Bears Place OL Germain Ifedi On IR
The Bears will be without one of their offensive line starters going forward. They moved Germain Ifedi to IR, knocking the veteran blocker out for at least three games.
A knee injury sustained late in the first half Sunday sidelined Ifedi, moving Elijah Wilkinson into Chicago’s lineup. That arrangement will likely continue beginning Sunday. Ifedi is not expected to miss the rest of the season, per Matt Nagy. The Bears also placed outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu on IR. Attaochu suffered a torn pec, which will end his season.
Ifedi has started all 21 games he has played for the Bears. The former first-round pick came over after an underwhelming Seahawks tenure, but the Texas A&M product has proven dependable in Chicago. Ifedi slid to guard last season, but after the Bears released Bobby Massie this offseason, Ifedi moved back to the right tackle spot he played in Seattle. The Bears’ upcoming stretch — against the Packers, 49ers and Buccaneers — stands to test Ifedi’s replacement.
Wilkinson signed with the Bears this offseason but could not win the starting right tackle job out of camp. The Bears are already without their preferred left tackle, rookie Teven Jenkins, but the team does roster Jason Peters on the left side. Wilkinson did serve as a plug-and-play option in Denver, being the Broncos’ primary right tackle in 2019 and adding seven more starts to his resume in place of the oft-absent Ja’Wuan James last season.
Cardinals Designate DL Jordan Phillips For Return
Jordan Phillips is moving closer to making his season debut. The Cardinals designated the veteran defensive lineman to return from IR Wednesday, starting his 21-day clock.
The second-year Arizona defender has three weeks to return from IR or miss the entire 2021 season. Phillips’ absence has dragged on with his current team; he has not played since Nov. 8 of last year.
The Cards did not disclose Phillips’ injury upon placing him on IR in September. His two IR stints in 2020 came because of hamstring injuries. The veteran interior D-lineman missed the final seven games of Arizona’s season. The Cardinals gave Phillips a three-year, $30MM deal in 2020, bringing him west after his 9.5-sack 2019 season with the Bills. The 29-year-old defender has yet to deliver much in the way of production since, adding some pressure ahead of his season debut.
Phillips is close to rejoining a team that has improved since he last suited up. The Cards are the league’s lone remaining unbeaten, at 5-0, and now have J.J. Watt anchoring their defensive line. A Phillips return in Week 6 would help a Cardinals team that is expected to be without Chandler Jones, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week. The Cards rank sixth in the league in scoring defense.
In addition to Phillips’ return to practice, the Cardinals placed both tight end Maxx Williams and special-teamer Zeke Turner on IR. Williams is facing the prospect of missing the rest of this season with a knee injury; Turner is battling a shoulder ailment. Arizona added some depth by signing veteran tight end Richard Rodgers to its practice squad.
Dolphins Designate QB Tua Tagovailoa For Return
Tua Tagovailoa is another step closer to returning. The Dolphins QB was designated for return from IR today, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter).
Tagovailoa suffered a rib injury during Miami’s Week 2 loss to the Bills, and he was placed on injured reserve in late September. This meant the QB would be eligible to return in time for the Dolphins game against the Jaguars on Sunday morning.
Of course, just because Tua returned to practice, it doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be on the field this weekend. It remains to be seen if Tagovailoa will travel to London with his squad, and even then, he’d need the team to trust that he’s healthy enough to start. We heard earlier this week that the QB would be “ready” to play, so we’ll see if he gets his way.
The former fifth-overall pick started nine of his 10 games last season, completing 64.1-percent of his passes for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He also added another 109 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He threw a touchdown and rushed for another during the Dolphins’ Week 1 victory over the Patriots, and he completed one of his four pass attempts in Week 2 before exiting.
As long as Tagovailoa is out of the lineup, Jacoby Brissett will continue under center for the Dolphins.
Eagles TE Dallas Goedert, Cardinals DE Chandler Jones Land On Reserve/COVID-19 List
Two notable players landed on their respective teams’ reserve/COVID-19 lists today. Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones and Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert landed on the list today, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Each player tested positive.
