Transactions - Pro Football Rumors

The Chargers will have one of their starting defensive linemen back for their Week 8 matchup against the Patriots. They moved Justin Jones from their IR list to the active roster Saturday. To make roster space, the team waived defensive lineman Forrest Merrill.

A two-year starter at defensive tackle, Jones has played in just one game this season. The interior D-lineman stands to provide a boost for a Bolts team that is aiming to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.

A calf injury sidelined Jones in September, though the Chargers appeared to expect him back sooner. They did not place the fourth-year defender on IR until early October. The additional rest, however, proved beneficial. The Chargers will now have their combo of Jones, Linval Joseph and former first-rounder Jerry Tillery healthy as they attempt to shake off a blowout loss to the Ravens.

Pro Football Focus graded Jones as a top-40 interior D-lineman last season. The former third-round pick is in a contract year. Although the Bolts have Kenneth Murray on IR, only four players appear on their Week 8 injury report. That is certainly a good sign at this point in the season.

0 comments Los Angeles Chargers Transactions Forrest Merrill Justin Jones

Cowboys Activate CB Kelvin Joseph From IR

By Sam Robinson | at October 30, 2021 3:09 pm

One of the Cowboys’ top 2021 draft picks is set to be in uniform for the first time Sunday night. Dallas activated second-round rookie Kelvin Joseph on Saturday.

Joseph had spent the first seven weeks on IR, having suffered a hamstring injury during the preseason. Chosen in Round 2 a year after the Cowboys took Trevon Diggs in the second round, Joseph represents a key long-term investment for the Cowboys’ secondary.

Although he became the 44th overall pick this year, Joseph played just 15 college games and is still 20 years old. The high-end prospect transferred from LSU to Kentucky, playing for the Tigers in 2018 and the Wildcats in 2020. He intercepted four passes with Kentucky last year and landed on the Day 2 draft radar.

The Cowboys have used Diggs and Anthony Brown as their starting corners this season. Pro Football Focus grades Brown 10th overall among corners, well above Diggs despite the latter’s NFL-leading seven interceptions. Adding Joseph to the mix stands to help the NFC East-leading squad.

Dallas also elevated defensive tackle Justin Hamilton from its practice squad but did not activate Michael Gallup from IR. Gallup has returned to practice, but the team’s talented No. 3 receiver will be sidelined for at least one more week. Gallup suffered a calf injury in Week 1.

7 comments Dallas Cowboys Transactions Justin Hamilton Kelvin Joseph

Broncos To Activate Jerry Jeudy From IR

By Sam Robinson | at October 30, 2021 2:09 pm

Despite missing practice Friday, Jerry Jeudy remains on track to suit up for the Broncos in Week 8. As expected, Denver is set to activate its second-year wide receiver from IR, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Jeudy experienced soreness after going through ramp-up workouts this week. The 2020 first-round pick is attempting to return from the high ankle sprain that cost him six games. His re-emergence stands to help a Broncos passing attack that has struggled over the past month.

The Alabama product led the Broncos with 856 receiving yards last season and generated considerable breakout buzz this offseason. After catching six passes for 72 yards in the team’s Week 1 win over the Giants, Jeudy went down midway through that game and saw his momentum stonewalled. Jeudy’s absence, and K.J. Hamler‘s season-ending injuries, stripped the Broncos of considerable weaponry. A four-game losing streak commenced.

The Broncos rank 24th offensively and have scored just 64 points during their four-game skid. During Jeudy’s career, the Broncos have yet to go through a game with he and Courtland Sutton healthy. Sutton missed Week 1 of the 2020 season and suffered an ACL tear during Denver’s Week 2 game last year. Sutton returned in New York to start this season, but Jeudy leaving that game again delayed the team’s hopes of seeing its top two receivers in action.

These setbacks have certainly altered the Broncos’ plan at wide receiver. With Sutton and Tim Patrick due for free agency in 2022, the Broncos will have decisions to make regarding their pass catchers soon.

Teddy Bridgewater will also have tight end Albert Okwuegbunam back in action, with 9News’ Mike Klis noting the second-year tight end is set to come off IR for Sunday’s game against Washington (Twitter link). Okwuegbunam has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, further stripping Bridgewater of targets. The Missouri product showed some promise in September, after recovering from the ACL tear that ended his rookie season.

0 comments Denver Broncos Transactions Albert Okwuegbunam Jerry Jeudy

Panthers Expected To Activate CB Stephon Gilmore

By Ben Levine | at October 30, 2021 9:58 am

Stephon Gilmore is set to make his Panthers debut. The team is planning to activate the All-Pro cornerback off the PUP for tomorrow’s game against the Falcons, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter).

Per Fowler (on Twitter), Gilmore had been “trending” towards playing this weekend. The team practiced today, and the cornerback apparently showed enough to justify his activation. The Panthers opened Gilmore’s practice window earlier this month, so the player’s season debut was always going to come sooner than later.

