49ers Activate RB Jeff Wilson From PUP List
Recently said to be tracking toward a late-November return, Jeff Wilson beat that timetable and is back on the 49ers’ active roster. San Francisco removed Wilson from its PUP list Saturday.
Wilson’s return from a summer foot injury stands to give the 49ers an additional option in a backfield that has once again gone through injury issues. Starter Elijah Mitchell, who replaced oft-injured Week 1 starter Raheem Mostert, is dealing with a rib injury that limited him in practice this week.
Wilson represented one of the 49ers’ injury replacements last year. After Mostert and Tevin Coleman went down early in the 2020 slate, Wilson came in and fared well. The former UDFA totaled 600 rushing yards (4.8 per carry) and seven touchdowns last year, though he also missed games due to a midseason injury, and delivered his best game against the Cardinals. Wilson rambled for 183 yards in the 49ers’ upset win over the Cards in Week 16 last season. He will return for the 49ers’ second Cardinals tilt of this season.
The 49ers re-signed Wilson this offseason, but the subsequent foot malady stalled his momentum. Wilson, 25, is still set for unrestricted free agency in 2022. The 49ers also changed up their backfield in the draft, acquiring Mitchell and Trey Sermon. The latter, a third-round pick, has interestingly taken a backseat to Mitchell, a sixth-rounder thus far. Wilson will join the rookies and JaMycal Hasty on the 49ers’ active roster.
Bills Move OL Jon Feliciano To IR
Jon Feliciano will miss some time for the Bills, who placed the starting guard on IR. A calf injury will sideline Feliciano for at least the next three games.
The veteran blocker has established himself as a steady starter in Buffalo, after having been a four-year Raiders backup. The Bills have used Feliciano as a first-stringer in all 31 games during his tenure, but injuries have intervened in each of the past two seasons.
Feliciano missed a game earlier this year and was down for nearly half of last season. A torn pec sustained last summer delayed Feliciano’s 2020 season by seven games, but he did not miss any time after returning to Buffalo’s lineup.
The Bills have some depth up front, but both Feliciano and rookie Spencer Brown — a third-round rookie who has started the past three games — are out for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Brown is not on Buffalo’s IR, but the small-school product will miss Week 9 due to a calf injury. Cody Ford and Ike Boettger remain healthy guard options for the AFC East leaders. While Ford, Boettger and Brown have each been part-time starters, Feliciano has not given up his starting spot.
In addition to the Feliciano move, the Bills placed Mitchell Trubisky on their reserve/COVID-19 list. Trubisky has served as Josh Allen‘s backup this season. Davis Webb will play that role Sunday, being bumped up from the practice squad. Jake Fromm remains on Buffalo’s coronavirus list. The Bills also elevated offensive lineman Jamil Douglas and tight end Quintin Morris from their practice squad.
Rams Activate CB Darious Williams From IR
The Rams will have a key defender back in uniform Sunday night. They activated cornerback Darious Williams from IR on Saturday, doing so at their first opportunity.
Williams went down with an ankle injury during the Rams’ Week 5 win in Seattle, but he will be back in uniform for another nationally televised game this week. Los Angeles also bumped defensive back Antoine Brooks and defensive lineman Marquise Copeland from its practice squad.
This next stretch of games qualify as pivotal for Williams, who became the only 2021 restricted free agent to be given a first-round tender. Williams is playing on that $4.77MM RFA tender this season, and should he maintain the course he charted last season, a lucrative long-term deal stands to be in his future. Given the Rams’ pattern of acquiring and extending big stars and letting key role players walk, it is not a lock Williams stays in L.A. beyond this season. But the former UDFA does stand to help this year’s championship-contending squad alongside Jalen Ramsey.
Pro Football Focus graded Williams as its No. 4 overall corner last season. The Rams let Troy Hill walk and prioritized Williams as an RFA. Becoming a regular starter for the first time, Williams intercepted four passes last season. He does not have a pick yet this year.
Cowboys Place TE Blake Jarwin On IR
The Cowboys will be shorthanded at tight end during their next stretch of games. They moved Blake Jarwin to IR on Saturday, sidelining the veteran for at least three games.
Jarwin is battling a hip injury and did not practice this week. The Cowboys have used Jarwin as a steady presence at the position, teaming him with Dalton Schultz and giving the resurgent squad one of the NFL’s better tight end tandems.