This will be a close call for Goedert, who is set to play on Thursday night. The NFL says vaccinated and asymptomatic players are required to return two negative tests 24 hours apart, so the organization will start getting more clarity tomorrow. The former second-round pick has appeared in all five games for the Eagles, hauling in 15 catches for 216 yards and two touchdowns.
Fortunately for Philly, the team does have some depth at the position. Veteran Zach Ertz will likely see an increase in snaps, and rookie Jack Stoll could also get some run.
Collins has a bit more time on his hands, as the Cardinals don’t play until Sunday. After being limited to only five games in 2020, Jones has bounced back in 2021. Through the first five games, the 31-year-old has collected nine tackles, five sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Titans punter Brett Kern also landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list today after testing positive.
Saints Release CB Desmond Trufant, Others
The Saints cleared a handful of roster spots today, letting go of three veterans. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Saints released kicker Cody Parkey, defensive back Brian Poole, and cornerback Desmond Trufant.
Parkey had a brief stint as the Saints starting kicker before suffering a groin injury that landed him on IR earlier today. Ultimately, the veteran was released with an injury settlement, allowing him to sign elsewhere (instead of being sidelined for three weeks before inevitably getting released). During New Orleans’ win over Washington the other day, Parkey didn’t attempt a field goal while converting three of his five extra point tries.
The kicker will be replaced by kicker Brian Johnson, who was signed off the Bears practice squad today. The Saints will continue to rotate through options at the position as they await Wil Lutz‘s return.
Trufant, a Pro Bowler during his time with the Falcons, joined the Saints in early September. He saw time in only two games for the Saints, collecting three tackles. The veteran hadn’t seen the field since Week 2, and he was pushed down the depth chart following the Bradley Roby acquisition. Now, the 31-year-old will have an opportunity to find work elsewhere.
Poole landed on injured reserve prior to the season, which meant he wasn’t going to see the field for New Orleans during the 2021 campaign. Like Parkey, he’ll be released with an injury settlement, allowing him to immediately find work elsewhere. Poole started 17 games for the Jets between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, collecting 103 tackles and three interceptions.
Besides the addition of Johnson, the Saints used one of their open roster spots to sign defensive tackle Christian Ringo.
LB Avery Williamson Expected To Sign With Titans
Avery Williamson is heading to Tennessee. The veteran linebacker was granted his release from the Broncos practice squad and will be signing with the Titans active roster, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter).
Williamson’s stint in Denver lasted only a week; he signed with the organization last Tuesday. Now, he’ll be rejoining the Titans after having spent the first four seasons of his career in Tennessee. During that time, Williamson started 59 of his 63 games, collecting 376 tackles and 11.5 sacks.
The Jets gave Williamson a nice contract in 2018, signing the former fifth-round pick for three years and $22.5MM. The linebacker missed the 2019 season after suffering a torn ACL, and he split the 2020 campaign between the Jets and Steelers. He ultimately saw time in 15 games (10 starts) last season, collecting 111 tackles and one sack.
With Jayon Brown recently landing on injured reserve, the Titans were looking for some veteran reinforcement at linebacker. Williamson will certainly fit that bill, and there’s a good chance he sticks around Tennessee even when Brown returns.
WR John Brown To Sign With Broncos PS
John Brown has found his next NFL gig. The free agent wideout is finalizing a deal to join the Broncos practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter).
Las Vegas signed the veteran speedster earlier this year and guaranteed him more than $3MM, but Brown later requested (and was granted) his release. Since being let go in late August, the receiver had one reported visit with the Falcons.
The 31-year-old has seen time in seven NFL seasons with the Cardinals, Ravens, and Bills. He had 1,067 yards from scrimmage only two seasons ago, but he followed that up with a disappointing 2020 campaign (458 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns). Now, he’ll be looking to revitalize his career in Denver. As Mike Klis of 9News points out (on Twitter), Brown “has sickle cell trait,” which can be a concern at high altitude. Of course, both the organization and the player are apparently not concerned about that being an issue.
