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Commanders Claim WR K.J. Osborn

December 11th, 2024 at 10:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Noah Brown‘s injury will prompt the Commanders to act at receiver. They submitted a successful waiver claim for K.J. Osborn, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports.

The Patriots ended an unsuccessful Osborn tenure Tuesday. The veteran slot receiver has produced in the past, however, faring well in Kevin O’Connell‘s Vikings offense. The Commanders will give him a shot in their Terry McLaurin-led receiving corps.

Osborn had fallen well off the radar in New England, catching only seven passes for 57 yards as the Patriots attempted to find answers at the position. The Pats had given Osborn a one-year, $4MM deal but did not benefit much from that contract. Only $1.18MM of that deal consists of base salary. Washington will only owe Osborn $278K for the season’s remainder.

Although Osborn did little in New England, he was a consistent producer in Minnesota. The former Vikings fifth-round pick posted 655 yards under then-OC Klint Kubiak in 2021 and caught on seamlessly with O’Connell a year later, finishing with 650 in an offense that featured Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and, after the trade deadline, T.J. Hockenson. Osborn concluded his Minnesota run with 540 yards in 2023 but did not command a substantial market in free agency, leading to a low-end Pats accord. From 2021-23, Osborn totaled 15 touchdown receptions.

Brown suffered what Dan Quinn said was likely a season-ending injury in Week 13. The late-summer addition had been Washington’s top McLaurin sidekick. This organization spent years trying to find a reliable WR2 but saw its Ron Rivera-era efforts fail. Jahan Dotson was the most notable disappointment; the team traded the 2022 first-round pick during training camp. Brown will likely wrap his season with 453 yards, a total boosted by a Hail Mary touchdown against the Bears, and the Commanders do not have another wideout who has passed 275 on the year. That will make Osborn an interesting addition.

Osborn, 27, may need to again settle for a one-year deal in free agency — after struggling in New England and ending up in a few trade rumors before the deadline — but he will have an interesting opportunity. Brown’s quick assimilation in Kliff Kingsbury‘s offense, along with Osborn having played under four play-callers in five seasons, offers some upside here.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/24

December 11th, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster updates:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed to active roster: RB Carlos Washington Jr.
  • Placed on IR: RB Jase McClellan

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Rams

  • Reverted to season-ending IR: G KT Leveston

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

It’s unfortunate news for the rookie second-round safety, Nubin. After starting the first 13 games of his first season in the NFL, the top-drafted safety in the 2024 NFL Draft will end the year on injured reserve with an ankle injury. Nubin had graded out as the 34th-best safety in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), before the injury.

Charles will miss the remainer of the season, as well, and perhaps some of next year. The former undrafted receiver will be undergoing surgery for a torn ACL.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/24

December 11th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Arizona is bringing in the left-footed punter as regular punter Blake Gillikin is dealing with an ankle injury on his kicking foot. If Gillikin can’t go on Sunday, Palardy will see his first game action since he finished the back half of the 2022 season in New England.

Packers Designate Luke Musgrave For Return From IR

December 11th, 2024 at 6:49pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Packers have designated tight end Luke Musgrave to return from injured reserve, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.

Musgrave was placed on injured reserve on October 11 with an ankle injury that ultimately required surgery. Musgrave’s comments on Wednesday indicate that he fully expects to play again this year.

“As soon as possible that they’ll let me go, I’ll go,” said Musgrave, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman.

Musgrave recorded 34 catches for 352 yards in 11 games as a rookie last season, but only caught five passes for 22 yards before getting injured this year. Fellow 2023 Day 2 draftee Tucker Kraft has stepped up in Musgrave’s absence, ranking first on the Packers in receiving touchdowns (seven), second in receptions (39), and third in receiving yards (521).

Green Bay will be hoping that Musgrave can finish the season healthy after suffering a lacerated kidney that sidelined him for part of the 2023 campaign. The Packers have chosen to support franchise quarterback Jordan Love by drafting several young pass-catchers over the past few seasons, though injuries have remained a recurring issue for the group.

