Packers’ Davante Adams Out For Week 8
WEDNESDAY: As expected, Adams will not be in uniform against the Cardinals. Adams will not travel with the Packers to Arizona, Steve Wyche of NFL.com notes (Twitter link). Adams, who is vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 Monday. Couple this with Allen Lazard‘s status as a high-risk close contact and Green Bay will be severely shorthanded at wide receiver for its high-profile Thursday matchup.
Barry will also miss the game. Defensive backs coach Jerry Gray and inside linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti will run Green Bay’s defense in Barry’s absence.
MONDAY: The Packers have placed Davante Adams on the COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. It’s not immediately clear whether Adams has tested positive for the virus, but defensive coordinator Joe Barry entered quarantine after testing positive earlier today. 
Adams’ status for this week is now in doubt, pending tests. The Packers face the undefeated Cardinals on Thursday night, so the wide receiver has a very short window to clear protocol. Per league rules, he’ll need to pass two COVID tests on back-to-back days if he is asymptomatic.
Adams went off for six catches, 76 yards, and one touchdown against Washington on Sunday. For the year, he has 52 receptions for 744 yards and three TDs.
“Any time that you have any cases, you’re always a little bit concerned about that,” said head coach Matt LaFleur after disclosing Barry’s status. “But the majority of our guys are vaccinated, so there’s a little bit different protocol with that. I don’t think in terms of being at close contact with any of our players, I don’t think that’s a real concern of ours right now. But we’re still waiting to hear back from the league before we get clearance on anything.”
Ravens To Sign T Cedric Ogbuehi
Cedric Ogbuehi will be returning to the AFC North. The former Bengals first-round pick agreed to terms with the Ravens on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
This is a practice squad agreement, though Garafolo adds Ogbuehi is expected to be bumped up to Baltimore’s active roster soon. The Ravens have a bye this week, but starting right tackle Patrick Mekari is dealing with a high ankle sprain.
It did not take long for Ogbuehi to find a new home. The Seahawks released the seventh-year veteran Monday, and the Ravens brought him in for a Tuesday workout. The sides will move forward together, with the Ravens set to be Ogbuehi’s fourth NFL team.
Injuries have certainly affected the Baltimore offense this season, and none is bigger than Ronnie Stanley‘s season-ending setback. Alejandro Villanueva is back as a left tackle, with Mekari moving from an interior role to right tackle. Ogbuehi, 29, began the season on Seattle’s IR list but was activated for Week 4, when he started against San Francisco. That marks the only game Ogbuehi has played this year.
Patriots To Sign CB Brian Poole
A week after working out Brian Poole, the Patriots are signing the veteran cornerback. The sides agreed on a practice squad deal Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Despite the practice squad agreement, this could be an impactful deal for the Pats. New England just lost longtime slot corner Jonathan Jones for the season with a shoulder injury and lacks a proven cog for the role behind him. Poole, 29, certainly brings considerable experience here.
The Saints reached an injury settlement with Poole earlier this month, cutting him from their injured reserve. Poole, however, spent the past two seasons in the AFC East. In the two Jets seasons, Pro Football Focus graded Poole as a top-12 corner. Prior to his Jets run, Poole spent three seasons with the Falcons.
The Patriots traded for potential slot corner Shaun Wade late this summer but have yet to see the Ohio State product debut. Wade sustained a concussion that has kept him out. New England has also not seen much from 2019 second-round pick Joejuan Williams. J.C. Jackson and Jalen Mills reside as the Pats’ top two corners going into Week 8.
Titans Designate LB Jayon Brown For Return
Following a big week for the Titans’ AFC standing, they are set to have a key defender back in uniform soon. Tennessee designated Jayon Brown to return from IR on Wednesday.
This starts Brown’s 21-day clock to come off IR. The Titans parked the fifth-year linebacker on their injury list because of a hamstring injury. The team also designated outside linebacker Derick Roberson and center Aaron Brewer to come off IR.
The Titans retained Brown this offseason, re-signing him on a one-year deal worth $5.25MM. The veteran second-level starter faces a key stretch run, having spent time on IR in each of the past two seasons. Brown’s 2020 season ended after 10 games. This and the pandemic-altered salary cap affected Brown’s free agency, putting some pressure on him to make an impact ahead of a 2022 free agency bid.
Tennessee has shown some improvement on defense this season and is coming off one of its best defensive outings in recent memory, having held the Chiefs without a touchdown. A 34-game starter since the 2018 season, Brown made 105 tackles in 2019 and profiles as a key helper for the Titans’ chances of repeating as AFC South champions. Tennessee faces its lone threat to doing so Sunday, in matching up with the Colts for the second time this season.
Panthers Place OL John Miller On IR
The Panthers offense keeps taking hits. The team is placing starting right guard John Miller on injured reserve, reports ESPN’s David Newton (via Twitter).
Miller was limited to only 39 snaps during Sunday’s loss to the Giants before suffering an ankle injury. The ailment will now knock the 28-year-old out of the lineup for at least the next three games.
After starting 14 games for the Panthers in 2020, Miller re-signed with Carolina this past offseason. After missing Week 1, the lineman started each of the Panthers’ next six games. The former third-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Bills before starting 13 games for the Bengals in 2019.
The Panthers also swapped punters today, waiving Ryan Winslow and adding Lac Edwards to the practice squad. Per Newton (on Twitter), Edwards is expected to be promoted for Sunday’s game against the Falcons. Winslow was filling in for Joseph Charlton, who is currently sitting on IR. The 27-year-old saw time in Week 6 and Week 7 for the Panthers, averaging 38.6 yards on his 13 punts. Edwards served as the Jets punter from 2016 through 2019, and he led the NFL in punts and punting yards during his final season in New York.