Brown could have a chance to stick around Denver with Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler sidelined. The Broncos depth chart is currently led by Courtland Sutton, with the likes of Tim Patrick, Kendall Hinton, Diontae Spencer, and David Moore also vying for targets.
CB Quinton Dunbar Joining Packers PS
With Jaire Alexander sitting on injured reserve, the Packers have brought in some reinforcement at cornerback. Green Bay is signing cornerback Quinton Dunbar, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Matt Schneidman of The Athletic tweets that Dunbar will be joining the Packers’ practice squad.
[RELATED: Packers Place CB Jaire Alexander On IR]
Dunbar joined the Cardinals practice squad late last month, but the team cut him only a week later. Prior to that, the defensive back had spent the offseason with the Lions and later got a workout with the Bills. Now, he’ll be getting his third contract of the league year from Green Bay.
Two years ago, Dunbar broke out with Washington via a four-interception season that ended with the former UDFA allowing just a 61.2 passer rating while targeted. Washington’s new regime traded Dunbar to Seattle in 2020, and an injury ended a less successful season after six games. The six-year veteran will now look to bounce back in Green Bay.
Alexander suffered a shoulder injury during the second half of the Packers’ Week 4 win, leading to his placement on IR. Green Bay will continue leaning on first-round pick Eric Stokes and the recently re-signed Kevin King at corner, but Dunbar could eventually insert himself into that mix.
Seahawks To Waive CB Tre Flowers
The Seahawks are moving on from cornerback Tre Flowers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The fourth-year defender will land on waivers midway through his contract year.
This move comes at Flowers’ request, per Rapoport. The Seahawks stationed Flowers as a starter during the season’s first three games but relegated him to a special teams-only participant in Weeks 4 and 5. Flowers had been with the Seahawks since being drafted in the 2018 fifth round.
Despite being a Day 3 draftee, Flowers began his career as a full-time starter with Seattle. He and Shaquill Griffin lined up as the team’s primary first-string corners in 2018 and ’19. The Seahawks drafted Flowers shortly after releasing Richard Sherman. Flowers, however, lost his starting gig last year. He regained it in Week 1, months after the Seahawks let Griffin defect to the Jaguars in free agency.
Pro Football Focus has not viewed Flowers’ work in a favorable light since his rookie season, rating him outside the top 80 at cornerback in each of the ensuing three years. While this season still has a ways to go, Flowers not being able to crack a Seahawks rotation — during a season in which the team ranks last in total defense — has further reduced his stock. Flowers, 26, has not played a defensive snap since Week 3.
The Seahawks, who rank 30th in pass defense, moved Sidney Jones into their starting lineup in Week 4 opposite D.J. Reed. The team acquired Jones, a former Washington Husky, via trade from the Jaguars just before the season.
Titans Place Ty Sambrailo On Reserve/Retired List
Veteran offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo may be walking away from football. The Titans placed the seventh-year tackle on their reserve/retired list Tuesday.
Sambrailo, 29, re-signed with the Titans this offseason. However, he will follow both Kevin Johnson and Abry Jones — both of whom 2021 free agency additions — in landing on the team’s retired list.
A former second-round pick, Sambrailo has been with the Titans since 2020. He filled in as a starter for the injured Taylor Lewan last season and started for the Titans in Week 2 of this year. The former Broncos and Falcons O-lineman has played in 71 career games, making 19 starts. Sambrailo suffered a knee injury that ended his 2020 season, however, and began Tennessee’s training camp on the PUP list.
The Titans gave Sambrailo a one-year, $1.9MM contract earlier this year. The Falcons gave him a three-year, $14.25MM deal but cut the Colorado State alum two years into it. Sambrailo was inactive for the Titans’ Week 5 game Sunday.
Tennessee also waived defensive lineman Woodrow Hamilton and signed offensive linemen Derwin Gray and Jimmy Murray to its practice squad Tuesday. Punter Brett Kern is also now on the Titans’ reserve/COVID-19 list. Kern tested positive, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.