Musgrave now has three weeks to practice with the team before he must be activated. Otherwise, he will revert to season-ending injured reserve.

Texans S Jalen Pitre To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

December 11th, 2024 at 4:22pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Texans safety Jalen Pitre will undergo surgery to repair a partially-torn pectoral, according to KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson, ending his 2024 season and depriving Houston of one of their key defensive playmakers as they attempt to win the AFC South.

Pitre started the Texans’ first 12 games this season, but exited the game in Week 12 and did not play the following week. Though he avoided a full pectoral tear, the injury still required corrective surgery with a recovery period that will extend beyond the end of the 2024 season.

Pitre’s injury is a massive loss for the Texans’ defense. Though the 2022 second-round pick hasn’t matched his impressive rookie production of five interceptions and 147 total tackles in either of the last two seasons, he’s still a versatile and valuable playmaker from the slot and the box.

Veteran safety Jimmie Ward took over Pitre’s role in Weeks 12 and 13 and will likely remain there for the rest of the season.

The Texans will also be without the services of starting offensive lineman Juice Scruggs for at least two games, per Wilson. Scruggs injured his foot in Week 13 against the Jaguars, but is not expected to undergo surgery or be placed on injured reserve.

Scruggs began the year as Houston’s center before sliding to left guard to replace Kenyon Green when he landed on IR. Green was designated to return on Monday, so he could move back into his old spot with Scruggs now sidelined. Zachary Thomas also took snaps at left guard in practice this week, so he could start there if Green isn’t healthy enough to play in Week 15.

Chiefs’ Harrison Butker Back At Practice

December 11th, 2024 at 12:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Continuing to walk a tightrope to keep a one-loss record in place, the Chiefs have seen three different kickers hit game-winning field goals during this run of one-score victories. With Harrison Butker down, both Spencer Shrader and Matthew Wright have stepped in.

The Chiefs needed to turn to Wright due to a Shrader injury — one that sent him to IR — and while style points eluded the second-stint Kansas City kicker, Wright nailed the game-winner to beat the Chargers on Sunday night. It is now possible the Chiefs are done with their revolving-door period at this position, as Andy Reid said Wednesday (via ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher) Butker would practice today.

This will start the veteran kicker’s 21-day activation clock. Butker has missed the past four games due to a knee injury, one that required arthroscopic surgery. This issue affected Butker’s non-kicking leg, and the eighth-year Chiefs kicker will aim to return soon. By being designated for return from IR, he would be eligible to come back against the Browns in Week 15. It is not certain he will be ready by then, however.

The Chiefs hold merely a plus-56 point differential — 11th-best in the NFL — which has placed a greater importance on precision from their kickers. Ten of the defending champions’ 12 wins have come by one score. Shrader hit a short game-winner to lift the Chiefs past the Panthers, while a banked-in Wright offering saved them against the Chargers. Butker has offered more stability. He is 18-for-20 on field goals this season, including a walk-off 51-yarder to beat the Bengals in Week 2, and 21-for-22 on PATs.

Kansas City is in good shape still, in terms of injury activations; the team holds six going into Week 15. They are aiming for Marquise Brown to return along with Butker. The free agent signing has been eligible to return from IR for months, but Reid said Wednesday he has not received clearance yet.

Colts Designate C Ryan Kelly For Return

December 11th, 2024 at 10:35am CST by Sam Robinson

As expected, Ryan Kelly is on his way back. The Colts will have their center at practice Wednesday, with Shane Steichen announcing the Pro Bowl blocker will receive a return designation from IR.

Kelly has missed the required four games, due to a knee injury, but has been viewed as likely to be back when first eligible. That comes in a pivotal game against the Broncos, who hold the final AFC wild-card spot the Colts are chasing. The Colts are also designating linebacker Jaylon Carlies for return from IR. Indianapolis has four injury activations remaining.

