a hamstring injury sidelining him. Parker missed time earlier this season as well and has been limited to just five games this year.
The Dolphins signed Will Fuller and drafted Jaylen Waddle to team with Parker this year. That trio has not seen much time together. Fuller remains on Miami’s IR list, having played just two games as a Dolphin. He was last seen in uniform in Week 4, leaving Waddle as Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett‘s top receiver.
Parker’s belated breakout in 2019 — a 1,202-yard season — earned him a contract extension. That deal runs through 2023. Although the Dolphins resisted trade overtures and held onto Parker ahead of the deadline, his 2022 status with the team may be in question. A strong finish from the veteran pass catcher would certainly help solidify his beyond-2021 status in Miami.
The Dolphins also activated offensive lineman Michael Deiter from their injured list. Miami’s starting center to open the season, Deiter has not played since Week 3. Foot and quad injuries sent the third-year blocker to IR.
Colts Place C Ryan Kelly On COVID-19 List
One of the Colts’ cornerstone players will be sidelined for their Week 13 game against the Texans. Ryan Kelly is now on Indianapolis’ reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Colts had previously seen every other offensive line starter miss time this season, with injuries intervening at various points for the acclaimed group. Kelly, however, had been Indy’s rock here. The former first-round pick had started each of the Colts’ 12 contests this season.
The rest of the Colts’ offensive front is currently healthy, and the Colts’ Week 14 bye points to Kelly missing just one game because of this development. While Kelly missed time in 2017 and ’18, he has only missed one game over the past three seasons. During that time, the Colts’ O-line has become one of the NFL’s best. Kelly made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and last season. This year, Jonathan Taylor has amassed a significant lead in rushing yards behind that group. Taylor’s 1,205 yards lead the league; Derrick Henry still sits second at 937.
Additionally, the Colts activated Khari Willis off IR and waived safety Josh Jones. A second-year safety starter, Willis has missed the past four games. The Colts had played without both safety starters in November, with Julian Blackmon having torn his Achilles early this season.
Texans To Extend Tremon Smith
The Texans have agreed to a one-year extension with cornerback/return man Tremon Smith, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790. The deal, which keeps Smith under club control through 2022, includes a $1.1MM base salary. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that Smith also gets a $150K signing bonus, a $50K workout bonus, and a $100K roster bonus, thereby raising the value to $1.4MM. If he hits certain incentives, Smith could max out at $1.6MM (Twitter link).
Smith has averaged 26.0 on kickoff returns this year while appearing on ~80% of the Texans’ special teams plays. He’s also seen a little bit of time on defense, appearing on 14% of the team’s snaps. He might not be a star, but he’s a key cog in the third facet of the game. The Texans clearly value his work – Smith is the first Texans player to score an extension since the start of the 2021 season.
After stops with the Chiefs, Colts, Packers, and Eagles, Smith seems to have found a home in Houston. It also helps that he’s playing under the tutelage of Frank Ross, who was also his special teams coordinator in Indianapolis.
Ross and Smith will see their former team tomorrow as the Texans look to improve on their 2-9 record.
Seahawks To Promote Adrian Peterson
The Seahawks are promoting Adrian Peterson from the practice squad (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). With that, Peterson is set to play against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon. 
Peterson signed with the Seahawks’ taxi squad on Wednesday, providing insurance for Seattle’s badly battered backfield. Already without starting running back Chris Carson, the Seahawks will also be without backup Rashaad Penny for a while. Travis Homer, who has performed well in a very limited sample size, remains questionable with a calf injury. That’s left Alex Collins in the lead role — he’s registered 395 yards and two touchdowns this year off of 101 totes.
Peterson, 36, has just 27 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown so far this year, from his time with the Titans. His last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions, when he recorded 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns with a so-so 3.9 yards per carry average.
He might not be the player he once was, but Peterson could help the Seahawks’ struggling offense move the chains in small doses. He’ll also have a chance at history — another 367 rushing yards will put him in the 15,000-yard club for RBs.
Steelers Activate T.J. Watt
The Steelers have activated T.J. Watt from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. This means the star linebacker will be eligible to play in tomorrow’s game against the Ravens. 