At the beginning of the month, the Panthers sent the Pats a sixth-round pick and took on the contract-year corner’s remaining $5.8MM in base salary. While the organization will still have to figure out a long-term pact for the former Defensive Player of the Year, the move was a worthy risk. At his best, Gilmore was one of the best defenders in the NFL during his first few seasons in New England. 2020 was a down year for the veteran, although a quad injury likely played a role in his reduced production.

The 31-year-old will now help replace first-round pick Jaycee Horn, who is out with a broken foot. Gilmore now headlines a Panthers CB group with Donte Jackson, former top-10 pick C.J. Henderson, A.J. Bouye, and Rashaan Melvin.

1 comment Carolina Panthers Transactions Stephon Gilmore

Titans Place Darrynton Evans On IR

By Zachary Links | at October 29, 2021 5:41 pm

Titans running back Darrynton Evans is headed to the injured reserve list again, per a club announcement. This time, he won’t be able to return.

Evans spent the first six weeks of the season on the IR list before returning to face the Chiefs on Sunday. Unfortunately, he re-aggravated his knee injury after just two carries and two catches. Injuries have plagued the 23-year-old throughout his pro career.

The Titans had high hopes for the third-rounder in 2020, but he was limited to just five games as a rookie. Now, he’ll head into 2022 with little pro experience and an uphill battle to make the final cut.

Derrick Henry and Jeremy McNichols stand as the Titans’ only healthy running backs. They’ll almost certainly add a third before Sunday’s matchup against the Colts. One of their two practice squad RBs — Dontrell Hilliard or Mekhi Sargent — could get promoted to the practice squad. Or, the Titans could circle back to D’Onta Foreman, who auditioned for Mike Vrabel & Co. on Wednesday.

2 comments Tennessee Titans Transactions Darrynton Evans

49ers’ Javon Kinlaw Done For Year

By Zachary Links | at October 29, 2021 5:24 pm

49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw will undergo season-ending knee surgery, per a club announcement. Kinlaw will be placed on the injured reserve list and likely replaced with another interior lineman.

Kinlaw, who has battled intermittent knee trouble for years, met with a specialist in Los Angeles last week. He was told that surgery was likely, and an additional check confirmed the bad news for the former first-round pick.

“There’s lot things went into it and what they found. Good news is they think they solved the problem,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan (Twitter link via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).

Kinlaw has yet to fill DeForest Buckner‘s shoes in SF. So far, the second-year pro has taken a backseat to Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead and the rest of the Niners’ standout linemen. His season will end with just eight tackles in four games.

On the plus side, quarterback Trey Lance may be able to face the Bears this weekend. Left tackle Trent Williams is also expected to play as the 49ers look to snap their four-game losing streak.

11 comments San Francisco 49ers Transactions Javon Kinlaw

Packers’ Robert Tonyan Tears ACL

By Zachary Links | at October 29, 2021 12:41 pm

Robert Tonyan‘s season is over. The Packers tight end has been officially diagnosed with an ACL tear, according to his agent (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

Tonyan was forced out in the third quarter of last night’s game against the Cardinals and did not return. His limp indicated that he was dealing with a serious injury and doctors confirmed his worst fears on Friday afternoon.

“I’m sick for Bobby,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game (via NFL.com). “He means so much to this team. It’s so cool, and I just told him to watch a guy when you first hit your… see the amount of progress that he’s made as a player and just the work that he puts in on a daily basis. It’s really cool when you see that progress, when you see a guy reach their potential and I still think there’s more out there for him…I am sick for him, I’m sick for us. My heart goes out to him.”

Tonyan reeled in three catches before his early exit, giving him 18 grabs for 204 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The Packers went on to defeat the league’s last undefeated team, but they’ll have to go the rest of the way without Tonyan and running back Kylin Hill.

22 comments Green Bay Packers Transactions Robert Tonyan

Saints Acquired Mark Ingram For 7th-Round Pick

By Zachary Links | at October 29, 2021 12:35 pm

The Saints only gave up a 2024 seventh-round draft pick in their trade for Mark Ingram (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The Texans — in the midst of a major reboot — effectively moved the running back in a salary dump.

Ingram has also inked a brand new deal with his old pals (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). Ingram is now signed through 2022 thanks to a one-year extension that could pay up to $2.8M next year. He’ll also take a haircut for this year — his salary has gone from $1.5MM to $1.075MM while his per-game bonuses have been wiped out. Ultimately, he’ll carry a cap charge of just ~$657K for the Saints this year. Next season, he’ll collect $1.5MM in salary, plus a $300K roster bonus, $500K total in per-game perks, and another $500K in potential incentives.

The 2011 first-rounder spent the first eight seasons of his career in New Orleans, tallying 55 total touchdowns. In those last two Saints years, he formed one of the league’s best RB duos with Alvin Kamara. He’ll look to recapture that magic again as the Saints try and lessen Kamara’s workload. So far this year, Kamara is averaging 19 rushing attempts per game, up from the 11.2 totes per contest he averaged previously.

Ingram is expected to make his New Orleans re-debut on Halloween when the Saints host the Buccaneers.

9 comments Houston Texans New Orleans Saints Transactions Mark Ingram

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