Although Dallas re-signed Jarwin to a four-year, $22MM deal at the outset of the 2020 free agency period, the ACL tear he sustained in September of last year set him back. Schultz, whose contract expires at season’s end, has taken over as Dallas’ top receiving tight end. Jarwin has still played 50% of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps and has 10 receptions for 90 yards and two touchdowns this season. Jarwin’s latest injury is not expected to end his season, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken (on Twitter).
Both Schultz and Jarwin rank among the better run-blocking tight ends, per Pro Football Focus, this season. The team also has ex-Washington cog Jeremy Sprinkle and second-year UDFA Sean McKeon at the position.
In addition, the NFC East leaders went another week without activating Michael Gallup from IR. The Cowboys have until Nov. 15 to activate Gallup, having opened his return window nearly two weeks ago. Gallup has been out since going down with a calf injury in Week 1. The Cowboys also promoted defensive tackle Justin Hamilton and activated linebacker Francis Bernard from IR.
Texans Activate QB Tyrod Taylor
Tyrod Taylor is officially back. The Texans activated the quarterback from injured reserve today, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop (via Twitter). To make room on the roster, the team placed linebacker Christian Kirksey on injured reserve.
Taylor returned to practice in late October, and head coach David Culley made it clear that the veteran would start once he was healthy. The 32-year-old started the Texans first two games this season, completing 70.5 percent of his passes for 416 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He added another 55 yards and one touchdown on five carries. Taylor landed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury during Week 2.
Davis Mills has been serving as the starter ever since, but the results haven’t been great. His best performance came against the Patriots as he completed 21 of 29 passes for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The Pats went on to win 25-22 and the Texans went on to drop their next two games to the Colts and Cardinals.
Taylor hasn’t started more than three games since the 2017 season. While his return should provide a small spark to a struggling Texans offense, it’s unlikely the veteran will be able to guide Houston out of the cellar.
Kirksey suffered a fractured thumb and ligament damage during Sunday’s loss to the Rams, and now he’ll be sidelined for at least the next three games. The 29-year-old joined the Texans this offseason, and he’s collected a team-leading 56 tackles in eight starts.
Browns Place RT Jack Conklin On IR
The Browns will be without one of their top offensive linemen for at least the next three games. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that right tackle Jack Conklin has landed on injured reserve.
Conklin dislocated his elbow during last weekend’s loss to the Steelers. Fortunately, the veteran will likely avoid surgery, and there’s optimism that he’ll be able to return to the lineup later this season.
This is poor timing for the 27-year-old, as he had just returned to the lineup after recovering from a knee injury. The eighth-overall pick by the Titans in the 2016 draft joined the Browns in 2020 on a three-year, $42MM deal. He started 15 games during his first season in Cleveland, earning first-team All-Pro honors (the second of his career). He’s started each of the six games he’s appeared in during the 2021 campaign. Blake Hance will likely start at right tackle while Conklin’s out of the lineup.
The Browns have also activated fullback Andy Janovich and center Nick Harris from injured reserve, and they promoted defensive tackle Sheldon Day and tight end Miller Forristall from the practice squad (per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
Browns, Odell Beckham Jr. Rework Contract; OBJ To Be 2022 Free Agent
The Browns and Odell Beckham Jr. will officially part ways Monday. They spent days reworking the disgruntled wide receiver’s contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and the sides reached a separation agreement Friday afternoon.
The Browns agreed to remove the final two years of OBJ’s contract, Schefter tweets. Beckham, whose Giants-constructed extension previously ran through 2023, is now set to be a free agent after this season. The veteran receiver will officially be waived Monday. Waiver claims on Beckham will be due Tuesday afternoon, though the redone contract is pending the NFLPA’s approval, per Schefter (on Twitter).
This might all be immaterial given Beckham’s 2021 salary. He is still due $7.25MM for this season’s remainder, Schefter tweets. The transaction could not be processed Friday because of an NFL rule prohibiting teams restructuring players’ contracts and cutting them on the same business day. Regardless, Beckham will be off the Browns’ roster by Monday, ending a messy divorce that escalated this week.
Although Beckham was once one of the NFL’s most talented receivers, his value has dipped considerably. Injuries have slowed the 29-year-old wideout in each of his three Cleveland seasons. He played through multiple issues in 2019 and saw a torn ACL shelve him midway through last season. That knee injury kept him off the field for this year’s first two Browns games, and Beckham has also run into a shoulder ailment this season. In six 2021 games, OBJ has just 17 receptions for 232 yards and no touchdowns.