[RELATED: Steelers Place Ebron On IR]
Watt, 27, has 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries through nine games this year. Even with the time he’s missed due to hip and knee injuries, his 12.5 sacks are good for second in the NFL behind Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The Steelers, stationed at 5-5-1, are getting him back at a critical juncture. A win would keep their slim playoffs alive; a loss would virtually rule them out of a Wild Card berth.
Watt has spent the week away from the team in quarantine, but coaches have been keeping him in the loop. The Steelers have been sending him practice footage (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala), getting him up to speed on their plan to contain Lamar Jackson.
While the Steelers will have Watt, cornerback Joe Haden, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, and inside linebacker Robert Spillane will not be on the field against Baltimore. The Steelers may or may not have Cam Heyward available — the defensive lineman was held out of practice yesterday with an undisclosed illness.
Raiders Extend FB Sutton Smith
The Raiders have signed fullback Sutton Smith to a new two-year deal about two weeks after adding him to the practice squad. The news was announced by Smith’s sports agency on Twitter.
After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Steelers as a pass rusher, Smith failed to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Smith joined the Jaguars practice squad in October of that season, but was released a week later. He had two more short stints on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in November before spending the rest of his rookie season on the Seahawks’ practice squad. Seattle signed Smith to a reserve/future contract at the end of the 2019 season, but waived him in the offseason.
After failing to catch on with any teams in the 2020 season, Smith abandoned the position that earned him second-team All-American honors at Northern Illinois, signing with the Saints in the 2021 offseason as a fullback. Once again, Smith fell victim to roster cuts as the Saints trimmed their active roster down to 53.
The Raiders signed Smith to their practice squad after starting fullback Alec Ingold suffered a torn ACL in a Week 10 loss to the Chiefs. Vegas activated Smith to the active roster to appear in his first NFL game against the Bengals the next week. Through two games, Smith has spent most of his time on the field as a special teamer, but does have 6 snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Vegas’s contract offer shows faith in his abilities to fill in as Ingold embarks on the long-term recovery from his knee injury with the added bonus of a sure-tackling special teamer with defensive experience.
Ravens Waive T Cedric Ogbuehi
After a little over a month in Baltimore, offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi‘s time as a Raven has come to an end. After being ruled out of the Ravens’ upcoming game in Pittsburgh with a thigh injury, the Ravens decided to waive the former first rounder, as reported by Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
The seven-year veteran was signed on October 27, one day after being released by the Seahawks, as a bit of insurance following the Ravens placement of their star blindside blocker, Ronnie Stanley, on the IR. After losing Stanley, Baltimore was relying on long-time Steeler Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle and utility-offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, who has started games at every position on the offensive line in his three years of professional football, at right tackle. The Ravens never needed to resort to Ogbuehi at tackle as the only game time he saw in Baltimore was on special teams.
For any teams looking for depth on the offensive line, Ogbuehi presents an intriguing option, provided he can get healthy, with a good amount of starting experience (30 starts out of 60 games played), with his most recent start coming in Week 4 of this season for Seattle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: RB Buddy Howell
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: LB Trent Harris, TE Kaden Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Breshad Perriman (story)
Bucs Activate CB Carlton Davis From IR
The Buccaneers will have another of their longtime cornerback starters in uniform Sunday. They activated Carlton Davis from IR on Friday. The fourth-year cover man is set to suit up for the first time since Week 4.
A quad injury in New England rerouted Davis’ season. He has missed the past seven Bucs games, joining Sean Murphy-Bunting in being sidelined for a sizable chunk of the season. But both are now back on Tampa Bay’s active roster.
While the Bucs are still without Richard Sherman and received notice Thursday that Mike Edwards will be suspended three games, the Bucs have not had Davis and Murphy-Bunting on the field together since Week 1. The duo has played together as starters for most of the past three seasons, including in Super Bowl LV.
In addition to Davis’ extended absence this year, he missed four games between the 2019 and ’20 seasons. He still leads the NFL in passes defensed (42) in that span. Davis added four interceptions last season and grabbed another pick this year. This season’s home stretch stands to be pivotal for the Auburn product, who is due for free agency in 2022.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
New England Patriots
- Signed: K Quinn Nordin