Kelly is the only homegrown Colts player remaining who predates GM Chris Ballard‘s 2017 arrival. Indianapolis chose Kelly in the 2016 first round and has used him as its starting center since. Although Ballard has relentlessly used a draft-and-extend blueprint as Indy’s GM, Kelly may not be in line for a third Colts contract. He signed an extension back in 2020 and has expressed interest in another deal, but the Colts have not entered negotiations. This leaves Kelly’s post-2024 future as rather murky, highlighting the importance on this season’s stretch run for the ninth-year center’s value.

It is possible the Colts circle back to Kelly before free agency or during the legal tampering period. They proceeded this way with Kenny Moore and Grover Stewart this year, re-signing both after each hit the market. But Kelly is also closing out an age-32 season, offering a complication. He may well have a chance to test the market for the first since, seeing as his 2020 Indianapolis re-up came months before he was to hit free agency.

Kelly sits in the top 10 all time among O-line longevity as a Colt. His 118 starts rank 10th. The top two longest-running O-linemen for the Colts played center (Ray Donaldson, Jeff Saturday), so Kelly appears — especially given his contract situation — set to fall short of their respective durations. But he can certainly help the 2024 team attempt to stay in the playoff race. The Colts are 6-7; a loss to the 8-5 Broncos would all but bury them in the wild-card race. Indianapolis sits two games behind Houston for the AFC South lead as well.

ESPN’s run block win rate slots Kelly seventh among all interior O-linemen this season, and he sits 14th in that group in pass block win rate. The Colts had used rookie/potential successor Tanor Bortolini as Kelly’s replacement, but he missed Week 13 with a concussion. The team is also likely to need another fill-in start at right tackle. Steichen said (via ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder) Braden Smith is still dealing with a personal matter and is not expected to play in Week 15. Rookie Matt Goncalves started at RT two weeks ago and would appear set to stay in that role for the time being.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/10/24

December 10th, 2024 at 8:46pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB K.J Cloyd

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins has made just 64.0% of his field goal attempts this season, which includes two misses from inside 40 yards. Patterson kicked for Cleveland when Hopkins was injured at the end of last season, and his addition to the practice squad indicates that head coach Kevin Stefanski is considering a similar change this year.

The Titans signed Narveson as insurance for starter Nick Folk, who is dealing with an injury, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Narveson began the season as the Packers’ kicker, but after missing five of his 12 field goal attempts, all of which came inside of 50 yards.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/10/24

December 10th, 2024 at 8:07pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Carolina Panthers

New York Giants

Tennessee Titans

The Panthers officially placed Brooks on injured reserve after he re-tore his right ACL on Sunday against the Eagles. The second-round pick spent most of his rookie season on the Physically Unable to Perform list after his initial ACL tear last November. He only managed 12 touches for 45 yards in his first three NFL appearances before re-injuring his knee, which will require another lengthy rehab process and puts his availability for the start of the 2025 season in doubt.

Browns Place Greg Newsome On IR, Waive Kadarius Toney

December 10th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Browns placed cornerback Greg Newsome on injured reserve, per a team announcement.

The Browns have just four games remaining in the regular season and have been eliminated from playoff contention, so Newsome’s IR stint will end his season.

The former first-round pick felt a “pop” in his left hamstring late in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 27-14 loss against the Steelers on Sunday, per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal. Newsome underwent surgery on the same hamstring at the beginning of training camp, though he was able to recover before the regular season started. While the two injuries may not be directly related, it’s still a point of concern for a cornerback entering a contract year.

The Browns picked up Newsome’s fifth-year option back in April, so he is under contract for $13.377MM in 2025, though he will likely be looking for a long-term extension before the start of next season. He has yet to play a full season in the NFL due to injuries with an average of 13.5 games per season.

Cleveland also waived wide receiver Kadarius Toney after a rough showing on punt returns in the fourth quarter at Pittsburgh. A taunting penalty on a fair catch was his first mistake, followed by a muffed return recovered by the Steelers that dashed any remaining hope of a Browns comeback. Given his struggles over the last few seasons, especially on Sunday, Toney is unlikely to be claimed on waivers and will become a free agent looking for his fourth NFL team since 2022.

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