Last week, Beckham caught just one pass. The Browns could not find a taker for the eighth-year vet ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and Beckham did not practice with the team this week. He will not play against the Bengals and figures to be on another team by this time next week. Whether that will come via free free agency or the waiver wire remains to be seen.
Only nine teams (excluding the Browns) hold more than $7.25MM in cap space presently. Though teams have myriad ways to create additional room, adding that salary in November is a pretty big ask. A team claiming Beckham could spoil his plans to find a way to a better situation. With the waiver wire determined by inverse record order, OBJ runs the risk of being claimed by a struggling team. However, the lofty second-half salary still provides a fairly good chance this saga ends with Beckham unclaimed and picking his next team via free agency. Even that might be a rental agreement that precedes Beckham signing with potentially a fourth team in March.
Lions Waive WR Tyrell Williams
Tyrell Williams is no longer with the Lions. After placing the veteran wide receiver on IR in September, the Lions waived him via injury settlement.
Injuries have thrown Williams’ career off course. This most recent health setback limited Williams to one game with the Lions, who had signed him to a one-year, $4MM deal just before free agency. Williams, 29, will be eligible to to play for another team going forward this season, but he has not been a particularly reliable player since 2019.
Reuniting with former Chargers HC Anthony Lynn, Williams was on track to be the Lions’ No. 1 receiver during their rebuilding season. But a concussion sustained in Week 1 sidelined him. The Lions had signed both Williams and Breshad Perriman to effectively serve as placeholders this season, but both are now off the roster.
This marks the second time this year a team has cut Williams. The Raiders jettisoned the former UDFA in February, with that move coming after he missed the entire 2020 season because of a shoulder injury. Back in 2016, with Keenan Allen missing most of that season, Williams eclipsed 1,000 yards in his first Chargers full season. He became a role player going forward with the Bolts, and the Raiders used him in a similar capacity in 2019. In 14 games with Oakland that year, Williams caught 42 passes for 651 yards and six touchdowns.
Rams DL Sebastian Joseph-Day To Undergo Chest Surgery
The Rams bolstered their front seven by adding Von Miller to a group that already houses Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd. But the team will be without one of its role players up front for a while — perhaps the rest of the season.
Sebastian Joseph-Day is now on IR, and the Rams announced the young defensive lineman is set to undergo surgery to repair a pectoral injury. Sean McVay said Joseph-Day aggravated the injury that forced him to miss the Rams’ Week 8 game in Houston.
It is not known if Joseph-Day tore a pectoral muscle, but McVay said it is uncertain if he will play again this year. A torn pec would sideline the third-year D-lineman for the year. Joseph-Day’s surgery will take place in the next few days.
A third-year starter up front with the Rams, Joseph-Day has already hit a sack career-high with three this season. Joseph-Day has started 38 games in his young career. Sunday will mark just his second absence as a pro. The former sixth-round pick’s 48% run-stop rate ranks second among defensive tackles, per ESPN.
Packers Activate Davante Adams From Reserve/COVID-19 List
While the Packers will not have the reigning MVP in their lineup against the Chiefs, they will see their top skill-position talent return. Davante Adams is off Green Bay’s reserve/COVID-19 list.
Aaron Rodgers is out for at least Week 9 due to his positive coronavirus test. The superstar quarterback is not vaccinated, putting his Week 10 status against the Seahawks in doubt. Adams, however, is vaccinated and had a simpler avenue to return after missing just one game.
Despite Adams missing Week 8, he still has a 500-plus-yard lead on any other Packers pass catcher. Through seven games, Adams has 744 receiving yards. The next-closest Packer — Aaron Jones — has 237 through the air. Adams, 28, is thriving in a contract year. He and the Packers broke off talks before the season started, and the All-Pro’s performance thus far continues to point him to a monster contract — or a franchise tag — in 2022.
The Packers won last week without Adams, Allen Lazard and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. All three may be in uniform in Kansas City. Lazard’s COVID-19 close-contact period ended last week, and Green Bay designated MVS to return to practice this week. Given the extra 10-day rest Valdes-Scantling will have had after being sidelined for the team’s Thursday game, it is a good best the deep threat will be back in Week 9. Green Bay’s top receivers re-emerging will certainly benefit first-time starter Jordan Love.