Lions Release CB Daryl Worley
Daryl Worley had a rough game on Sunday against the Rams, and the performance likely contributed to him losing his job today. The Lions have released the veteran cornerback, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
Worley got burned on a 59-yard pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp at the end of the third quarter, and he gave up the subsequent touchdown (from Stafford to Kupp) that proved to be the game-winning score.
The 26-year-old joined Detroit’s practice squad back in September, and he ended up appearing in three games for the Lions, collecting two tackles. Worley saw time on 17 defensive snaps this past weekend. There’s still a chance the cornerback lands back on Detroit’s practice squad, but in that case, his performance on Sunday likely buried him deeper on the depth chart.
Worley has spent time with a number of teams since being selected in the third round of the 2016 draft. Since spending his first two seasons with the Panthers, the defensive back has had stints with the Eagles, Raiders, Cowboys, Bills, Raiders (again), Cardinals, and Lions. He started 15 games for the Raiders in 2019, and he started five of his 10 appearances in 2020 while playing for Dallas, Buffalo, and Las Vegas.
Chargers Sign Dustin Hopkins, Waive Tristan Vizcaino
Following their Tuesday kicker workout, the Chargers are making a change at kicker. They signed Dustin Hopkins. To make room for the veteran on their roster, the Bolts cut incumbent Tristan Vizcaino.
Vizcaino beat out Michael Badgley for the Chargers’ kicker gig during the preseason but has struggled mightily with extra points this season. A second-year kicker, Vizcaino will land on the waiver wire.
Washington ended Hopkins’ six-plus-season tenure as their kicker last week, cutting him and going with the untested Chris Blewitt. A 2013 Bills draftee, Hopkins caught on with Washington in 2015 and signed new deals in both 2018 and 2021 to stay on in that role. He will now head to Los Angeles to kick for one of the AFC’s top teams.
After one game with the 49ers last season, Vizcaino made 6 of 7 field goals in his six-game Chargers run. But he accompanied that by connecting on just 10 of 15 PATs. Coming out of their Week 7 bye, the Bolts will have a more seasoned kicker in the 31-year-old Hopkins, who has been in the NFL since 2013.
Hopkins joined Elliott Fry at the Tuesday kicker workout but brings far more experience. This season, Hopkins has made 12 of 14 field goal tries and was 10 of 12 on PATs with Washington. The former sixth-round pick has made at least 81% of his field goal attempts in all but one season — 2020, when he came in at 79% — and has kicked in 93 career regular-season games.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/21
Keeping track of today’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: LB Joe Bachie
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: CB Maurice Canady, DL Brent Urban
Denver Broncos
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Netane Muti
- Designated to return from IR: LB Jonas Griffith
Green Bay Packers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Malik Taylor
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: LB Harvey Langi
New York Giants
- Signed off Rams’ practice squad: DB J.R. Reed
- Waived: CB Josh Jackson, WR David Sills
New York Jets
- Promoted: S Jarrod Wilson
- Released: S Adrian Colbert
- Placed on IR: LB Blake Cashman, LB Jamien Sherwood
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-signed: LS Rick Lovato
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/26/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: S Javon Hagan, CB Lavert Hill
- Released: DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
Denver Broncos
- Released: C Javon Patterson, DB Saivion Smith
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Jahleel Addae, TE Eli Wolf
- Released: G Zack Bailey
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: DE Demone Harris
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: LB Paddy Fisher
- Released: G Nathan Gilliam, WR Austin Proehl
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: T Timon Parris
New England Patriots
- Released: S Elijah Benton
New York Giants
- Released: DT Woodrow Hamilton
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: S Jared Mayden
- Released: CB Michael Jacquet
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Eli Ankou, RB Mekhi Sargent
- Released: DL Abdullah Anderson, LB Dylan Cole, C James Murray
Giants Place S Jabrill Peppers On IR
Jabrill Peppers is now on the Giants’ IR list, ensuring he will finish the season in New York. The team placed the fifth-year safety on IR due to knee and ankle injuries.
These maladies are set to sideline Peppers for the rest of this season, with the Giants announcing the veteran defender has both a ruptured ACL and a high ankle sprain. Peppers suffered the injuries on a third-quarter punt return. This is a brutal blow for the free agent-to-be.
The Giants acquired Peppers via 2019’s Odell Beckham Jr. trade and picked up his fifth-year option. His rookie contract expires at season’s end, which invited speculation about his availability ahead of next week’s trade deadline. These injuries stonewall the prospect of a Peppers trade out of New York.
[RELATED: Joe Judge Discusses Trade Deadline]
Big Blue has safeties Logan Ryan and Xavier McKinney signed long-term, giving the team one of the NFL’s top back-line groups. Peppers has played 58% of the Giants’ snaps this season, the lowest participation rate out of this group. He has served as the Giants’ primary punt returner this season, however, and did register a sack during New York’s dominant win over Carolina in Week 7.
Pro Football Focus slots Peppers 56th among safeties this season, just behind McKinney. Peppers has made 30 tackles (two for loss) this season. A former first-round pick, Peppers was a full-time player for the 2019 and ’20 Giants squads. While the Michigan product should still have a market come March, his value dropped a bit since being included in the blockbuster trade two years ago and now takes a bigger hit thanks to these injuries.